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Regular Meeting Minutes Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Meeting Audio

PRELIMINARIES

Call to Order President Haas called the Regular Meeting of the school board to order at 7:02 p.m.

Mission Statement President Haas read the district’s Mission Statement: Our mission is to provide an excellent, equitable education in a safe, supportive environment so all students will succeed and contribute to a diverse and changing society.

Pledge & Musical Performance [0:00:15] The University Park Elementary School Musical Club led the Pledge of Allegiance and performed for the board under the direction of Bridget Machida, music teacher.

Roll Call [0:10:08]

Board Members Present: Heidi Haas, President Allyson Lambert, Vice President Sean Rice, Clerk Wendy Dominique, Member Timothy Doran, Member Sharon McConnell, Member Chad BonDurant, Eielson Representative Sean Fisher, Ft. Wainwright Representative Michelle Kougl, Student Representative

Board Members Absent: Thomas Bartels, Treasurer

Staff Present: Dr. Karen Gaborik, Superintendent Katherine LaPlaunt, Interim Assistant Superintendent Lisa Pearce, Chief Financial Officer Janet Cobb, Executive Director of Technology Melanie Hadaway, Executive Director of Teaching & Learning Claire Morton, Executive Director of Human Resources Dave Norum, Executive Director of Facilities Management Heather Rauenhorst, Executive Director of Communication, Development, & Engagement Kathie Wassmann, Executive Director of Special Education Holly Cervin, Director of Alternative Instruction Nicole “Nico” Herbert, Director of Accounting Heather Heineken, Director of Business Services & Risk Management Liaison Julie Wild-Curry, Director of After School Programs Ryan Hinton, Transportation Coordinator Sharon Tuttle, Executive Assistant to the School Board

Alaska State 2018 JROTC Drill Competition Champions [0:10:28] The North Pole High School Air Force JROTC drill team won the state championship on Saturday, February 24, during the Alaska State 2018 JROTC Drill Competition held at Service High School. The JROTC team won the overall team championship, as well as four individual championships - Color Guard, Unarmed Exhibition, Armed Exhibition, and Individual Armed Exhibition. Colonel (ret) Michael Rauenhorst, Air Force JROTC senior aerospace science instructor, Chief Master Sergeant (ret) Bradley Spilinek, Air Force JROTC aerospace science instructor, and Breanna Jones, assistant coach, made the presentation.

Core Value/Goal: High Expectations: Maintain high expectations and educational opportunities to inspire high achievement.

Alaska State 2018 JROTC Individual State Champion - Solo Armed Exhibition Drill Beau Roberts

Alaska State 2018 JROTC Drill Competition Champions: North Pole High School Air Force JROTC Drill Team

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Angie Allen Honor Mealey Danielle Urbach Liam Chambers Ceirnan Morriss Damien Washburn Allison Cline Raegan Morriss Noah Weaver Kenneth Crawford James Na Donald Whisel Joseph Fisher James Price Katina Whisel Chelsea Gardner Sarah Price Katie White Alexandra Hughes Beau Roberts Clayson Wiley Alyssa Longley Seth Rupe Andrew Wilson Damien Mealey Nicole Seawright Audrey Winterton Dillon Talburt Erin Zorich

We the People State Champions [0:17:43] The We the People State Competition was held in December in Fairbanks with two teams from Fairbanks and two from Anchorage competing. West Valley High School students took first place in the competition. The We the People competition was a mock Congressional Hearing competition focused on Constitutional analysis and is sponsored by the Center for Civic Education. Amy Gallaway, West Valley teacher, made the presentation.

Core Value/Goal: High Expectations: Maintain high expectations and educational opportunities to inspire high achievement.

Emily Abramowicz Ian Ludwig Sophia Prichard Nathan Baring Shayna Matson Tamia Ramos Megan Brabham Katie McCarthy Tanner Sprankle Helen Danielson Emily Moretz Malyssa Trivitt Isabelle Jacobson Yuki Nagaoka Faith Widman Rebecca Kahoe Deriene Nickisch Gillian Winkelman Jornie Kinga Elizabeth Pedersen Matthew Wrobel

ESP of the Month [0:24:37] Melody Dalbec, North Pole Elementary School special education secretary, was recognized as the ESP of the Month for March 2018. Mark Winford, North Pole Elementary School principal, made the presentation.

Core Value/Goal: High Expectations: Maintain high expectations and educational opportunities to inspire high achievement.

Alaska Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) 2018 Special Education Teacher of the Year [0:27:39] Julie Lougee, Weller Elementary special education teacher, was nominated and selected as the Alaska Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) 2018 Special Education Teacher of the Year. Dr. Joanne Healy, University of Alaska assistant professor special education, made the presentation.

Core Value/Goal: High Expectations: Maintain high expectations and educational opportunities to inspire high achievement.

Spotlight on Success [0:30:47] Kyra Aizstrauts, University Park Elementary principal, presented the spotlight on University Park Elementary School. Ms. Aizstrauts shared student testing data – University Park students historically did well on tests. The staff at University Park was a great group of people who worked extremely hard for their students. University Park students were talented and tenacious and Ms. Aizstrauts thoroughly enjoyed being their principal. She spoke to personalized learning at University Park and how the foundation of the school’s program was based on relationships. Without relationships, it would not matter what kind of targeted instruction was being provided. The school loved their families and offered several wonderful activities and events for them, such as a science activity night. The school also had several great clubs, including the ski club, coached by Eric Engman. Mr. Engman spoke to University Park’s popular ski club and running club. Both groups had expanded over the years and were well-attended. Mr. Engman spoke to University Park’s ski club’s partnership with West Valley High School where high school students mentored the younger kids. The clubs were not only important for the physical activity they provided, but for the relationship and team building skills gained through participation. Ms. Aizstrauts was extremely proud of her University Park staff, students, and families. She invited board members to visit the school.

Core Value/Goal: High Expectations: Maintain high expectations and educational opportunities to inspire high achievement.

Board Questions/Comments President Haas thanked Ms. Aizstrauts and Mr. Engman for the presentation and congratulated Ms. Aizstrauts on her upcoming retirement.

Adoption of the Agenda with Consent Items [0:40:33]

MCCONNELL MOVED, LAMBERT SECONDED, TO ADOPT THE AGENDA WITH CONSENT ITEMS.

Core Value/Goal: Student-Centered: Center everything we do on the student and student learning.

The following consent items were moved:

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accepted the award in the amount of $34,463 for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 Amendment 1 from Federal Department of Education via Alaska Department of Education & Early Development., per Fiscal Note 2018-29.

approved Barnette Magnet School's request to send its MATHCOUNTS team (2 seventh graders and 2 eighth graders and chaperones) to Anchorage, March 23-25, 2018 to compete in the MATHCOUNTS State Competition, with the district covering one day of substitute costs, and if Homeland Security issues travel warnings, students will not travel.

approved Boreal Sun Charter School's request to raise funds to send Mr. Wong's 5th grade class and chaperones to Anchorage, May 9-11, 2018, where students will participate in the Pentathlon and visit the Alaska Zoo, at no cost to the district, and if Homeland Security issues travel warnings, students will not travel.

approved North Pole High School's request to raise funds to send its band and orchestra students to Orlando, Florida, March 11-17, 2019, where students will participate in a professional style recording session at Walt Disney World and perform with local area orchestras and bands, at no cost to the district, and if Homeland Security issues travel warnings, students will not travel.

accepted the gift of $1,000 from the Cummings Family Trust to Lathrop High School to support the school's hockey program.

accepted the gift of $16,500 from Hirofumi Nagaoka to Lathrop High School to support student travel to Japan.

approved the minutes from the Special Meeting and Work Session on February 19, 2018 and the Regular Meeting on February 20, 2018, as submitted.

approved the Personnel Action Report for the period February 10-23, 2018.

acknowledged the Personnel Information Report for the period February 10-23, 2018.

acknowledged the Board’s Reading File.

acknowledged the Coming Events and Meeting Announcements.

ADVISORY VOTES. 3 AYES: BONDURANT, FISHER, KOUGL MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY BY ROLL CALL VOTE. 6 AYES: MCCONNELL, DORAN, DOMINIQUE, RICE, LAMBERT, HAAS

Public Testimony [0:44:02] President Haas called for public testimony on non-agenda items.

Core Value/Goal: Collaborative: Engage with students, family, staff, and community to support student success.

John Sassman, 580 Rayburn Drive, Pearl Creek Elementary School teacher, spoke to the reductions included in the proposed budget. Mr. Sassman urged the board to ask the borough and state for the funding they needed to run a fully-funded educational program, not what they thought the entities would give them. The budget proposals to cut teachers and raise class sizes would be a double blow to students and would once again ask teachers to do more with less. Mr. Sassman did not believe the loss of positions would largely be satisfied through attrition and shared points from the budget to back-up his position. Students needed well-trained and caring teachers in front of them. Educators needed to be in contact with students and building relationships with them – that was how graduation rates and enrollments were increased, while also producing intelligent, enabled members of the community. Higher student-teacher ratios made for higher levels of discontent and disconnect and increased the number of students who could slip through the cracks. Mr. Sassman thought the proposed budget would make the cracks even larger, which could have catastrophic effects. He spoke to the projected student enrollment and proposed reductions in teachers at his school.

President Haas noted Mr. Sassman was out of time and requested he send his full testimony by email to the school board.

President Haas announced the change in upcoming board meetings and the additional times for public testimony. The board would be postponing its budget adoption meeting originally scheduled for Thursday, March 8 to Wednesday, March 21, with Thursday, March 22 held in the event the board did not finish its work on Wednesday and needed to reconvene on Thursday. Additionally, the board had added a work session and public hearing on the budget for Monday, March 19, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The public was also invited to testify at the March 20 Regular Meeting under non-agenda testimony. The board’s special meeting on the budget for the next day was still scheduled.

President Haas explained the Proposed Budget was the administration’s best assessment of district needs based on their estimate of projected funding. The board’s work would begin the next day at the special meeting and continue through the week of March 19. As the board worked towards the Recommended Budget, they would be considering the administration’s budget recommendations, along with the input the board had received through emails and public testimony. Unfortunately, without the district’s funding having been determined, the board’s work would also be their best estimate. President Haas encouraged everyone to advocate to both the borough and legislature in support of education funding. She also encouraged everyone to continue to follow the board’s budget process as whatever budget the board would approve in March, would need to be revisited after state and local funding had been determined. There had been years when the board did not approve a final budget until June.

Wynter Fournier, 425 Goldmine Trail, district student and a member of the rifle team, spoke against the proposed budget, as the rifle team was one of the sports on the proposed cut list. Ms. Fournier did not believe rifle should be cut, as it was one of the least

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expensive and most successful sports in the district. She did not believe rifle was the right sport to be cut. She understood there had to be reductions, but rifle should not be one of the reductions.

Jesse Bodenstadt, 925 Woodrow Way, district student and a member of the rifle team, agreed with Ms. Fournier’s testimony. Rifle was a very inexpensive sport – much of team’s gear was donated or purchased from personal funds. The cost to the district was minimal. There was only one travel match each year, which was not much compared to other sports.

Ms. Lammers, the rifle team’s coach, volunteered to speak for the students. President Haas stated it was up to the students. The students agreed to continue their testimony.

Rylan Clavell, 1976 Blackburn Way, district student and a member of the rifle team, added his support for the rifle team. The sport had been extremely successful at Hutchison High School, as well as other schools. Hutchison had taken the state championship in the past. Mr. Clavell pointed out rifle students often had opportunities to participate at the Junior Olympics and collegiate levels. He had participated in the Junior Olympics this year.

Kyle Stevenson, 1990 Coalition Lane, district student and a member of the rifle team, explained rifle was unlike other sports where you sometimes had to be a jock or super athletic to participate. Mr. Stevenson noted rifle focused more on skill than physical ability. Any person, of any shape or size, could participate and be successful. Due to a personal injury, he had been unable to compete in wrestling so he researched rifle and found it would be a good opportunity for him to compete in high school sports. Mr. Stevenson had participated in rifle for four years and had served as team captain this past year.

Jenifer Cameron, PO Box 117, districtwide art liaison, thought it was awesome the students were engaging in their civic duty to advocate. Ms. Cameron reported on the opening of the Up With Art Student Art Show over the past weekend. She estimated about 600 people attended the two receptions. The students were so impressive in how they engaged in speaking about their art pieces. She thanked Mr. Doran for attending and addressing the families at Sunday’s reception. Ms. Cameron recalled Mrs. Lambert asking a colleague at the last meeting, what would happen to the art shows if the elementary art specialists were eliminated. Ms. Cameron compared the loss to giving a performance without ever practicing – singing a song without knowing the words – or playing an instrument without having previously picked it up. The art show represented the education that went into learning about art- making and having art education part of the core education. It would be very different if the certified art specialists were not guiding art teachers with responsive and local curriculum. Ms. Cameron spoke to how teachers had shared with her about the great benefit the art specialists were to them in teaching local and state lessons. The art center was something Fairbanks did really well and the community valued. If it was lost, it would be almost impossible to get it back. The art center specialists worked with and celebrated every child.

Kevin Barnes, 537 Goldstreak Road, retired staff member, noted he was the spouse of Cathy Barnes, the Administrative Center and the BRIDGE Program’s lead custodian. Mr. Barnes spoke against the proposed custodial restructure, moving some custodians from 12 month to 10 month positions. He recalled the restructure was the same proposal presented last year. Mr. Barnes highlighted the financial hardship such a drastic change would be for staff members. Although the administration had stated the restructure was within their contractual rights to amend, he questioned the moral ethics of such a change. Just because you could do something, did not mean you should do something. Mr. Barnes urged the board to think about the message and effect the restructure would have on staff and to please reconsider the restructure.

Audrey Lammers, 488 Eagle Ridge Road, Barnette Magnet School staff member and coach of the Hutchison Rifle Team, spoke in support of maintaining the rifle program. Ms. Lammers stated she did not coach for the money; she coached for the kids. The rifle program had a positive effect on students and provided opportunities other sports did not. In talking about equality and personalized learning, rifle is the only sport where it did not matter the size, shape, or athletic skill level of a participant. The UAF rifle team, had three previous district students going to the NCAA Championships. She pointed out 17 students had qualified for the Junior Olympics this year. Ms. Lammers did not believe any sport should be cut. Students needed the extracurricular activity and interaction with people. The rifle teams were composed of freshmen through seniors, with some UAF team members mentoring the high school members. Ms. Lammers recognized the need to make reductions, but it should not be in the area of sports. Students needed a way to interact with people – they could not do it through texts and electronic devices. The students deserved to have the opportunity to participate in the rifle program.

Randy Clavell, 1976 Blackburn Way, district parent and parent of a rifle team member, added his support to the students’ voices. Mr. Clavell’s son had testified earlier. He noted the room was filled with champions – JROTC, We the People, rifle team members, and more. Students in extracurricular activities generally excelled in their academic studies, GPA, and their abilities. It was a proven fact that sports and extracurricular activities went hand-in-hand with education – they were a big part of education. It was the board’s responsibility to educate students and part of that education was through sports and extracurricular activities. There were skills students learned when they were associated with activities that they would not learn in a classroom. Mr. Clavell noted his son had flourished since participating in the rifle team. His grades were straight A’s. Mr. Clavell was very proud of his son. His son, who was 15, was in his second year on the rifle team and had won the Mid-Alaska Conference. He also shot in the State Junior Olympics and won the J2 Title. His son was a champion and had the opportunity to participate in the National Junior Olympics in Colorado. Mr. Clavell would be taking his son to the event and would do whatever it took to be certain his son had the opportunity to be part of a national rifle team. Mr. Clavell shared some statistics regarding a student’s increased risk of participating in unhealthy activities if he or she was not involved in sports or other extracurricular activities.

Steve Zanazzo, PO Box 58673, districtwide activities coordinator and Lathrop High School activity coordinator, spoke to his proposal to cut an assistant principal position at Lathrop, North Pole, and West Valley High Schools in order to keep three activities coordinators to run the five high school activities programs. In 1995, Lathrop had 1,600 students and four assistant principals –

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which included one to oversee activities. In 2005, the board cut an assistant principal position and hired Mr. Zanazzo to run Lathrop’s activities, which resulted in a huge cost savings. Currently, Lathrop’s enrollment is below 1,000 with 3 assistant principals and one activities coordinator. The average assistant principal made approximately $40,000 more a year than the activities coordinator. Mr. Zanazzo was not asking for anyone to lose their job, but with three assistant principal vacancies already known for next year, he proposed not filling the positions. His proposal suggested one activity coordinator oversee West Valley and Hutchison High Schools; one coordinator oversee North Pole High and Ben Eielson High Schools; and one would handle Lathrop High School activities and all junior high activities. Mr. Zanazzo spoke to the value of his position to the district and borough. In 2015, he received the Golden Heart Sports Ambassador of the Year Award from Explore Fairbanks for hosting the state high school softball championships which brought in an estimated $120,000 to the community. Additionally, through the years, he has also hosted the state track and field championships, the Nordic ski champions, and additional state softball championships. Explore Fairbanks estimated Mr. Zanazzo had brought in $1.9 million into the community through the championship events and with five more championships still to host, it would be over $2.6 million brought into the community. He had saved the district over $47,000 because the district did not have to pay the five schools the state travel stipends since the tournaments were held locally. The average cost for a school to travel to a state championship was approximately $4,000 per school, which calculated to approximately over $160,000 in savings to those programs, not even addressing the savings to families who did not have to travel to a state event. Mr. Zanazzo was working to submit a bid to host the state wrestling championship and with the borough on a soccer bid to host our Turf Fields in 2019. Mr. Zanazzo thanked the board for supporting his position through the years and would appreciate their continued support to keep the activity coordinators in the budget, as the positions directly affected students and the community.

Dwight Langley, 1610 Meribel Road, district student and rifle team member, reiterated the rifle team produced many Olympians. Mr. Langley pointed out that most of the plaques in UAF’s Patty Center were associated with rifle. Rifle was an Alaska sport.

Hazel Langley, 1610 Meribel Road, district student and member of the Randy Smith Middle School rifle team, spoke in support of the rifle program. Ms. Langley looked forward to participating in a high school rifle team when she went to high school. She thought the rifle team was a great place to meet new people and to learn about gun safety rules. A student had to have and maintain good grades to be on the rifle team. Ms. Langley thanked the school board for their time.

Jennifer Merrion, 770 Donohue Drive, district graduate, shared how participating on the Hutchison rifle team for four years had impacted her. Ms. Merrion did not look at her team mates as team members, but as family. They had backed her up on everything. She shared she had been shy with only one friend when she started on the rifle team. After she joined the team, she found herself becoming more outgoing with more friends. She was on the field practicing six days a week, she had even participated in an outside competition. Ms. Merrion stressed how the rifle team taught students about gun safety, which was extremely important in Alaska and in today’s world.

DeAnn Moore, 1307 Garay Street, districtwide elementary art specialist, read into the public record, Governor Walker’s recent proclamation proclaiming March 2018 as Alaska Arts Education Month in Alaska. The Governor’s proclamation highlighted how education in the arts improved student reading comprehension, and students who studied the arts often tended to score higher on verbal and math in Scholastic Aptitude Tests than those students without arts in the classroom. The proclamation further went on to state art education enabled students to develop critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills; and fostered self- discipline, motivation, and positive self-esteem. Governor Walker, through his proclamation, encouraged all Alaskans to support and participate in the arts and cultural programs offered to students of all ages in schools and communities across the great state of Alaska.

Jessica Tonnies, 4082 Yvonne Avenue, Randy Smith Middle School librarian, spoke in support of school libraries. Ms. Tonnies believed strong library programs were fundamental to innovative and creative learning. She commended her colleagues for their testimony over the last few weeks in support of library programs. She thanked board members who had asked questions in response to the testimony, specifically Mr. Rice for the questions he had asked over the last two board meetings. It showed the testimonies were being heard and thought about. Ms. Tonnies also thanked Mr. Doran for visiting several libraries over the last several weeks. She hoped he was able to see a small part of what they had tried to convey through their testimonies. Ms. Tonnies invited all board members to visit district libraries. Each library was a little different and every day was different, but if a board member wanted to see a specific project or event, she asked board members to let the librarian know and they would make it happen. Ms. Tonnies had experienced a previous job cut at another district without any warning and with the decision made behind closed doors, so she appreciated the Fairbanks board allowing people the opportunity to advocate for their position and the students they served. The loss of the library assistant positions and all the positions proposed to be cut, would be a loss to students. Ms. Tonnies was grateful for the board’s budget process and the opportunity to express the value of school libraries and the positive impact libraries had on students. Students had been asked if they thought it was important to have a library assistant in the library. Ms. Tonnies shared some of the students’ responses – all of which spoke to the many ways a library assistant helped students. She thanked the board for their time and invited them to visit a school library.

Bobby LaSalle, PO Box 57175, North Pole Elementary speech-pathology assistant, spoke to several of the reductions in the proposed budget. Ms. LaSalle hoped the board noticed the number of green shirts behind her – there were many custodians who had taken annual leave to attend the meeting. She noted many of the custodians would not speak to board members individually, but wanted board members to understand the full scope of their responsibilities. Custodians did not only clean toilets and vacuum the floors; they did building maintenance. If the positions were cut or reduced, there would be more back-logged maintenance. As Mr. Barnes had stated in his testimony, it was not right to suddenly tell custodians they were going to have a six-week hiatus. The district was self-insured and the stress that was being put on custodians and other staff was incredible and could have medical ramifications. She noted the district’s funding was currently unknown and encouraged everyone to contact the legislators. Ms. LaSalle also spoke in support of the North Pole Middle School swimming program that was being considered to be cut. She wrote

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the board about the position. The swim programs at Ryan and North Pole Middle Schools were incredible and a community service for students. She worked at North Pole Middle School for a year and a-half and knew Connie Smith was an incredible swim teacher/coach. Fairbanks was surrounded by water and students needed to know how to swim and be safe around water. Ms. LaSalle knew the district had to make reductions, but she told the board to stop attacking the custodial staff and the single programs that provided such great community services. She liked Mr. Zanazzo’s testimony and appreciated the amount of money he had saved the district and brought into the community. Ms. LaSalle wanted to know how many reductions were being made in administration.

Dale Suomi, 512 Marshall Drive, retired district custodian and current on-call custodian, had come to the board meeting to support the custodians, but once he arrived, he saw his grandson, Rylan Clavell, and son-in-law, Randy Clavell in attendance to support the district’s rifle program. Mr. Suomi added his support to maintaining the rifle program – it was a positive program that helped his grandson. He hoped the board would find a way to maintain funding for the program. Mr. Suomi also voiced his support for custodians. He retired from the district after 36 years of service, but still substituted in the Administrative Center from time to time. Custodians were faced with tremendous stress with the threat of the restructure – it would be a substantial financial hit for many. He asked the board to give real consideration to a large part of the district’s family and not throw them aside like they were nobodies. Mr. Suomi thanked the board for their service and work.

Charles Casterline, 1423 Lacey Street, Ryan Middle School custodian, noted he had the least seniority at his school, as he had only been with the district for two years. He had been told there would be 10 staff laid-off and he thought he would most likely be one of the staff members laid-off. Mr. Casterline had been struggling to support his family before he came to the district. He took the position because it was supposed to be family friendly. He spoke to the responsibilities of custodians – usually they included many jobs others did not want to do – but custodians did it because it was their job. Mr. Casterline shared that just 30 minutes before the board meeting, he had to help chase someone out of the men’s restroom who was asleep in there - it was his day off – but he did it. Not many people would be willing to do that. He noted the people usually laid-off were the newest hired. He pointed out most of his co-workers at his school were going to retire in a couple years and asked who would train the new people. The new people could not train themselves and the district had gotten rid of the intermediate people and again asked who would be left to train the new custodians. Mr. Casterline stated some of the schools were very large and the messes some students made were tremendously disgusting. In the newspaper, he had seen a proposal to have students clean-up after themselves – but he asked what student would pick out a shoe full of fecal matter that was shoved in the toilet that he had picked out earlier in the year. Mr. Casterline thought the administration was always picking on the custodians because they were the easiest group to get rid of because people didn’t care about them. Maybe the administration thought custodians were uneducated – but he himself held a college degree, as did many of his co-workers. To brush the custodians aside like they did not matter, was insulting. There were many talented individuals who worked as custodians. He thanked the board for the opportunity to testify.

Kathy Fitzgerald, 1308 Polar Drive, district parent, had heard the board meeting on the radio and discussion about the elimination of Mr. Zanazzo’s position and the reduction of custodial coverage. She left an evening event for the organization she worked for and made a bee-line to the board meeting. As a parent and facility user, Ms. Fitzgerald knew firsthand about the importance of both the custodians and Mr. Zanazzo. Her organization utilized district facilities four nights a week, from September to May, approximately 100 hours a week. Anyone who looked at the calendar of events through facilities management could see there were between 20-50 activities almost every night. The custodians were awesome and went above and beyond for people. Ms. Fitzgerald hoped the board would understand and recognize the importance of custodians. As the parent to six students, her children had gone through the district – her last one was currently at Lathrop. All of her children had been involved in sports and activities and Mr. Zanazzo had done such a great job of maintaining a huge array of activities. District students constantly competed at a high level. She asked the board to reconsider the reductions to custodians and the elimination of the activity coordinator.

Hearing no additional requests for testimony, public testimony was closed at 8:44 p.m.

President Haas thanked the rifle team members and students who testified. The board appreciated hearing from students. She reminded everyone of the upcoming board meetings and testimony opportunities.

INFORMATION AND REPORTS

Transportation Update [1:43:17] Ryan Hinton, transportation coordinator, provided an update on the district’s transportation.

Core Value/Goal: Effective Communication: Establish transparent and consistent communication to increase student, parent, staff, and community connectedness with the district.

The district currently had 137 scheduled routes. The 93 regular education routes covered 403 runs and 37 shuttles a day. The 44 special education routes covered 212 runs a day, and occasional shuttles. There were eight after school program routes that ran Monday through Thursday. There were a total of 660 runs a day, making 8,148 scheduled stops per day. Buses traveled over 12,500 miles each day in the district. There were on average 11 charter buses (field trips) per day. The district had 13,702 students spread-out over 7, 444 square miles in the borough.

Mr. Hinton recognized the two bus schedulers who worked with him – Carol McCormick and Tammy Rasmussen and the fantastic job they did every day. Ms. McCormick was the primary regular education bus scheduler. Ms. Rasmussen was the primary special education bus scheduler. Both women were invaluable assets to the department and the district’s transportation program.

Mr. Hinton spoke to the community feedback the department often received and the areas where improvement was needed:

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Missed Stops – the bus did not make the stop at the designated time.

Driver Issues – negative feedback about a driver.

Late Buses – the bus was late or did not run.

Notifications – this included notifications about bus status that were inaccurate, sent late, or absent.

Other – this covered a variety of remarks including issues with the schedule, questions, suggestions, and positive feedback about drivers.

Mr. Hinton spoke to the challenges and initiatives facing transportation and First Student, the district’s transportation contractor:

Billing continued to be erroneous. The district had asked for an explanation of First Student’s billing procedures and quality assurance measurers. The district has not yet received the information.

Charter bus availability: There was an extremely limited availability for charter buses during route times.

Bus videos continue to be problematic. The turn-around for a video request could take several weeks. It was not discovered that a camera was inoperative until the video was requested. The angle of the camera did not reveal what was going on behind the bus’s high backed seats.

The district was working on launching an online charter management system. The new system would streamline the charter request, scheduling, and billing process.

First Student had been looking for a location manager since October, but Mr. Hinton noted the position had recently been filled.

Earlier in the year, there had been a reduction of eight regular routes, due to the driver shortage First Student experienced. It caused recurring delays at elementary and middle schools last semester. On February 5, all regular routes were reinstated, when First Student was able to staff the runs. The feedback from schools indicated there had been improvement with on-time arrivals in the afternoons.

Mr. Hinton had been analyzing comparative data. The district was using Versatrans OnScreen to track bus activity through the GPS and comparing it to the planned route in the district’s routing software. The GPS data allowed for increased accountability of bus operations; real-time information on bus locations; improved routing efficiency; late bus notifications; and quality assurance for billing. Moving forward, Mr. Hinton was working to verify the comparative data. The district was also working to launch the Arrival Board App which would allow schools to track their buses in real-time. It was also working to launch the parent facing app which would allow for parents to receive real-time late bus notifications and an estimated time of arrival for their student’s bus. It would take some work, as individual itineraries for each student would need to be setup. The district was in the midst of transitioning from a stop-based routing system to a student-based routing system.

Public Comments None

Board Questions/Comments Board members had questions and comments on the comparative data analysis and the interaction with First Student regarding the findings; the use of cameras on buses; the district and First Student’s progress on being ready for next school year regarding trained drivers, routes, etc.; and the new parent app for real-time accountability. Mr. Hinton was not familiar with First Student’s processes and how or if they used comparative data in their decisions. Cameras were used to film student behavior while on the bus. There was no way to predict the readiness of First Student for next school year – it would depend upon the number of returning drivers, the number of new recruits, etc. Mr. Hinton noted it would be a heavy lift to get the parent app up and running.

A board member made a request for an end of the year First Student update. President Haas thought the request was reasonable and requested a written update at the end of the school year.

President Haas thanked Mr. Hinton for his hard work with the district’s transportation system. She appreciated his patience and empathy with families. He had worked very hard since coming to the district and went beyond the duties of his position by driving routes and checking for safety.

Superintendent Report [2:08:38] Core Value/Goal: Effective Communication: Establish transparent and consistent communication to increase student, parent, staff, and community connectedness with the district.

Dr. Gaborik thanked Mr. Hinton for his work in the transportation department. She appreciated his conscientious work to ensure students arrived to school and home safely.

Dr. Gaborik reported on:

ALICE – The district was purchasing an online modular to help implement ALICE districtwide after July 1. ALICE training would continue in August with school crisis teams. The crisis teams would then take the training back to their staff; student

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training was expected to begin by second quarter. Student training would be age appropriate and district counselors would work with administrators to review and select the materials. The administration met monthly with law enforcement and was building a very collaborate relationship which would be important piece of the program. When staff training began in the fall, Dr. Gaborik planned to schedule regional community parent information nights with staff and law enforcement.

Legislative Update – Dr. Gaborik was watching the legislation allowing retired staff to be rehired. She thought having the option to rehire retirees would be a great benefit for the district to help with filling some employment gaps. Work was continuing on the budget – with the House Finance Committee scheduled to meet on it the next day. It was expected the Base Student Allocation (BSA) would remain unchanged. The administration would be watching for backdoor reductions through possibly transportation, TRS/PERS, etc. The mayor would be releasing the borough’s proposed budget by April 1. The mayor had many difficult decisions to make which would entail larger community conversations.

West Valley School Visit – Dr. Gaborik enjoyed her recent visit to West Valley High School. She’d had some heartfelt conversations with the staff in attendance regarding the budget. She knew every position was important to students, but it was difficult to get to $8.2 million in reductions. Everyone wanted the same thing – an excellent education for students. She thought staff were appreciative of the difficult decisions before the board.

Fine Arts Week – Dr. Gaborik thought it had been a fantastic week of the Arts with Lathrop’s amazing performance of the Wizard of Oz, the Up with Art Student Art Show at Bear Gallery, and then events and activities in celebration of Music in Our Schools.

Principal Hires – Principal hiring committees had been formed and had begun their interview processes. Dr. Gaborik expected to have some announcements after spring break.

Board Questions/Comments President Haas thanked Dr. Gaborik for her report.

Old Business

2018-19 School Calendar Revision Approval [2:17:02] Dr. Gaborik explained the adopted 2018-2019 school calendar had added an additional holiday, which equated to approximately $300,000 in an additional expenses. In light of the district’s financial challenges, it was not the time to add the additional expenses. The proposed revision would move the first day of school to Thursday, August 16, instead of Wednesday, August 15. The previously approved holiday on Friday, December 21 would be eliminated, changing the day back to a school day and the last day of the fall semester.

Core Value/Goal: Organizational Support: Create an environment that supports the needs of staff to enable a school and organizational climate where students thrive.

LAMBERT MOVED, MCCONNELL SECONDED, TO APPROVE THE 2018-2019 SCHOOL CALENDAR AS REVISED.

Public Comments None

Board Action A question was asked to clarify the calendar revision was for the FY 2018-2019 academic school calendar.

ADVISORY VOTES. 3 AYES: FISHER, KOUGL, BONDURANT MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY BY ROLL CALL VOTE. 6 AYES: LAMBERT, MCCONNELL, DORAN, DOMINIQUE, RICE, HAAS

New Business

Resolution 2018-15: Honoring Traditional Chiefs’ Week [2:19:31] Resolution 2018-15 honored Traditional Chiefs’ Week during the third week of March and encouraged each school in the district to honor the legacy of Traditional Chiefs by studying their lives and leadership of the indigenous people of Interior Alaska throughout the year.

Core Value/Goal: Respect: Respect the diversity and dignity of all.

LAMBERT MOVED, MCCONNELL SECONDED TO APPROVE RESOLUTION 2018-15: HONORING TRADITIONAL CHIEFS' WEEK.

Mrs. Lambert read the resolution for the public record.

Public Comments None

Board Action Board members thought the timing of the resolution was great with the many activities and conferences currently taking place and

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through the month of March in schools and throughout the community. A Chief was recognized as a great leader in the community and board members appreciated the recognition for Traditional Chiefs. Board members hoped schools were looking at the Native organizations and the work they did. Ms. McConnell had run into Georgianna Lincoln and told her there was a drawing of her in the hallway of the Administrative Center. Ms. Lincoln was pleased to hear she was being honored.

ADVISORY VOTES. 3 AYES: BONDURANT, FISHER, KOUGL MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY BY ROLL CALL VOTE. 6 AYES: RICE, LAMBERT, MCCONNELL, DORAN, DOMINIQUE, HAAS

Establish Equipment Replacement Internal Service Fund [2:24:40] At the October 3, 2017 Regular Board Meeting, the board approved the final FY17 budget transfers. When the FY17 transfer to reduce the FY18 benefit rate was approved, it was noted the savings would be used to establish an Equipment Replacement Internal Service Fund (ERISF). It was further noted, the establishment of such a fund would require board action. The ERISF would provide the district with the ability to develop a multi-year, sustainable plan to properly maintain and replace its equipment. The administration recommended the board approve the establishment of the Equipment Replacement Internal Service Fund and approve the initial appropriation of $1.7 million from the benefit rate savings to be allocated based on a per pupil cost- reimbursement rate.

RICE MOVED, MCCONNELL SECONDED, TO APPROVE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT INTERNAL SERVICE FUND AND APPROVE THE INITIAL APPROPRIATION OF $1.7 MILLION FROM THE BENEFIT RATE SAVINGS TO BE ALLOCATED BASED ON A PER PUPIL COST- REIMBURSEMENT RATE.

Core Value/Goal: Technology Integration: Expand student access to technology to amplify learning.

Lisa Pearce, CFO, spoke to the administration’s request for an equipment replacement internal service fund. The board had agreed to the fund in October and the administration was now asking for the start-up funding for the account. The request and fund aligned with the district’s strategic plan.

Public Comments None

Board Action President Haas noted the board had discussed the issue at their budget work session with the borough. A question was asked about the transfer of funds and if the fund would be drawn from in the current school year or next school year. Ms. Pearce stated the administration anticipated starting a replacement cycle next school year FY18-19. It was clarified schools would still have their individual equipment funds.

ADVISORY VOTES. 3 AYES: KOUGL, BONDURANT, FISHER MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY BY ROLL CALL VOTE. 6 AYES: DOMINIQUE, RICE, LAMBERT, MCCONNELL, DORAN, HAAS

FNSBSD Reduction in Force Plan Approval [2:30:20] Dr. Gaborik presented the district’s Reduction in Force Plan at the school board’s February 20, 2018 meeting where board and public comment was solicited. The plan was now before the board for approval.

Core Value/Goal: Organizational Support: Create an environment that supports the needs of staff to enable a school and organizational climate where students thrive.

LAMBERT MOVED, DOMINIQUE SECONDED, TO APPROVE THE FNSBSD REDUCTION IN FORCE PLAN.

Dr. Gaborik explained AS 14.20.177 required a plan to be in place if school attendance in the district had decreased and a reduction in force for certified staff might be necessary to responsibly manage the district’s finances. The plan language mirrored the FEA negotiated agreement.

Public Comments None

Board Action

ADVISORY VOTES. 3 AYES: FISHER, KOUGL, BONDURANT MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY BY ROLL CALL VOTE. 6 AYES: DORAN, DOMINIQUE, RICE, LAMBERT, MCCONNELL, HAAS

Board and Superintendent Comments & Committee Reports [2:32:36] Core Value/Goal: Effective Communication: Establish transparent and consistent communication to increase student, parent, staff, and community connectedness with the district.

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On behalf of the entire board, President Haas congratulated the North Pole High School JROTC cadets and the West Valley High School We the People team for their respective state championships. President Haas also congratulated the ESP of the Month, Melody Dalbec, and Julie Lougee, for her Special Education Teacher of the Year award. She thanked Ms. Machida and the University Park Musical Club for their musical performance. She also thanked Ms. Aizstrauts and Mr. Engman for the spotlight on University Park Elementary School.

Mr. Doran continued his visits to district schools. He had attended Hutchison’s Restart-Refresh Day and found it remarkable. Students and staff were talking and sharing. He noted the responsiveness of staff to students.

Ms. McConnell wanted to assure the public board members read every email they received and listened to testimony and took notes. The board faced some very difficult decisions - $8.2 million was a lot to cut from the budget. Ms. McConnell appreciated Mr. Zanazzo’s recommendation to not replace the three assistant principals retiring or leaving at the end of the school year and maintain three of the activity coordinator positions.

Mr. Rice recalled attending University Park Elementary with a female student who participated in the school’s ski program and went on to become a U.S. Olympian. He encouraged the public to attend the upcoming budget meetings and/or email or call board members. The board appreciated the Proposed Budget from the administration, but the board needed to hear from the public. The board faced some very difficult budget decisions.

Mrs. Lambert had recently judged the Interior Spelling Bee, where 57 spellers competed. The competition was a great event and a lot of fun. She had also attended Lathrop’s Wizard of Oz production – it was fantastic. She thought the woman who played Dorothy sounded like Judy Garland.

Mrs. Dominique asked the administration to have the costs for the rifle team for the next evening’s budget meeting. Dr. Gaborik stated the costs of all the sports had already been included in the agenda materials for the meeting. Mrs. Dominique encouraged the public to submit their comments regarding the budget. They could email or call a board member, testify at a meeting, or even submit input directly online on the district’s budget page. In honor of Women’s History Month, she shared information on several African American women who had impacted history, including Madam C. J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove; Fannie Lou Hamer; Mary McLeod Bethune; Shirley Chisholm; and Dorothy Height.

Ms. Kougl thanked the Hutchison High School students who had testified. She also announced the creation of a Community Food Pantry, located on 315 Wendell Avenue, which had been created through the Hutchison High School Student Council. She hoped board members would visit the pantry and consider donating to it.

Dr. Gaborik had attended the Chamber Luncheon earlier in the day where Colonel Fisher reported on the Fort Wainwright Garrison, including its partnership with the school district.

President Haas thanked Yatibaey Evans, Alaska Native education director, for the celebration at Barnette Magnet School in honor of Elizabeth Peratrovich. She encouraged board members to visit Lathrop’s Innovations Academy, if they had not already done so. It was great to visit and see students in action and hear from them directly. President Haas reported the board had received an email supporting a crisis team for the district. She explained the district already had a crisis team and thanked everyone who served on one of the teams – her family had experienced the great service they provided first hand yesterday.

President Haas reminded everyone of the budget meeting the next evening at 5:30 p.m. where public testimony would be taken. After spring break, the board would be holding a work session and public hearing on the budget scheduled for Monday, March 19 at 6:00 p.m. The board had a meeting scheduled to approve the budget on Wednesday, March 21 at 5:30 p.m. and if needed, Thursday, March 22 had also been held in the event the board needed to reconvene to continue their work the following evening.

President Haas announced the Parent Engagement Committee had met and were still working on the calendar recommendations to the school board. Recommendations were expected later in the spring.

The meeting adjourned at 9:51 p.m.

Submitted by Sharon Tuttle, executive assistant to the Board of Education.

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