MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
BENTON HARBOR AREA SCHOOLS
MARCH 13, 2001

The March regular meeting of the Board of Education was called to order by President Carolyn Graves at 6:02 p.m. at the Benton Harbor High School, Student Commons Area.

Present: Ms. Carolyn Graves, Mrs. Annie Robinson, Mr. Dwight P. Mitchell, Mrs. J. Allene Smith, Dr. Gladys Peeples-Burks, Mr. Ken Woltman and Ms. Michelle Jones

Minutes
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Woltman that the Minutes of the special meeting of February 2, 2001 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mrs. Smith that the Minutes of the work session of February 6, 2001 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Mrs. Robinson and supported by Mr. Woltman that the Minutes of the regular meeting of February 13, 2001 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Dr. Peeples-Burks that the Minutes of the public forum of February 15, 2001 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Mr. Mitchell and supported by Mr. Woltman that the Minutes of the special meeting of February 21, 2001 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Vendor Payments
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Woltman that vendor payments in the amount of $1,410,040.50 be approved for payment.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

Recognitions
Appreciation and special recognition was given to the BHHS and middle school bands for receiving Division I and Division II ratings respectively at the Southwest Michigan Band and Orchestra Festival held at Lake Michigan College.

Praise and recognition was extended to the BHHS varsity basketball team as they continue forward in the regional championship games.

Dr. Vincent Hodge, Director, Gaining Early Awareness & Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR-UP) and Mr. Jared Graves, Coordinator, presented an overview of the program, which is designed to provide early awareness information, support and scholarships to low-income students who may not see college as a possibility. Lake Michigan College, in partnership with Fair Plain Junior High School, has been awarded a $1.2 million competitive matching grant over five years through the U.S. Department of Education. The project will provide special programs for students until they have graduated from high school and applied to a postsecondary institution.

Central Administration
Staff Report #1
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Ms. Jones:

THAT Board policies:

GAFA Personnel/Staff & Student Relations - Sexual Harassment and Intimidation

GAFA-A Discrimination Complaint Procedure

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

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #2
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mrs. Robinson:

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

Tuesday, March 13, 2001 before and/or following
the regular meeting of the Board of Education on
that date, and

Tuesday, April 10, 2001 before and/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 #3
A motion was made by Mr. Mitchell and supported by Mr. Woltman:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education adopt the resolution indicating the purpose of closing Stump School voting precinct, as prepared by Thrun, Maatsch and Nordberg.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #4
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Dr. Peeples-Burks:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education adopt the resolution to call the regular school election for Monday, June 11, 2001, as prepared by Thrun, Maatsch and Nordberg.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #5
A motion was made by Mr. Mitchell and supported by Mr. Woltman:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education adopt the resolutions indicating the purpose of election, giving notice of election and appointing election inspectors, as prepared by Thrun, Maatsch and Nordberg.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #6
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mrs. Smith:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education adopt the resolution to appoint a school elections administrator.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approve the agreements for reasonable expenses relating to the collection of the 2001 summer school property taxes with the following governing units:

CITY/TOWNSHIP

ESTIMATED COLLECTION FEE

1. City - Benton Harbor

.84 per parcel

2. City - St. Joseph

.84 per parcel

3. Benton Township

.84 per parcel

4. Hagar Township

1.20 per parcel

5. St. Joseph Township

.70 per parcel

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Instruction
Staff Report #8
A motion was made by Mr. Mitchell and supported by Mr. Woltman:

THAT the Board of Education approve the District's participation in the 2001 summer On Location program from June 18-22, 2001, for an approximate cost of $22,501.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #9
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mrs. Robinson:

THAT the Board of Education officially accept and acknowledge the generosity of a grant in the amount of $500.00 from the Fredrick S. Upton Foundation to the Henry C. Morton Elementary School.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #10
A motion was made by Mrs. Robinson and supported by Mr. Woltman:

THAT the Board of Education officially accept and acknowledge the generosity of various community donations to the HOSTS program at Fair Plain East Elementary School.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Human Resources/Labor Relations
Staff Report #11
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Dr. Peeples-Burks:

THAT the Board of Education vote to ratify the Master Labor Agreement between the Board of Education and the Benton Harbor Area Schools Paraprofessional Association/MEA/NEA to run from July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2001.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Reports #12-26
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mr. Mitchell:

THAT the Board of Education grant the following teachers tenure under the terms of the Tenure Act of the State of Michigan:

Ms. Kathleen Baginske

Ms. Sara Park

Ms. Dyann Chenault

Mr. James Picard

Ms. Elizabeth Christy

Ms. Solita Pullen

Ms. Louretta Cunningham-Powell

Ms. Patricia Robinson

Mr. Steven Edwards

Ms. Sharon Russell

Mr. Thomas Golba

Ms. Sharon Stevenson

Ms. Kelly Masters

Ms. Stephanie Zabavski

Ms. Kim Missman

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Superintendent's Update
A Public Forum has been scheduled for 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, March 15 at the Sammie Smith Family Investment Center to discuss and answer any questions regarding the Middle School Initiative.

District building tours have been scheduled for 1-4 pm on Friday, March 23 and Wednesday, March 28 and participants are asked to meet at the Kuschel Performing Arts Center.

Public Participation II
Mr. Timm Culby addressed the Board of Education seeking a reply to a letter dated December 19, 2000 from the Save Our Schools committee. He read and disseminated a letter regarding the proposed District tours, which asked for additional tour times to accommodate those with day jobs, to tour Millburg School and if there was a Board policy that governs abandonment of buildings.

Board Comments
Trustee Peeples-Burks disseminated an article pertaining to public participation at Board meetings.

Trustees wished good luck to the BHHS varsity basketball team as they compete for the championship in the upcoming regional basketball games.

There being no further business, the March regular meeting of the Board of Education was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.