The School District 49 Board of Education held a special meeting March 28 to discuss educational and policy issues.The board unanimously approved the following items:
- New course proposals for Vista Ridge High School
- Policy regarding kindergarten entrance age requirements
- Policies regarding the evaluation of instructional and educational support staff
- Retirees approved under the district’s early retirement incentive program.
The board unanimously voted down a proposal to purchase Apple Mac Book Pro laptops and iPads for licensed personnel in the Power Zone. BOE treasurer Marie Lavere-Wright addressed Bob Felice, Power Zone Innovation leader: ìI have several concerns with this issue. We have to consider the fact that we are faced with a $1 million re-budgeting issue because the Power Zone approved free full-day kindergarten next year.î Lavere-Wright said the decision to have free full-time kindergarten was not brought before the board, as it should have. BOE policy states that any decision costing more than $25,000 must be presented to the board for approval. ìWe have to re-budget to honor that decision, but basically you don’t have it in your budget to do both,î she said.Lynn Mather, coordinator of curriculum, presented information on the gifted and talented program. She explained the effects the budget cuts have had on the program and discussed plans to reorganize the department to address the needs of gifted students.Mark Carara, Falcon Zone Innovation leader, discussed a proposed schedule change for his zone: a 90-minute late start on Wednesdays to provide time for Professional Learning Communities for the teachers; allow an open campus during lunch for seniors with qualifying grades to eliminate the need for extra staff in the lunch room. The item will be addressed at the April 12 meeting.Brett Ridgway, chief business officer, presented a Matrix Management Reference illustration to show how district issues could potentially be addressed in the future. He said the information is not intended to become policy. ìThis matrix shows who should be involved in the collaborative process,î said Becky Carter, chief education officer.Ridgway also presented the quarterly treasurer’s report and a budget report with a focus on the 2012-2013 school year. ìDoing something pay wise that is meaningful to our staff is definitely within our grasp,î he said. ìI’m pretty encouraged by those numbers compared to last year,î said BOE president, Tammy Harold.The following discussion items were moved to action items for April 12:
- A Career Technical Education stipend for teachers who earn this credential
- Changes to the district’s weighted grading policies
Kim McClelland, iConnect Zone leader, provided information regarding a parent/student survey that was used to develop a list of priorities for charter school applications. This information will be used when drafting a Response for Proposal application due in May.
