DELAWARE COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2006
6:30 P.M.
ROYERTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
A Work Session was held at
5:30 p.m. at Delta High School to discuss the renovations.
An Executive Session was
held at 6:15 p.m. at Royerton Elementary School on personnel matters.
MINUTES
Present: Sean Burcham, President; Harry Fowler,
Vice-President; Norb Heban, Secretary; John Adams, Member; Lisa Clawson,
Member; Pat Mapes, Assistant Superintendent; Steve Hall, Assistant Superintendent;
Steve Gookins, Superintendent.
I.
CALL TO ORDER
At
6:44 p.m. President Sean Burcham called the meeting to order.
II.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
III.
MINUTES
A. A motion was made by Harry Fowler and seconded by
Norb Heban to approve the minutes of the business meeting and executive
sessions held on Tuesday, October 17, 2006.
The motion was approved unanimously.
IV.
FINANCE
A. A motion was made by Norb Heban and seconded by
Harry Fowler to approve the list of vouchers as presented. The motion was approved unanimously.
A.
Student Due Process
Appeals
Superintendent Gookins advised the Board they are
no longer able to hear student due process appeals on a case-by-case
basis. They must decide whether to hear
all expulsion appeals or none.
A motion was made by Norb Heban and seconded by
Lisa Clawson for the Board to hear all student expulsion appeals
requested. The motion was approved
unanimously.
B.
DHS Project Phase II
Superintendent Gookins informed the Board Mr. Jerry Firestone of RQAW was available to answer any questions regarding Phase II of the Delta High School project. The Board determined earlier at the work session at Delta High School to build a fenced off area to aesthetically improve the waste area at Delta High School.
A motion was made by Harry Fowler and seconded by John Adams to approve moving ahead with phase II of the project by adopting the schedule for the project, granting authority to finalize and issue drawings, approve bids, and receive bids. The motion was approved unanimously.
VI.
COMMUNICATIONS FROM
THE FLOOR
A. Superintendent Gookins introduced Mrs. Debbie
Houston who has worked with the foreign exchange student program for the past
seven years. Mrs. Houston commented on
how wonderful it is to work with the faculty at Delta High School. This year we have seven exchange students at
Delta High School. They and their host
families were introduced to the Board and they shared gifts from their native
countries. They are as follows:
Ø
Darya Amirovaf fromTajikistan
hosted by Dan & Debbie Huston
Ø
Guilherme (Guigo) de Souza from
Brazil hosted by Paul & Cynthia Whitehair
Ø
Christian Dinges from Germany
hosted by Larry & Sandy McReynolds
Ø
Bruna Ferreira from Brazil
hosted by Joe & Sharon Russell
Ø
Andres Garcia from Columbia
hosted by George & Claudia Moorman
Ø
Rafael Garcia from Brazil
hosted by George & Claudia Moorman
Ø
Chantal Marchini from Sweden
hosted by Michael & Sarah Beech
Superintendent Gookins welcomed all the students and thanked them for participating in this wonderful program. He also thanked the host families for opening their homes to make it possible for these students to be here.
B. Mr. Paul Russell was recognized by Board President,
Sean Burcham. Mr. Russell presented the
Board with slide pictures of the initial completion of Delta High School. He asked the Board use the slides in any way
they felt was appropriate.
C. Ms. Carrie Summers was recognized by Board
President, Sean Burcham. Ms. Summers
informed the Board she had received a letter from Mr. Gookins and Mr.
Hinshaw. She wanted the Board to be
aware she appreciated the FFA (Future Farmer’s of America) students being
allowed to participate in the recent press release as well as being able to
attend the National FFA Conference recently held in Indianapolis. Ms. Summers felt the press release was a
very educational experience for our FFA students.
Board
Vice-President, Harry Fowler asked about the National Convention. Approximately 48,000 FFA students from
around the nation attended this convention.
There were approximately 30 Delta High School students who took
advantage of the opportunity to attend at least part of this year’s conference
where they learned about agricultural business opportunities.
Mr.
Paul Russell added he was also supportive and appreciative of the FFA students
being able to attend both the recent press conference and the National
Convention.
A.
Classified Staff
1.
A motion was made by
Norb Heban and seconded by Harry Fowler to transfer Judy Larson from a food
service position at Delta High School to a five-hour cafeteria position at
Eaton Elementary School effective November 8, 2006. The motion was approved unanimously.
2.
A motion was made by
John Adams and seconded by Norb Heban to transfer Michelle Fowler from a two
and a half hour food service position at Delta High School to a six and a half
hour food service position at Delta High School effective November 8,
2006. The motion was approved four in
favor with Harry Fowler abstaining.
3.
A motion was made by
Norb Heban and seconded by Harry Fowler to employ Bonnie Ammon as a food
service employee for a two and a half hour position at Delta High School
effective November 8, 2006. The motion
was approved unanimously.
4.
A motion was made by
Norb Heban and seconded by John Adams to employ Brad Davis as an instructional
assistant at Eaton Elementary School effective November 8, 2006 with pay rate
to be retroactive to include time worked as a substitute in this position. The motion was approved unanimously.
5.
A motion was made by
Norb Heban and seconded by John Adams to employ Lois Cole as a Deputy Treasurer
for the Corporation with a salary of $33,500 per year effective November 9,
2006 pending receipt of approved paperwork.
The motion was approved unanimously.
B.
Extra Curricular
A motion was made by John Adams and seconded by Norb Heban
to approve the following Extra-Curricular positions as presented by
Superintendent Gookins:
1.
Recommendation to
appoint Shannon Stout as head wrestling coach at Delta High School for the
2006-2007 season.
2.
Recommendation to
appoint Jessica Hilton as a head gymnastics coach at Delta High School for the
2006-2007 season.
3.
Recommendation to
appoint Jarrod Smith as an assistant wrestling coach at Delta High School for
the 2006-2007 season.
4.
Recommendation to
appoint Josh Smith as a freshman wrestling coach at Delta High School for the
2006-2007 season.
5.
Recommendation to
appoint Kristopher Kyle as a volunteer seventh grade boys’ basketball coach at
Delta Middle School for the 2006-2007 season.
6.
Recommendation to
appoint Sandy McMillan as an intramural fitness club director at DeSoto
Elementary School for the 2006-2007 school year.
7.
Recommendation to
appoint Matt Huber as an intramural fitness club director at Albany Elementary
School for the 2006-2007 school year.
The motion was approved unanimously.
C.
Conference
Requests/Field Trips
A motion was made by Norb Heban and seconded by Lisa Clawson
to approve the following Conference and Field Trip requests as presented by
Superintendent Gookins:
1.
Doug Wilder requests
permission to attend the Project Lead the Way State Conference on Thursday,
November 9, 2006 in Indianapolis, IN.
2.
Lynn Wright requests
permission to attend the History Professional Development Series on the
following dates: Tuesday, November 14,
2006; Wednesday, February 21, 2007; and Wednesday, May 9, 2007 at the
Minnetrista Center in Muncie, IN.
3.
Jan Morris requests
permission to attend the North Central Conference on Friday through Saturday,
November 17-18, 2006 at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, NE.
4.
Lance Brand requests
permission to attend the Indiana Educational Roundtable on Thursday, December
7, 2006 at the IDOE in Indianapolis, IN.
5.
Lisa Ferguson
requests permission to attend the EES Trip Leader Orientation on Thursday
through Monday, January 11-15, 2007 in Paris, France.
6.
Jan Morris requests
permission to attend the Indiana Music Educators Association Convention on
Wednesday through Sunday, January 17-21, 2007 at the Convention Center in
Indianapolis, IN.
7.
William Yates
requests permission to attend the Energy Education Seminars on the following
dates: Monday through Thursday, January
22-25, 2007; Monday through Wednesday June 25-27, 2007; Monday through
Thursday, September 24-27, 2007. The
seminars will be held in Austin, TX, Schaunburg, IN, and Fort Worth, TX
respectively.
8.
Gregory P. Hinshaw
requests permission to attend the Safety Specialist Academy on Tuesday through
Wednesday, April 17-18, 2007 at the Sheraton Hotel in Indianapolis, IN.
9.
Roxanne Lee and Robin
Royal request permission to take the Kindergarten classes from Albany
Elementary School to the Ratliff Christmas Tree Farm on Monday, October 30,
2006 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
The motion was approved unanimously.
D.
Information and
Proposals
1.
Superintendent
a. Robert P. Bell Education Fund Grant Awards
Superintendent Gookins informed the Board Mr. Lance Brand and Mrs. Chris Schwer were recipients of this year’s Robert P. Bell Education Grants. Mr. Brand is a science teacher at Delta High School and Mrs. Schwer is a third grade teacher at Royerton Elementary School.
b. Electronic Board Meetings
Superintendent Gookins advised the Board he had spoken with Harry Fowler who wanted to re-introduce the possibility of making the Board packet an electronic or paperless document. Superintendent Gookins introduced Mr. Josh Landis, technology employee, to make a presentation regarding the possibility of electronic Board meetings.
Mr. Josh Landis presented the Board with a proposal for introducing digital technology for use during Board meetings with the Board packet being presented as a password protected/encrypted PDF file.
A discussion followed of the various benefits to the Corporation. It was the consensus of the board there could be many benefits to this proposal.
A motion was made by Harry Fowler and seconded by
Norb Heban to approve a proposal to purchase notebook computers not to exceed
ten computers with the technology to begin working toward using digital media
for Board packets and meeting materials.
The motion was approved unanimously.
c. Insurance Pool Process Update
Superintendent Gookins informed the Board of progress being made with the Insurance Pooling Process. The goal is to have at least 30 to 50 school corporations participating with a target start date of July 1, 2007. He advised 110 school corporations have paid $500.00 to explore the possibility of joining this Insurance Pool. There will be several meetings coming up to narrow the scope of the project. Superintendent Gookins also advised he has been asked to chair the Operations Committee. As chairman of the operations committee, Superintendent Gookins may be asked to go to other corporation’s board meetings to answer questions.
Superintendent Gookins also informed the Board the natural gas coop is building excitement as well with one more wanting on board and three more seeking board approval to come on.
d. East Central Study Council Board Night – Wednesday,
November 8, 2006 beginning at 6:00 p.m. at Ball State Alumni Center
2.
Steve Hall, Assistant
Superintendent
a. Meridian Services
Assistant Superintendent Hall advised the Board he and Superintendent Gookins had visited two of the schools in Lafayette, Indiana who are already using School Based Systems of Care as discussed at the last Board meeting. There were both positive and negative aspects to the program as observed at the onsite visit, but all who went agreed the positives far outweigh any negatives.
Assistant Superintendent Hall informed the Board some of our concerns include the following: we would need to have the ability to screen the case managers sent to our school; we would want input in determining students considered at-risk; we would want to know how the case managers are evaluated; and we would want to ensure we have our counselors as the contact person in each building to oversee each case.
Superintendent Gookins advised the Board he did not see anything during the visit that would steer him away from pursuing the program farther at this time.
It was the consensus of the Board to proceed with
pursuing the details of this program, then bring it back to the Board in
writing at a future meeting.
b. Ball Wellness Grant
Assistant Superintendent Hall informed the Board after tremendous success with our elementary school fitness clubs, we are looking to continue this program and expand it to include the middle school. Assistant Superintendent Hall is writing a formal grant proposal for the Ball Wellness Grant and is seeking Board approval to submit it. Assistant Superintendent Hall informed the Board the middle school version would be given a different name, possibly Impact Clubs and they would target both physical and community service activity.
It was the
consensus of the Board to submit this grant and to move ahead with the plan as
presented by Assistant Superintendent Hall.
3.
Pat Mapes, Assistant
Superintendent
a.
Pandemic Flu/School
Safety Presentation
Assistant Superintendent Mapes introduced Doug
Marshall, Principal of Royerton Elementary; and Chris Conley, Principal of
Albany Elementary for a presentation on both the Pandemic Flu preparations and
School Safety. Mr. Conley and Mr.
Marshall both attended the Indiana School Safety Conference.
Mr. Conley and Mr. Marshall both stressed
communication as the key to maintaining safe campuses throughout our
Corporation. Students must be
encouraged to keep open lines of communication with adults throughout our
buildings.
There are many precautions currently in place
within our school corporation in an effort to keep our students and staff as
safe as possible. The elementary
schools maintain the M.O.P.s program.
This program standardizes discipline throughout the elementary buildings
and Mr. Marshall adds it has decreased the number of disciplinary referrals to
his office. At the secondary level, Mr.
Conley shared we have peacemakers, a Middle School peer mediation group
and the Golden Rule Club which meets to discuss ways to do the right thing and
how to make positive things happen.
Mr. Conley and Mr. Marshall reported all schools
have emergency plans in effect and take reasonable precautions such as locking
doors after student arrival times, doing everything possible to ensure Internet
safety precautions are taken, doing volunteer limited criminal background
checks and many other things to ensure the safest environment possible within
our buildings.
Delaware Community School’s preparations for the
possibility of a flu pandemic were also discussed. We are taking part in County and State-wide-planning and are
taking every reasonable precaution to plan for the possibility of a flu
pandemic.
VIII.
BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
Lisa Clawson – I would
like to thank everyone for coming tonight.
I appreciated the presentations made by our exchange students.
John Adams – Thank you Mrs. Houston and our
foreign exchange students for the presentation this evening. Thank you Josh Landis for a great job with
the presentation of digital Board packets.
This will be a great asset to our corporation. Mr. Hall, thank you for the presentation and forward thinking
going into the possibility of a partnership with Meridian Services for a new
school-based system of care. Thank you
also to Mr. Chris Conley and Mr. Doug Marshall for the presentation on school
safety.
Harry Fowler – I would
concur with my fellow Board members.
Good job Mr. Landis in presenting a proposal for digital Board
meetings. Thank you to everyone for all
the presentations this evening.
Norb Heban – I would also concur with my
fellow Board members. I appreciate the
efforts of our Administrators and it is nice to know you are thinking outside
the box and looking at the big picture to help us move into the future. This will be a great asset to our patrons
and our community as well as our Corporation.
It was good to see some of our teens at the voting polls today.
Sean Burcham – I would
concur with my fellow board members and thank everyone for this evening’s
presentations. Thank you also for those
who did field trip evaluations. Great
job everyone!
IX.
FUTURE MEETINGS
A. The next regular meeting is scheduled for November
21, 2006 at 6:30 p.m. at the Administration Building.
B. The ISBA will hold a School Law Seminar on Friday,
December 8, 2006 at the Marriott East in Indianapolis, IN.
X.
ADJOURNMENT
A
motion was made by Harry Fowler and seconded by Norb Heban and Board President
Sean Burcham adjourned the meeting at 8:57 p.m.
XI.
An executive session
will follow the business meeting on personnel matters.
SEAN BURCHAM
HARRY FOWLER
NORB HEBAN
JOHN ADAMS
LISA CLAWSON