MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
BENTON HARBOR AREA SCHOOLS
AUGUST 8, 2000
The August regular meeting of the Board of Education was called to order by Vice-President Annie Robinson at 6:16 p.m. at the Benton Harbor High School, Student Commons Area.
Present: Mrs. Annie Robinson, Mr. Dwight P. Mitchell, Mrs. J. Allene Smith, and Mr. Ken Woltman
Absent: Ms. Carolyn Graves, Dr. Gladys Peeples-Burks and Ms. Michelle Jones
Minutes
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Mitchell that
the Minutes of the organizational meeting of July 11, 2000 be approved as
printed.
The motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Woltman that the Minutes of the work session of July 11, 2000 be approved as printed.
The motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Mr. Mitchell and supported by Mrs. Smith that the Minutes of the regular meeting of July 18, 2000 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 special meeting of July 21, 2000 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 special meeting of July 28, 2000 be approved as printed.
The motion passed by unanimous vote.
Vendor Payments
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mr. Mitchell that
vendor payments in the amount of $869,637.76 be approved for payment.
The motion passed by unanimous vote.
Activity of the General Fund was reviewed and accepted as presented.
Central Administration
Staff Report #1
A motion was made by Mr. Mitchell and supported by Mr. Woltman:
THAT the Board of Education, Benton Harbor Area Schools, meet in closed session on the following dates:
Tuesday, August 8, 2000 before and/or following
the regular meeting of the Board of Education on that date, andTuesday, September 5, 2000 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 #2
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mrs. Smith:
THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education adopt the resolutions Indicating the Purpose of Election, Setting Matters to be Voted Upon and Appointment of Election Inspectors for the BHAS special bond election scheduled for Saturday, September 9, 2000, as prepared by Thrun, Maatsch and Nordberg.
The motion passed by unanimous vote.
Staff Report #3
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Woltman:
THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approve the resolutions to Call the BCISD Vocational Education special election scheduled for September 19, 2000, Indicating the Purpose of Election, Setting Matters to be Voted Upon and Appointment of Election Inspectors as prepared by Thrun, Maatsch and Nordberg.
The motion passed by unanimous vote.
Instruction
Staff Report #4
A motion was made by Mr. Mitchell and supported by Mr. Woltman:
THAT the Board of Education hereby authorizes the discontinuance of the BHHS Drivers' Education Program for the 2000-2001 school year and further revokes the Board of Education Policy IDDE, "Special Instructional Programs/Drivers' Training," effective immediately.
The motion passed by unanimous vote.
Staff Report #5
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Woltman:
THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education hereby authorizes and establishes the ticket price of $4.00 (four dollars) for admission to District athletic events effective immediately.
The motion passed by unanimous vote.
Human Resources/Labor Relations
Staff Report #6
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mrs. Smith:
THAT the Board of Education employ Mr. John Brown as the Athletic Director for Benton Harbor Area Schools, effective July 27, 2000.
The motion passed on the following vote:
| AYES: | Mr. Woltman | NAYS: | Mrs. Robinson |
| Mrs. Smith | |||
| Mr. Mitchell |
Staff Report #7
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mr. Mitchell:
THAT Mr. James Anderson's resignation be accepted and a letter be sent to him thanking him for the services he provided to the students of the Benton Harbor Area Schools.
The motion passed by unanimous vote.
Staff Report #8
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mrs. Smith:
THAT Mrs. Vanessa Johnson's resignation be accepted and that a letter from the District be sent to her thanking her for her services to the students of the Benton Harbor Area Schools.
The motion passed by unanimous vote.
Staff Reports #9-21
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Woltman:
THAT the following Teachers be placed on Second Year Probation as a requirement of the Michigan Teachers' Tenure Act:
| Krista Bischoff | Patricia Milanowski |
| Annette Everson | Scott Morris |
| Todd Fowler | 'Pamela Rimpson |
| Curtis Gulledge | Jacqueline Rodgers |
| Carol Head | Paul Schuyler |
| Jennifer Hannigan-Green | Tameka Tyson |
| Shannon Lennard-Dube |
The motion passed by unanimous vote.
Staff Reports #22-40
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Woltman:
THAT the following Teachers be placed on Third Year Probation as a requirement of the Michigan Teachers' Tenure Act:
| Shermete Brown | Barbara Ann Miller |
| Anita Burton | John Murray |
| Sharonda Elliott | MaryJo Ogren |
| Paul Gerhard | Jana Preston |
| Barbara Jackson | Jeanne Prokopchuk |
| Cory Jones | John Vojtko |
| Jannie Kiser | Mary Wilson |
| Christine Ludlow | Jason Wolf |
| Shannon McBride | Edward Zielinski |
| Paul McIntyre |
The motion passed by unanimous vote.
Staff Reports #41-55
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Woltman:
THAT the following Teachers be placed on Fourth Year Probation as a requirement of the Michigan Teachers' Tenure Act:
| Kathleen Baginske | Louretta Powell |
| Dyann Chenault | Solita Pullen |
| Elizabeth Christy | Patricia Robinson |
| Thomas Golba | Sharon Russell |
| Kelly Masters | Sharon Stevenson |
| Sara Park | Cynthia Wright |
| Cecilia Peoples | Stephanie Zabavski |
| James Picard |
The motion passed by unanimous vote.
Staff Reports #56-58
A motion was made by Mr. Mitchell and supported by Mr. Woltman:
THAT the following Teachers be granted Tenure as a requirement of the Michigan Teachers' Tenure Act:
Rita Gohl
Marian Prince
Julie Warmbein
The motion passed by unanimous vote.
Superintendent's Update
The Benton Harbor Area Schools Transportation Department is currently working on the 2000-2001 bus schedule that will be published in the Back To School brochure and mailed to District parents.
Superintendent Williams stated that she has met with the new Benton Harbor Police Chief, Douglas Wright, and is looking forward to working together.
Public Participation
Mr. Dave Mohr addressed the Board of Education expressing concerns with
the discontinuation of the BHAS Drivers' Education Program and asked that the
program be reinstated. He stated that new school buildings would not improve the
quality of education in Benton Harbor. Mr. Moore also requested information on
physical education programs (to include intramural), elementary art and music
programs, and the number of amplified guitar classes offered.
Ms. Anita Burton and Ms. Margaret Downing addressed the Board of Education in support of Ms. Audrey Brinkley, Principal, Creative Arts and Gifted & Talented Academies.
Board Comments
Trustee Smith gave praise to her niece and BHHH student, Ashley Dorsy,
for her high academic achievement in the BHAS/Western Michigan University Upward
Bound Program.
There being no further business, the August regular meeting of the Board of Education was adjourned at 7:00 p.m.