December 9, 2010

The December regular meeting of the Elementary and High School District No. 1 Board of Trustees was held on December 9, 2010 in the Choteau Elementary School Music Room. The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. by Chairman Mark Henderson.

Members Present: Mark Henderson, Mark Salmond, Kirk Moore, Ron Daley, Brodie Gollehon, and Jonathan Stoltz.

Members Absent: Sharon Rice.

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

A motion was made by Kirk Moore, seconded by Mark Salmond and unanimously carried to approve the elementary minutes for the November 10, 2010 regular and December 6, 2010 work session meetings as written.

A motion was made by Mark Salmond, seconded by Brodie Gollehon and unanimously carried (1 absent) to approve the high school minutes for the November 10, 2010 regular and December 6, 2010 work session meetings as written.

Visitors: Choteau Acantha Editor Melody Martinsen and District Patrons Cliff and Sally Heuscher.

A motion was made by Kirk Moore, seconded by Ron Daly and unanimously carried to approve the elementary claims clearing warrants #16672-#16755 and payroll clearing warrants #21392-#21512 for payment. A vendor list for claims is attached to the minutes of this meeting.

A motion was made by Jonathan Stoltz, seconded by Brodie Gollehon and unanimously carried (1 absent) to approve the high school claims clearing warrants #16672-#16755 and payroll clearing warrants #21392-#21512 for payment. A vendor list for claims is attached to the minutes of this meeting.

Correspondence: None.

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

A) Elementary Principal Gameon reminded the Board that the Elementary Christmas Program was scheduled for Tuesday, December 21st the last day before the holiday break, but noted that the time of the program has been moved up from 2:00 to 1:30 p.m.

B) Elementary Principal Gameon informed the Board that the Elementary School had Parent-Teacher conferences the past two evenings and even though it seemed very quiet, there was a 97% turnout for the conferences. Elementary Principal Gameon noted that the Elementary Book Fair is being held this week in conjunction with the Parent-Teacher conferences as it has been in the past.

C) Elementary Principal Gameon informed the Board that all the teachers are prepared for them to pop in and visit their classrooms today. Elementary Principal Gameon asked that the Trustees check out the new flooring in all of the elementary classrooms and the new cabinetry in the west wing classrooms that was installed this summer through the Quality Schools Facility stimulus funding.

D) Elementary Principal Gameon distributed the brochure A Parent’s Guide to Response to Intervention for the Board to review and proceeded to provide the Board with an overview of the RTI assessment process. The AIMSWEB probes are quick indicators of each student’s efficiency of skills that show where a student is at. The results of these probes are compared to benchmarks to identify students that are not where they need to be and specific skills and targets are then outlined and worked on for these students to reach. Progress monitoring or on-going formative assessment takes place every two weeks to see if the targets being worked on have been reached and if the student is reaching or attained the benchmark level, which is the best indicator of how a student will do on the required CRT tests. The Diagnostic Assessment process takes place when students are not progressing after this additional help and ways to address this lack of progression are determined. This lack of gain in performance is now being used to identify students that may be in need of special education services. Elementary Principal Gameon informed the Board that he believes the RTI process is working as test scores are improving and the number of students identified in need of special education services is declining. Supt. St. John noted that he feels this process has been a big part of meeting the District goals established in reading, math and science.

The Board questioned if the RTI process is continued with in grades 7-12. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that the RTI process is actually creating problems for him at this point, as students cannot be accommodated or over accommodated for, at this level as they have been in the elementary grades through RTI, because of the grades 7-12 departmentalized scheduling. Elementary Principal Gameon informed the Board that they aim to identify any student in need of special education services in the 5th or 6th grade so that they transition into Junior High and High School with an IEP. Elementary Principal Gameon informed the Board that the ultimate goal of the RTI program is to have every student at the level they need to be at by the time they enter Junior High, noting that the 6th graders this year will be the first class that will enter into Junior High with the RTI program throughout their elementary school days.

High School Principal Achenbach further informed the Board that the IAT process or Intervention Assistance Teams are used in grades 7-12 and such courses as Pre-Algebra and Common English are being offered to help students that are not at the level they should be. High School Principal Achenbach noted that he would really like to offer a reading class but 7-12th grade teachers are not endorsed to “teach” reading. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that probes are not being utilized at the junior high and high school levels as he and the staff do not believe that losing instruction time to administer these probes will benefit the students that need additional help. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that he is really struggling with this issue but noted that a big piece of the problem rests with students that can’t or won’t learn.

Elementary Principal Gameon left the meeting at this time as he needn’t to be in the classrooms.

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

A) High School Principal Achenbach reminded the Board that Parent-Teacher conferences are now scheduled one night at the midway point of each quarter, rather than two nights after the 1st and 3rd quarters only, in an attempt to intervene and better assist students if they are at risk of failing. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that these conferences have been scheduled for Wednesday nights from 4:00-7:00 p.m. since there are no activities scheduled on Wednesday nights. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that Parent-Teacher Conferences for grades 7-12 were also held last night and he requested feedback from parents about the new format of conducting Parent-Teacher conferences as he has had some complaints. The complaints heard include parents no longer able to participate because of the Wednesday night scheduling and their involvement in church night activities, the number of staff and coaches not available that one evening, one night does not allow enough time to see all teachers especially if a family has two or more 7th-12th grade students, and waiting for up to 45 minutes to see particular teachers. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that he is open to any ideas and feedback to address the complaints lodged. It was immediately suggested that conferences need to be limited to a period of 10-15 minutes as designed; and if there are problems or big issues that need to be addressed, an appointment should be scheduled to address these at length at a later date and time.

B) High School Principal Achenbach reminded the Board that the Teton Pass ski area has been purchased and newly reopened. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that a ski day for high school students has been scheduled for Monday, December 20th with 32 high school students signed up to participate and the junior high students will probably go up at the end of the semester on Friday, January 21st.

C) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that the winter sports and activities are now taking place. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that the Speech, Debate and Drama team now has 8 members and they recently took 1st place at the Conrad meet. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that there are 18 boys out for wrestling, as well as 20 boys and 19 girls out for basketball. High School Principal Achenbach noted that a “C” boys basketball coach was employed as it was anticipated that over 25 boys would be out; but there are only 20 participants as several 9th and 10th grade boys did not come out or did not return, and 2 players that started the season have since quit. High School Principal Achenbach noted that there is still a full 3 game schedule for boys basketball and a separate practice is being held so the additional “C” coach is warranted. High School Principal Achenbach further noted that an additional “C” coach was not employed for girls basketball but since there is a full 3 game schedule for the 19 member girls basketball team, the administration has approved the payment of the additional $600 “C” team stipend to the girls basketball team coaching staff.

D) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that the IMPACT (concussion) Test was administered to 67 high school students on the last in-service early out Friday. High School Principal Achenbach noted that students may take this test at anytime that suits their schedule such as during a study hall or after school and hopes more parents have their children voluntarily participate in this beneficial program.

E) High School Principal Achenbach reminded the Board that the 7-12 Christmas

Concert is scheduled for Tuesday, December 14th at 6:30 p.m.

F) High School Principal Achenbach also urged the Board members to take the opportunity to visit as many of the 7th-12th classrooms as possible today.

G) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board about a recent news article regarding the Columbia Falls school district. Columbia Falls will be holding an expulsion hearing for an honor student who voluntarily reported that she had forgotten she had an unloaded hunting rifle locked in the trunk of her vehicle after a hunting excursion over the Thanksgiving holiday break as their policy cites zero tolerance for a firearm on school property. High School Principal Achenbach noted that he is so glad that the administration and Board used common sense and dealt with a like issue here last year on a case by case basis as allowed.

High School Principal Achenbach left the meeting after his report so that he was available in the high school office since school is in session.

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 written report with the Board at this time.

B) Supt. St. John reminded the Board that Elementary Principal Gameon had requested that they take this opportunity to see the new elementary classroom flooring and cabinetry if they haven’t already done so. Supt. St. John noted that the Board and community may question whether these improvements were “worth it” since a good teacher can teach in a cave, but stated that he feels that it has a positive impact on everyone to have nice, improved working conditions.

C) Supt. St. John distributed a communication from the new CEO of MUST that was finally received as a response to his request made in August and October for clarification on the assessment being charged to the Choteau Public Schools for not renewing their health insurance coverage for the 2010-2011 school year with them. Supt. St. John noted that the response addressed the legality of sponsorship fees when he in fact questioned the legality of the assessment fees. Supt. St. John noted that he had also questioned why we should pay this assessment fee when other districts had not done so in the past, and seriously doubted the statement that MUST was taking measures to collect these past assessment fees since the last incident of such assessment fees occurred in 1991. Supt. St. John informed the Board that because of these inaccuracies he did not plan on responding further to MUST and would take a wait and see approach regarding the matter of paying or not paying an assessment fee.

POLICY

Second Reading of Revised Policy #5331 The Board held the second reading of revised policy #5331 on employee health insurance benefits that clarifies that a classified employee who is less than half time or scheduled to work less than 20 hours per week is not eligible for the group insurance plan. The revised policy will state what the District is actually doing, does not affect anyone on staff, and will be uniformly applied to any new hires.

ELEMENTARY TENNIS COACH RESIGNATION Supt. St. John informed the Board that he had received a letter of resignation as the Elementary Tennis Coach for the 2011-2012 school year from Jami Gameon. A motion was made by Mark Salmond, seconded by Kirk Moore and unanimously carried to acknowledge receipt of and accept Jami Gameon’s letter of resignation, a copy of which is attached to the minutes of this meeting, as the Elementary Tennis Coach for the 2011-2012 school year. The Board and administration took this opportunity to thank Mrs. Gameon for filling this position the past several years.

SUPERINTENDENT’S EVALUATION The Board took this opportunity to review the Superintendent’s Evaluation that they compiled at the December 6, 2010 work session with Supt. St. John. Chairman Mark Henderson informed Supt. St. John that the Board feels that he continues to improve in his job performance and gave him an overall rating of 3.72 on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high). The Board took this opportunity to thank him for the job he does and being an asset during the recent mediation process. Chairman Mark Henderson encouraged Supt. St. John to read the Board statements on their individual evaluations, as they were written with the goal to help him improve his job performance. Chairman Henderson also informed Supt. St. John that he had encouraged each individual Board member to take the time to talk with him about their individual evaluations. Supt. St. John thanked the Board for their time in completing the individual evaluations, but noted that it is important for him to have consensus statements and direction from the Board as a whole.

RATIFY NEGOTIATIONS

Teacher Negotiations Board Negotiations Committee Spokesman Mark Henderson informed the Board that they had made a written offer to the CEA Negotiations Committee for a two year contract with $400 on the base the first year and no increase the second year, the new RIF language as agreed upon through mediation, a clause that negotiations may be re-opened to specifically deal with the increased cost of health insurance if next year’s health insurance premium were to increase more than 12%, the offer would be retroactive to July 1, 2010 and the CEA had to accept the proposal within a set period of time or it would be withdrawn from the table and the Board offer would revert to their last offer on the table. The CEA Negotiations Committee changed the wording of the re-opening clause for health insurance costs from may be re-opened to will be reopened and agreed to this two year proposal.

The Board discussed the proposal, a copy of which is attached to the minutes of this meeting. A motion was made by Kirk Moore, seconded by Brodie Gollehon and unanimously carried (1 absent) to ratify negotiations with the Choteau Education Association for a two year contract for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years as outlined below.

A) An increase of $400.00 on the base the first year of the contract and no increase on the base for the second year of the contract so the base will be $24,254 for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years.

B) The following new RIF language under Article 8.2 Layoffs:

If the Board determines that it is necessary for a reduction in force, the selection of the teacher(s) to be laid off shall be made according to the following guidelines:

1) A reduction of certified employees, other than administrators, will be done through normal attrition if possible.

2) If normal attrition does not meet the necessary reduction in the number of teachers required, the Board will lay off non-tenured teachers.

3) If the reduction in force is not met by attrition or non-renewal of non-tenured teachers, the Board shall consider the following criteria, in order, when making RIF recommendations:

a) Certification, endorsements and educational preparation with the grade level and subject areas in which the employee is now performing;

b) Relative skills, ability and demonstrated performance;

c) Number of continuous years of service to the school district.

C) Article 15.2: The Board agrees to pay 2010-2011 and 2011-2012* insurance premiums not to exceed the following monthly amounts:

Family Plan - $579.00

Two Party Plan - $464.00

Parent/Child Plan - $441.00

Single Plan - $234.00

*Should 2011-2012 health insurance premiums increase more than 12%, negotiations will be reopened specifically to deal with the increased cost of health insurance.

Trustee Kirk Moore thanked the negotiations committee for their time and effort is settling negotiations and securing a two year contract. Clerk Gloria Davis informed the Board that she was in receipt of a letter from the CEA just this morning that stated their intent to negotiate for the 2011-2012 year if there was more than a 12% increase in health insurance premium costs, since they did not want to miss the January 1st notification deadline of stating their intent to negotiate as they have for the past two years.

Clerk/Business Manager’s Negotiations Spokesman Henderson informed the Board that the negotiating committee had arrived at a two year wage agreement with Clerk Davis that represented a 4% increase over the two year period, noting that the overall cost of the teacher’s package for just the 2010-2011 school year was an increase of 4% so the negotiating committee tried to stay at this rate of increase for other negotiations. Spokesman Henderson informed the Board that Clerk/Business Manager Gloria Davis would receive an increase of $1,200 for the 2010-2011 school year for a total annual salary of $43,400 and an increase of $600 for the 2011-2012 school year for a total annual salary of $44,000.

A motion was made by Jonathan Stoltz, seconded by Ron Daley and unanimously carried (1 absent) to ratify negotiations with Clerk/Business Manager Gloria Davis for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years as outlined above.

Computer Technician Negotiations Spokesman Henderson informed the Board that the negotiating committee had arrived at a two year agreement with Computer Technician Wearley that represented a 3.5% increase before they had hammered out the 4% increase divided over the two year period with Clerk Davis. Spokesman Henderson informed the Board that to be fair the negotiating committee would like to give Computer Technician Robb Wearley an additional .5% increase for the second year of the agreement. Spokesman Henderson informed the Board that Computer Technician Robb Wearley would receive an increase of $1,320 for the 2010-2011 school year for a total annual salary of $38,900 and an increase of $300 for the 2011-2012 school year for a total annual salary of $39,200.

A motion was made by Jonathan Stoltz, seconded by Brodie Gollehon and unanimously carried (1 absent) to ratify negotiations with Computer Technician Robb Wearley for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years as outlined above.

Superintendent Negotiations Spokesman Henderson informed the Board that the negotiating committee had arrived at a two year agreement with Supt. St. John that would split a 4% increase of $2,900 over this period. Spokesman Henderson informed the Board that Supt. Kevin St. John would receive an increase of $1,450 for the 2010-2011 school year for a total annual salary of $73,950 and an another increase of $1,450 for the 2011-2012 school year for a total annual salary of $75,400. Spokesman Henderson noted that these negotiations cover the two year contract for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years that was offered to Supt. St. John last January.

A motion was made by Kirk Moore, seconded by Jonathan Stoltz and unanimously carried (1 absent) to ratify negotiations with Supt. Kevin St. John for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years as outlined above.

Elementary Principal Negotiations Spokesman Henderson informed the Board that the negotiating committee has not settled negotiations with Elementary Principal Chuck Gameon. Spokesman Henderson noted that Elementary Principal Gameon’s is the only contract not settled as the Board reached a two year settlement with High School Principal Achenbach last year that covered the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years. Spokesman Henderson further noted that the negotiating committee will try to negotiate a two year agreement with Elementary Principal Gameon so the only negotiations that will be necessary for the 2011-2012 school year will be with High School Principal Achenbach.

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

1) Schwan’s Food Service check #260400 in the amount of $26.28 for rebates, to be deposited in the Elementary Lunch Fund.

2) Danelle Crary check #6406 in the amount of $30.00 for the following surplus property items: globe, books, maps, and science lab items; to be deposited in the High School Building Fund.

3) PDL’s Performance Repair check #4696 in the amount of $143.00 for the following surplus property items: snow blade and popcorn machine; to be deposited in the High School Building Fund.

4) Front Range Fights check #292 in the amount of $500.00 for the following surplus property items: old outdoor bleachers; to be deposited in the High School Building Fund.

5) State of Montana warrant #21341496 in the amount of $1,704.64 for an Indian Education Montana Historical Grant payment, to be deposited in the Elementary Miscellaneous Federal Fund.

CLERK/BUSINESS MANAGER’S REPORT Clerk Davis informed the Board that the following investments were made by the Teton County Treasurer on behalf of the Teton County Investment Committee.

1) $400,000 for 300 days from 11/18/10 in a certificate of deposit with Teton Banks at 1.05%.

2) $500,000 for 365 days from 11/18/10 in a certificate of deposit with Teton Banks at 1.13%.

SCHEDULE NEXT REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING The next Regular Board Meeting will be held on Thursday, January 13, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in the Choteau High School Library.

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

ATTEST: ________________________ CLERK _________________________ CHAIRMAN