MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
BENTON HARBOR AREA SCHOOLS
JANUARY 11, 2005

The January regular meeting of the Board of Education was called to order by President Ken Woltman at 6:16 p.m. at the Benton Harbor High School, Student Commons Area.

Present:  Mr. Ken Woltman, Mrs. J. Allene Smith, Mr. Anthony A. Henry, Dr. Perry Davis, Dr. Gladys Peeples-Burks, Mr. Robert L. Bowman and Mr. Dan McGinnis

The Benton Harbor Area Schools Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps JROTC offered the Presentation of Colors and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Minutes
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Dr. Davis that the Minutes of the work session of December 7, 2004 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Henry that the Minutes of the special meeting of December 7, 2004 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Mr. Henry and supported by Dr. Peeples-Burks that the Minutes of the Board retreat of December 11, 2004 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Mr. McGinnis and supported by Dr. Peeples-Burks that the Minutes of the regular meeting of December 14, 2004 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Vendor Payments
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Dr. Peeples-Burks that vendor payments in the amount of $1,686,098.64 be approved for payment.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Activity of the General Fund was reviewed and accepted as presented.

Assistant Superintendent Sheletha Bobo introduced Certified Public Accountants Jeff Dorn and Tracy Althouse, representatives of the accounting firm Plante & Moran, who presented the BHAS Audit Report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2004.  Items of discussion included the Fund Balance, future MSPERS contribution rate, Capital Projects Sinking Fund, wire transfer controls and the personnel policies manual.

A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Henry:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education officially accept the BHAS Audit Report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2004, as presented by the accounting firm Plante & Moran.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Recognitions
In honor of School Board Recognition Month, the Children's Choir at Sorter Elementary School sang for Board trustees and presented them with gifts of appreciation.

Central Administration
Staff Report #1
A motion was made by Mr. Bowman and supported by Dr. Peeples-Burks:

THAT Board policy:

• EFB - Benton Harbor Area Schools Telephone Policies

be hereby adopted/added as policy of the School District and that any policy as listed be hereby rescinded.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #2
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Dr. Davis:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education officially accept the resignation of Trustee Gladys Peeples-Burks and acknowledgment be given to her for her eleven and one-half year as a Board of Education trustee.

The motion passed on the vote:

Staff Report #3
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Dr. Davis:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approves the following technology internal connections costs:

Total Telecom - Wiring Repair and Maintenance Agreement - 400 hours at a cost of $60 per hour.

Grand Total:  $24,000.00

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #4
A motion was made by Mr. Bowman and supported by Mrs. Smith:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approves the following technology internal connections costs:

SecantCare Education Partnership Agreement for basic maintenance and troubleshooting - including routers, switches and servers at a cost of $10,050.00;

SecantCare for Network Hardware Products - on-site 24X7X4 support for routers, switches, firewalls, cache engines and multiplexer at a cost of $23,742.00;

Grand Total:             $33,792.00

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #5
A motion was made by Mr. Bowman and supported by Mrs. Smith:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approves the following licensing costs:

NetWare, ZENworks and BorderManager Bundle - 4,750 users at a cost of $9,500.00;

GroupWise/NetMail Bundle - 4,750 users at a cost of $2,375.00

Grand Total:             $11,875.00

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #6
A motion was made by Dr. Davis and supported by Mr. Bowman:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approves the following agreement costs:

Quantum Connections (ACD Telecom) - Internet access and web hosting - $16,800 per year  ($1,400/month)

Grand Total for Two Years:            $33,600.00

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #7
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Dr. Peeples-Burks:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approves the following telecommunications costs:

Nextel - Cellular Service at $28.23 per month for twelve months for 54 phones - $18,293.00

Grand Total:            $18,293.00

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #8
A motion was made by Mr. Bowman and supported by Dr. Davis:

THAT the Board of Education, Benton Harbor Area Schools, meet in closed session on the following dates:

Tuesday, January 11, 2005 before, during or following
the regular meeting of the Board of Education on
that date, and

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 before, during or following
the work session of the Board of Education on that date,

at the Benton Harbor High School, Student Commons Area, 870 Colfax Avenue, Benton Harbor, Michigan, in said District for the purpose of discussing with legal counsel litigations, negotiations and possible expulsions.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Business/Finance
Staff Report #9
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Bowman:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education adopt the resolution to Call the Regular School election for Tuesday, May 3, 2005, as prepared by Thrun Law Firm.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Operations/Facilities
Staff Report #10
A motion was made by Mr. Bowman and supported by Dr. Davis:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education extend the contract with the Skillman Corporation for Phase II of the Strategic Plan (locker room renovations) at the Benton Harbor High School.  The extension period is January through June 2005.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Secondary Instruction
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Henry:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education untable the Agreement with the Academy for Educational Development (AED).

The motion passed on the following vote:

Staff Report #11
A motion was made by Dr. Peeples-Burks and supported by Dr. Davis:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approve the renewal of the sub-grant agreement between the Benton Harbor Area Schools and The Academy for Educational Development for the Middle Start Comprehensive School Reform (MS/CSR) program for the 2004-2005 school year.

The motion passed on the following vote:

Human Resources/Labor Relations
Mr. James Jones, the newly hired Benton Harbor High School Band Director, was present and introduced himself to the Board of Education and members of the audience.

Other
Vice President J. Allene Smith presented Dr. Gladys Peeples-Burks with gifts of appreciation for her tenure and dedication to the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education.

Superintendent's Update
Superintendent Dawning extended her appreciation to the Board of Education for their continued support and hard work in making difficult District decisions.

Board Comments
Trustees of the Board of Education wished Dr. Gladys Peeples-Burks farewell and acknowledged her as a great asset, valued trustee and excellent role model to all.

Trustee Peeples-Burks stated that she was asked what she would miss the most as she retires from the Board of Education and she replied "the children for their exuberance and innocence."

Trustee Woltman gave a reminder that the Public Relations Community Forum is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 19, 2005, at the Country View Apartments & Townhomes, 1928 E. Britain Avenue, Benton Harbor.

There being no further business, the January regular meeting of the Board of Education was adjourned at 7:27 p.m.