MEETING NOTICE AND AGENDA REGULAR MEETING Oconomowoc Area School District (OASD) Board of Education

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1 Quality Schools for a Growing Future MEETING NOTICE AND AGENDA REGULAR MEETING (OASD) The of the will meet in regular session on Tuesday, June 16, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. in the Summit Elementary School Cafetorium, 1680 E. Valley Road, Oconomowoc, WI The following items will be discussed with possible action as well as any other matters that may legally come before the Board. 1. ORDER OF BUSINESS a. Call to Order b. Pledge of Allegiance c. Roll Call d. Notice of Meeting e. Adoption of Agenda f. Rules for Meeting 2. SCHOOL SHOWCASE None 3. AWARDS & GRANTS OHS Hall of Fame Dr. John Heinrich 4. CORRESPONDENCE & INFORMATION 5. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 6. REPORTS A. Approval of Meeting Minutes B. Approval of Treasurer s Report C. Approval of Personnel Actions 7. OLD (UNFINISHED) BUSINESS A. Appointment of Financial Advisor B. Action on Master Facilities Plan Proposal 8. NEW BUSINESS A. Approval of Elementary (4K-4) Student/Parent Handbooks B. Approval of Gifted Education and Talent Development Plan C. Approval of Oconomowoc Transport Company, Inc. Bus Transportation Contract D. Approval of Food Service Contract Extension E. Update on Budget Proposal F. Resolution Approving Southeastern WI School Alliance Agreement 9. FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDA ITEMS Next Meeting: July 21, ADJOURNMENT TO CLOSED SESSION Wisconsin Statutes (1)(c) - Considering employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility Superintendent Evaluation Patricia E. Neudecker, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools 06/11/09 Sent to: Oconomowoc Enterprise City of Delafield Oconomowoc Focus City of Oconomowoc Administrators Lake Country Reporter Town of Ashippun Schools: GR, IX, MV, PL, SU, NHI, SLI, OHS Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Town of Ixonia District website: Watertown Daily Times Town of Oconomowoc Waukesha Freeman Village of Oconomowoc Lake

2 APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES Board approval is required for the meeting minutes of the regular Board meeting held on May 19, 2009 and the special Board meeting held on June 1, Copies of the minutes noted above are attached. ACTION: to approve the meeting minutes of the regular Board meeting held on May 19, 2009 and the special Board meeting held on June 1, DATE: 06/16/09

3 TREASURER S REPORT The monthly Treasurer s Report includes statements of revenue and expenditures and a listing of bills and expense reimbursements. The monthly Treasurer s Report includes a synopsis of the monthly Business Committee meeting and the recommendations of the Business Committee including payment of bills and expense reimbursements. Board members have received copies of the financial reports. ACTION: to approve the lists of bills and expense reimbursements through Wednesday, June 10, 2009 as recommended by the Business Committee. DATE: 6/16/09

4 PERSONNEL ACTIONS Board approval is needed for the personnel actions listed below. ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF: CHANGE IN ASSIGNMENT effective for school year: Name Position Previous FTE New FTE Howard Kallio Director of Student Services 10-mo. FT 12-mo. FT Student Services CERTIFIED STAFF: EARLY RETIREMENTS: Name Position Schl FTE Eff. Date Thomas Hayes Soc. Studies OHS 100% end of FULL-TIME CONTINUING CONTRACTS: Name Position Schl FTE Eff. Date Replace Hollie Bandt Math OHS 100% Voogt Sarah Valatka Spanish OHS 100% Taylor Suero PART-TIME ONE-YEAR ONLY CONTRACTS: Name Position Schl FTE Eff. Date Replace Kristin Staus Spec. Ed. PKL 90% Gordon Sharon Olson Library IXN 30% rehire

5 Personnel Actions Page 2 SUPPORTIVE STAFF: RESIGNATIONS: Name Position Schl FTE Eff. Date Thomas Fredrich Spec. Ed. PKL 88% Para. ACTION:... to approve the recommended administrative staff change in assignment, certified staff early retirement, full-time continuing contracts, part-time one-year contracts and support staff resignation. 6/16/2009

6 Appointment of Financial Advisor Appointing a Financial Advisor to Assist with Long-Range Financial and Capital Planning The District issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to five leading Financial Advisors to assist the OASD with long-range capital and financial planning. (See RFP attached). Timely responses were received from Stifel Nicolaus; R.W. Baird; PMA; Springsted Inc.; and Hutchinson Shockey. The Financial Advisor (FA) will perform several functions, beginning with a review of existing debt. Possible refinancing opportunities will be examined. The FA will assist OASD in reviewing new financing programs available under the federal economic stimulus programs. The FA will prepare long range financing scenarios based on capital needs defined by the. If the OASD would need to refinance existing debt, or issue new debt, the FA will assist in preparation and distribution of the Official Statement; communicate with bond council and bond rating agencies; advertise the competitive sale of the bonds; assist with evaluation of bids; and assist with closing the bond sale. Criteria to consider when selecting a Financial Advisor include: History and reputation of the firm Scope of services available Qualifications of the primary person(s) assigned to the task Fee charged for services It is important to distinguish between a Financial Advisor and a Bond Underwriter, especially since many firms offer a combination of both services. A Financial Advisor works for a specific fee, does not underwrite the bond sale, and has a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interests of the client (OASD). A bond underwriter buys the bond offering, markets it and resells it, and earns profit (the underwriters discount) defined as the spread between the amount the underwriter paid to buy the bond and the amount for which it was resold to other investors. The underwriter does not have a fiduciary responsibility towards the client and has no obligation to act in the best interests of the client/district. The recent $200 million OPEB investment disaster involving five Wisconsin school districts resulted, at least in part, to a failure to clearly distinguish between the role of an independent Financial Advisor that of a bond underwriter. In the OPEB case, one financial firm served in both roles, as Financial Advisor and Underwriter, in a negotiated bond sale. This transaction, and others like it, raises questions over a potential conflict of interest. The OASD seeks a Financial Advisor only. Following a review of responses to the RFP, and interviews during the first week of June, we are recommending Springsted, a Minneapolis-Milwaukee based pure Financial Advisor, meaning Springsted is not a bond underwriter. The District s best interests are served by separating the role of Financial Advisor from that of an Underwriter, and Springsted is a well established firm that specializes in this limited role. The fee structure has been negotiated as follows:

7 Springsted will accept a base professional fee of $5,000 for Oconomowoc's next TRAN transaction. After that transaction is completed we will do an accounting to see how our costs of production of the OS compare to the $5,000 base fee. If the firm does not cover costs with a reasonable profit to cover ongoing administrative overhead we will enter into discussions with you after your first TRAN transaction to see if we can agree upon a reasonable fee that is acceptable to both parties before the second TRAN borrowing. Springsted will accept your proposal for re-fundings and new debt issues: a base fee of $7500 plus $1 per bond up to $10 million par. The professional fee in excess of $10 million par will be negotiated. A client service agreement between OASD and Springsted has been sent to OASD legal counsel for review. An unsigned copy of the agreement is attached. Action: Recommend appointment of Springsted Incorporated as the Financial Advisor to OASD, pending contract review and approval by legal counsel. DATE: 06/16/2009

8 Action on Master Facilities Plan Proposal Five firms responded to an RFP for master facilities planning. Their responses have been evaluated. The five firms responding to the RFP were: Eppstein Uhen; Zimmerman Design; Plunkett Raysich; Oliver Construction; and MSI General. A copy of the RFP is attached. The services of an architect with K-12 school experience are required to assist with long range school facility planning. The role of the architect is to provide various design solutions and cost projections. We recommend that Plunkett Raysich Architects (PRA) be retained for this purpose. PRA is familiar with the needs of OASD, possesses the necessary K-12 expertise, and provided a competitive proposal. The fee proposed by PRA is not-to-exceed $10,000 total for a study of both Ixonia Elementary School and Meadow View Elementary School. Concerning a study of the former middle school building, we recommend that the Board, or a sub-committee appointed by the Board, interview both Oliver Construction and MSI General. The fate of the middle school building is an important local issue, and we conclude that a local firm with practical field experience and project cost estimating expertise is needed. This recommendation divides the master facility planning into two sections (1) A K-12 study of Meadow View and Ixonia; and (2) A study of the former middle school to be performed by a local design-builder. We conclude that this arrangement will provide the best value to OASD. ACTION: to award a contract to PRA for the study of Meadow View and Ixonia Elementary Schools in an amount not to exceed $10,000, and to proceed with interviews of Oliver and MSI General related to the former middle school building DATE: 6/16/2009

9 APPROVAL OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HANDBOOKS Issue: A sample copy of the text from one elementary school handbook is presented for Board review. The sections in the handbook marked with an asterisk in the table of contents are standard across all schools. Individual schools take the opportunity to add other topics of information specific to their school. Those topics will appear without an asterisk. Information: The need to communicate consistent, accurate district information, yet allow for individual site needs requires a balanced approach in the planning of elementary handbooks. Elementary principals have agreed to use common district text for numerous handbook topics. That text will be entered and updated by the Curriculum and Instruction Department, and will be shared electronically with elementary buildings. Elementary principals have agreed to use the text in its original form and will not change or edit any district information. The asterisk mark in the handbook will be an indicator of such consistency. As elementary schools prepare their handbooks, they will also include additional information specific to their site. Such information will include site goals and plans, calendars, specific events, teachers names and rooms, etc. Changes to the Elementary School Handbook include changing the date of to , updating phone numbers, and updating the new school hours. Action: To approve the Elementary School Handbook. Date:

10 APPROVAL OF GIFTED EDUCATION AND TALENTED DEVELOPMENT PLAN Rita Loyacono, OASD K-12 Gifted Education & Talent Development Coordinator, is presenting the proposed Gifted Education and Talent Development Three Year Plan for Board approval. Background: Several state statutes and rules provide direction to school districts for the establishment of programs for gifted and talented students. Wisconsin Administrative Rule PI 8.01(2)(t).2. states, Each school district board shall establish a plan and designate a person to coordinate the gifted and talented program. Gifted and talented students shall be identified as required in s (1). This identification includes the use of multiple criteria that are appropriate for the category of gifted including intelligence, achievement, leadership, creativity, product evaluations, and nominations. A pupil may be identified as gifted or talented in one or more of the categories under s (1). Statutes ss (3) and (1)(t) state that the school board shall provide access, without charge for tuition to appropriate programs for pupils identified as gifted or talented. The school district is also charged with providing an opportunity for parent involvement in the planning of proposed programming. Standard (t) in the Gifted and Talented Program Plan The OASD initially developed a plan for gifted and talented programming that was approved by the Board of Education in September Plans have been updated and approved for , and , and The proposed Gifted Education & Talent Development 3 Year Plan outlines goals and tasks related to gifted education and talent development in grades K 12 in the following eight components of organization and implementation. 1. Staff Development 2. Programming Development 3. Student Identification 4. Advisory Committee 5. Communications 6. Budget Needs 7. Policy Review 8. Gifted Education Services Evaluation This working plan will provide direction and cohesiveness to gifted education and talent development programming in ways that are congruent with existing practices which are aligned with the district s Strategic Plan and the Student Learning Profile. ACTION: to approve the Gifted Education and Talent Development Plan. DATE:

11 Approval of Oconomowoc Transport Company Bus Transportation Contract Proposal for Student Transportation Contract with Oconomowoc Transport Co. (OTC). The Business Committee will review the attached contract on Monday, June 15, o The proposed rate increase for is 3 % and 2.9% for The routing plan calls for minor changes to the afternoon shuttles from OHS to the Intermediate schools which will reduce costs by $10K per year. This reduces the effective cost of the rate increase to 2.5% per year. o The contract retains the provision which allows OASD to perform an operational audit to ensure billing accuracy and compliance with contract terms. o The District compared the existing contract against a Model Transportation Contract published by the Minnesota Department of Education (Wisconsin DPI does not publish a similar model contract). Based on this comparison, a few language items were added to the OASD/OTC contract. These changes are underlined in the attached contract draft. o The term of the contract is updated to to This maintains the five-year rolling contract that is contained in past contracts. ACTION: Possible Action pending the recommendation of the Business Committee. DATE: 06/16/2009

12 Proposal for School Lunch Operations Approval of Food Service Contract Extension The business office worked with the leadership at Taher to create a proposed budget for The annual budget is negotiated and creates the basis for a one-year addendum to the basic contract between OASD and Taher. We are proposing a break-even budget with no increase in meal prices. The budget totals $1,888, The plan for continues OASD s recent emphasis on capital equipment replacement and upgrades. This budget provides $69,000 for capital equipment, most of which will be used to support the OHS One Lunch program. In addition, $15,000 is budgeted to offset OASD utility costs, and a $20,000 repairs line item is funded. These allocations take pressure off the General Fund budget. In assessing the performance of the food service program, we note improvement in quality, participation, and financial results at the new intermediate schools. We approve of the plans Taher developed to support the OHS One Lunch Program for We conclude that challenges remain at the elementary schools and we are looking for improvement in that area. Active management, including regular meetings between the OASD and Taher, including monthly review of participation and financials, have proven to be mutually beneficial. The enclosed report provides an overview of planned operations and recent operating statistics. The Business Committee reviewed this proposal at the May meeting. Meal Price Schedule: Breakfast Prices Lunch Prices 4K Milk $8.90 Elementary $2.20 Elementary $1.25 Extra Intermediate $2.30 Milk Intermediate $1.25 $.35 High School $2.30 Reduced Price $0.40 Reduced Price $0.40 Adult $1.75 Adult $3.20 ACTION: Move to authorize the food service budget proposal and lunch price schedule. DATE: 06/16/2009

13 Update on Budget Proposal Update on the Budget Proposal The OASD Budget Proposal was presented to the Board at the May meeting. As we anticipated, revisions will be required to realign the budget with recently announced state budget cuts aimed at K-12 public school districts. The state budget situation remains uncertain as of June 10, However, it appears likely that OASD will need to react to: o A tighter revenue limit formula which allows school budgets to increase by $200 per student, not the $274 per student announced in February. This will require a budget reduction by OASD of approximately $355,000. o A 2.5% reduction to certain categorical state aids, requiring a budget reduction by OASD of approximately $45,000. o An additional loss of state equalization aid of approximately 3.1%. Equalization aid is difficult to estimate under these conditions. The DPI will provide an equalization aid estimate for each school district by July 1, o Uncertainty surrounds the status of the QEO and related collective bargaining rules. The QEO may be eliminated effective o We are awaiting specific guidance for how the ARRA stimulus money may be used by school districts. For these reasons, we are postponing the second OASD budget presentation until the July meeting. We hope the financial picture will be clearer by then. ACTION: None. This is an information item. DATE: 06/16/2009

14 RESOLUTION APPROVING SOUTHEASTERN WI SCHOOL ALLIANCE AGREEMENT Southeastern WI School Alliance Agreement The SWSA is a non-partisan coalition of 30 public school districts in southeastern Wisconsin formed to study educational issues and respond to policy decisions that affect public education, particularly in southeastern Wisconsin. The mission of the SWSA is to pro-actively influence public policy related to education through legislative advocacy for the benefit of students, families and communities. Membership is annual. Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 am at the Wauwatosa school district offices. The superintendent attends the meetings. The board has been provided with the SWSA agreement and SWSA Resolution. Additional information about the SWSA can be found at ACTION:. To approve resolution for OASD participation in the SWSA for the school year and approve the $3,000 participation fee. DATE: 06/16/09