MINUTES - REGULAR MEETING OF
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
April 12, 2006 6:30 P.M. Educational
The Board of Education of the
Ms. Marianne Clancy, Board Secretary, established a
quorum and the following Members were present: Mrs. Janet Smith, Mrs. Cheryl
Jackson, Mrs. Millicent Roth, Mr. Uvaldo Herrera, Mr. Keith Davis and Mr. John
Dirks, Board President.
Present from the administrative staff were Mrs.
Sally Tucker, Mr. David Wood, Mr. Barry Reilly and Dr. Robert Nielsen.
Ms. Linda Aschenbrener, Public Relations Facilitator, was also in attendance.
Present from the news media was Ms. Sharon Wolfe, The Pantagraph and Ms. Nora Cushing, TV 10.
Mr. Dirks presented the Minutes for approval. It was moved by Mrs. Jackson, seconded by Mrs. Smith, that the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Board of Education held on March 22, 2006 and the Minutes of the Closed Meeting of the Board of Education held on March 22, 2006 be approved. Upon a roll call vote, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Jackson and Mr. Dirks voted “Aye”. Mrs. Roth, Mr. Herrera and Mr. Davis abstained as they were not present at those meetings. Motion carried.
Dr. Sue Silvey, Bloomington Junior High School
(BJHS) Principal, introduced Mrs. Kimberly Hall, BJHS Spelling Bee
Coordinator. Mrs. Hall introduced Max
Nelson, BJHS 7th Grader Max Nelson, who won the BJHS Spelling Bee,
the McLean County Spelling Bee and the Pantagraph Grand Final Spelling Bee
which qualifies Max to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, held in
Mr. Dirks congratulated Max and asked him and his
parents to come forward and receive personal congratulations from Members of
the Board.
Dr. Silvey introduced Assistant Chess Coach, Mr.
Eric Nelson. She stated that we are very fortunate to have parent volunteers
coaching the Chess Team. Head Coach, Mr. Bill Barton was not in
attendance.
Mr. Nelson reviewed the Chess Teams accomplishments
and introduced the Chess Team members. Nine
players of the BJHS Chess Team participated in the 
National
Junior High (K-9) Chess Championship in
Mr. Dirks congratulated the team on their successes
and asked them, their parents and Mr. Nelson to come forward and receive
personal congratulations from Members of the Board.
Swim Team Coach, Mr. Bob Loy, introduced Justin
Wolfe who broke the BHS 100 yard butterfly record of 25 years and qualified 7th
in the State. Also in attendance was Jared Bradd who broke the BHS 20 year
record in the 400 yard relay and was a state qualifier.
Board Meeting
April 12, 2006
Page 2
Mr. Dirks congratulated the two team members on
their successes and asked them, their parents and Coach Loy to come forward and
receive personal congratulations from Members of the Board.
Wrestling Coach, Mr. Mark Gardner, introduced Tyler
Johnson third four-time state qualifier from BHS and he placed 4th
in state this year at 103 pounds. Coach Gardner introduced Justin Hale, one of
the team captains this year, who won his second All State Honor by placing 2nd
in state at 152 pounds.
Mr. Dirks congratulated the two team members on
their successes and asked them, their parents and Coach Gardner to come forward
and receive personal congratulations from Members of the Board.
Mrs. Cindy Helmers, BHS
Principal, also wanted to recognize Ashley Collins, not present at the Board
Meeting, as a State Bowling qualifier.
Mrs. Helmers also
recognized Lonnie Lawrence, who was unable to attend the Board Meeting, for
qualifying and placing 2nd in the State in the Slam Dunk Contest at
the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Tournament for basketball.
Ms. Deb Voorhees, BHS Science teacher, summarized
the BHS Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE)
Team accomplishments for the year.
(WYSE is sponsored by the
Team Member, Kristina Warren, earned 5 medals this
season competing in English and Chemistry. She earned BHS’s top
finish at the State Academic Challenge with a third place medal in English.
Team Member, Troy Earley, earned 4 medals this season competing in Computer
Science and Physics and missed earning a 6th place medal at State by just one
point on the Computer Science test. Ms. Voorhees stated that Mrs. Angie Lawrence,
Coach of the WYSE team, but not in attendance, is looking forward to both
Kristina and
Mr. Dirks congratulated Kristina and
Ms. Voorhees, BHS Scholastic Bowl Coach, and
Assistant Coach, Miss Natalie Miller, introduced the Scholastic Bowl team and
summarized their accomplishments. Team members present were Vikram Karandikar,
senior; Aaron White, senior, Kristina Warren, junior, All-Sectional All-State 1st
team,
Board Meeting
April 12, 2006
Page 3
sophomore; and Deepak Mallubhotla, freshman. The varsity team placed 5th
at the IHSA State Tournament by total points and 3rd at the Masonic
State Tournament. The Varsity Team has placed 1st in nine
major tournaments for the 2005-2006 season. The team record is 87-8 for the
varsity and 33-3 for the Junior Varsity.
Senior Captain Vikram
Karandikar read two competition questions to the Board. Mr. Dirks
answered the Roman History question correctly: Julius Caesar. Mrs. Jackson
answered the Art History question correctly: The Thinker.
Mr. Dirks congratulated the team on their successes
and asked the coaches, team members and parents to come forward and receive
personal congratulations from the Board.
Mrs. Jackson stated that there is an Illinois
Association of School Boards (IASB) Cornbelt Division Meeting on May 1 in
Fairbury and urged other Board Members to attend. The meeting’s purpose is to plan other Cornbelt
Division meetings for the rest of the year.
Mrs. Smith stated that she attended a meeting at BHS
on Monday to discuss new flooring in the main hallway and entryway of the first
floor.
Mr. Dirks reported that he attended a Beyond the
Books (BTB) Educational Foundation meeting last week to discuss grants. He stated he was impressed with the
creativity of the grant requests. BTB
will convene on April 27 to determine the grant winners.
Mr. Herrera reported that he attended
the National School Boards Association (NSBA) Conference this past weekend in
Mrs. Roth reported that she also attended the NSBA
Conference. She stated that it was
great. She heard General Colin Powell
speak. He spoke about
Mrs. Roth stated that she attended the Minority
Educators Reception this week where the Minority Teacher of the Year was
announced.
Mrs. Roth stated that she attended the PTO meeting
at
Mrs. Roth stated that she attended a PTO meeting at
BJHS. They are doing a lot of good
things with technology. It was suggested
that a class be offered for parents who don’t have access to technology.
Mr. Dirks stated he regretted Mr. John Hanson’s
resignation from the School Board. Mr.
Dirks stated that Mr. Hanson brought a unique perspective
Board Meeting
April 12, 2006
Page 4
to
the School Board representing his experience as a small business owner. His
knowledge has always been helpful in many of the business decisions that
have been made. Mr. Dirks
stated that Mr. Hanson will be missed and thanked him for his service.
Mr. Dirks presented a plaque and clock to Mr. Hanson
from the Board as a token of their appreciation.
Mr. Hanson said it has been a pleasure serving the
Board and it was a difficult decision to resign from the Board of Education as
a result of his appointment to the City Council.
The Board and Dr. Nielsen wished Mr. Hanson well.
Dr. Nielsen presented a proposal on program changes
for 2006-07. In summary:
Bilingual Program History
n
Prior
to 2005
n
K-5
bilingual students at Stevenson
n
Stevenson’s
enrollment continued to increase (exclusive of our bilingual population)
n
Our
bilingual population continued to increase
n
Stevenson
reached its capacity
n
2005-06
n
Kindergarten
and first grade bilingual students were transferred to
n
Second
– Fifth Grade remained at Stevenson
n
Our
original plan was to transition the entire program to
n
Need to Modify the Plan
n
Enrollment
at
n
We
need to stabilize the bilingual program at a central location.
n
We
need to reduce the length of time bilingual students spend on the bus.
First Proposal
n
Move
K-5 Bilingual program from Sheridan and Stevenson to Bent Elementary in the
fall of 2006.
Justification
n
Enrollment
at Bent has continued to decline.
n
Enrollment
projections indicate that this pattern will continue.
n
Adding
the bilingual program to
Board Meeting
April 12, 2006
Page
5
n
Classroom
space is available at Bent.
Second Proposal
n
Relocate
the District Behavior Disorders Program from Bent Elementary to Stevenson
Elementary.
Justification
n
Moving
these programs will allow the most efficient use of classroom space at our elementary
schools.
n
These
changes provide the most potential for balancing enrollments at all six
elementary schools.
n
Both
the bilingual and Behavior Disorders programs are self-contained and are more
easily relocated.
Process and Time Line
n
Ms.
Armendariz, Mrs. Hill, Mrs. Slagell and Mr. Cooper met with affected staff
members on Thursday, April 6, 2006.
n
Faculty
meetings were held at all elementary buildings to announce these proposals to
all staff members on April 7, 2006.
n
Board
presentation on April 12, 2006
n
Board
action on April 26, 2006
Process and Time Line
n
Letters
from Mrs. Hill to parents of students in the Behavior Disorders Program
following Board action on April 26, 2006.
n
Mrs.
Armendariz will meet with bilingual parents and staff following Board action.
This proposal will be brought back for Board
consideration at the April 26, 2006 Board Meeting.
Mr. Tim Moore, BHS Associate Principal, presented a
list of proposed new textbooks for BHS for the 2006-07 school year:
|
Dept |
Course |
TL |
Text |
|
Business |
Business
Records |
|
Explanation
of Transaction |
|
Business |
Business
Records |
|
Business
Math, Exam Review |
|
English |
AP
English Lang/Comp |
|
Assorted
Supplemental Resources |
|
English |
AP
English Lang/Comp |
|
Assorted
Supplemental Resources |
|
Math |
Algebra
I |
|
Algebra
I (IL Student Edition) |
|
Math |
Algebra
I |
|
Algebra
I (Spanish Student Edition) |
|
Math |
Algebra
I |
|
Spanish
Skills Practice Book |
|
Math |
Algebra
I |
|
Spanish
Practice Workbook |
|
Math |
Algebra
I |
|
Spanish
Study Guide and Intervention Workbk. |
|
Math |
Algebra
I |
|
Spanish
Edition Quick Review Math Handbook |
|
Math |
Basic
Algebra/Geometry |
Mathematics
Connections: Integrated and Applied |
|
|
Science |
Honors
Physics |
|
College
Physics |
|
Science |
Environmental
Science |
|
Environmental
Science-Toward a Sustainable Future |
|
Special
Ed |
Math
E 9-11 |
|
Supplemental
Materials |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Special
Ed |
World
Geography |
|
World
Geography and Cultures |
|
Special
Ed |
World
Geography |
|
World
Geography and Cultures |
Mr. Moore stated that this is the first year, we are
able to purchase Algebra I books in Spanish.
Mr. Moore stated that the total cost for the
textbooks is $59,592.84, which is under budget.
This proposal will be brought back for Board
consideration at the April 26, 2006 Board Meeting.
Mr. Wood and Mr. Jim Peterson, Director of
Technology presented a technology proposal to the Board which included the
following:
As part of its deficit reduction plan, the District
purchased a limited number of computers, printers and other technology during
2004 and 2005. A limited number were also purchased in 2006, because the
District needed to upgrade its basic network infrastructure, including
connecting all buildings with a fiber connection and purchasing new centralized
routers and servers.
While some computers were purchased during this
three year period and others were donated from State Farm, the number of
machines deemed poor to very poor is now nearly 65% of our inventory. The
number of help desk requests and the amount of time and funds spent on repairs
continues to grow.
We recommend a large technology purchase this year
and approximately every three years to get back to a reasonable replacement
cycle and to improve the management of our technology. The District has been
negotiating with several vendors for a significant number of computers,
printers, projection units and other technology. We have also discussed
financing with a number of banks and other financing entities. Negotiations
continue and we anticipate asking the Board to approve either the attached
quote from Dell or a slightly lower quote at the April 26, 2006, Board Meeting.
The quote from Dell is essentially a no interest
three year loan. The annual payment amounts are within the current technology
budget and we will therefore not spend more than we planned over this period.
By receiving a large number of computers in the first year we immediately and
significantly improve the inventory and we also reduce the number of platforms
we have to support. This improves our ability to operate the machines centrally
and reduces the time and spending devoted to repairs.
This proposal will be brought back for Board
consideration at the April 26, 2006 Board Meeting.
It was
moved by Mrs. Jackson, seconded by Mrs. Roth, that the Consent Agenda (Human
Resources Report, Bills and Payroll) be approved. Upon a roll call vote, all Members present,
voted “Aye”. Motion carried. (See
with Original Minutes, Attachment 4-12-06/1)
Dr.
Nielsen reported that he and Mr. Wood toured BJHS today. He stated that the walls and the gym are
being painted and the rooms are taking shape.
However the gym will not be ready for use by August.
Dr.
Nielsen stated that the Sesquicentennial Committee met last night. There will be presentations from the History
and Wall of Fame subcommittees, to the Board in May. The subcommittees are all
making great progress.
Board Meeting
April 12, 2006
Page 7
It was moved by Mrs.
Roth, seconded by Mr. Herrera, that the Elementary Science Curriculum, be approved. Upon a roll
call vote, all Members present, voted “Aye”.
Motion carried. (See with Original Minutes,
Attachment 4-12-06/2)
It was moved by Mrs. Jackson,
seconded by Mrs. Smith, that the BJHS Math Proposal be approved. Upon a roll
call vote, all Members present, voted “Aye”.
Motion carried. (See with Original Minutes,
Attachment 4-12-06/3)
It was moved by Mrs. Jackson,
seconded by Mrs. Roth, that the SHOR 0506-5, be approved. Upon a roll call
vote, all Members present, voted “Aye”.
Motion carried. (See with Original Minutes, Attachment 4-12-06/4)
It was moved by Mr. Davis, seconded by Mr. Herrera, that the
Board go into Closed Session for the purpose of considering an action against,
affecting or on behalf of the District that has been filed and is pending
before a court or administrative tribunal, or when the District finds that an
action is probable or imminent, in which case the basis for the finding shall
be recorded and entered into the minutes of the closed meeting. Upon a roll call vote, all Members present
voted “Aye”. Motion carried.
There being no further business to come before the Board, Mr. Dirks adjourned the meeting.
APPPROVED: ATTEST:
___________________________ ___________________________
President Secretary