Culpeper County School Board 3/1/2010 11:35 AM

Minutes

February 15, 2010

Page 1 of 10

CULPEPER COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD

Minutes

February 15, 2010

A regular meeting of the School Board of Culpeper County was held February 15, 2010 at the Board of Supervisors Meeting Room at 302 N. Main Street, Culpeper, VA. Present were George Dasher (Stevensburg District); Elizabeth Hutchins (Cedar Mountain District); Robert Beard (East Fairfax District); Robert A. Houck (West Fairfax District); Russell E. Jenkins (Catalpa District); Anne C. Luckinbill (Salem District); Clerk Jeff Shomo, Superintendent Dr. Bobbi Johnson, Director of Curriculum and Instruction James Allen, Director of Human Resources Starr Rowe, Director of Administrative Services Dr. Russell Houck, and Deputy Clerk Pearl Jamison. Leanne Malulani arrived at 6:03 p.m.

At 6 p.m., Mr. Dasher called the meeting to order and Ms. Jamison called the roll.

Budget Work Session

Dr. Johnson shared updated budget information with the board members. She noted that as of December 18, 2009 the state number was $2,354,000 based on the calc tool and there could be an additional $1,274,800 cut if the LCI is frozen.

Ms. Malulani arrived at 6:03 p.m.

Dr. Johnson said the staff has estimated an 8% increase in health insurance ($770,910) and a 2% increase in VRS ($835,250) for a total overall deficit, at this point, of $7,534,960.

Dr. Johnson noted possible revenues or changes to the cuts. (See handout for further details.)

· Building rental

· VRS Holiday – no details available

· Possible State Carryover Dollars

· Health Insurance at Zero Dollars

· Pass VRS to employees

· Impact on funding (ADM) if staggered kindergarten is eliminated

· Charge food services for maintenance

Ms. Hutchins asked if the building rental rate would remain the same. Mr. Shomo said yes.

Dr. Johnson asked if the board members have definite items at this point that can be cut. Ms. Hutchins said she felt the board agreed that the following could be cut:

· School allocations

· National Teacher Incentive

· SACS Dues

· Textbooks

· Superintendent Search

· Moving Expenses

· Technology Capital Outlay

Ms. Hutchins asked if the savings with insurance is with our current coverage. Mr. Shomo said no, they are focusing on HMO and HSA Savings Account. Ms. Hutchins asked if the PPO is being considered. Mr. Shomo said it was put out to bid; however, it will most likely not be offered to our employees.

Ms. Malulani said the board has been saying for over a year they wanted to put this out to bid - why are we just doing it now. Dr. Johnson said the county administration hired a consultant to help with this process. Mr. Shomo said you can only put the bid out so far in the plan year.

Mr. Dasher said previously we were talking about a $3.5 million shortfall; however, now we are talking a $6 million shortfall. He said health insurance and VRS increases have already been discussed.

Mr. Beard said an additional $1.2 million cut takes out restoration of the composite index.

Mr. Beard asked what the total payroll is currently. Mr. Shomo said $41 million in contract dollars but roughly $59 million with benefits.

Ms. Malulani asked if the 2% increase in VRS would impact some employees more than others. Mr. Shomo said the $835,250 is 2% on all employees.

Mr. Houck asked if VRS deduction could be pre-tax. Mr. Shomo said he was unsure because the school system picks up both sides. Mr. Dasher said he discussed treating the deduction as a cafeteria plan.

Ms. Hutchins said she wants to know how much less pay our employees will have in their pockets if we charge them the 2% increase. Mr. Shomo said VRS has to determine if the money would be pretax or not. He said VRS is still evaluating the plan and deciding what to pass on.

Dr. Johnson said another possible cut would be to cut school allocations even further. Ms. Hutchins explained what school allocations are used for.

Ms. Malulani asked how much middle school sports cost. Mr. Shomo said each school runs about $32,000 each in salaries. He noted that field maintenance and utilities are not included in those numbers.

Mr. Shomo said the middle school coach’s salaries with FICA total $68,284 and that does not include their teacher salary. Mr. Shomo said the schools use their gate receipts to purchase equipment and uniforms. He further noted that the only thing paid out of the school fund is helmet inspections. Dr. Johnson said field maintenance is absorbed by the maintenance budget.

Ms. Hutchins asked if there is a utility bill associated with middle school sports. Mr. Shomo noted the only cost incurred would be for lights for the five games that are held at night. Mr. Shomo said all transportation is paid for from the gate receipts.

Mr. Jenkins asked for a breakdown on all sports for the next work session.

Ms. Hutchins asked for clarification on the decrease in assistant coaches at the varsity level. Dr. Johnson said for some varsity sports they are required to have assistant coaches.

Dr. Johnson reviewed proposed cuts under administration, transportation, maintenance and facilities, and technology. Dr. Johnson noted that $250,000 in funding for technology from the state has been cut.

At 6:45 p.m., on motion of Mr. Beard seconded by Ms. Hutchins, the School Board recessed the budget work session to reconvene following the business session. Motion carried 7-0 by voice vote.

On motion of Ms. Hutchins seconded by Mr. Beard, the Board went into closed session immediately regarding:

[a] Discussion of Personnel Recommendations as permitted by the

Code of Virginia 2.2-3711 (A) (1)

Motion carried 7-0 by voice vote.

On motion of Ms. Hutchins seconded by Ms. Luckinbill, the Board ended the closed session at 7 p.m. and certified by show of hands that only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements and only the items included in the motion to go into closed session were discussed:

YEAS: 7

Robert Beard

George Dasher

Robert Houck

Elizabeth Hutchins

Russell Jenkins

Anne Luckinbill

Leanne Malulani

Those present observed a moment of silence. Mr. Dasher led the Pledge of Allegiance.

On motion of Mr. Beard seconded by Ms. Luckinbill, the School Board approved the agenda with the addition of Action Item 11c - Consideration of Middle School Sports Task Force. Motion carried 7-0 by voice vote.

Recognitions/Presentations

v Dr. Johnson and Mr. Dasher presented Zealous Appreciation for Positive Performance “ZAPP” awards to the following:

1. For selection by audition to the prestigious 2010 All-Virginia American Choral Director’s Association Middle School Honors Choir – Morgan Anderson, Danae Barbee, and Morgan Brown

v Dr. Johnson presented the board members with a certificate recognizing February as VSBA School Board Appreciation Month. She noted that board members work tirelessly to make sure we have the best education for students and working conditions for our employees.

v Mr. Dasher presented Pearl Jamison and Jeff Shomo with a certificate recognizing February 14-20, 2010 as VSBA Clerk Appreciation Week.

Delegations

Mr. Dasher said persons may present ideas or concerns regarding Culpeper County Public Schools. He said there would be no action taken by the Board at this meeting and that such items would be referred to the appropriate administrators for research and reported back to the Board at a later meeting. He said that personalities and behavior of employees are not to be presented during this period but are to be reported to the employee’s immediate supervisor. Mr. Dasher noted there would be a three minute time limit for speakers.

There were no delegations.

FY11 Public Hearing

Timmy Morris (Salem District) – Mr. Morris said he plays football at FTBMS. He encouraged the board not to cut middle school sports from the budget. He said cutting football would take a big part of his life away.

Kemp Pullin (Salem District) – Mr. Pullin said most coaches in middle school would volunteer in order to keep sports around. He said CMS could play their games in the daytime to cut back on costs. He said he doesn’t feel there is an extra cost to maintain the field at CMS because CCHS also plays there. He said if you charge $85 to play middle sports you will bring in $14,000. He said all equipment and uniforms are paid for by gate receipts. He said he truly believes middle school sports can be handled with no cost to the budget.

Eli Mitchell (West Fairfax District) – Mr. Mitchell said middle school sports allow the students to stay active, stay out of trouble, and prepare them for high school sports.

Tim Morris, Sr. (Salem District) – Mr. Morris said our youth face tremendous issues – pregnancy, drugs, gangs, obesity, etc. He said according to numerous surveys the children who participate in athletics are less likely to be involved in those activities. He said this decision goes far beyond the field.

Eric Brown (Cedar Mountain District) – Mr. Brown said there is a lot of waste in this county - fancy crosswalks and buying houses, etc. He said our community cannot afford to take away our youth sports. He noted that he wouldn’t have been a good student if he didn’t have to keep up his grades to play. He said the students are our future.

Wayne Twomey (Stevensburg District) – Mr. Twomey said Culpeper County is going backwards. He said a child does not understand taking away sports. He asked the board not to take away sports. He said he would give the school system more money for his kid to play.

Jeff Walker (West Fairfax) – Mr. Walker spoke on behalf of the CCEA. He said Virginia’s constitution requires the state to “ensure that an educational program of high quality is established and continually maintained’ for all children of school age. He said the most precious commodities in the schools are the children and staff. He asked the CCSB to ask the BOS to use the fund balance to fund a one-time retirement incentive and offset increases in insurance and benefits. He noted that the CCEA supports “pay for play” at the middle and high school level. He said perhaps the school system could charge for facility use Monday through Friday to help offset costs. He said CCEA recommends that those on the higher end of the scale perhaps $85,000 or above take a 2% reduction in pay and hold harmless custodians, cafeteria, bus drivers, etc. He said the CCEA will take the “Keeping the Promise” idea to the Board of Supervisors. (See handout.)

Cherie Twomey (Stevensburg District) – Ms. Twomey said the sports programs are important for the children. She suggested shopping out cleaning supplies. She said the community needs more definitive answers relative to the budget.

Chris Settle (Salem District) – Mr. Settle said Culpeper Football Association was founded in 2004. He noted that cutting middle school sports will drastically impact all sports programs and create an unbearable strain on CFA (non-profit). He said CFA would be forced to turn kids away. He said football has been a tradition in Culpeper for over 35 years. He said the coaches hold children accountable for grades and conduct. He reiterated that if middle school sports are cut CFA will have to turn kids away.

Richard Goff (Cedar Mtn. District) – Mr. Goff spoke in favor of combined services. He said procurement could be done by the county and vehicle maintenance by the school system. He said IT would probably require shared responsibilities. He said there are many areas of possible consolidation relative to finance. He said HR is best to be taken over by the school system because of all the licensure issues that are attached. He said he attended Senator Houck’s meeting regarding education and Senator Houck said 47,000 employees in Virginia will become unemployed. He noted that the Lions and Ruritan Clubs could help with funding youth organizations.

Billy Mitchell (Salem District) – Mr. Mitchell commended the School Board for creating a middle school sports task force. He said no one in the sports field wants to take away teachers. He said there are members in the community willing to do what it takes to keep sports in Culpeper.

Jeremy Engh (Stevensburg District) – Mr. Engh said middle school sports teach the children team work.

Japreshia Clark (Salem District) – Ms. Clark said sports have laid a foundation in her home. She said in order to play sports you have to have good grades. She said having sports keeps her children academically challenged and out of trouble.

The public hearing ended at 7:48 p.m.

Consent Agenda

Mr. Dasher reviewed the items on the consent agenda for approval. He noted Finance Committee did not meet but reviewed bills on-line and recommend payment of the bills. Dr. Johnson read the Career and Technical Resolution.

On motion of Mr. Jenkins seconded by Ms. Hutchins, the School Board considered approving the consent agenda.

(a) Approval of Minutes – January 11 & 25, 2010

(b) Payroll and Payment of Bills

(d) Resolution Recognizing February as Career and Technical Education Month

Motion carried 7-0 by voice vote.

Mr. Dasher thanked Randi Richards-Lutz for her dedication to C&T.

The board considered the following action items: