Benton Harbor Area Schools

The June regular meeting of the Board of Education was called to order by President Dan McGinnis at 6:06 p.m. in the Benton Harbor High School, Student Commons.

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

Absent: Mrs. Carolyn Fort/p>

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Minutes
A motion was made by Mr. Henry and supported by Mr. Woltman:

THAT the Minutes of the work session of May 1, 2007 be approved as printed;

THAT the Minutes of the special meeting of May 1, 2007 be approved as printed;

THAT the Minutes of the special meeting of May 3, 2007 be approved as printed;

THAT the Minutes of the regular meeting of May 8, 2007 be approved as printed;

THAT the Minutes of the special meeting of May 10, 2007 be approved as printed;

THAT the Minutes of the special meeting of May 17, 2007 be approved as printed;

THAT the Minutes of the special meeting of May 21, 2007 be approved as printed;

THAT the Minutes of the special meeting of May 22, 2007 be approved as printed;

THAT the Minutes of the special meeting of May 31, 2007 be approved as printed.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Vendor Payments
A motion was made by Ms. Buchana and supported by Mr. Henry that vendor payments in the amount of $2,071,209.55 be approved for payment.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

General Fund Budgetary Control Report was reviewed and accepted as presented.

Recognitions
Eleven Benton Harbor High School students were present and gave a brief overview of their experience on a black college tour of eight colleges and/or universities in Alabama and Georgia on March 24-31, 2007. The tour allowed students to experience campus life, as well as provide information on entrance requirements and financial aid sources.

In recognition of 25 years of service, District food service employees were presented with a certificate of appreciation that was issued by the Michigan Department of Education.

The Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education presented Superintendent Paula Dawning with a token of appreciation for her tenure as Superintendent of Schools, as this is her last board meeting.

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

THAT the date of the 2007/2008 Organizational Meeting for the Board of Education of the Benton Harbor Area Schools be set for 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 3, 2007 in the Benton Harbor High School, Student Commons, 870 Colfax Avenue, Benton Harbor.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education table staff report #2 until the July Board of Education meeting.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #3
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mrs. Smith:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approves the following software and professional services purchases:

Year One

Pinnacle Plus System Software (based on 2,000 students) Includes: Attendance Manger, Principal Viewer, Pinnacle, Notification System and Pinnacle Web Gradebook	$56,000.00
Consulting Services and Professional Development - 10 Days	11,000.00
Upgrade of Server Hardware and Terminal Server Licenses	930.00
Total Year One Costs	$67,930.00

 
Year Two

Pinnacle Plus System Software (based on 2,000 students) Includes: Attendance Manger, Principal Viewer, Pinnacle Notification System and Pinnacle Web Gradebook	$56,000.00
Consulting Services and Professional Development - 10 Days	11,000.00
Custom Elementary Report Card Development	2000.00
Total Year Two Costs	$69,000.00

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #4
A motion was made by Mr. Woltman and supported by Mrs. Watts:/p>

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

Tuesday, June 12, 2007 before, during or following the regular meeting of the Board of Education on that date, and

Tuesday, July 3, 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.

Business/Finance
Staff Report #5
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Woltman:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approve the school lunch price increase of .25 cents for elementary students and .35 cents for secondary students for the 2007-2008 school year.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Operations/Facilities
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 addendum to the North Shore School agreement with Tri-County Council for Child Development (Head Start).

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #7
A motion was made by Ms. Buchana and supported by Mr. Henry:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approve the partnership between Benton Harbor Area Schools, the Y.W.C.A. and the Benton Harbor Boys and Girls Club to operate the Charles Gray Teen Center, as proposed in the Operating Agreement.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education renew the resolution with the Michigan High School Athletic Association for the 2007-2008 school year.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Human Resources/Labor Relations
Staff Report #9
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mr. Woltman:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education vote to accept the resignation of the following teachers, effective as referenced, and that a letter is sent thanking them for their years of service to the students and the District.

• Julie Ferstle - June 1, 2007
• Janice Hester-Brychta - June 1, 2007
• Ryan Oshnock - May 4, 2007
• Lawrence Jackson - June 1, 2007
• Erick Swanson - June 1, 2007
• David Pelot - June 1, 2007

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

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

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education approve the resignation of James Nolen Rutter and that a letter be sent thanking him for his service to the students and the District.

The motion passed on the following vote:

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

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

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education vote to accept the retirement notices from Kathryn Hausler, Kathryn Krajicek and Sheryl Finley 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 #12
Staff report #12 was pulled from the agenda.

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

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education vote to employ Tia McCarty as the Director of Special Education, effective for the 2007-2008 school year.

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Staff Report #14
A motion was made by Mrs. Watts and supported by Mr. Woltman:

THAT the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education vote to employ Maurice Burton as the high school head football coach, effective June 12, 2007.

The motion passed on the following vote:

AYES:	Ms. Buchana	ABSTENTION:	Mrs. Smith
	Mr. Woltman
	Mrs. Smith
	Mrs. Watts
	Mr. McGinnis

 
Consent
Staff Report #15
A motion was made by Mrs. Smith and supported by Mrs. Watts:

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.

• AV Equipment Donation from Whirlpool Corporation to BHHS Kuschel Performing Arts Center

The motion passed by unanimous vote.

Other
Trustee Smith has been elected to serve one (1) partial term of four years on the Berrien County Intermediate School District Board of Education.

Trustee Henry has earned the Michigan Association School Boards (MASB) Award of Distinction for completing CBA class levels 1 & 2, and will be recognized at the Berrien County Legislative Dinner on Thursday, June 14, 2007.

Superintendent's Update
The sale closing on Sterne Brunson School building is scheduled for June 19, 2007.

Superintendent Dawning extended her appreciation to the Board of Education trustees and Management Team members for the opportunity to serve the District, stating that the academic achievement put into place should serve the District well.

Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Virginia Maxwell is out on family medical leave to care for a family member.

The District has received the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) results that show academics are up, while the participation rate is down. The test is very regimented and state targets are subject to change for the next school year.

The Y.W.C.A. have received a grant that will fund open swim and swimming lessons at the Charles Gray Teen Center.

Public Participation
Mr. Ronnie Whitelow addressed the Board of Education questioning the rumor of outsourcing the District's service employees. Mr. Whitelow asked about the condition of the high school's boiler system, the poor maintenance of school buildings and the purchase of the bank building.

Mr. Robert DeFrance addressed the Board of Education wishing the superintendent farewell and stated his opposition to the way the superintendent search was conducted.

Mr. Ralph Crenshaw addressed the Board of Education commending the District's accomplishments and expressed his concerns with the new superintendent selection.

Mr. Ken Booth addressed the Board of Education asking if the District's service employees group was being considered for outsourcing.

Ms. Belinda Brown addressed the Board of Education asking for a written statement that the District is not looking to outsource the service employees group.

Ms. Etta Harper addressed the Board of Education stating that any loss of District jobs would affect the children of the community.

Mr. Roger Tripplett addressed the Board of Education extending his appreciation to Superintendent Dawning, as good things have occurred in the District. Mr. Tripplett commended the incoming Superintendent of Schools and encouraged community support for Dr. Schmidt.

Mr. Harold Hampton addressed the Board of Education expressing his concerns with the lack of validation for one another, and encouraged support of the District and children in this community.

Board Comments
Trustee Buchana expressed her agreement with many of the public comments and encouraged parents to become involved in their children's education.

Trustee Watts extended her appreciation for the opportunity to serve on the Board of Education, as this is her last meeting and encouraged continued dialog and communication.

Trustee Henry commended Superintendent Dawning for her tenure and stated that the Board has not discussed outsourcing.

Trustee Woltman stated that many items such as textbooks are provided free for student use, but some students do not respect those items, as they deface and destroy textbooks. The District must stay on budget and there is no guarantee that outsourcing will not occur, due to the current state financial restraints.

Trustee Smith expressed her concerns with District employees badmouthing the District on the radio last week and gave thanks to Trustee Watts for her service to the District.

Trustee McGinnis stated his concerns with public participants who attend Board meetings only to criticize and leave. He asked if the community wanted the best candidate for the Superintendent of Schools or the blackest. The community must stand together and not be hypocrites, as we all must work together for the good of the students.

There being no further business, the June regular meeting of the Board of Education was adjourned at 8:40 p.m.

This page was last modified : September 11, 2007