June Minutes

June 18, 2009

The June regular meeting of the Elementary and High School District No. 1 Board of Trustees was held on June 18, 2009 in the Choteau High School Library. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chairman Kirk Moore.

Members Present: Kirk Moore, Perri Lindgren, Brodie Gollehon, Mark Henderson, Mark Salmond, and Sharon Rice.

Members Absent: Jonathan Stoltz.

Supt. St. John and Clerk Davis were present throughout the meeting. Elementary Principal Gameon and High School Principal Achenbach were present for pertinent agenda items and then left the meeting.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Perri Lindgren and unanimously carried to approve the elementary minutes for the May 14, 2009 regular meeting as read.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Mark Salmond and unanimously carried (1 absent) to approve the high school minutes for the May 14, 2009 regular meeting as read.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Brodie Gollehon and unanimously carried to approve the elementary claims clearing warrants #14683-#14804 and payroll clearing warrants #18966-#19363 for payment. A vendor list for claims is attached to the minutes of this meeting.

A motion was made by Perri Lindgren, seconded by Mark Salmond and unanimously carried (1 absent) to approve the high school claims clearing warrants #14683-#14804 and payroll clearing warrants #18966-#19363 for payment. A vendor list for claims is attached to the minutes of this meeting.

Visitors: Choteau Acantha Editor Melody Martinsen; Psychologist Ann Verploegen; and District Patrons Bill Keiffer, Tamara Keiffer, Sandie Hodgskiss, Darlene Yeager, Tom Flowers, Lisa Flowers, Katie Vandolah, and Lorraine DeBruycker.

Correspondence: None.

PRINCIPALS’ REPORTS Elementary Principal Chuck Gameon reported to the Board on the following matters:

A) Elementary Principal Gameon informed the Board that summer school is scheduled to take place August 3rd-20th with 3 teachers instructing 17 students that are signed up to participate.

B) Elementary Principal Gameon informed the Board that the summer custodial work of waxing, painting, and carpeting the library are right on schedule.

C) Elementary Principal Gameon discussed the RTI model with the Board and the training he and staff members have been a part of since Choteau Elementary was approved to participate in the pilot program. Elementary Principal Gameon again outlined the RTI triangular model which indicates approximately 10% of students will need intensive intervention which requires 1 to 1½ extra hours ofhelp, another 10% of students will need strategic intervention which requires 20-45 minutes of extra help, and 80-90% of students should be at the benchmark through regular classroom time. Elementary Principal Gameon outlined the scores from the 3 AIMSWEB probes throughout the school year which indicate that the RTI model is working. In the fall 76% of the students were at the benchmark, with 12 % at the strategic and 12% at the intensive levels. The winter AIMSWEB probes indicated that 79% of the students were at the benchmark, with 12% at the strategic and 9% at the intensive levels. The spring AIMSWEB probes indicated that 84% of the students were now at the benchmark, with 8% at both the strategic and intensive levels. Elementary Principal informed the Board that the elementary is now experimenting with the RTI model in the math curriculum and are trying to determine how the scores and benchmark levels relate to proficiency on the CRT tests.

High School Principal Achenbach reported to the Board on the following matters:

A) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that congratulations go out to the girls track team for bringing home the first state girls track championship ever, noting that this championship came as quite a shock to all the other area schools.

B) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that the high jump pits were over 25 years old and totally not suitable for any kind of use so were discarded as obsolete, unusable surplus property. New pits may be purchased if they can be found at a reasonable rate, or the new pole vault pits will be used. High School Principal Achenbach noted that all the new pole vault and other track equipment fits in and is now being stored in the storage van, which was kept for this purpose.

C) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that the administration will be making a change to the student handbooks regarding tobacco, alcohol, and drug offenses. Currently, all three offenses are treated as the same severity and given a 3 day out of school suspension, but the administration wants to change tobacco to a 3 day in school suspension which is in line with what other area schools are doing.

D) Chairman Kirk Moore informed the Board that he had chaperoned John Park and his son Michael Moore at the FFA Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. June 8th-14th at which the participants were provided with leadership training to bring back to their local chapters.

E) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that the high school gymnasium scoreboards are over 10 years old and there have been problems with them such as the lights never staying on, so he is looking into having them replaced. In the past the scoreboards were purchased by entering into a multi-year exclusive contract with Pepsi but they now offer a rebate at the end of the school year of $5 per case sold and these funds can be used however the school chooses. Unfortunately, the cost per case increased by $6 to enter into this new contract so High School Principal Achenbach had contacted Coke and is hoping that a more competitive contract will be the result. High School Principal Achenbach noted that new scoreboards will cost approximately $13,500 and Fairfield received new ones through local advertising dollars. Entities such as the Citizens State Bank, 3 Rivers Telephone, and Sun River Electric would be interested in purchasing scoreboards in return for a discreet sign at the bottom of the scoreboard that doesn’t stand out, so the Board needs to consider if they would accept advertising dollars to do this. High School Principal Achenbach noted that if the scoreboards were purchased in this manner, then the $5 per case Pepsi rebate that would generate $5,000-$6,000 per year could be used to subsidize the athletic activity account.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT A copy of the Superintendent’s report provided to the Board by Supt. St. John is attached to the minutes of this meeting.

A) Supt. St. John reviewed his report with the Board at this time.

B) Supt. St. John informed the Board that several items on the maintenance report have been taken care of or approved to do. A new tennis storage shed has been purchased and is in place; both the elementary and high school libraries, the elementary music room, and the elementary and junior high Title I rooms will be carpeted; a new concrete handicap ramp at the high school is being installed; the freezer floor has been replaced; and the committee that selected the new carpeting is also looking into material to recover the auditorium seats.

C) Supt. St. John informed the Board that interviews have been scheduled for next Thursday for the two applicants for the Family and Consumer Science position that will be open due to the retirement of Eva Anseth. Supt. St. John noted that neither applicant is endorsed to teach this subject area, but both should be able to get a provisional certificate and get the endorsement within three years so the District would meet accreditation standards.

D) Supt. St. John noted that the Elementary Head Football and Assistant Basketball coaching positions remain open at this time.

E) Supt. St. John informed the Board that he isn’t sure when McGurran Precision Painting will start the high school gymnasium painting project as they need dry weather not the wet that we are experiencing now, but the storage van was moved away from the south wall of the gymnasium today to prepare for the project to begin.

POLICY

3rd Reading for Community Service Graduation Requirement High School Principal Achenbach addressed the Board regarding the Horizon Projects proposal to require 12 hours of community service for Choteau High School students to graduate. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that he has worked with Tom Flowers and this group for months on this proposal and they have been very easy to work with and have compromised on many issues of this proposal, but the one issue they won’t compromise on is making it a graduation requirement and this has become a hang up for this proposal advancing. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that he had talked to the administration at Shelby further since they have such a program and learned that Shelby had to change their program. Their community service hours are now all done during school hours as the after school service hours were meaningless. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that his staff is very resistant to losing anymore instructional classroom time to do effective volunteer work, so he surveyed the staff and there was only 1 high school staff member that felt this matter should be approved as proposed compared to 12 elementary staff members, 10 high school and 3 elementary staff members indicated that the administration should continue to work out a compromise to address this issue, and 15 high school as well as 9 elementary staff members indicated that community service is not a school issue and should be dealt with outside the school system. High School Principal Achenbach noted that these figures clearing indicated that his high school staff was not supportive or behind the proposed program so he no longer felt he could support it as a graduation requirement either and let Mr. Flowers know this right away. The general consensus was that there are many opportunities for students to do such community service and it should not be required for graduation. High School Principal Achenbach stressed that he still wants to continue to work with Mr. Flowers and the Horizon Group to promote student volunteerism in any means possible, just not as a graduation requirement.

Tom Flowers addressed the Board and noted that the Horizon Group appreciates the efforts of the administration for working with them and cannot fault their position if the staff is not committed to move forward with the program. The Horizon Group wants to continue to try other approaches to promote community service in some way. Lisa Flowers suggested that this isn’t an adult but a student issue so the final decision should rest with the students, but High School Principal Achenbach noted that the first approach regarding this issue was brought before the student council and they voted it down immediately so there was no support there. Others noted that this program is hard to speak against because everyone knows the need and the value of volunteerism, but cannot support it as a graduation requirement.

Sandie Hodgskiss distributed a Reader’s Digest article that indicated 86% of high schools across the nation are offering community service credits and asked the Board not to close the door on this issue. It was noted that Choteau High School fits in this 86% with the community service done through the FFA, FCCLA, Key Club, Rachel’s Challenge, elementary teacher aide and student mentoring programs, etc. Chairman Kirk Moore noted that promoting student volunteerism was listed several times as an idea for a Board goal so strongly believes that the door will not be closed on this matter.

Trustee Sharon Rice stated that the staff may not support implementing this program but the Board should set the tone and reflect the values of the community, so they should direct the administration to pursue this matter and it would be up to the administration to make such a student community service requirement work. It was noted that in the narrative Supt. St. John had indicated the Board should support the goal of increasing student volunteerism by either voting for the proposal to add 12 hours of documented community service to graduate from Choteau High School or by resolving to meet this goal through a different action plan. Trustee Rice called for such a compromise by placing the following motion on the floor:

A motion was made by Sharon Rice to decline the proposed change to the graduation requirements concerning volunteerism and instead, give a directive to the administration to work with the staff and the Horizon group to implement the exposure and engagement of “intentional citizenship” as an ongoing school rule for all students that will total no less than 12 hours per student that will take place during school time of grades 7-12.

The Board discussed the motion on the floor and it was noted that a school rule is the same as policy or administrative procedures so would require three readings before action could be taken. After discussing the need to hold three readings before action could be taken, Trustee Rice withdrew the motion on the floor and asked that the Board look at resolving this issue via a different action plan by placing it on the agenda of the August Board Meeting.

There was further discussion of how to resolve this matter with several Board members noting that they completely support student volunteerism but it is hard to forge on without the support of the majority of the staff. Supt. St. John stressed that the there is no question of the value of promoting student volunteerism, but the problem rests with the impact of losing yet another 12 hours of valuable classroom time. High School Principal Achenbach further noted that at least 90% of the high school enrollment already are actively participating in some form of volunteerism and after studying the high school student population, questioned whether a rule or requirement was really needed to address the 5-6 students that are not volunteering or would be hard to get them to participate in such a program.

After even further discussion it was noted that the action item before the Board at this time was to approve on third reading a change to the graduation requirements that would require 12 hours of community service. Chairman Kirk Moore called once for a motion regarding this matter, called twice, and called a third time for said motion. This change was not approved due to the lack of a motion. The Board and administration assured all parties that this issue is not closed and that they will continue to find other perspectives and avenues to work out an action plan that addresses student volunteerism.

Second Reading of New Policy #2111 The Board held the second reading of new policy #2111 on Response to Intervention. Elementary Principal Gameon had already addressed the Board regarding the RTI model and its benefits in his report.

ALTACARE Supt. St. John informed the Board that they need to consider at this time whether or not to allow Altacare to work within the District. Altacare is a Comprehensive School and Community Treatment Program (CSCT) that provides intensive outpatient mental health services to identified and/or qualified students in the school setting. Supt. St. John noted that discussions regarding Altacare and the services they provide and how their program could enhance our schools began in the fall of 2008. The administration has talked to colleagues and other districts that offer these services and received positive feedback for the most part; and since there are students in the system that can benefit from these services, that outweighs any personal misgivings they may have.

School Psychologist Ann Verploegen was present and asked to address the Board and she had parents Bill and Tamara Keiffer talk about the program first. The Keiffer’s informed the Board that their son Brendon, who has been receiving in-patient mental health treatment out of town, is back home and would directly benefit from having this program in place next year. The Keiffer’s strongly feel the District will benefit from these services and asked the Board to give the program a try.

School Psychologist Ann Verploegen informed the Board that Supt. St. John had ask that she provide the Board with professional information on these services to assist the Board in making their decision. Mrs. Verploegen informed the Board that Altacare is a social work rather than an educational model. Mrs. Verploegen noted that the RTI model actually applies to mental health services too with the top of the triangle being a low percentage of the population needing intensive intervention or in this case the label, extra work and intervention of serious emotionally disturbed as SED is a life long label that usually requires medication. The educational model for these services is a fair and appropriate public education through special education, which is a legally defensible program that provides services - as determined by the child study team which is a group of professionals along with the parents - to students at no cost to the parents. Through special education an individual education plan is developed for the student based on integration and collaboration, not pulling the student out of the classroom to fix the problem and placing them right back in the classroom. Mrs. Verploegen provided the Board with a handout outlining the definition of serious emotional disturbance, and questioned if we have sufficient number of students to be labeled SED to make Altacare’s services viable.

The administration questioned if Mrs. Verploegen would vote to offer these services or not. Mrs. Verploegen would not give a yes or no answer but stated she was asked to present issues for the Board to consider in making this decision. Mrs. Verploegen outlined various issues for the Board to take into consideration such as the matter of liability for accidents or misdiagnosis, the matter of is it ethical to bring a for profit organization into the school system, and even the practical matter of the timing of the support services offered and lost class time. As a professional, Mrs. Verploegen stated that Altacare would definitely provide extra services and these services can be good, but is very conflicted with the ethical issue and is uneasy offering for profit services based on the mental health of our students. Mrs. Verploegen stressed that this is not her decision and she will work with and support the decision arrived at by the Board and administration.

A further lengthy discussion pursued regarding allowing Altacare to provide mental health services at Choteau Schools. Trustee Mark Henderson informed the Board that he has contacted area schools regarding this program and learned that it is working and believes that the pros are starting to outweigh the cons, even though he is personally against any company being able to benefit because of the loophole in Medicare regulations that allows these services to only be funded in a school setting. Trustee Sharon Rice was adamant that these services are currently available in the area without the student receiving the SED label and the resulting lifetime implications of this label; and that if a student is truly diagnosed as SED, that student needs the services of a specialist in that field not the general therapy that will be provided by Altacare. Elementary Principal Gameon stated that he also has concerns with the SED labeling aspect of these services, but both principals see a real need for general mental health help, therapy, and counseling within the District, noting that such services are critical because if a student’s basic needs are not being met they cannot learn.

After further discussion, it was noted that the Board will need to trust the professionals to do what is right and not label a student SED just to provide services; and if this does occur, to put a stop to the yearly contract. It was also noted that the administration has looked into and researched these services extensively and duly noted any red flags, but it is still felt with the proper direction the program can and will be a benefit for the District. There was further discussion about the need for the District to provide office space as well as office equipment and supplies. The Board was informed that if approved, Altacare would be placed in Mrs. Verploegen’s current office space and they would be provided with a telephone, computer, printer, paper and other miscellaneous office supplies.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson and seconded by Mark Salmond to authorize the administration to enter into a contract with Altacare for the 2009-10 school year with the stipulation that Altacare writes into the informational brochure that they provide a “brief duty to warn” parents that there potentially can be future ramifications with a Severe Emotional Disturbance (SED) diagnosis; and to further direct the administration to negotiate with Altacare and request that they provide their own office equipment and materials. Trustees voting for this motion were: Mark Henderson, Mark Salmond, Kirk Moore, and Brodie Gollehon. Trustees voting against this motion were: Perri Lindgren and Sharon Rice. The motion carried with a 4 to 2 vote (1 absent).

CONSIDER REDUCING FAMILY CONSUMER SCIENCE CURRICULUM Supt. St. John informed the Board that he would like them to give the administration direction to consider offering less than a full time Family Consumer Science Program when they are filling this position, which will be open due to the pending retirement of Eva Anseth. The administration is asking for this direction in light of the District’s reduced budget levels, the projected drastic enrollment decline in grades 7-12 in the next 3 years, and according to accreditation standards this program is not a part of the core curriculum area. Supt. St. John noted that this direction will give the administration the ability to do what is in the best interests of the district by considering filling this position and offering the FCS program on a full time, part time, or even coop basis.

The Board discussed this request and proposed directive. Trustee Sharon Rice stated she is against not offering a full time Family Consumer Science Program because she feels every student should be required to take these classes are they teach extremely important life skills. A motion was made by Perri Lindgren and seconded by Mark Henderson to pass a resolution to provide direction to the administration to consider offering less than a full time Family Consumer Science Program. Trustees voting for this motion were: Perri Lindgren, Mark Henderson, Brodie Gollehon, Mark Salmond, and Kirk Moore. Trustees voting against this motion were: Sharon Rice. The motion carried with a 5 to 1 vote (1 absent).

CONSIDER NORTHWESTERN SCHOLASTIC INSURERS STUDENT ACCIDENT INSURANCE COVERAGE Supt. St. John informed the Board that Northwestern Scholastic Insurers will again provide student accident insurance which covers excess costs up to $25,000 for the 2009-10 school year, along with catastrophic coverage for grades 5-8 interschool athletics. Supt. St. John noted that this catastrophic coverage for grades 9-12 interschool athletics is provided by the Montana High School Association. It was noted that the premium for the student accident coverage is the same as it has been for many years and the premium for the better allocated catastrophic coverage, which the Board has chosen the past two years, has decreased.

The Board and administration discussed this policy, noting that it has been a very worthwhile policy and that Northwestern Scholastic Insurers has continually paid more out in claims for our District than they have received in premiums. A motion was made by Sharon Rice, seconded by Mark Salmond and unanimously carried (1 absent) to approve paying the premium of $4,725 for the student accident insurance coverage and an additional $661.50 for the allocated option for the catastrophic insurance coverage for the 2009-10 school year.

APROVAL OF REVISED NON-CERTIFIED SALARY SCHEDULE Supt. St. John reminded the Board that the minimum wage will increase from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009 so a revised non-certified salary schedule needs to be adopted to reflect this change. The Board was presented a revised non-certified salary schedule for consideration that increased wages for all positions and all levels – entry, first year, and salary cap – to reflect this increase in the minimum wage and to retain the basis of the current schedule. The insurance language on the proposed revised salary schedule was also revised to reflect the new premium amounts to continue the past practice of covering the basic/catastrophic premium amounts. The Board was also asked to consider giving the veteran employees an additional one time increase of $ .15 per hour as has been done in the past when the minimum wage was increased. The Board was informed that this additional $ .15 raise would cost the general funds approximately $3,750 and was a planned increase for the 2009-10 budgets.

The Board discussed the proposed revised non-certified salary schedule and additional $ .15 per hour raise for veteran employees. A motion was made by Sharon Rice, seconded by Brodie Gollehon and unanimously carried (1 absent) to adopt the revised non-certified salary schedule as proposed by the administration to reflect the new minimum wage rate of $7.25 per hour and increase in the district’s contribution for health insurance premiums with a July 1, 2009 effective date; and to also accept the administrations’ recommendation and approve a one time only additional $ .15 per hour wage increase effective July 1, 2009 for all veteran non-certified staff to reflect this increase in the minimum wage. A copy of this non-certified salary schedule as adopted is attached to the minutes of this meeting.

RESIGNATIONS Supt. St. John informed the Board that he has received letters of resignation from Eva Anseth as the Farmily Consumer Science Teacher, Ann Funk as the Elementary Girls Track Coach, Emily Bouma as the Elementary Boys track Coach, and Alison Kreiss as the All School Musical Play Director.

A motion was made by Mark Salmond, seconded by Mark Henderson and unanimously carried to acknowledge receipt of and accept the letters of resignation as outlined above, copies of which are attached to the minutes of this meeting.

WRITTEN TRANSPORTATION AGREEMENT REQUEST Supt. St. John informed the Board that the Fairfield School District is requesting approval for their Bus Route #5 to travel ¼ mile into the Choteau School District to the residence of Isabella Isley and transport her to elementary school in Fairfield. It was noted that this request was first approved last school year.

A motion was made by Brodie Gollehon, seconded by Sharon Rice and unanimously carried (1 absent) to enter into a written agreement between the Choteau and Fairfield School Districts that allows the Fairfield School District Bus Route #5 to travel ¼ miles into the southeast boundary of the Choteau School District to the residence of Isbaella Isley at 5163 Highway 287. A copy of the signed agreement is attached to the minutes of this meeting.

HIRING PROCESS PROCEDURES Supt. St. John informed that Board that it was voted to have the Board more directly involved in the hiring process at the June 12, 2008. The administration is recommending that the Board reconsider the action taken a year ago for the following reasons:

1) Hiring is a management or administrative responsibility, with the primary duties of the Board being:

a) To adopt goals and evaluate outcomes,

b) To adopt and evaluate policies,

c) To hire and evaluate the superintendent and delegate all administrative duties,

d) To approve the school district’s budget and set the local levies and bond amounts,

e) To communicate with the community;

2) It complicates the process without improving the quality of the individuals hired;

3) Generally, lay Board members lack the expertise to do the background checks and conduct interviews to make recommendations for hiring; and

4) Trustees have a legal role to play as a part of the district’s chain of command to review complaints by staff; so a trustee’s direct involvement in the hiring process compromises objectivity, as well as puts the district at an increased level of legal jeopardy.

Supt. St. John informed the Board that a highly respected school attorney has stated that having trustees directly involved in the hiring process is a poor practice as it changes the entire process, with the open meeting law applying to all aspects of the hiring process including screening applications, formulating questions, etc., which in turn makes the hiring process a lot more labor intensive, not to mention the confidentiality issues that arise by having trustees directly involved in the hiring process. This school attorney states that the whole point of having administrators is for them to handle that part of the hiring process and to recommend a candidate to the Board for approval and there is case law demonstrating how this can create a bad situation for the district. This school attorney noted that trustees who insist on being involved are usually saying they don't trust the administration.

Trustee Sharon Rice provided copies of the minutes from the June 12, 2008 meeting regarding this issue for the Board, especially the new Trustees, to review. Trustee Rice stated that she feels it is the responsibility of the Board to hire so they should be involved in the process as it shows the interviewee that the Board is interested and noted that Supt. St. John had previously indicated that he liked having another opinion in the hiring process. Supt. St. John stressed that it is the Board’s right to be involved in the hiring process, but was asking them to reconsider if it was the best practice for the district to do so.

The Board and administration discussed this issue further. A motion was made by Mark Henderson and seconded by Brodie Gollehon to accept the administrations’ recommendation and remove having a Board member involved in the hiring process as outlined at the June 12, 2008 meeting. Trustees voting for this motion were Mark Henderson, Brodie Gollehon, Mark Salmond, and Perri Lindgren. Trustees voting against this motion were: Sharon Rice and Kirk Moore. The motion carried with a 4 to 2 vote (1 absent).

APPROVE INDIVIDUAL TRANSPORTATION CONTRACTS AND ATTENDANCE AGREEMENTS A motion was made by Perri Lindgren, seconded by Mark Henderson and unanimously carried (1 absent) to approve the following individual transportation contracts and attendance agreements for the 2009-10 school year as designated.

Ind. Trans. Contracts: Elementary – Rob Burdick, Ross Depner, Mary Salmond, Dan Stott, Dawn Johnson, Jamie Rammell, John Rappold, Louise Gonzalez, Melissa Severinsen, and Kyrstal Hayes; High School – Ernie Barker, Margaret Hanson, Louise Gonzalez, Velvet Dellwo, Dan Stott, Kyrstal Hayes, and Melissa Severinsen.

Attendance Agreements: Elementary – Deborah Hanson, Diane Field, Ann Park, Becky Rappold, Carla Fuhringer (receiving district – tuition waived); Pandora Deshner, Cori McKay, Tanya Richem, Katie Rasmussen, Debra Saylor, Susan Snyder, Krystal Hayes, and Melissa Severinsen (sending district – tuition waived) / High School – Carla Fuhringer, Ann Park, and Jerry Schlesser (receiving district – tuition waived); Kim Barker, Krystal Hayes, and Melissa Severinsen (sending district – tuition waived).

RESOLUTION TO DISPOSE OF OBSOLETE PROPERTY Supt. St. John informed the Board of the following partial list of surplus property that needs to be disposed of: 88 Glencoe health textbooks, old high jump pits, non-functional/non-repairable Yamaha keyboard, 29 desks, 18 red chairs, 1 Microwave (digital readout does not work), 1 Printer, 2½ boxes of High School Mixed Books, 1 box of Integrated Math II textbooks, 1 box of Integrated Math III textbooks, 6 curtain rods, and miscellaneous cheerleader uniforms. Supt. St. John would like the Board to pass a resolution that will allow the administration to accept bids made on the above listed surplus property and then dispose of any remaining surplus property in the most appropriate manner. Supt. St. John noted that the list of surplus property, along with the closing date for bids will be published in the Choteau Acantha for the correct amount of time in accordance with 20-6-604, MCA.

A motion was made by Perri Lindgren, seconded by Brodie Gollehon and unanimously carried (1 absent) to pass a resolution to sell or dispose of personal property of the district because it is obsolete and unsuitable for the school purposes of the district by calling for bids and authorizing the Superintendent to accept the high bid and to appropriately dispose of any remaining surplus property that is not bid on.

APPROVE HIRING DRIVER EDUCATION INSTRUCTOR FOR THE 2009-10 SCHOOL YEAR A motion was made by Mark Salmond, seconded by Perri Lindgren and unanimously carried (1 absent) to accept the administrations’ recommendation and employ Bill Durocher as the district’s driver education instructor for the 2009-10 school year, including the 2010 summer program, at the rate of $17.00 per hour plus 15% prep time as per the current non-certified salary schedule. Supt. St. John noted that application for the 2009-10 drivers education program must be made before August 1st.

SPRING COACHING EVALAUTIONS Supt. St. John informed the Board that this item is on the agenda and provides the principals the opportunity to discuss the evaluation process and highlights involving the elementary winter and spring coaches (head and assistant wrestling, head and assistant volleyball, and boys and girls track) and the high school spring coaches ( head and assistant track and golf and girls tennis) , noting this session may be closed if necessary in accordance with 2-3-203, MCA. The Board did not see a need to go into executive session as there were no concerns to be addressed.

APPROVE ADDITIONAL 2009-10 EXTRA-CURRICULAR ASSIGNMENTS A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Perri Lindgren and unanimously carried (1 absent) to accept the administrations’ recommendation and assign the following elementary and high school athletic extra-curricular assignments for the 2009-10 school year as listed below.

ELEMENTARY ATHLETICS:

Head Wrestling Coach --- Steve French

Assistant Wrestling Coach --- Bob Scott

Head Volleyball Coach --- Ann Funk

Assistant Volleyball Coach --- Carla May

Boys Track Coach --- Open (Emily Bouma Resigned)

Girls Track Coach --- Open (Ann Funk Resigned)

Head Boys Basketball Coach --- Louis King

Assistant Boys Basketball Coach --- Open (Megan Grossman Resigned)

Head Football Coach --- Open (Josh Durocher Resigned)

HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS:

Head Track Coach --- Blair Patton

Assistant Track Coach --- John May

Head Golf Coach --- John Shepherd

Assistant Golf Coach --- Nate Achenbach

Girls Tennis Coach --- Bob Scott

Girls Basketball “C” Coach --- Open (Possible Numbers To Have)

PASS RESOLUTION TO DISPENSE WITH OLD WARRANTS A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Perri Lindgren and unanimously carried (1 absent) to pass a resolution to dispense of the following unredeemed warrants as outlined below.

1) Payroll clearing warrant #19073 issued 5/22/09 in the amount of $72.28 to Lynne Heryford, to be voided and a duplicate warrant issued to Mrs. Heryford (an indemnity bond as been completed).

2) Claims clearing warrant #13596 issued 6/25/08 in the amount of $2,325.00 to Durakote, to be voided as the work was not completed and a duplicate warrant issued to Goodspeed Exteriors to do like work as directed by the auditors (no indemnity bond as over year old).

3) Claims clearing warrant #13610 isued 6/30/08 in the amount of $7,380.10 to Christensen Construction, to be voided as the work could not be done and a duplicate warrant issued to McGurran Precision Painting to do like work as directed by the auditors (no indemnity bond as over year old).

ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF AND APPROVE DEPOSIT OF CHECKS A motion was made by Sharon Rice, seconded by Mark Salmond and unanimously carried (1 absent) to acknowledge receipt of and approve depositing the following checks in the appropriate funds.

1) Pathfinder Technologies check #1772 in the amount of $25.00 for previous surplus obsolete exercise equipment, to be deposited in the High School General Fund.

2) Mark McCormick check #15596 in the amount of $432.50 for reimbursement of substitute costs as per CBA Article 13.10, to be deposited in the High School General Fund.

3) Dupuyer School District No. 1 check #7701 in the amount of $805.00 for library and counseling services, to be deposited in the Elementary Miscellaneous Federal Fund.

4) Choteau High School Student Activity Fund check #2458 in the amount of $60.00 for reimbursement of substitute costs for the Senior trip, to be deposited in the High School General Fund.

5) ConAgra Foods check #2290004435 in the amount of $18.60 for commodity rebate, to be deposited in the Elementary Lunch Fund.

6) Shelby Public Schools check #60537 in the amount of $180.00 for substitute costs reimbursement for a science teacher’s curriculum meeting, to be deposited in the High School General Fund.

7) High School Cash Box end of year cash in the amount of $244.19 for fines, copies, books, pencils, etc. to be deposited in the High School General Fund.

8) Big Sky Special Needs Cooperative check #7359 in the amount of $852.50 for reimbursement of special education collaboration substitute costs, with $137.50 used to restore the Elementary General Fund and $715.00 used to restore the High School General Fund.

NEGOTIATIONS REPORT Board Negotiations Spokesman Kirk Moore informed the Board that there have been four negotiating sessions with the teachers to date; but there have been no meetings since the end of May and the teachers indicated they do not want to meet until school gets underway as they want to see what transpires with administrative negotiations. Spokesman Moore informed the Board that the last Board offer was a $200 increase on the base, to increase the district’s health insurance contribution to cover the cost of the basic/catastrophic plan as with non-certified staff, to change the title of the All School Musical Pit Director to the All School Musical Assistant Director, to strike the Girls and Boys Cheerleader Advisor assignments and add an All Season Cheerleader Advisor at an index of .1, to increase the yearbook advisor index to .04782, and to increase the class sponsor stipends from $50 to $100 for 9th and 10th Grades and from $100 to $150 for 11th and 12th Grades. Spokesman Moore noted that the teachers refused this offer and verbally requested a $300 increase on the base.

ATHLETIC HANDBOOK A copy of the 2009-10 Choteau Schools Athletic Handbook as revised was distributed for the Board to review.

CLERK/BUSINESS MANAGER’S REPORT Clerk Davis reported to the Board on the following matters:

A) Clerk Davis informed the Board that there were no investments made by the Teton County Treasurer on behalf of the Teton County Investment Committee for May due to the lack of cash flow, but noted there will be investments made in June with the May tax collections.

B) Clerk Davis distributed the expenditure report as of June 18th and the May revenue report for the Board to review, noting that both revenue and expenditures are in line with past years and expects to have 3% or less of the general fund budgets unexpended at the end of the fiscal year.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT Supt. St. John took this opportunity to wrap up the meeting by noting that he hopes the Board agrees with the value and priorities of the maintenance and upgrade projects that the administration has embarked upon.

There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 11:00 p.m.

ATTEST: ______________________ CLERK _________________________ CHAIRMAN