08/09/05 Board Regular Meeting

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
BENTON HARBOR AREA SCHOOLS
AUGUST 9, 2005

The August regular meeting of the Board of Education was called to order by President J. Allene Smith at 6:07 p.m. at the Benton Harbor High School, Student Commons Area.

Present: Mrs. J. Allene Smith, Mr. Dan McGinnis, Dr. Perry Davis, Mr. Anthony Henry, Mr. Ken Woltman, Mr. Robert Bowman and Mrs. Carolyn Fort

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

President Smith gave a reminder that the Benton Harbor Boys & Girls Club Steak Outing is scheduled for tonight with Jackie Joiner as the keynote speaker.

Minutes
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mr. Henry that the Minutes of the organizational meeting of July 5, 2005 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Dr. Davis and supported by Mr. Woltman that the Minutes of the work session of July 5, 2005 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Dr. Davis that the Minutes of the special meeting of July 5, 2005 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Dr. Davis and supported by Mrs. Fort that the Minutes of the organizational meeting of July 12, 2005 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

A motion was made by Dr. Davis and supported by Mrs. Fort that the Minutes of the regular meeting of July 12, 2005 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Vendor Payments
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Dr. Davis that vendor payments in the amount of $2,102,415.13 be approved for payment.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

Assistant Superintendent Virginia Maxwell chaired the meeting in the absence of Superintendent Paula Dawning.

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

THAT Board policies:

JBD-E – Student Attendance Uniform Code of Discipline
IDDE – Special Instructional Programs/Driver Training
IFBC – Instructional Resources/Instructional Services/Instructional Materials Centers
IFBDA – Instructional Resources/Instructional Services/School Libraries/Professional Libraries
IFC (Also KF) – Instructional Resources/Community Instructional Resources
IFCC – Instructional Resources/Community Resource Speakers
KF (Also IFC) - Instructional Resources/Community Instructional Resources

be hereby adopted as policies 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 Mrs. Fort and supported by Mr. McGinnis:

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

Tuesday, August 9, 2005 before, during or following
the regular meeting of the Board of Education on
that date, and

Tuesday, September 6, 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.

Instruction
Staff Report #3
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mr. McGinnis:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approve the agreement between the Capstone Family Center and the Benton Harbor Area Schools to non-educational services to the MLK Elementary School for the 2005-2006 school year.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #4
A motion was made by Mr. McGinnis and supported by Mr. Woltman:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approve the District's participation for the 2005-2006 school year in the Project Tiger student literacy program in partnership with The Herald-Palladium for four elementary schools at a cost of $5,711.25.

The motion passed on the following vote:

AYES:	Mrs. Fort	NAYS:	Mr. Bowman
	Mr. Henry
	Mr. Woltman
	Mr. McGinnis
	Dr. Davis
	Mrs. Smith

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

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approve the agreement for Clinical Teen Health Center services to be provided on the campus of BHHS by Berrien County Health Department medical and support personnel.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education authorize the Superintendent of Benton Harbor Area Schools to be the authorized signatory for the submission of an application for funding for school-based health services to be provided in Hull Middle School beginning October 1, 2005.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #7
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mr. McGinnis:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approve the Agreement with Lake Michigan College to provide an instructor for the District’s Web Design and Cisco Networking Academy.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approve the nomination of a minimum of two parents of handicapped students to serve on the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) for Special Education.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approve the out-of-town trip for the BHHS Varsity Football Team to Camp Wagner in Cassopolis, Michigan scheduled for August 7-10, 2005.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Human Resources/Labor Relations
Staff Report #10
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Dr. Davis:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education accept the resignations of Abbi Grimes-Abbott, Vivian Schillo, Linda Williamson, Andy Shingledecker, Brian Curneal, Gregory Rood, Juanita Williams and John Brown and that a letter is sent thanking them for their years of service to the students and the District.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #11
A motion was made by Mrs. Fort and supported by Mr. Woltman:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approve the recall of Ramona Minisee, Carol Schultz, Corista Nichols, Brandalyn Lowrance and Kimberly Schaefer effective at the start of the 2005-2006 school year.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #12
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mr. McGinnis:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approve the layoff of health wellness teacher Leroy Harvey.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #13
A motion was made by Dr. Davis and supported by Mr. Woltman:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approve the immediate termination of employment of Kathryn Longmate for job abandonment.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #14
A motion was made by Mrs. Fort and supported by Dr. Davis:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education employ Ms. Sa’Keenha Odum as Assistant Principal of Fair Plain Renaissance Middle School, effective August 15, 2005. Her salary will be in accordance with the Benton Harbor Area Schools Administrators’ Master Labor Agreement.

The motion passed on the following vote:

AYES:	Mr. Bowman	NAYS:	Mr. Henry
	Mrs. Fort		Mr. McGinnis
	Mr. Woltman
	Dr. Davis
	Mrs. Smith

Staff Report #15
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mr. McGinnis:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education employ Dr. Layne B. Hunt as Principal of Fair Plain Renaissance Middle School, effective August 15, 2005. His salary will be in accordance with the Benton Harbor Area Schools Administrators’ Master Labor Agreement.

The motion passed on the following vote:

AYES:	Mr. Bowman	NAYS:	Mr. Henry
	Mrs. Fort
	Mr. Woltman
	Dr. Davis
	Mr. McGinnis
	Mrs. Smith

Staff Report #16
A motion was made by Dr. Davis and supported by Mr. Woltman:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education employ Ms. Lori Kuntz as Principal of the Creative Arts/Gifted and Talented Academy, effective August 17, 2005. Her salary will be in accordance with the Benton Harbor Area Schools Administrators’ Master Labor Agreement.

The motion passed on the following vote:

AYES:	Mr. Bowman	NAYS:	Mr. Henry
	Mrs. Fort
	Mr. Woltman
	Dr. Davis
	Mr. McGinnis
	Mrs. Smith

Staff Report #17
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mrs. Fort:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education employ Mr. Charles W. Fleming as Principal of the Special Education Academy at Stump School, effective August 15, 2005. His salary will be in accordance with the Benton Harbor Area Schools Administrators’ Master Labor Agreement.

The motion passed on the following vote:

AYES:	Mr. Bowman	NAYS:	Mr. Henry
	Mrs. Fort
	Mr. Woltman
	Dr. Davis
	Mr. McGinnis
	Mrs. Smith

Consent
Staff Report #18
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Dr. Davis.

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education gratefully acknowledges and accepts the following donations to the District for the 2005-2006 school year:

$300 Donation from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans to the HOSTS Program
$437.27 Donation from Saron Lutheran Church to the HOSTS Program

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Other
President Smith disseminated copies of Board policies to trustees to review prior to the upcoming Board of Education retreat.

President Smith commended the BHHS Tiger Marching Band for their excellent performance at the Lakeland Health Fair.

Superintendent's Update
Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Instruction Virginia Maxwell reported that the first day of school for students is Tuesday, September 6, 2005 and is a half-day. Staff reporting days for the secondary division is Monday, August 15, 2005 and Wednesday, August 17^th for the elementary division.

Public Participation
Mrs. Belinda Brown addressed the Board of Education questioning the District’s marketing plan to retain students, due to the number of students enrolling into the new Charter School.

Board Comments
Trustee Fort stated that the summer break went fast and that she is excited about the new school year proclaiming that the District is on the right track for educational change. Mrs. Fort commended the BHHS band for their hard work during the summer and asked that all stay positive, as we are our own promoters.

Trustee Woltman welcomed all new staff and stated that he is looking forward to the 2005-2006 school year.

Trustee Henry stated that he is hopeful the new strategies that have been put into place will make an educational difference.

Trustee Davis acknowledged that the District is faced with challenges, but those challenges can be overcome and stressed the importance of measuring student achievements and successes.

Trustee McGinnis commended the audience for their presence tonight and expressed his encouragement that the District would continue to grow. Mr. McGinnis asked if the Board Committees could provide committee reports and if potential new hires could be interviewed by the Board of Education.

Trustee Smith welcomed all new staff to the Benton Harbor Area Schools and stated that she is hopeful of a high achieving 2005-2006 school year.

There being no further business, the August regular meeting of the Board of Education was adjourned at 7:21 p.m.