FRANKLIN REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS COMMITTEE-OF-THE-WHOLE MEETING MINUTES November 5, 2007 Heritage Elementary School A. BOARD MEMBER ATTENDANCE Present: Absent: Allan Shafer, Herb Yingling, Mary Bach, Roberta Cook, Paul Scheinert, Dr. Gigliotti, Lynn Gurrentz, Jan Hill Joe Seymour B. AGENDA TOPIC 1. Superintendent s Report Dennis Majewski, Director of District Services, presented an update on the new ventilation system for the pool. The new system was up and running two days ahead of schedule. Parents, students and coaches seem pleased and have commented on the noticeable improvement the temperature is being controlled and the pool dehumidified; there is a breeze flowing across the top of the pool (as well as through the spectator section of the pool); and flow measurements have been acceptable. At the November 19 th voting meeting of the Board, Officer Buzz Yakshe, School Resource Office for the District, and Senior High School Principal Mrs. Tina Burns will present information on drug testing kits and when they will be available for purchase by parents. 2. Wesley Spectrum Academy Services Agreement The District has received an agreement for placement of a student in Wesley Spectrum Academy, a program of Wesley Spectrum Services, for the 2007/08 school year, at a cost of $15,173.00. A one-time Matriculation Fee of $100 is also charged for new students. Wesley Spectrum offers two types of programs an academic program and a partial hospital program. Students placed in these programs are non-adjudicated, usually remain approximately two years, and suffer from a wide range of disabilities including ADD, ADHD, Reactive Attachment Disorder and autism. The Board will take action on November 19th on the agreement with Wesley Spectrum Academy for placement of an eleventh grade student in their program for the 2007/08 school year at a cost of $15,173.00, plus a $100 Matriculation Fee.
3. SHS Multi-Media Curriculum Advanced Video Production Course Outline A course outline for the SHS Multi-Media course curriculum has been presented to the Board, for information purposes only. This new course was approved in the Spring of 2007 as part of the cyclical review process of the Business Department. The outline details the instructional portion of the course; students enrolled in this course will also be working with the Municipality of Murrysville on documentaries to be aired on Channel 19, the local cable channel. Once the curriculum writing for the course has been completed (during the summer of 2008), it will be presented to the Board for approval. This item was presented for information purposes only; no Board action is required at this time. 4. Business Curriculum Curricula for the following courses currently being taught at the Senior High School were presented to the Board for approval: Money, Finance and Me; Money Management; Business Sampler; Microsoft Applications; Keyboarding Applications; Keyboarding for the Middle School; and Microsoft Office. As there were no questions on any of the above curricula, the Board will take action on the request for approval at its regular voting meeting on November 19 th. In addition, course outlines for two new courses International Business and Web Page Design for Business which were also approved during the cyclical review process last spring were presented to the Board, for information purposes only. As with the SHS Multi-Media curriculum, the curricula for these courses will be written during the summer of 2008 and presented to the Board in the fall, for approval. The curricula for two additional courses Business Law and Entrepreneurship are currently being revised and should be available for Board approval in December. 5. Trip to New York City by International Business Students A request has been received from the students enrolled in the International Business course, and their teacher, Mr. Roger Crider, for permission to travel to New York City April 13-15, 2008, in order to experience a variety of cultures and business experiences applicable to their course studies. Students would participate in fundraising activities to raise the monies needed for the trip. Some Board members saw the trip as a sightseeing trip with no strong educational purpose to justify missing two days of school. The Board requested additional information on the trip, including information on the workshop on Effective Communication Skills which was listed as part of the itinerary (who will conduct, where will it be held, etc.) and the walking tour of the Financial District.
Mrs. Hill noted the Board has, in the past, approved trip requests for various groups that did not have a strong educational value associated with them but would allow students to miss several days of school. She suggested the Board take a stronger look at future trip requests. The agenda for the November 19 th voting meeting of the Board may include a motion to approve the request for the International Business students to travel to New York City April 13-15, 2008, if proper adjustments to the request are added. 6. Policy Revisions to two policies and a policy series were presented to the Board for consideration, on first reading. Policy 7503 - Dual Enrollment/College in High School This is a new policy that explains how students can pursue coursework outside of their daily schedule within the District (dual enrollment) at a local college or university, as well as courses taught within the District, by District staff, but in conjunction with the District and/or college requirements (college in high school). Grades received from dual enrollment courses will not be used to compute a student s GPA or class rank; grades received from college in high school classes will. The District is not responsible for any costs associated with dual enrollment courses. Policy 9008 - Parental Involvement This policy was rewritten in order to bring the District into compliance with NCLB regulations related to the use of federal monies for students who qualify for Title I services. 5000 Series Facilities Planning and Management Revisions to this series included title changes related to those who oversee the District s grounds and facilities; the rental fee schedule and regulations for use of the District facilities; wording clarification within policies; wording related to the naming of buildings and facilities. The Board will be asked to take action to approve the policy revisions, on first reading, at its voting meeting on November 19 th. 7. Capital Projects Three capital projects were presented to the Board for consideration: a. Cafeteria Utensils Singer Equipment Company - $2,164.00 (Reserve Cafeteria Fund) Utensils in kitchens in all of the District s school buildings need replaced; some have been damaged over the years and others need to be replaced with a more up-to-date style. b. Installation of a Projection Screen at Newlonsburg Elementary School Haverford Systems of Pittsburgh - $2,170.00 (New Capital) Newlonsburg Elementary School is the only school in the District that does not have a
permanently mounted projection screen. A four-foot projection screen mounted on a tripod is currently used for programs in the Newlonsburg gym; this screen is barely visible from the back of the room. The new screen will be an electrically-powered 16-foot screen that will be permanently hung from the gymnasium ceiling. c. Replacement of Stadium Ticket Booth East Suburban Interiors of Murrysville - $12,987.00 (Capital Replacement) The ticket booth closest to the Senior High School is the booth which needs replaced. Built in the 60 s, the booth is splitting due to the vertical joints separating and moving. The structure has weakened and is capable of collapsing. The new booth would be slightly larger in length and constructed of brick and block. The Board will take action on the proposed Capital Projects on November 19 th. 8. Budget Transfers Budget transfers are reported to the Board each month beginning in October and ending with transfers in June. Budget transfers in the amount of $23,962.00 were presented to the Board for review. The Board will take action to approve the proposed budget transfers on November 19 th at its regular voting meeting. 9. 2008-2009 Budget An overview of the timeline for the 2008-2009 budget and the Act 1 budget timeline were presented by Mr. Dan Watson, Director of Financial Services for the District. Key dates for the 2008/2009 budget process include the following: December 3, 2007 The Board will need to adopt a resolution to not raise taxes above the allowable index (4.4% which equals 3.58 mils). Once the resolution is adopted, the Board can continue the budget process, adopting a preliminary budget in May, 2008 and a final budget by June 30, 2008. If a resolution is not adopted, the preliminary budget for 2008-2009 will need to be adopted by January 23, 2008. December, 2007 Mr. Watson and Dr. D Arcangelo will meet with the building principals to review their proposed budgets. January 21, 2008 The final budget for the 2008-2009 Capital Fund should be approved in order to facilitate the start of the capital projects that will be completed during the summer months. May 19, 2008 The final budgets for technology and athletics for the 2008/09 school year should be approved; the 2008/09 preliminary general budget should be approved in order for the budget to be on display to the public for thirty days before final adoption.
June 16, 2008 - The Board would approve the general budget for the 2008/09 school year. Throughout the budget process, the Finance Committee will continue to meet, and budget workshop sessions separate from the regularly scheduled monthly Board meetings can be scheduled as needed. The General Fund fund balance, as of June 30, 2007, was approximately $4,708,000. Of that amount, $1,000,000 is unreserved, designated; the remaining balance is unreserved, undesignated. Mr. Watson has recommended no fund balance transfers (to the capital and technology funds) at this time; he would prefer to wait until a clearer picture of the 2008/09 budget can be presented, possibly in February or March. Presently, there is approximately $2 million in the technology fund and about $5 million in the capital fund. Mr. Fred Hixson, President of the Franklin Regional Education Association and Curriculum Coordinator for Health and Physical Education, requested the ability to present the needs of his department, through the expertise of his staff members, to the building principals. He would like the key people of his department to have a voice in the budget process. Dr. D Arcangelo will coordinate a meeting to address Mr. Hixson s concerns. No Board action is required at this time on any of the budget information that was presented. 10. Personnel There were no questions related to the recommendations for Certificated, Support and Supplemental personnel. The Board will take action on these recommendations on November 19 th. C. Audience Recognition None Board members Mary Bach and Jan Hill were presented with a token of appreciation for their years of service on the Board. Neither was seeking re-election to the Board in the November election. D. Executive Session Board President, Mr. Herb Yingling, announced the Board had met in Executive Session prior to the start of the meeting to discuss a litigation issue and a personnel issue. The meeting was adjourned at 8:35 p.m.