May Minutes

May 14, 2009

The May regular meeting of the Elementary and High School District No. 1 Board of Trustees was held on May 14, 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, Robert Stokes, Katie Rasmussen, Perri Lindgren, Sharon Rice, Mark Henderson, and Trustee Elect Jon Stoltz, Mark Salmond, and Brodie Gollehon.

Members Absent: Brenda Cunniff.

Supt. St. John, High School Principal Achenbach, and Clerk Davis were present throughout the meeting.

A motion was made by Perri Lindgren, seconded by Mark Henderson and unanimously carried (1 absent) to approve the elementary minutes for the April 7, 2009 regular meeting as read.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Perri Lindgren and unanimously carried (1 absent) to approve the high school minutes for the April 7, 2009 regular meeting with the addition of the following notation at the request of Trustee Sharon Rice.

APPROVE EMPLOYMENT OF HIGH SCHOOL ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACHES (Page 3282 of 4/7/09 Minutes): Trustee Sharon Rice asked Head High School Football Coach Robert McKay, who was present at the meeting, if he agreed with the administrative recommendation and wanted Steve French and Craig Tucker to serve as High School Assistant Football Coaches under him and Mr. McKay stated that he did.

Visitors: Choteau Acantha Editor Melody Martinsen; District Patrons Katie Vandolah, Lorraine DeBruycker, Sandie Hodgskiss, Cliff Heuscher, Sally Heuscher, Tom Flowers, and Nikki Ley; Altacare Representative Dave Bennetts; Students Logan Ley and Nicole Lightner; and Teachers Jennifer Birnel, Kathy Ketcham, and Sally Lee.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Perri Lindgren and unanimously carried (1 absent) to approve the elementary claims clearing warrants #14562-#14682 and payroll clearing warrants #18836-#18966 for payment. A vendor list for claims is attached to the minutes of this meeting.

A motion was made by Katie Rasmussen, seconded by Mark Henderson and unanimously carried (1 absent) to approve the high school claims clearing warrants #14562-#14682 and payroll clearing warrants #18836-#18966 for payment. A vendor list for claims is attached to the minutes of this meeting.

Correspondence: None.

PRINCIPALS’ REPORTS Elementary Principal Gameon could not be present at the meeting so Supt. St. John read his report to the Board at this time.

A) Elementary Gameon reported that the Spring America Reads program would end tomorrow May 15th with a tea in the cafeteria at 3:00 p.m. to honor and let all the volunteers that help with this program and others how much they are appreciated.

B) Elementary Gameon reported that the last AIMSWEB assessment probes are being administered a t this time.

C) Elementary Gameon reported that Kindergarten Teachers Becky Rappold and Laura Halverson along with Head Start Coordinator Annie Zion and Trinity Preschool Teacher Shellie Mellinger organized a Kindergarten Open House for the second year. This Open House introduces in-coming kindergarten students and their parents to the kindergarten program. Elementary Gameon reported that the Kindergarten-Preschool Screening was rescheduled from May 1st to May 11th due to the big snow storm and he is expecting the 2009-10 kindergarten enrollment to be between 20-22 students. Elementary Gameon further reported that the kindergarten screening scores are higher, which he attributes to the enhanced educational opportunities being offering in both the Head Start and Trinity Preschool programs.

D) Elementary Gameon reported that the Elementary District once again applied and was approved for an Exxon/Mobil Grant in the amount of $500.00 which will be used to purchase additional math resource materials.

E) Elementary Gameon reported that the end of school will once again culminate with an awards ceremony on June 1st in the elementary gymnasium at 10:30 a.m., the Talent Show on June 1st in the high school auditorium at 1:30 p.m., and the Field Day on June 2nd at 12:30 p.m. on the football field.

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

A) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that he held a coaches meeting to review and revise the athletic handbook, noting that such coaches meetings will be held annually now. Revisions to the handbook indicate that coaches are required to hold a meeting before the first game for both participants and parents to outline their expectations and coaching philosophy, head coaches will be a part of selection/hiring process, and the coaching handbook will be brought to the Board to review along with all other handbooks.

B) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that the 3rd drug dog search of the campus was conducted today with 0 hits in the locker bank and 6 hits in the student parking that were not positive for drugs but for aspirin, spent shells, and other such false positive hits.

C) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that the Senior Parent Meeting was held about a week ago and every Senior and a parent have met with the administration regarding rules, regulations, and expectations for the Senior Trip to Silverwood this coming Sunday and Monday. The chaperones for the trip will be Senior Advisor Bill Durocher and his wife Brook, Staff Member Robb Wearley, and Parent Joe Campbell.

D) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that he attended the Secondary Principal Spring Conference last week and the hot topic this year was “sexting”, where young people text sexually explicit photos and messages. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that “sexting” has become a serious program in many states and young people are being prosecuted and listed as sexual predators. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that he is working to get this information out to the staff and student body, hopefully through an in-service program with the FBI like was done several years ago about the dangers of “My Space”.

E) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that we survived and learned from the April 29th and 30th school closure due to the massive snow storm that hit this area of the state. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that it has been the District’s past practice to never dismiss school or run busses early as it is safer to keep the students here rather than sending them home during the day when parents may not be home or unable to get home; so the new student data cards are being updated to once again include a designated in town home and emergency phone numbers.

F) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that the High School Awards Program will be held Wednesday, May 20th at 1:30 p.m. in the auditorium and encouraged them all to attend as a special, secret award would be presented that afternoon.

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 the District will be applying for the competitive Quick Start Stimulus Grants through the Department of Commerce. These funds will pay for an energy audit of the District, which in turn will be used to support the District’s application for additional funds for energy efficiency projects such as replacing the old north windows on the main elementary wing, replacing the old front and west elementary doors, and replacing the old elementary boiler by the 3rd grade classrooms with three individual classroom heaters.

C) Supt. St. John informed the Board that they should be aware that Family Consumer Science Teacher Eva Anseth has chosen to retire by not signing and returning her 2009-10 contract at this time. Supt. St. John noted that the District will be losing a good teacher who has gone out of her way to enhance the Family Consumer Science program as well as other areas of the curriculum such as being the dual credit and on-line monitor teacher and teaching business and accounting through her area once Mr. Achenbach became a full time principal/AD. Supt. St. John informed the Board that the administration and Board will need to give serious consideration to the scope of this position. Supt. St. John noted that the high school numbers should be good for 3-4 years and could sustain a full time FCS teacher, but then there will be a drastic decline in enrollment and the position will need to be cut back to .5 FTE at least. Supt. St. John reminded the Board that Fairfield also has a FCS vacancy and both administrations have discussed sharing a teacher between the two districts. Supt. St. John noted that another option would be to consider a candidate with multiple endorsements, but stressed that the key will be for the Board to provide the administration with the flexibility to fill this position in whichever manner is best for the District. High School Principal Achenbach noted that Mrs. Anseth was not ready for this news to be made public, but wanted to state that she will be greatly missed and that her integrity is above reproach.

D) Supt. St. John reminded the Board that MTSBA is marketing their MSGIA liability insurance pool program through Pat Greany of Northern Montana Insurance Services, a local agent with a local insurance agency. Supt. St. John informed the Board that he is waiting on quotes and coverage packets from both Pat Greany with MSGIA and our current agent Dave Pillatzke with Western States Insurance Agency to compare the two. Supt. St. John stated that if MSGIA is a good, comparable program with a cost savings, then he may ask several Trustees to look at the two programs and decide if the Board would even want to consider making a change. Supt. St. John did note that both companies are providing quotes for an additional $2.8 million in coverage as it appears the District has been underinsured since the additional square footage for the new addition of the elementary gymnasium and junior high wing had never been added to the District’s policy. Supt. St. John noted that the competition between these two companies may actually produce better quotes for the District in light of this additional coverage. Supt. St. John further noted that there are a lot of factors to take into consideration when considering a change in carriers and Clerk Davis is firmly against making a switch at this time.

E) Supt. St. John informed the Board that the final school funding approved by the legislature was a 3% increase in each year of the biennium, with 2% of this increase being funded through the federal stimulus package; so the legislature will consider it a 4% increase rather than a 6% increase when they meet again in 2011 and use 4% as the base for inflationary figures, which means schools will start 2% in the hole at that time. The legislature also cut the At Risk component of the new funding formula and is using the one time only stimulus funding to replace this component, which also puts schools in the hole.

POLICY

First Reading of New Policy #2111 The Board held the first reading of new policy #2111 on Response to Intervention. Response to Intervention or RTI is a process to qualify students for special education, as well as provide a response to meet the educational needs of all students. The RTI process is currently only being used at the K-6 elementary level in the District, but a policy must be adopted at this time outlining that this is the process the District is using.

ELECT TRUSTEE BY ACCLAMATION Clerk Davis reminded the Board that incumbent Robert Stokes did not file for re-election and Jonathan Stoltz was the only candidate to file a nominating petition for the Outlying Pendroy School District No. 61 Trustee position on the Choteau High School Board, so the election was cancelled as authorized in the election resolution; but Mr. Stoltz has not been elected by acclamation, since the April Board Meeting took place before the deadline to cancel the election.

A motion was made by Robert Stokes, seconded by Katie Rasmussen and unanimously carried (1 absent) to elect by acclamation Jonathan Stoltz, representing Outlying Pendroy School District No. 61, to the Choteau High School District No. 1 Board of Trustees for a three year term.

CANVASS OF ELECTION RESULTS, ISSUE TRUSTEE CERTIFICATES OF ELECTION, AND SWEAR IN TRUSTEES The Board canvassed the votes of the Annual School Trustee Election held on May 5, 2009. A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Perri Lindgren and unanimously carried (1 absent) to ratify the tallies of the election results. The elementary voted levy of $24,724.69, and being approximately 4.99 mills, was approved by the voters and Brodie Gollehon and Mark Salmond were newly elected as joint elementary and high school trustees for three year terms.

The certified election results are as follows:

VOTED LEVY

Choteau Elementary School: 434 - For

214 - Against

40 - Rejected (Absentee Not Returned, Voids, Etc.)

688 - Total Ballots Cast

TRUSTEES (Choteau School District No. 1)

Three Year Term: Ron Daley 224

** Brodie Gollehon 500

** Mark Salmond 464

The oath of office was taken by newly elected Trustees Brodie Gollehon, Mark Salmond, and Jonathan Stoltz. Certificates of Election were issued and notarized by Clerk Davis.

Supt. St. John and Chairman Kirk Moore took this opportunity to thank outgoing Trustee Katie Rasmussen for her 3 years and Trustee Brenda Cunniff for her 6 years of service as joint elementary and high school trustees, and Trustee Robert Stokes for his 15 years of service as a high school trustee representing the Outlying Pendroy District, by presenting them with a certificate of appreciation and life time activity passes. Trustee Robert Stokes was also commended for his many years of service on the Board of Directors for the Montana Rural Education Association.

BOARD REORGANIZATION Supt. St. John informed the Board that to reorganize they need to elect a Chairman and Vice-Chairman, appoint the Clerk and appoint a County Transportation Committee member.

A motion was made by Perri Lindgren, seconded by Jonathan Stoltz and unanimously carried to elect Kirk Moore as the Chairman of the Board.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Brodie Gollehon and unanimously carried to elect Perri Lindgren as the Vice-Chairman of the Board.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Perri Lindgren and unanimously carried to appoint Gloria Davis as Clerk of the Board.

Chairman Kirk Moore appointed Trustee Perri Lindgren to serve on the County Transportation Committee. Clerk Davis informed Trustee Lindgren that the County Transportation Committee Meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. in the conference room of the courthouse. The minutes should reflect that at the March 21, 1996 joint meeting of the Choteau, Bynum and Pendroy Board of Trustees, the joint Boards determined that Choteau will appoint one trustee as their representative on the County Transportation Committee and that trustee will have one vote and will be considered the representative of the Choteau High School District. Both Bynum and Pendroy will each appoint one trustee as their representatives on the County Transportation Committee and these two members will share a vote, which is the vote of the joint elementary districts of the high school district.

CONSIDER REQUEST FOR OUT OF DISTRICT TRANSPORTATION AGREEMENT Supt. St. John informed the Board that Conrad is again requesting to run a bus into our District as they have been approved to do for a number of years in the past, but Augusta is not making such a request this year. As in the past, the administration would recommend this request be approved as we do not offer bus service to the Conrad students in the northeast corner of the District.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Mark Salmond and unanimously carried to enter into a written agreement with Conrad School District No. 10 for the 2009-10 school year, allowing them to run a bus into the northeast boundary of the Choteau District to provide transportation for one family in this area.

ACCEPT RESIGNATION Supt. St. John informed the Board that Dawn “Shorty” Hart has been on maternity leave and was scheduled to return to her position as an assistant cook on May 1st but on April 27th he received a letter of resignation from her. A motion was made by Perri Lindgren, seconded by Brodie Gollehon and unanimously carried to acknowledge receipt of and accept Dawn Hart’s letter of resignation as an assistant cook effective May 1, 2009. Supt. St. John noted that this position has been covered by a substitute and will continue to be until the end of the school year, so the administration will not consider replacing Mrs. Hart until the 2009-10 school year.

STUDENT VOLUNTEER GRADUATION REQUIREMENT The Board and administration had another lengthy discussion among themselves and the public present regarding implementing a student volunteer program as a requirement for graduation, a proposal which was first presented to the Board at the April 7, 2009 Board Meeting by a committee from the community leadership Horizon’s program. Supt. St. John noted that he was looking for more Board and public feedback and discussion at this point; but did want a Board vote after three “readings” of the proposed administrative procedure changes in the handbook, given the proposal as outlined is a requirement for graduation. Trustee Sharon Rice noted that policy 2410 states that the Board will adopt graduation requirements at the recommendation of the Superintendent, so Board action should be taken in this manner. It was noted the policy does not outline the specific graduation requirements such as four credits of English, two credits of Mathematics, etc. which is done in the handbook and this is where the Horizon Committee is requesting an additional requirement be added that states one credit from the Student Volunteer Program, which entails 12 hours of community service from February 1st the junior year to February 1st the senior year with the program to be administered, regulated and enforced by the High School Principal, will be required for students to graduate from Choteau High School.

The majority of the Board reported that the feedback they had received from the community regarding this proposal is that it should not be a requirement for graduation because of the issues outlined below:

A) If such service is required or mandatory, it is no longer volunteer;

B) If one credit is being earned, then more than 12 hours of service needs to be required;

C) While an admirable goal and it is important to teach children to perform community service, such a program is beyond the reach of the school and overstepping its boundaries into the personal home life and a parent’s responsibility; and

D) Today’s students spend more time at school between class time, activities, homework, etc. than they do at home, so should the school being giving them more to do and putting additional stress on them by mandating such a program to graduate.

The public present supporting this proposal responded to the above issues with comments such as:

A) If the problem is with the word volunteer, rename the program to something to do with citizenship;

B) The school teaches a lot of things that should be taught at home and hopefully by doing so is just reinforcing what is being taught at home;

C) The mindset of many adults is that they are too busy to volunteer and help out in the community and communities cannot exist without such volunteer service, so it is important to reach the younger generation now and teach them that a part of being a good citizen is giving back to your community;

D) Like many things young people are forced to do, if such a program is mandated for graduation, in the end they will appreciate it and know that it is in their best interest.

High School Principal Achenbach reminded everyone present that all of these issues were discussed and hammered out with public input through the Horizon committee process and again months ago when the committee brought the proposal to the administration for discussion. High School Principal noted that different options such as making it an elective, incorporating the program into the existing curriculum or a specific class, or just providing some sort of recognition at graduation for such service have all been discussed at length and the end result is the proposal that is before the Board at this time. High School Principal Achenbach stated that he still supports at least giving the program a try, as it is designed to be very flexible and can be changed or dropped if it doesn’t work.

Further discussion ensued with many of the same points being brought up again. Chairman Kirk Moore brought the issue to a close, noting that there has been good discussion providing a lot of food for thought regarding this mater; and the Board has another month to consider the proposal before acting on it.

APPROVE MONTANA HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATION APPLICATION AND FEES Supt. St. John informed the Board that it is time to renew membership with the Montana High School Association. The dues remain the same at $250 per activity and the District plans to participate in the same 14 activities for a total cost of $3,500. The activities the District will participate in will be band, chorus, speech, drama, boys football, girls basketball, boys basketball, girls volleyball, boys wrestling, girls tennis, boys track, girls track, boys golf, and girls golf. The District also needs to pay the premium to receive catastrophic insurance coverage for grades 9-12 interschool athletic participants at a premium of $225.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Jonathan Stoltz and unanimously carried to continue membership in the Montana High School Association, to comply with the 2009-10 bylaws, to pay the annual dues in the amount of $3,500 and to purchase catastrophic insurance coverage through them at a premium of $225.

CONSIDER 2008-09 SCHOOL CALENDAR REVISION Supt. St. John reminded the Board that accreditation standards now require the school term to be a minimum number of aggregate hours, rather than 180 days. With the closure of school on April 29th and 30th because of the massive snow storm in the area, the District’s students will not meet this minimum number of aggregate hours. The administration has already revised the remainder of the 2008-09 school calendar and eliminated all remaining early release days, except the last day of school, to regular release times to make up the hours of one of the snow closure days. The hours for the other day would need to be made up by extending the school calendar and making Thursday, June 4th the last pupil instruction day rather than a PIR day for teacher check out and using Friday, June 5th for this purpose; or the Board may follow subsection (2) of 20-9-806, MCA, which states that they may close school for 1 school day each school year because of an unforeseen emergency and are not required to reschedule the pupil-instruction time lost because of the unforeseen emergency. Supt. St. John informed the Board that the administration recommends the Board waive making up one of the snow closure days in accordance with 20-9-806, MCA.

The Board and administration discussed the law, Board policy, the school calendar, and the minimum number of aggregate hours required to meet the accreditation standards. A motion was made by Sharon Rice and seconded by Mark Henderson to accept the administrations’ recommendation and make a declaration of emergency closure for the April 29th and 30th massive snow days in accordance with 20-9-806, MCA and follow subsection (2) of the law which allows the Board to waive the need to make up one of these snow closure days. Trustees voting for this motion were: Sharon Rice, Mark Henderson, Kirk Moore, Brodie Gollehon, Mark Salmond, and Jonathan Stoltz. Trustees voting against this motion were: Perri Lindgren. The motion carried with a 6 to 1 vote.

APPROVE 2009-2010 MREA MEMBERSHIP AND DUES Supt. St. John informed the Board that it is time to renew the District’s membership with the Montana Rural Education Association. The District’s dues are $2,175, which is the maximum level and the same as the past several years. Supt. St. John noted that MREA is a great resource and organization that represents small, rural schools and recommended continued membership with this organization and as in the past to not participate in the legal services option.

A motion was made by Perri Lindgren, seconded by Mark Henderson and unanimously carried to renew the District’s membership in the Montana Rural Education Association and to pay the 2009-10 dues assessment of $2,175.

APPROVE NON-CERTIFIED POSITIONS FOR THE 2009-2010 SCHOOL YEAR Supt. St. John reminded the Board that non-certified employees are no longer considered “at will” employees due to court decisions. This means that employees may now have the expectation that they are employed for the school year and the District may only terminate employment for cause during the school year. Additionally, those non-certified staff not grandfathered in or employed from the 2006-07 school year on have been placed on a written contract which states that the employee shall have no expectation of continued employment with the School District upon the expiration of the term of the contract, which is for the school year; and that without Board action, employment will automatically terminate upon expiration of the contract. Supt. St. John informed the Board that he had notified all non-certified staff in writing of this meeting date, time, and place so that they would have the opportunity to be present if they so chose. All non-certified staff were also notified what their 2009-10 wage rate would be according to the current non-certified salary schedule. The administration reminded the Board that the non-certified salary schedule will need to be revised due to the increase in the minimum wage from $6.90 to $7.25 per hour in July 2009, and all non-certified staff will be notified at the time a new non-certified salary schedule is adopted the change, if any, in their wage rate because of this increase in the minimum wage.

Supt. St. John outlined the elementary, high school, and district wide non-certified staff, positions, and wage rates. A motion was made by Perri Lindgren, seconded by Mark Henderson and unanimously carried to employ all elementary non-certified personnel as outlined at the wage rate per the current non-certified salary schedule for the 2009-10 school year. A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Sharon Rice and unanimously carried to employ all high school and district wide non-certified personnel as outlined at the wage rate per the current non-certified salary schedule for the 2009-10 school year. There is one less Part-Time Special Education One-On-One Aide position listed due to reduced numbers.

All personnel, positions, and 2009-10 school year wage rates as approved above are listed below.

ELEMENTARY

NAME POSITION 09-10 WAGE RATE

Julie Shepherd Secretary $ 8.70/Hr.

Bob Archer PM Building Custodian $ 9.50/Hr. *

Mary Smith Title I Tutor $11.30/Hr.

Julie Dalrymple Title I Tutor $ 8.50/Hr.

Christy Clark .6 Title I Tutor $ 8.95/Hr.

Dorothy Weist .4 Title I Tutor $ 8.85/Hr.

Jerri Morris Title I Tutor $ 8.85/Hr.

Margaret Hanson Head Cook $11.75/Hr.

Open Part-time Assistant Cook $ 7.25/Hr. (minimum)

Shandra Lohf Part-time Assistant Cook $ 7.60/Hr.

Shaun Worden Part-time Kitchen Aide $ 7.25/Hr.

Lori Alzheimer Special Education Teacher Aide $10.15/Hr.

Crystal Carlson Special Education Teacher Aide $ 9.25/Hr.

Margi Corey Part-Time Title I Reading Aide $ 8.40/Hr.

Jill Smith Part-Time Sp. Ed. One on One Aide $ 8.40/Hr.

Marribeth Foster Part-Time Sp. Ed. One on One Aide $ 8.20/Hr.

HIGH SCHOOL

NAME POSITION 09-10 WAGE RATE

Michaela Zwerneman Secretary $ 9.50/Hr.

Randy Bishop PM Building Custodian $ 9.25/Hr. *

Della Yeager Title I Tutor $ 8.50/Hr.

Emily Bouma Part-Time Title I Tutor $ 9.15/Hr.

Pam Moultray Teacher Aide $ 8.75/Hr.

Jennifer French Library Aide/Tutor $ 8.10/Hr.

DISTRICT (Employed in Both Elementary & High School)

NAME POSITION 09-10 WAGE RATE

Larry Sattler Head Maintenance $13.75/Hr.

Lyle Arps Head Building Custodian $12.50/Hr.

Aaron Abentroth AM Building Custodian $ 7.60/Hr.

Charles Durr Activity Bus Driver $12.50/Hr.

Greg Alzheimer Activity Bus Driver $11.00/Hr.

Patty Mellinger Secretary $10.00/Hr.

Gloria Davis Business Manager/Clerk Negotiated

Robb Wearley Computer Technician Negotiated

Margi Corey Part-Time Software Technician $ 9.15/Hr.

* LiUNA Local # 1686 (2008-2010 Contract - wages as per non-certified salary schedule)

APPROVE SUMMER SCHOOL STAFF EMPLOYMENT Supt. St. John reminded the Board that Elementary Principal Gameon has changed the summer school format again this year in an attempt to attain better attendance and results. The new summer school format approved by the elementary staff will be to offer summer school for three weeks only in August before the new school year gets underway. The summer school program will be held Monday through Thursday from August 3rd through August 20th with summer school staff meeting with individual students in 30-40 minute blocks to work on an individual plan for each student that will be developed through the intervention process. Teachers Rachel Christensen and April Ripley and Tutor Julie Dalrymple have agreed to serve as the summer school staff for this year’s program, which will once again be funded through the Title I program.

A motion was made by Brodie Gollehon, seconded by Mark Salmond and unanimously carried to accept the administrations’ recommendation and employ Rachel Christensen and April Ripley as the K-6 Summer Reading and Math Program teachers at the wage rate of $15.00 per hour plus 15% preparation time, and to employ Julie Dalrymple as the K-6 Summer Reading and Math Program Tutor at the wage rate of $10.00 per hour.

ACKNOLWEDGE RECEIPT OF AND APPROVE DEPOSIT OF CHECKS A motion was made by Perri Lindgren, seconded by Brodie Gollehon and unanimously carried to acknowledge receipt of and approve depositing the following checks in the appropriate funds.

1) Teton County Clerk of District Court check #3505 in the amount of $12.00 for jury duty pay, to be deposited in the High School General Fund.

2) Schwan’s check #211561 in the amount of $4.25 and check #214550 in the amount of $16.65 for a total of $20.90 for the rewards rebate program, to be deposited in the Elementary Lunch Fund.

3) Exxon/Mobil check #2500408848 in the amount of $500.00 for a math resource materials grant, to be deposited in the Elementary Miscellaneous Federal Fund.

ALTACARE PRESENTATION Supt. St. John informed the Board that Altacare is a comprehensive school and community treatment program (CSCT) and is one of Montana’s leading providers of in-school mental health services. Children and adolescents can receive intensive outpatient treatment while they attend school through Altacare, which means little to no disruption in their normal lives. These services are provided by Altacare staff, which would include a master’s level or licensed therapist and a mental health associate. Altacare staff will work closely with school principals and other personnel to identify and treat children in need of assistance with behavioral or emotional problems. Early diagnosis, intervention and treatment often eliminate the need for inpatient hospitalization and/or removing the child from home and school. Altacare has been the leading provider of such in-school mental health services in Montana for the past 15 years and currently provides these services to over 80 schools throughout Montana including Belt, Centerville, Conrad, Cut Bank, Harlem, Malta, Poplar, Rocky Boy, Shelby, Sun River, and Vaughn.

Supt. St. John informed the Board that over a year ago the administration, counselors, and BSSN Cooperative employees met with Altacare representatives to discuss the services they provide and whether there was a need to provide these services at Choteau. Since that time the administration has learned more and now feels there may be possible benefits for entering into an agreement with Altacare to provide these services. The principals have discussed these services with their respective staffs and Altacare has made a presentation to the staff and answered many of their questions and/or concerns. Supt. St. John informed the Board that if continued discussions about these services are positive, he would like the Board to consider entering into an agreement with Altacare at the regular June Board Meeting.

Altacare Director Dave Bennetts was present at the meeting to further outline the services they provide to the Board. Mr. Bennetts asked that the Board look at these services as a mental health rather than a mental illness program. Mr. Bennetts stated that Altacare is just another support service provided so that all students in the District can be successful. The Board and public asked questions about these services such as the amount of time spent with students, the amount of time spent on paperwork, how these services are paid for since there is no cost to the District other than providing office space and equipment, the referral process and whether the parent controls the decision whether the services are provided, and how long the contract is and whether it can be terminated if there are problems.

There was further discussion among the Board, administration, public and Mr. Bennetts regarding the services provided by Altacare. Supt. St. John concluded the discussion by noting that the administration and staff view the implementation of Altacare services positively at this point in time, so entering into an agreement with Altacare will be placed on the agenda for Board consideration at the regular June meeting.

NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT Board Negotiations Spokesman Kirk Moore reported to the Board on the progress of negotiations to date. Spokesman Moore informed the Board that there have been two negotiation meetings with the first meeting laying down ground rules and with the CEA presenting a proposal that the Board Negotiations Committee took under advisement at the second meeting. The third meeting had to be cancelled. The Board Negotiations Committee will caucus next Tuesday and a third negotiating session will be held next Thursday. Spokesman Moore noted that Jennifer Birnel has resigned as the CEA President and from the CEA Negotiations Committee, so their committee is now made up of Mark McCormick, Sally Lee, and Lorran Depner.

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 due to a lack of cash flow, but after tax collections in May an investment should be able to be made.

B) Clerk Davis reminded the Board that the proposed revised non-certified salary schedule to meet the new minimum wage of $7.25 per hour was provided in their negotiations packet, but provided them with another copy so that they could study it as they would need to consider adopting a revised non-certified salary schedule at the regular June Board Meeting.

C) Clerk Davis provided a copy of the MD&A (Management Discussion and Analysis) submitted for the audit report ending June 30, 2008 for the Board to review, noting that it outlines the fiscal position of the District in a narrative format and is somewhat interesting material.

D) Clerk Davis reminded the Board of the New Trustee and Leadership Training available through MTSBA on Saturday, June 13th, noting that interested in attending should call her so that she can register them.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT Supt. St. John took this opportunity to wrap up the meeting by addressing the following issues:

A) Supt. St. John informed the Board that one elementary boys basketball coaching position, one elementary football coaching position, and the high school girls basketball “C” team coaching position are still open at this time.

B) Supt. St. John informed the Board that he would like them to adopt Board or District goals at the June meeting and would like to facilitate the process in the same manner as when he first came on the job. The Board will meet in a work session, possibly just before the regular meeting, and break up into three or four small groups and brainstorm ideas and goals for the District. They then will come together as a Board and look at what each small group has come up with and come up with a consensus of the two to three goals to be adopted as District goals at the August Board Meeting.

C) Supt. St. John reminded the Board that they also will be considering the scope of the Family Consumer Science position, implementation of the Altacare program, and the student volunteer graduation requirement at the regular June Board Meeting.

D) Supt. St. John reminded the Board that there will always be an item to schedule the next regular school board meeting at the end of each agenda from now on. This practice will allow the Board to look ahead and note the date and determine if there is a good reason or a conflict that requires consideration of changing the regular meeting date.

SCHEDULE NEXT REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING Supt. St. John noted that the June Board Meeting should be held on June 11, 2009 but typically it works better to schedule this meeting later in the month largely for accounting purposes. Supt. St. John and Clerk Davis suggested Thursday, June 25th but several Board members had a conflict with this date. After further discussion a motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Mark Salmond and unanimously carried to hold the regular June Board Meeting on Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in the Choteau High School Library and to hold a work session for the purpose of outlining District goals prior to this meeting at 6:00 p.m.

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

ATTEST: _________________________ CLERK _________________________ CHAIRMAN