PLEASE
NOTE THAT THE MINUTES WILL NOT BE FINAL UNTIL
THE
BOARD HAS APPROVED THEM AT ITS NEXT MEETING.
September
13, 2007
The Board of Directors of
The following Directors were present: Kim Totten, Chair; Maryane Burns; Dorothy
“Dee” Carrier; Dorothy Gardner; Sheila Havey; Robert W. Hill; David A. Johnson;
Joanne Reinhart; Joanne M. Rogers;
Donald Russell; Rebekah Stimpson; Gwen Thomas; and Roland Tufts.
Not present was Jane Meisenbach.
Sam Prindall, student representative to the Board
of Directors, was also present.
1. Call
to order
The
meeting was called to order by Chairman Totten at 6:30 p.m.
2. Pledge
of Allegiance to the Flag
Those present recited the Pledge of Allegiance to
the Flag.
3. To
consider action relative to additions or adjustments to the agenda and to ask
for comments from the audience
Adjustments to the agenda were noted, as follows,
and integrated appropriately into the agenda.
(correction) Correct spelling of Gabriel Elliton
to Gabriel Elliot
3.1
(add) Add July 12, 2007 to list of those being considered
for approval
4.
(add) High school Attendance Policy
8.3
(move) Executive session
6.7 To end of agenda
3.1 RECOGNTIONS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Ø
Welcome
from George Jenkins, Principal of
Ø Congratulations to all staff on an
excellent start to the school year Superintendent
Wilhelm related that all the buildings were in great shape and that everyone
was enthusiastic and excited to begin a new year.
Dr. Wilhelm noted that Business
Manager Ron Lavender has temporarily assumed the duties of the Transportation
Director until that vacancy can be filled and expressed his appreciation of Mr.
Lavender’s extra efforts.
Ø M.S.A.D.
No. 75 – Certificate of Recognition from the
David Brann (8th grade) Scoring with
Distinction in
Michelle Brann (8th
grade) Scoring with Distinction in Math
Susanne Fink (8th
grade) Scoring with Distinction in
Patrick Lynch (7th grade) Scoring with
Distinction in
Gabriel Elliot {correction noted}
(8th grade) Scoring with
Distinction in
Joshua Wright (7th grade) Scoring with
Distinction in
Noah Jacobsen-Carroll (5th grade) State Award
winner with High Honors in
Ø Mt.
Ararat High School-Based
Ø
M.S.A.D.
No. 75 – Recipient of a $1,000 mini-grant from the
… Ms.
Burns arrived at 6:35 p.m.
Ø Carol
Larrabee, bus driver – retiring after having served the District for 38 years –
Superintendent Wilhelm noted that Mrs. Larrabee has done a great job
for the District and wishes her well in her retirement.
Ø Helene
McGlauflin – Published in Teaching Tolerance
4. To take
action relative to accepting as printed the minutes of the July 12, 2007 {correction noted}; August
9, 2007; and August 23, 2007, regular meetings of the Board of Directors
Mrs. Carrier noted that on Page 6,
Item 6.7 of the minutes of the August 9th meeting, she had said she
has a problem with mandating that students must pay to take the exam.
It was moved by Mrs. Rogers,
seconded by Mrs. Gardner, and VOTED (721
yeas, 0 nays, 212 abstentions, and 67 absent) to accept as corrected the
minutes of the July 12, 2007; August 9, 2007; and August 23, 2007, regular
meetings of the Board of Directors.
Voting yea were Ms. Burns, Ms.
Carrier, Mrs. Gardner, Ms. Havey, Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Reinhart, Mrs. Rogers, Mr.
Russell, Mrs. Totten and Mr. Tufts.
There were no nay votes.
Abstaining from voting were Mr.
Hill, Ms. Stimpson, and Ms. Thomas.
Mrs. Meisenbach was absent.
5. OLD
BUSINESS:
5.1 To hear an update on the
consolidation process
Superintendent Wilhelm reported on
his attendance today at a meeting of the
The Towns are in the process of
appointing community members to the Regionalization Planning Committee. As of last Friday, Bowdoin and Topsham had
not made those appointments. Each of the
towns of the Board of Directors should approach the respective Selectmen’s
office to learn who the community members are.
Dr. Wilhelm reminded the Board it had
filed two intentions – one to consolidate with
The first meeting of the
Regionalization Planning Committee (M.S.A.D. No. 75 and
Sam Prindall hopes that students are
invited to the Planning Committee meetings.
Dr. Wilhelm pointed out that these are public meetings and that student input
will be welcomed.
5.2 To
reconsider the Middle School Technology Liaison position as a Middle School
Technology Teacher Leader position and change the stipend from 4% to 8% of the
base
Superintendent Wilhelm prefaced this
discussion by stating that Principal Brenda Brown wants this position to be a
leadership one. She has funds in her
budget and will make up the difference.
It was moved by Mrs. Carrier,
seconded by Mrs. Rogers, and VOTED
(unanimously) to reconsider the Middle School Technology Liaison position
as a Middle School Technology Teacher Leader position and change the stipend
from 4% to 8% of the base.
5.3 To elect a delegate for the MSBA
Annual Delegate Assembly
It was moved by Mrs. Carrier,
seconded by Mr. Hill, and VOTED (864
yeas, 69 nays, 0 abstentions, and 67 absent) to elect Kim Totten as the Board’s delegate for the MSBA Annual Delegate
Assembly.
Voting yea were Ms. Burns, Mrs.
Carrier, Mrs. Gardner, Ms. Havey, Mr. Hill, Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Reinhart, Mrs.
Rogers, Mr. Russell, Ms. Stimpson, Ms. Thomas, and Mr. Tufts.
Voting nay was Mrs. Totten.
There were
no abstentions.
Absent was
Mrs. Meisenbach.
6. NEW
BUSINESS:
6.1 To
appoint Christine Egan to a
first-year probationary contract as a 4th grade teacher at
It was moved by Mrs. Rogers, seconded
by Mrs. Carrier, and VOTED (unanimously)
to appoint Christine Egan to a
first-year probationary contract as a 4th grade teacher at Bowdoin
Central School, at Bachelor’s +15, Step 9, retroactive to September 1, 2007.
6.2 To
appoint Jill Carney to a first-year
probationary contract as a high school social studies teacher, at Bachelor’s,
Step 0, retroactive to September 1, 2007
It was moved by Mr. Johnson, seconded
by Mrs. Rogers, and VOTED (unanimously) to
appoint Jill Carney as a high school
social studies teacher, at Bachelor’s, Step 0, retroactive to September 1,
2007.
6.3 To
accept the resignation of Karen
Koulovatos, Human Resources Director, effective October 22, 2007
It was moved by Mrs. Carrier,
seconded by Mr. Johnson, and VOTED
(unanimously) to accept with regret the resignation of Karen Koulovatos, Human Resources Director, effective October 22,
2007.
Superintendent Wilhelm said that Ms.
Koulovatos has made a “real difference” in the District Office and with the
entire employee population of the District.
He reflected on the quality of her
work, noting the production of the Human Resources newsletter, and helping the
District meet its legal obligations.
Mrs. Rogers appreciates the good job
Ms. Koulovatos did in assisting with the negotiations process. Mrs. Carrier echoed that sentiment,
expressing her feeling that the District is “better off” having had Ms.
Koulovatos in its employ.
Mrs. Gardner
felt that Ms. Koulovatos has well represented the District.
6.4 To
accept Nathan Fasset as a tuition
student in the 10th grade at
It was moved by Mr. Hill, seconded by
Mr. Tufts, and VOTED (unanimously) to
accept Nathan Fasset as a tuition
student in the 10th grade at
6.5 To
accept Zachery Brownlee as a tuition
student in the 7th grade at
It was moved by Mrs. Rogers, seconded
by Mr. Johnson, and VOTED (unanimously) to
accept Zachery Brownlee as a tuition
student in the 7th grade at
6.6 To
appoint Michael Kelly to a one-year contract
as Director of Transportation from September 17, 2007 to September 16, 2008
It was moved by Mr. Johnson, seconded
by Mrs. Gardner, and VOTED (unanimously)
to appoint Michael Kelly to a
one-year contract as Director of Transportation from September 17, 2007 to September
16, 2008.
6.7
To enter executive session to undertake a
disciplinary hearing to consider the suspension or expulsion of a student
pursuant to 1-M.R.S.A. 405 (6) (B)
The Chairman had deferred this item to
the end of the meeting.
6.8 To
consider a recommendation from George Jenkins, Principal of Bowdoin Central
School, to add an Educational Technician III to address class sizes at the
Kindergarten level
Mr. Jenkins noted that each of the
Kindergarten session has 19 students (one over the maximum class size specified
in Board policy). Compounding the need
for additional support is that the KinderStart Educational Technician is
expected to go on maternity leave at the end of December and remain out on leave
until September 2008.
It was moved by Mrs. Carrier,
seconded by Mr. Hill, and VOTED
(unanimously) to approve a recommendation from George Jenkins, Principal of
Bowdoin Central School, to add an Educational Technician III to address class
sizes at the Kindergarten, the funding for the additional support outlined in this item to be taken from the Contingency
Account.
6.9 To
consider a recommendation from Rick Dedek, Acting Principal of Woodside
Elementary School, to add a .5 FTE Kindergarten teaching position and an
accompanying .5 FTE KinderStart Educational Technician III to address class
sizes at the Kindergarten level
Mr. Dedek stated that each of
Woodside’s Kindergarten sessions has 19 students and indicated that the Kindergarten
team was unanimous in asking for this solution.
Superintendent Wilhelm also reminded the Board that Woodside houses
special education programs.
It was moved by Mrs. Rogers, seconded
by Mrs. Gardner, and VOTED (unanimously)
to approve a recommendation from Rick Dedek, Acting Principal of Woodside
Elementary School, to add a .5 FTE Kindergarten teaching position and an
accompanying .5 FTE KinderStart Educational Technician III to address class
sizes at the Kindergarten, the funding for the additional support outlined in
this item to be taken from the Contingency Account.
6.10 To
consider changes in Board member representation on Board sub-committees
Board
members were asked to return their committee preferences to Becky Brillant in
the District Office.
6.11 To elect a Finance Committee for the
2007-2008 school year
Board
members caucused by Town.
Mr. Hill nominated Mr. Tufts to serve
as Topsham’s representative to the Finance Committee.
Mrs. Rogers nominated Mr. Johnson to
serve as the at-large representative to the Finance Committee.
Ms. Thomas is the nominee to serve as
Bowdoin’s representative to the Finance Committee.
Ms. Reinhart is the nominee to serve
as Bowdoinham’s representative to the Finance Committee.
By virtue of her office as
Vice-Chairman of the Board, Mrs. Carrier will represent Harpswell and serve as
Chair of the Finance Committee.
It was moved by Mrs. Rogers, seconded
by Mrs. Carrier, and VOTED (unanimously)
to move the slate, subsequently electing the 2007-2008 Finance Committee as
listed below.
Dee Carrier, Chairman {Harpswell}
Gwen
Thomas {Bowdoin}
Joanne
Reinhart {Bowdoinham}
Roland
Tufts {Topsham}
David
Johnson {at-large}
6.12 To discuss how to configure our Human
Resources support, given the resignation of the Director and the State’s
expectation to reduce system administrative costs by 50%
Superintendent Wilhelm noted that
thought has been given to reconfiguring the support offered by Ms. Koulovatos,
with consideration given to dividing up her responsibilities, some of which are
tasks formerly accomplished by other District Office staff members. He noted that it’s been determined that at
least a half-time position is warranted.
Mrs. Rogers doesn’t want the District
to return to the scenario wherein this position didn’t exist. She stated her intention to vote to continue
with a full-time position.
Ms. Burns agreed that the District
needs the assistance offered by this position and would not vote to change the
position.
Mrs. Carrier recalled the lengthy
deliberations the Board had undertaken in considering whether to fund the HR
position. She feels that attempting to
“farm out” her job responsibilities would be a waste of time.
Mr. Tufts feels that with 600+
employees, the Board would be remiss not
to replace this position and expressed doubts that the District would even
be able to hire a qualified person who would assume the job on a half-time
basis. He suggested the possibility of
making other administrative support positions part-time.
Mr. Johnson feels that the Board and
District has come “too far” to revert to not having this position.
Mr. Russell suggesting keeping the
position at a full-time level, relating his experience with having worked in an
organization (without nearly as many employees as the District) which had a
part-time HR contact, indicating that it was not successful.
Superintendent Wilhelm stated that a
vote was not necessary, as the Board has expressed its interest in continuing
this position in its present format.
Superintendent Wilhelm told the Board
that it might want to think about the receptionist’s position, noting that the
position would be a resource if the Board had to cut back on the HR
position. He noted that the receptionist
has assumed the vacant administrative assistant’s position in the
Transportation Office.
Business Manager Ron Lavender pointed
that although the Board has always considered the HT Director’s position an
important one, the Department of Education has not embraced the concept. He noted that there are only two or three
systems in the State with such a position.
Mr. Lavender feels that the State has
no basis for mandating a 50% reduction in central office administration
costs. He feels the Board will need to
address a legislative solution to address the 50% cost reduction mandate. He feels that a 50% reduction is not sustainable and reiterated his conviction
that the Board might like to address a legislative solution to remedy the 50%
cost reduction mandate, which he believes is unachievable.
Superintendent Wilhelm stated that in
a conversation with legislator Leila Percy, he had alerted her that achieving a
50% reduction in central office administrative costs would be extremely
difficult, if not impossible, saying that the Board needs to make a case to the
Legislature that the Governor and Commissioner have mandated an untenable
situation.
Mr. Hill noted that since the
Consolidation Law was passed, the Board has not had the presence of legislators
at Board meeting. He feels that all of
them should attend the Regionalization Planning Committee meetings.
Mrs. Rogers refuses to dismantle a
good system.
Mr. Lavender fears the loss of
additional key people, feeling that the District will have to compete in order
to limit the “drain” of good people leaving the District’s employ. The
7. COMMITTEE
REPORTS:
7.1 Curriculum
Committee
The Curriculum Committee met prior to
the Board meeting. Mr. Hill reported
that the Program Evaluation of READ 180 and Neufeld Math was discussed. Updates from the State were discussed in the
areas of assessment, revised Learning Results and 21st Century. The Committee also discussed a schedule for
its work this year.
8. SUPERINTENDENT’S
REPORT:
8.1 Financial report – The Financial report
was presented by Ron Lavender, Business Manager.
8.2 Enrollment report – A compilation of
this year’s opening enrollments was distributed. While enrollment is down about 70 students
from last year, Kindergarten enrollments are up.
8.3
Principal Craig King encapsulated the
differences between the “old” policy and the new one that is now in
effect. He indicated that the old one
had “loopholes” surrounding instances of high absenteeism. The new one sets limits on how many days per
quarter can be missed; and he stated that a student can miss up to five days
without documentation, and after the fifth the student’s grade will be reduced
to 59. A student can appeal this, and
with appropriate documentation, the grade will be reinstated.
Chairman Totten wondered if in the
presentation of the policy, some students could have perceived the policy to
mean that each absence for sickness needs to be accompanied by a doctor’s
certificate. Dr. King states that the
new policy attempts to put the onus on the parent and student to call the
school and provide a reason for an absence.
He estimated that 90% of the parents are diligent about doing this.
Mr. Russell had received a call from
a parent who thought a student could not be absent for even one day without a
doctor’s note. Dr. King added that
parents of students with chronic conditions (i.e., asthma) could bring this to
School Nurse Marla Blake’s attention.
6.7
To enter executive session to undertake a
disciplinary hearing to consider the suspension or expulsion of a student
pursuant to 1-M.R.S.A. 405 (6) (B)
At 8:00 p.m. it was moved by Mr.
Johnson, seconded by Mrs. Carrier, and VOTED
(unanimously) to enter executive session to undertake a disciplinary
hearing to consider the suspension or expulsion of a student pursuant to
1-M.R.S.A. 405 (6)(B); and Principal Craig King and Assistant Principal Don
Gray were asked to participate in the executive session.
The executive session ended at 9:04
p.m.; and the following action was taken.
It was moved by Mrs. Rogers, seconded
by Mr. Johnson, and VOTED (unanimously) that
for the health and well being of the student body that Student “X” be expelled
from school for trafficking and furnishing of scheduled drugs for a period of
not less than one (1) year (until August 15, 2008). Should Student “X” request re-admittance to
school, he will need to meet the following criteria: (1)
documented evidence of counseling; (2)
documentation that he be engaged in work or community service during his
absence; (3) documentation of
compliance with his court conditions; (4)
documentation from his tutor that he is invested in school work, and (5) that he attend one (1) hour per
week of substance abuse counseling during his expulsion.
9. ADJOURNMENT – The
meeting was declared adjourned at 9:07 p.m.
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