BURLINGTON BOARD OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS

Tuesday, April 5, 2005, 7:00 p.m.

Board Meeting

 

BOARD MEETING AGENDA

Ira Allen Administration

150 Colchester Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401

1.     OATH OF OFFICE FOR NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Scott Lisle, Justice of the Peace, administered the oath of office to the new board members. Commissioner Pillsbury called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.

2.     PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

 

3.     PRESENT    

Commissioners:

Kate Baldwin, Marrisa Caldwell, Katherine Connolly, Wally Elliott, Chris Haessly, Paul Hale, Erik Hoekstra, Jurij Homziak, Fred Lane, Keith Pillsbury, Loyal Ploof, Amy Werbel

Administrators:

Lyman Amsden, Superintendent   

Sara Jane Mahan, Human Resources Director

Scott Lisle, Business Manager

Betsy Liley, District Grants Coordinator

Paul Irish, District Technical Director

        Absent:

Jeanne Collins, Director of Special & Compensatory Education

Thomas Fleury, Commissioner

Barbara Crook, Commissioner

 

4.        ORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL BOARD

a.     Election of the Chairperson (For Board Action)

Motion (Lane/Connolly) to nominate Commissioner Hale as Chair of the Board. The motion carried unanimously.

 

b.     Election of the Clerk (For Board Action)

Motion (Baldwin/Connolly) to nominate Commissioner Lane as Clerk of the Board. The motion carried unanimously.

 

5.     APPROVAL OF AGENDA

Superintendent Amsden added two items to the Agenda: an appointment to the Regional Tech Academy board and addition of budgetary item to consent agenda.

 

Request by Commissioner Haessly to add a discussion of livable wage to New Business.

 

Motion (Haessly/Caldwell) to approve the agenda as amended.

 

6.        COMMENTS/QUESTIONS

Donna Iverson – Representing the Livable Wage campaign for para educators in the Burlington School system. Average salary is $9.25/hour, or $10,000/year.

 

Emma Laveni-Stannick – Head of the Vermont Livable Wage Campaign. Presented a Fact Sheet from the Livable Wage Campaign arguing in favor of an increase in paraeducator salaries.

 

Yelena – Concerned parent. Refugee from Russia with medical degree; graduated from UVM with Masters in Education. Concerned about situation in H.O. Wheeler and Lawrence Barnes School, involving segregation, discrimination, and racism. Schools have separate classrooms for African children; multiple ages in same classroom. Students spend entire day in same school. She argues that best approach is to integrate African students into the rest of the school.

 

7.        SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

Suggested Board take up the Consent Agenda first while high school administrators are present. The Board did so.

 

Discussion of materials left for the Board on the table.

 

Tours of the school are scheduled for April 29, 2004, beginning at 8 a.m. at Champlain School.

 

Expulsion hearing is re-scheduled for next Monday (April 11). If people have objections or questions, members need to respond to Superintendent Amsden or Director of Special Education Collins. If members do not respond, Superintendent Amsden will assume that they support the recommendations of the discipline committee.

 

Governor Douglas signed the school’s charter change for infrastructure improvements. Bids for the Edmunds School windows will be in next week. 12-15 week lead time to get the windows made, so that they can be in by August 20. Requests that Finance Committee be given authority to award the bid.

 

Motion (Connolly/Baldwin) to give the Finance Committee the authority to approve the bid for the Edmunds School windows and subsequently the bid for facade improvements. Amendment (Haessly/Baldwin) to provide bid information to the Board 48 hours prior to the Finance Committee meeting(s). The motion carried.

 

The subcommittees are scheduled to meet on April 26. The Curriculum and Policy Committee will have guests to discuss health care in Vermont.

 

Explanation by Superintendent Amsden of the decision to put the younger Bantu students in a single classroom. He said that the Bantu students really had no written language and virtually no formal educational background. After conferring, the decision was made to do a “single schoolroom” approach.

 

Question by Commissioner Haessly about what it would take to transition the Bantu students into regular classrooms. Concerned about possible legal liability for the District.

 

Commissioner Caldwell said that maximizing integration now would help in the following year.

 

On May 2, 2005, Commissioner of Education is holding a meeting regarding Tech Ed. Question of whether the Burlington School Board wants to co-host the meeting. Consensus was that Board would not co-host, but individual Board members may attend the meeting.

 

        a.     Board Retreat

Proposal by Superintendent Amsden to take some time on August 23, 2005 for a Board Retreat.

 

Motion (Haessly/Ploof) to set aside August 23, 2005 for a full day retreat facilitated by a representative of the retreat. Commissioner Haessly underscored Board’s obligation to set goals. Commissioner Baldwin objected to rushing forward on this without giving new Board members a chance to get up to speed. Commissioner Hale pointed out that he needs to check his work calendar, and that it’s a courtesy to give other Board members a chance to do the same.

Commissioner Caldwell called the question. Commissioner Haessly requested a roll call vote:

 

                        Baldwin - No                         Caldwell - Yes                 Connolly - No                                                                           Elliott - No                                   Haessly - Yes                 Hale - No

        Hoekstra - Abstain                  Homziak - No                        Lane - No                                                                           Pillsbury - No                                Ploof -Yes                         Werbel - No

 

The motion failed.

 

Motion (Caldwell/Ploof) to set a date at the May meeting. Superintendent Amsden suggested an informal approach and asked the Board to e-mail him whether the 23rd is available.

 

8.        COMMITTEE UPDATES

 

        a.     Finance Committee

Commissioner Hale presented the report of the Finance Committee.

 

        b.        Curriculum & Policy Committee

The Curriculum & Policy Committee did not meet.

 

        c.        Technology Committee

Commissioner Haessly referred the Board to the minutes of the Technology Committee.

 

9.     OLD BUSINESS

        There was no old business before the Board.

 

10.  NEW BUSINESS

        a.     Consent Agenda

Motion (Lane/Connolly) to amend minutes to reflect the fact that she was not on the Board in February and March and therefore not absent. The motion carried.

 

Motion (Connolly/Caldwell) to approve the consent agenda. The motion carried.

 

        b.     RTA Representative

Motion (Connolly/Baldwin) to reappoint Commissioner Pillsbury as the Board’s representative to the RTA Board. Commissioner Lane applauded Commissioner Pillsbury for his service on behalf of the Board. Commissioner Pillsbury said that he was willing to serve, but pointed out that the Board needs to have a discussion about Burlington’s role in technical education. At the very least, Commissioner Pillsbury believes that Burlington should be an equal partner with the town of Essex. The motion carried unanimously.

 

Commissioner Caldwell suggested possibility of an ad-hoc committee on technical education.

 

        c.        Discussion of Livable Wage Campaign

Motion (Haessly/Caldwell) to direct the Finance Committee to examine the possibility of providing a livable wage to support staff and report back to the Board at the June meeting with a recommendation. Commissioner Pillsbury asked for some information about level of funding from federal and state government for special education services. Commissioner Connolly requested that the deadline be removed so that the issue can be considered more fully. Commissioner Haessly rejected Commissioner Connolly’s request, but said he would entertain a later date certain. Commissioner Connolly agreed that the Finance Committee could present a recommendation to the Board by the date of the Board retreat on August 23, 2005. Commissioners Haessly and Caldwell are insistent on a date certain prior to the retreat. Commissioner Baldwin pointed out that the Finance Committee’s workload is already heavy. Commissioner Haessly recommended that a significant portion of a single Finance Committee be dedicated to the issue of livable wage. Commissioner Elliott asked if the proposal was split; Commissioner Hale said no.

 

After discussion, Commissioner Haessly agreed to accept Commissioner Connolly’s suggestion that the Finance Committee’s recommendation be presented at the Board retreat on August 23, 2005. The motion carried.

 

Motion (Ploof/Haessly) to add Emma Laveni-Stannick (sp?) to the agenda of the Finance Committee at its next meeting for a presentation of the Livable Wage campaign:

 

                                Baldwin – No                        Hale – No                       Haessly – Yes

                                Caldwell – Yes                 Lane – Yes                    Elliott – Abstain

                                Werbel – Abstain                  Hale – No                      Homziak – No

                                Ploof – Yes                            Connolly – No           Hoekstra – No

 

11.  EXECUTIVE SESSION

Motion (Haessly/Connolly) to go into executive session. The Board went into Executive Session at 9:03.

 

Motion (Haessly/Baldwin) to come out of executive session. The Board took no action.

 

12.        ADJOURNMENT

        Motion (Baldwin/Lane) to adjourn. The Board adjourned at 9:25 p.m.