EXECUTIVE SESSIONS Legislative Meeting of September 29, 2010 In addition to executive sessions announced at the legislative meeting of August 25, 2010, the Board met in executive session on September 15, 2010 and immediately before this legislative meeting to discuss various personnel matters that may include, but are not limited to, administrative vacancies and positions opened and closed. Finally, at the executive session immediately before this legislative meeting, the Board discussed student discipline cases that involved violations of various portions of the Code of Student Conduct. The Board does not vote at executive sessions. 2862 COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION Legislative Meeting September 29, 2010 DIRECTORS: The Committee on Education recommends the adoption of the following resolutions, that the proper officers of the Board be authorized to enter into contracts relating to those resolutions and that authority be given to the staff to change account numbers, the periods of performance, and such other details as may be necessary to carry out the intent of the resolution, so long as the total amount of money carried in the resolution is not exceeded. Except that with respect to grants which are received as a direct result of Board action approving the submission of proposals to obtain them, the following procedures shall apply: Where the original grant is $1,000 or less, the staff is authorized to receive and expend any increase over the original grant. Where the original grant is more than $1,000, the staff is authorized to receive and expend any increase over the original grant, so long as the increase does not exceed fifteen percent (15%) of the original grant. Increases in excess of fifteen percent (15%) require additional Board authority. Proposals/Grant Award RESOLVED, That the Board of Education of the School District of Pittsburgh authorize its proper officers to submit proposals for grants and accept grant awards in the amounts and for the purposes set forth in subparagraph 1 through 9, inclusive. RESOLVED FURTHER, That upon approval of the grant by the granting agency, the Board authorize the establishment of appropriate accounts and, where necessary to implement the grant, authorize the advancement of funds to operate the program until the grant and fees are received. Proposals/Grant Award 1. PULLED 2. RESOLVED, That the Board accept a grant award from the Workforce Investment Agency for $93,594. This grant provides career development opportunities, paid internships, student wages, supplies and recognition for students with cognitive disabilities through Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, UPMC, Allegheny General Hospital, as well as other community businesses/organizations. This grant will require that students upon graduation 2863 Committee on Education Legislative Meeting September 29, 2010 are placed in competitive employment situations and/or are enrolled in post secondary programs. This grant provides opportunities for fifty-six (56) students who are enrolled in the Start on Success (SOS) program at one of the following high schools: Pittsburgh Allderdice, Pittsburgh Oliver, Pittsburgh Carrick, Pittsburgh Langley, Pittsburgh Peabody, Pittsburgh Perry, Pittsburgh Schenley and Pittsburgh Westinghouse High School. The funding period shall run from October 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. 3. RESOLVED, That the Board accept a grant award from the Pennsylvania Department of Education for $14,758,084. Authorization is requested to accept $14,758,084 from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to implement the Transformation Model as it is mandated by the United States Department of Education in the following six schools: Pittsburgh King, Pittsburgh Brashear, Pittsburgh Langley, Pittsburgh Oliver, Pittsburgh Perry and Pittsburgh Westinghouse. This funding will also be used to support students who previously attended Pittsburgh Rooney as part of their transition into their new schools. This funding will be provided to the District over a three-year period beginning with the 2010-11 school year; with year 2 and year 3 funding contingent upon the District meeting progress monitoring requirements. This funding will also be utilized to fund select District-level activities related to the transformation of the schools mentioned above. The funds will be awarded as follows: Year 1 award - $2,492,912 Year 2 award - $5,017,068 Year 3 award - $7,248,104 The funding period shall run from TBD to September 30, 2013. 4. RESOLVED, That the Board accept the submission of an application to the Champion Creatively Alive Children Minigrant Program sponsored by Crayola and NAESP for $3,000. Funds are requested to support a school-wide effort to create a "Community Day Every Day" learning environment to celebrate the 30 communities from which the students of Pittsburgh Carmalt hail. Students will prepare for this day by exploring the history of their communities, meeting with community historians, and identifying the relationship between architecture and the community. Students will write comparison/contrast papers and will create other suitable forms of work for various grade levels--such as before and after drawings--at primary grade levels to ensure full school participation. Students also will have the opportunity to draw site plans and design their own communities, write and videotape a commercial to promote their "new" community, and share their commercial with other schools in districts across the Page 2 of31 2864 Committee on Education Legislative Meeting September 29,2010 U. S. via distance learning mechanisms already available in Carmalt, which is a Technology Academy. This work will be integrated into current curriculum to support and advance learning goals and student achievement. The school will work with the Mayor's Office to identify community historians and guest speakers and will work also with Carnegie Mellon University architectural interns to introduce students to architectural history, drawing, and planning. An overall outcome is to ensure students have a greater understanding of the similarities people share and do not focus solely on differences. This work speaks to the District's goals for student achievement and also to our Empowering Effective Teachers' goal of improving teaching and learning environments. The funding period shall run from November 1, 2010 to October 31, 2011. 5. RESOLVED, That the Board accept the submission of an application to the Champion Creatively Alive Children Minigrant Program sponsored by Crayola and NAESP for $3,000 by Pittsburgh Concord. Funds are requested to support a school wide effort to expose students to great literature through poetry infused with the arts. Goals of the program include developing greater arts appreciation among students, encouraging student exploration and creativity through the arts, and supporting greater outcomes on PSSA results in the area of poetry. Students, staff, and parents will be able to write their own inspirational poem in one of the 51 types of poetry that will be explored along with accompanying art work. Poetry read aloud and a Spring Fine Arts Night that displays all of the poems along with the art works will be part of this effort. Bound books of the artwork and poems that will be created will be available for purchase, and the individual framed and matted version of single works of art and poems will be framed and matted with a button that can be pressed to hear the author read his/her work aloud. Grant funds will support costs of materials and supplies, refreshments, binding, printing and copying, and sound recording needs to make the project a reality. Grant funds will include $2,500 of cash and $500 of Crayola materials for use by students and staff. Proceeds from the sales of final bound books of art work at the close of the project will be placed in a fund for use to continue and sustain this project next year in the school, and hopefully in years beyond as well as this becomes an annual event. The funding period shall fun from November 1,2010 to October 31,2011. 6. RESOLVED, That the Board accept the submission of an application to the Champion Creatively Alive Children Minigrant Program sponsored by Crayola and NAESP for $3,000. Funds are requested to support a Traveling Art Show to be created by Pittsburgh Schiller students based on the students' original artwork. The theme of the show will be the National Art Education Association's Page 3 of31 2865 Committee on Education Legislative Meeting September 29, 2010 "10 Lessons the Arts Teach." (See additional information page for detailed description of these 10 lessons. )Students will collaborate on making ten pieces of artwork that depict each of those lessons. The show will travel to up to 5 other PPS schools where students in art classes at those schools will discuss the Schiller students' pieces and return critiques back to Schiller to be discussed with Schiller student artists. At the end of the Traveling Art Show across the schools, a Community Show will be held at Schiller to exhibit the results for friends, families and the community to review. The overall goals of the program include: 1) Promoting creativity critical thinking and collaboration between students, art teachers and principals within the district; 2) Ensuring students develop pride and meaning through their artwork; 3) Enabling students to talk about artwork in a non-threatening way, which will encourage students to practice critical thinking about the work itself rather than the person who created it; 4) Increasing opportunities for exposure to art among peers, students, teachers, administrators, and the community; and 5) Strengthening and promoting communication between art teachers and principals within the District. These goals are congruent with the District's arts curriculum, EFA reform agenda, and the Empowering Effective Teachers effort to improve learning environment. Funds will be used for materials and supplies to support this project. Funds include $2,500 in cash and $500 of Crayola products. The funding period shall run from November 1, 2010 to October 31, 2011.