Benton Harbor Area Schools

The January regular meeting of the Board of Education was called to order by President Dan McGinnis at 6:04 p.m. in the Benton Harbor High School, Student Commons.

Present: Mr. Dan McGinnis, Mrs. J. Allene Smith, Mrs. Carolyn Fort, Mr. Ken Woltman, Mr. Anthony Henry (6:50), Ms. Lue Buchana and Mrs. Iris Watts (6:10)

Also Present: Student Board Member Candace Walker

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 Mr. Woltman and supported by Mrs. Fort:

THAT the Minutes of the special meeting of December 2, 2006 be approved as printed;

THAT the Minutes of the work session of December 5, 2006 be approved as printed;

THAT the Minutes of the regular meeting of December 12, 2006 be approved as printed.

THAT the Minutes of the special meeting of December 22, 2006 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Vendor Payments
A motion was made by Mrs. Fort and supported by Mr. Woltman that vendor payments in the amount of $1,783,428.35 be approved for payment.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

Recognitions
In honor of School Board Recognition Month, each Board of Education trustee received key chains, as a token of appreciation from management team members. Benton Harbor High School Deans presented each trustee with a certificate of appreciation and an invitation to brunch to be prepared by the culinary arts students.

Central Administration
Staff Report #1
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mrs. Watts:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education officially accept and acknowledge the resolution by the Michigan State Board of Education declaring January 2007, as School Board Recognition Month.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

THAT Board policies : CED - School Superintendent/Appointment be hereby adopted as policy of the School District and that any previous policy as listed be hereby rescinded.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 #3
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mrs. Fort:

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

Tuesday, January 16, 2007 before, during or following the regular meeting of the Board of Education on that date, and

Tuesday, February 6, 2007 before, during or following the work session of the Board of Education on that date,

in the Benton Harbor High School, Student Commons, 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.

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

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

Digital services for network connectivity between buildings including 2-DS3 and 36-T1 circuits. This agreement is 12 months in length. The annual cost is $77,496.00;

Digital services for connectivity to the Berrien County Intermediate School District including 2-T1 circuits. This agreement is for 24 months. The annual cost is $6,600.00;

Four-PRI voice circuits and 1,450 DID numbers providing telephone service with unlimited local calls. This agreement is for 24 months. The estimated annual cost is $17,692.00 for the first year and $16,092 for the second year;

Long Distance Agreement ($.029/min) at an estimated annual cost of $3,300.00. This agreement is 24 months in length.

Grand Total: $105,088.00

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 approves the following telecommunicationTHAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approves the following Internet and web hosting services costs:

Internet access and web hosting costs of $1,040 a month. This agreement is for 24 months. The annual cost is $12,480.00.

Grand Total: $12,480.00

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 approve the following telecommunications costs:

Cellular service for twelve months at a cost of $1,255.19 per month for an annual cost of $15,062.28.

Grand Total: $15,062.28

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

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

NetWare, ZENworks and BorderManager Bundle - 4,000 users at a cost of $8,000.00;

GroupWise/NetMail Bundle - 4,000 users at a cost of $2,000.00;

Novell ZENworks Patch Management - 4,000 users at a cost of $2,000.00.

Grand Total: $12,000.00

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #8
A motion was made by Mrs. Watts and supported by Mr. Woltman:

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

SecantCare Education Partnership Agreement for basic maintenance, troubleshooting, and technical services - including routers, switches, and servers at a cost of $27,000.00;

SecantCare for Network Hardware Products - on site support for routers, switches, firewalls, cache engines, wireless components, and multiplexer at a cost of $48,666.00;

Purchase, installation and configuration of servers, server components, server software, and wireless access points and antennas at a cost of $224,781.10.

Grand Total: $300,447.10

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

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

Wiring Repair and Maintenance Agreement - $101,750.00.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #10
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Ms. Buchana:

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

Telephone System Maintenance Agreement - $23,073.00

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Mr. Bill Kaeding expressed his appreciation for his tenure at the Benton Harbor Area Schools and gave thanks to the management team and technology team, as this will be his last Board meeting due to his retirement.

Business/Finance
Staff Report #11
A motion was made by Mrs. Watts and supported by Mr. Woltman:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education revise its budget for the fiscal year 2006-2007 and adopt the deficit plan.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

As an informational item, Tri-County Head Start Executive Director Ramona Davison and Board Chairman Douglas DeLeo were present to speak to the proposed relocation of their program from the Northshore building. Concerns included the impact on the program if suitable housing could not be found in the Benton Harbor area. They asked for the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education to reconsider moving the Tri-County Head Start program and for assistance in finding another location.

Operations/Facilties
Staff Report #12
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Ms. Buchana:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education table staff report #12 Relocation of Central Administration Center.

The motion passed on the following vote:

AYES:	Ms. Buchana	NAYS:	Mr. Henry
	Mrs. Forts		Mr. Woltman
	Mrs. Smith
	Mrs. Watts
	Mr. McGinnis

Staff Report #13
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mrs. Watts:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education extend the Construction Management Contract with Skillman Corporation beginning June through November 2007 (6 months).

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Human Resources/Labor Relations
Staff Report #14
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mrs. Smith:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education accept the Separation and Release Agreement of Calvin Davenport and that a letter is sent thanking him of his many years of service to the students and the District.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education accept the resignation notification of Danny Sandmann, effective January 19, 2007, and that a letter is sent thanking him for his service to the students and the District.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #16
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mrs. Watts:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education vote to accept the retirement of Judith A. Young, and James Womac 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.

Consent
Staff Report #17
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Ms. Buchana:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education gratefully acknowledges and accepts the following grants and donations to the District for the 2006-2007 school year.

• $14,000 Grant from the Upton Foundation for Elementary Field Trips

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Other
Following the regular meeting the Board of Education will recess into closed session for the purpose of discussing with legal counsel contract negotiations and personnel issues.

Staff Report #18
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Woltman:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education accept the 30-year lease proposal from Sprint with an up-front payment of $620,000, and $100 monthly rental payments thereafter and rescind the previously approved lease from Spectrum Holdings II, LLC, an affiliate of Clearwire Corporation.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

President Dan McGinnis presented a formal update, via a PowerPoint presentation on the Superintendent of Schools search options. The Board of Education must decide if the District should contract with a search firm or conduct their own interview process. Community inclusion is important, as the District must utilize all sources available. The proposed timeline is twelve weeks, which would include the application process, background checks, panel interviews and candidate selection.

Superintendent's Update
Administrative Council has been cancelled for the Wednesday, January 17, 2007.

The Citizens for Progressive Change (CPC) will host a breakfast on Saturday, January 27, 2007, for high school scholars with a 4.0 or better semester average.

Public Participation
Mrs. Lisa Peeples-Hurst addressed the Board of Education questioning if the climate at the high school has changed since the opening of the Learning Academy and proposed the Pipestone Preschool building as a possible location for the Tri-County Head Start program.

Mr. Isaiah Newson addressed the Board of Education asking for a copy of the Johns Hopkins reform plan and questioned if the District would see an improvement in the MEAP scores for seniors.

Mrs. Debra Atkins addressed the Board of Education in support of the Johns Hopkins reform plan and suggested that the District establish a parental outreach program.

Mrs. Karen Banks addressed the Board of Education questioning the proposed community mentors to aid in the superintendent search.

Mr. Marcus Robinson addressed the Board of Education commending the trustees for their leadership and openness regarding the superintendent search. He asked that the Board make the best decision, as preschool is very important. The Citizens for Progressive Change (CPC) will host a breakfast on Saturday, January 27, 2007, for high school scholars with a 4.0 or better semester average.

Board Comments
Trustee Buchana commended Bill Kaeding for his educational leadership.

Trustee Henry stated that the Board of Education is facing serious District decisions and a direction must be chosen.

Trustee Smith extended her appreciation to all trustees in honor of School Board Recognition month.

Trustee McGinnis wished Bill Kaeding well in his retirement and stated that the Board of Education must continue to gain public faith as the District is facing tough times.

The Board recessed to closed session at 8:10 p.m. to discuss with legal counsel contract negotiations and personnel issues.

Present: Mr. Dan McGinnis, Mrs. J. Allene Smith, Mrs. Carolyn Fort, Mr. Ken Woltman, Mr. Anthony Henry, Ms. Lue Buchana and Mrs. Iris Watts

Also Present: Dr. Paula Dawning, Ms. Nora Jefferson, Ms. Sheletha Bobo, Mr. Bill Kaeding and Attorney K. Morris Gavin

There being no further business, the January regular meeting of the Board of Education was adjourned at 9:28 p.m.

This page was last modified : September 11, 2007