AMPHITHEATER
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Tucson,
Arizona
MINUTES OF
REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING OF GOVERNING BOARD
Place, Date and Time
of Meeting
701 West Wetmore Road, June 12, 2001, 6:30 p.m.
Board Members Present
Dr. Kenneth Smith,
President
Dr. Kent Barrabee, Member -- Acting Clerk
Mary Schuh, Member
Board Members Absent
Nancy Young Wright,
Vice President/Clerk
Mike Prout, Member
Central
Administrators Present
Dr. Vicki M.
Balentine, Superintendent
Todd A. Jaeger, J.D.,
Associate to Superintendent and General Counsel
Constance Cigliana,
Director of Finance
Dr. Kenneth Smith called the meeting to order.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
1. Motion to Recess Open Meeting and Hold an
Executive Session
Dr. Smith announced
that the Board would recess open meeting and hold an executive session for:
A.
Determination of
Whether to Hold an Expulsion Hearing and Designate a Hearing Officer to Hear
Evidence, Prepare a Record and Bring a Recommendation to the Board, Pursuant to
A.R.S. § 15-843(F)(2);
B.
Consultation with
Legal Counsel Regarding Proposed Agreement to Resolve Litigation in Chavez/Trujillo v. Amphitheater and Morris,
Pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-431(A)(3).
A motion was made by Dr. Barrabee, seconded by Mrs. Schuh and passed unanimously, 3-0, that the Board recess into executive session. The time was 6:31 p.m.
OPEN SESSION
Reconvening of Meeting and Signing of
Visitors Register
Following the executive session, Dr. Smith reconvened the
meeting at 7:00 p.m., and asked members of the audience to sign the visitors
register. Procedures for addressing the
Board were described.
PUBLIC COMMENT
There were no public comments.
2. Announcement of Date and Place of Next
Meeting
Dr. Smith announced the next regular meeting of the
Governing Board: Tuesday, June 26,
2001, 5:00 p.m., at Cross Middle School, 1000 West Chapala Drive: 5:00 p.m., 2001-02 Public Budget Workshop;
6:30, Reception for Newly Appointed Administrators; approximately 7:00 p.m.,
remainder of agenda.
The subsequent regular Board meeting will be held Monday,
July 2, 2001, at Wetmore Center, 701 West Wetmore Road; the public portion will
begin at approximately 7:00 p.m.
3. Recognition of Reporter for Tucson Citizen
Northwest
Larry Copenhaver, Tucson Citizen and Tucson Citizen
Northwest reporter/editor, was recognized for his commitment in bringing many
good things about public education to light.
The Board commended Mr. Copenhaver for his dedication to reporting
positive news features about Amphitheater students and staff.
4. Recognition of Governing Board Members and
Superintendent by Future Farmers of America
Future Farmers of America (FFA) students at Amphitheater High School, on behalf of the National FFA Organization, recognized members of the Amphitheater Governing Board and Superintendent Dr. Vicki Balentine for their encouragement and assistance given to FFA members, helping the members to realize achievements in the areas of agriculture, leadership, citizenship and community development.
5. Budget Development 2001-2002
A.
Proposition
301 Funding
B.
Capital
Budget
C.
Technology
Considerations
1.
Student
Accountability Information System
Ron
Shannon, Director of Technology, reported that the Arizona Department of
Education has mandated that all districts and charters in the State
electronically submit membership and needs-related student-level data to the
Arizona Department of Education, beginning July 1, 2001. The District is ready to comply at any time
the State is ready to accept the information.
Amphitheater
District uses a product for student information management from NCS Pearson
called SASIxp (State-approved vendor allowed to develop an interface between
their product and SAIS). NCS Pearson
has been developing the 2 Atoms for SASIxp that will provide the additional
fields required by the State, and the transport mechanism of the data.
It
as the recommendation of the administration that the Board approve the purchase
of the SASIxp modules necessary to comply with the State-mandated SAIS
implementation. The moneys for this
capital expense will come from the Soft Capital (625) Fund. Training costs will be covered by the TLCF
Grant; and annual maintenance costs covered by the Technology (SIS)
budget.
2.
WAN
Upgrade and Associated Costs
Mr.
Shannon reported that over the last several years the District’s Local Area
Networks (LANs) and Wide-Area Networks (WANs) have increased as we have added
more sites and many more users. During
this time our bandwidth to the Internet has not increased. Teachers, staff and administration now rely
on the Internet for their primary means of communication, access to
information, and lesson plans. For the
past sixth months we have continually maxed out our current 1.5 MB of
bandwidth. Mr. Shannon reported on
alternatives to increase the bandwidth.
It
was the recommendation of the administration that the Board approve another
Internet connection be added to the District’s WAN, thus increasing our
Internet bandwidth and access speeds.
This will add approximately $1,500.00 to the District’s annual utility
costs.
3.
Refresh
Program for File Servers, Computers and Printers
Mr.
Shannon, noting that the District has acquired a great deal of technology,
stated that in the last seven years acquisitions have been accomplished through
the use of bond funds, which is now ending.
The District must plan for the continual refreshing of these computers
and peripherals. Last year a three-year
refresh program was implemented for the file servers (approximately $186,00
every year to replace a third of the file servers). Funding for computers and printers will need to be included in a
total refresh program. Plans are being
developed to appropriately fund these needs.
This was an informational item, with no official request at this
time.
Dr. Barrabee moved to
accept the recommendation of the administration to purchase the SASIxp modules;
and approve the recommendation of the administration to add another line to the
District’s Wide Area Network. The
motion was seconded by Mrs. Schuh and passed unanimously.
D. Staffing Support Considerations
Ms. Cigliana reviewed
the capital budget; Proposition 301 Revenue Worksheet, Classroom Improvement,
and the current status of 301 funding options; Calculations of the Soft Capital
Allocation Limit; Unrestricted Capital Outlay and Soft Capital Allocation
Funds; and staffing support considerations.
CONSENT AGENDA
Mrs. Schuh requested that agenda item L, Textbooks for
Adoption, be considered separately. A
motion was made by Mrs. Schuh, seconded by Dr. Barrabee and passed unanimously,
3-0, to approve consent agenda items A-K and M-U. Appointment of personnel is effective, provided all district, state
and federal requirements are met.
Mrs. Schuh stated she had not received sufficient
information on one set of textbooks, Everyday
Math, and wished to vote against acceptance. Mrs. Schuh moved the adoption of U.S. History; Saxon Math Series; Accounting, Advanced; and Biology,
The Dynamics of Life. The motion
was seconded by Dr. Barrabee and passed unanimously, 3-0.
Mrs. Schuh stated that she believed the Everyday Math series should be considered further, keeping in mind
uniformity and consistency throughout the District. Mrs. Schuh moved to reject Everyday
Math as an accepted textbook series.
Dr. Smith asked if there was a second for discussion purposes. The motion was seconded by Dr.
Barrabee.
Dr. Balentine noted that the Everyday Math program is recommended by the National Council of
Teachers in Mathematics, as well as other professionals who are well trained in
math. She spoke of the need for
professional development and support from staff to ensure proper implementation
of the program. In discussion of the Everyday Math and Saxon Math Series programs, Dr. Balentine noted that the schools
using these programs are using them school-wide. Mrs. Schuh spoke of the situation of La Cima Middle School trying
to find a coordinate that absorbs the different programs. There was discussion of attaining
consistency within the District, taking into consideration the various feeder
schools coming into the middle schools.
Dr. Barrabee stated he would withdraw his second to the motion since he was not voting affirmatively. Dr. Smith noted that without a second there was no motion on the floor.
A motion was made by Dr. Barrabee to accept the
recommendation of the administration for approval of Everyday Math.
The motion was seconded by Dr. Smith and passed 2-1, with Mrs. Schuh
voting no.
A. Approval of
Minutes of Previous Meetings
Minutes of the May
10, 2001, May 8, 2001, and April 24, 2001 Governing Board meetings were
approved.
B. Appointment of
Personnel
Certified and
classified personnel were appointed, as listed in Exhibit 1.
C. Personnel
Changes
Certified and
classified personnel changes were approved, as listed in Exhibit 2.
D. Leave(s) of Absence
Certified
and classified personnel were granted leaves of absence, as listed in Exhibit
3.
E. Separation(s) and Termination(s)
Certified
and classified personnel separations were approved, as listed in Exhibit 4.
F. Requests for
Early Retirement with Special Benefits
G. Approval of
Projected Increased Cost to Cover Additional Uniform System of Financial
Records (USFR) Compliance Tests for Fiscal Year Ending 6/30/01 Audit
In order to achieve a
better audit product, the Auditor General elected to increase the complexity
and scope of the requirements for the USFR compliance questionnaire. This may result in additional charges from
the District’s independent auditor to cover additional audit work
performed. In order to issue the
purchase order to cover the audit costs for the year ending June 30, 2001, the
Finance Department requested approval from the Governing Board to include
$15,000 in the purchase order to cover the charges for additional USFR
compliance testing in conjunction with the financial audit for the year ending
June 30, 2001. The Board approved this
request.
H. Designation of
Hearing Officers to Hear Evidence, Prepare a Record and Bring Recommendations
to the Board, Pursuant to A.R.S. § 15-843(F)(2)
It is appropriate for senior administrators to preside over
long-term suspension and expulsion hearings, and necessary for several
administrators to be appointed to serve in these capacities, serving on a
rotating-list basis. Administrators
qualified by education, training and experience to serve as Hearing Officers
are:
Richard Hooley, Associate Superintendent
Todd Jaeger, Associate Superintendent
Gail Bornfield, Executive Director of
Student Services
Patrick Nelson, Executive Director of
Curriculum/Professional Development
Jay McKenzie, Equal Opportunity Office
Specialist
Most hearings will be
held by Dr. Hooley, Mr. Jaeger and Mr. McKenzie. There are occasionally conflicts of interest, however, which
require additional hearing officers.
These appointments will allow for these occasions. All new hearing officers will receive
instruction regarding District policies and procedures for long-term suspension
and expulsion hearings; this instruction will be provided Todd Jaeger,
Associate to the Superintendent and General Counsel.
The Board approved
the individuals listed above as long-term suspension and expulsion Hearing
Officers.
I. Revision of
Governing Board Meeting Schedule for 2001-2002 Fiscal Year
The Board approved
revisions to the Governing Board 2001-02 meeting schedule: October 9 and October 23 (replacing dates of
October 16 and October 30, thus placing the meetings on the second and fourth
Tuesdays of the month, in accordance with Board Policy BE).
J. Approval of Intergovernmental Agreement between the Arizona Board of Regents on
Behalf of the University of Arizona and Amphitheater Unified
School District Regarding the Visiting Professor Program
The Department of Teaching and Teacher Education, within the
University of Arizona College of Education, desires to collaborate with the
District through a Visiting Professor Program.
Under this program the District will provide a District teacher to the
University, who will serve there as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the
Department. The District will continue
to pay the teacher her regular District salary and benefits. In return, the University will provide
funding, not to exceed $35,000 annually, to the District for the District to
replace the teacher for the year she will serve at the University. The program provides an opportunity for the
interchange of teaching ideas. The
teacher for the 2001-2002 school year selected for participation in this
program by the University is Karen J. Gutierrez of Keeling Elementary School.
The board approved
the Intergovernmental Agreement with the Arizona Board of Regents for the
Visiting Professor Program.
K. Approval of Food
Program Service Agreement with the Arizona Department of Education for the
2001-2002 National School Lunch Program, Breakfast Program, and Year-Round
Summer Food Service Program
The Board approved the Food Program Service Agreement with
the Arizona Department of Education for the 2001-2002 National School Lunch
Program, Breakfast Program, and Year-Round Summer Food Service Program. The agreement, entered into annually to
effect the District’s participation in the National Food Service Programs,
allows the District to receive federal reimbursement for free and reduced meals
and ensures that all students have access to the District’s food service
program.
L. Textbooks for Adoption
The Board approved
the following textbooks, which had been on display to the public for 60 days,
in accordance with Section 15-721 of the Arizona Revised Statutes: (See discussion and motions at beginning of
consent agenda.)
Textbook Publisher
U.
S. History American
Guidance Service, Inc.
Saxon
Math Series Saxon
Math
Everyday
Math McGraw
Hill
Accounting,
Advanced South-Western
Publishing
Biology,
The Dynamics of Life Glencoe/McGraw
Hill
M. Approval of New Course Proposal: Desktop Publishing
The Board approved
the new course proposal, Desktop Publishing.
The course will integrate vocational education courses with other
essential high school offerings, enabling students to build skills in
computer-based layout, writing, and design.
N. Approval of
Agreement Between Amphitheater School District and the Assistance League of
Tucson Regarding Operation School Bell Program
The Board approved an
agreement with the Assistance League of Tucson for participation in the
Operation School Bell Program. Under
this program, the Assistance League of Tucson will provide clothing for
Amphitheater elementary school children whose families are in need. The District will maintain proper liability
insurance coverage for its own personnel and for the transport of
students.
O. Award of Bid: District Carpet Cleaning at Various Locations
Notices inviting
sealed bids for District carpet cleaning work were sent to five vendors; one
sealed bid was received. It was opened
on June 1, 2001 at 10:10 a.m. by Doug Weber, Purchasing Agent, and Linda
Strachan, Interim Purchasing Agent. It
was the recommendation of the administration that the bid be awarded to J &
J Chem Dry, in the amount of 8.8 cents per square foot. The Board approved this recommendation.
P. Award of
Bid: Irrigation System Upgrades at
Walker Elementary School and Canyon del Oro High School
Bids for irrigation
system upgrades at Walker Elementary School and Canyon del Oro High School were
opened on May 18, 2001 at 10:10 a.m. by Doug Weber, Purchasing Agent, and Linda
Strachan, Interim Purchasing Agent. It
was the recommendation of the administration that the Governing Board award the
bid for irrigation system upgrades to Environmental Earthscapes, d.b.a. The
Grounds-keeper, in the amount of $122,620.18 (CDO: $77,250.58; Walker:
$45,369.60.) This includes
applicable taxes. The Board approved
the recommendation.
Q. Award of Bid: Carpeting at Canyon del Oro High School
Bids for Carpeting at
Canyon del Oro High School were opened on May 31, 2001, at 10:10 a.m. by Doug
Weber, Purchasing Agent, and Linda Strachan, Interim Purchasing Agent. It was the recom- mendation of the administration
that the Governing Board award the bid for carpeting at Canyon del Oro High
School to Flooring Systems of Arizona, in the amount of $99,840.01 (including
contingencies and applicable taxes).
The Board approved the recommendation.
R. Approval of Out-of-State Travel
Out-of-state travel
was approved (source of funding indicated):
Vicki Balentine, Superintendent, to attend the Eleventh Annual
Superintendent Institute in Colorado in July; Norma Malone, Ironwood Ridge High
School, to attend the AP World History Workshop in California in June (School
Operations).
S. Acceptance of Gifts
Donations were
accepted by the Governing Board, as listed in Exhibit 6.
T. Approval of Vouchers
The
following vouchers were approved as presented and payment authorized:
Vo.
1032 $ 81,332.14
Vo.
1033 96,610.99
Vo.
1034 75,343.06
Vo.
1035 10,168.67
Vo.
1036 55,408.21
Vo.
1037 113,297.21
Vo.
1038 16,943.90
The
following vouchers, signed on May 22, 2001, were ratified by the Board:
Vo.
1039 $259,264.83
Vo.
1040 71,443.80
Vo.
1041 743,562.00
Vo.
1042 67,902.84
Vo.
1043 309,552.30
Vo.
1044 26,198.31
Vo.
1045 85,770.59
Vo.
1046 228,287.35
U. Approval of
Agreement to Resolve Litigation in Chavez/Trujillo
v. Amphitheater and Morris
The Board approved the
Agreement to Resolve Litigation in Chavez/Trujillo
v. Amphitheater and Morris.
6. Approval of Meal Cost
Increase
Karen Martin, Food Service Director, reported that school lunch prices have
not changed since the 1997-98 school year; during that same time period, food supplies
and labor costs have increased. Due to
increased labor/food costs, an increase in the price of student meals for
2001-02 was recommended:
Student lunch costs:
Elementary Schools $1.60
Middle Schools 1.75
High Schools 2.00
Student breakfast costs:
Elementary Schools $ .80
Middle Schools .80
High Schools 1.00
Ms. Martin added that there may be a decrease in participation in the first year of this price increase, but recovery is anticipated by the 2002-03 school year. It was the recommendation of the administration that the purchase cost for student meals be approved.
A motion was made by Dr. Barrabee to accept the recommendation of the administration for the changes in the purchase cost of student meals. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Schuh. In discussion, Ms. Martin clarified that there is no price change in the free and reduced meals; the change is only for full-pay. The motion passed unanimously, 3-0.
7. Discussion and Approval of Employee Health Benefits Plan Participation Agreement with Arizona School Health Insurance Program, Inc. (“ASHIP”)
Dr. Balentine noted that
as a result of expecting substantial increases from its insurance carriers, the
Board in April discussed joining a self-funded pool, Arizona School Health
Insurance Program, Inc. (ASHIP).
Mr. Jaeger reported that
the District had been in discussions with ASHIP to obtain a quality health
insurance program for District employees.
For individual coverage, the monthly rate for the HMO plan is $205. A fully-benefits-eligible employee can
continue to be assured of full health care coverage at District expense by
utilizing the $2,400 District contribution and $60 of the $100 provided by the
District in Sec. 125 Cafeteria Funds.
The provider list was growing daily, with ASHIP in negotiations with
additional providers on a daily basis; at this point there was 75% overlap with
providers from the District’s current carriers. ASHIP requires that the District enter into the formal participation
agreement. The administration recommended
approval.
Mrs. Schuh moved to approve the Employee Health Benefits Plan Participation and Agreement with the Arizona School Health Insurance Program (ASHIP). The motion was seconded by Dr. Barrabee and passed unanimously, 3-0.
There were no requests for future agenda items.
There were no public comments.
ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made by Mrs. Schuh, seconded by Dr. Barrabee
and passed unanimously, 3-0, that the
meeting be adjourned. The time was 8:32
p.m.