MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 4J, LANE COUNTY, OREGON April 4, 2007 Meeting Convened The Board of Directors of School District No. 4J, Lane County, Eugene, Oregon, held an Executive Session at 6:30 p.m. and a regular meeting at 7 p.m. on April 4, 2007, at the Education Center, 200 North Monroe Street, Eugene, Oregon. Notice of the meeting was mailed to the media and posted in Education Center on March 30, 2007, and published in The Register-Guard on April 2, 2007. ROLL CALL BOARD MEMBERS: Tom Herrmann, Chair Charles Martinez, Jr., Vice Chair Eric Forrest Beth Gerot Alicia Hayes STAFF: George Russell, Superintendent of Schools and district Clerk Barbara Bellamy, Director, Communications and Intergovernmental Relations Tom Henry, Deputy Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer OTHER: Doug Gallup, District Hearing Officer John Wayland, Assistant Principal, South Eugene High School EXECUTIVE SESSION: Under provisions of ORS 192.610 – 192.690, Open Meeting Laws, the Board of Directors conducted an Executive Session for the following purpose: To consider the expulsion of a minor student, pursuant to ORS 332.061 (1) (a) REGULAR MEETING: The Executive Session recessed and the regular meeting convened with the above board members present along with the following: (Doug Gallup excused himself) STAFF: Yvonne Curtis, Director of Student Achievement Bill Hirsh, Director of Facilities and Transportation Hillary Kittleson, Director of Financial Services Jon Lauch, Assistant Director of Facilities Management Kay Mehas, Director of School Services Caroline Passerotti, Financial Analyst STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Joseph Dombrosky, Churchill High School Caitlin Moore, South Eugene High School Antonio Salgado, North Eugene High School Minutes – Board of Directors –April 4, 2007 1 MEDIA: Randy Larsen, KRVM Call to Order, Roll Call, and Flag Salute Board Chair, Tom Hermann, called the meeting to order. He noted that members Craig Smith and Yvette Webber-Davis were absent. Those present joined in the Pledge of Allegiance. Agenda Review Mr. Hermann determined there were no changes to the agenda. Introduction of Guests and Superintendent’s Report Superintendent Russell introduced Linda Ague of the Oregon Association of School Libraries. Ms. Ague thanked the board for allowing her to attend the meeting to present certificates recognizing district schools for meeting the requirements of the Quality Education Model for school libraries. The award recognized school districts for committing to a certain level of staffing and per pupil spending. She acknowledged the district’s concern about illiteracy. Ms. Ague recognized the 4J school board for its support of school libraries and presented individual certificates to Karen Leeson of North Eugene High School, John Wayland of South Eugene High School, and Julie Vignoul of Churchill High School. Superintendent Russell thanked Ms. Ague and the school representatives. Superintendent Russell recognized district students who won awards at the recent Afro- Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) event sponsored annually by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: Macque Linder, Audrey Wiltz, Dion Brown, Takana Thomas, Alicia Harley, Doreana Wallace, and Yasha Stubbs. Superintendent Russell called attention to a copy of a letter from Superintendent of Schools Susan Castillo inviting the district’s participation in an information session for the Harvard Education Leadership Program for Educators. He said he wanted to make the board aware of it because there would be a site visit from two people from Harvard the following week, Dr. Robert Schwartz and Lee Teitel on Thursday, April 5, from 1 to 4 p.m. He asked board members to attend if possible. Superintendent Russell called the board’s attention to information about a Joint Ways and Means Committee meeting occurring at the Willis Business Center at the University of Oregon on April 11. Committee members would discuss K-12 funding and the proposed education budget. Comments by Student Representatives Antonio Salgado of North Eugene High School reported that the Mr. North Pageant was May 1. Next month was Pride Week during which the school would be cleaned and students would hold hands around the school. Students would spell out “NEHS” and an aerial photo would be taken. Caitlin Monroe of South Eugene High School announced the upcoming arts auction on April 11, which would benefit the McKenzie Children’s Center of Kenya. There would also be student performances. Ms. Monroe said the Mr. Axeman competition would occur in a few weeks. The Minutes – Board of Directors –April 4, 2007 2 recycling committee on student government visited Churchill to see its system and got some helpful pointers. The Spring AIDS and Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) Program had been making presentations to sophomores over the last two days. Joseph Dembrosky of Churchill High School announced that the Mr. Lancer Pageant would occur on April 12 and would benefit the Children’s Miracle Network. Items Raised by the Audience Megan Kemple, Farm to Cafeteria Coordinator with the Willamette Farm and Food Coalition, requested the board’s endorsement of House Bill (HB) 3476, which would allocate seven cents per school meal served to incorporate Oregon agricultural products, House Bill 3307, which created a Farm to School Program within the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and HB 3185, which would award mini-grants for school gardens and other agriculture and school-based learning. She noted 4J Food Services Director Chad Williams interest in incorporating more local foods into the menu and indicated he had identified costs as the greatest barrier. Ms. Kemple said the money would not come from the education budget but from the General Fund. Ms. Kemple said the bills were supported by the 4J Wellness Policy. She provided the board with information regarding the legislation in question. Comments from Employee Groups There were no representatives of the employee groups present to offer comment. Items for Information Receive a Report on the Wallace Grant Kay Mehas, Director of School Services and Wallace Grant Coordinator, distributed and reviewed information related to the Wallace LEAD Grant: objectives 1-6 from the Eugene School District 4J Leadership System, the Eugene Leadership Vision, and a document entitled Wallace LEAD Grant: “Everyone a Learner.” She explained the district was in the fifth year of the five-year Wallace LEAD Grant, which would end on June 30. Ms. Mehas called attention to information provided, which provided a listing of the presenters funded through the grant and the types of projects that had occurred. She briefly described the evaluative process for the grant and how that tied to the objectives. Ms. Mehas said the grant was over and the district had some carryover funds, and had been notified it would be allowed to do a plan for those funds, allowing for some additional professional development and the continuation of the K-12 Learning Communities. She anticipated the district would receive $75,000 annually over the next three years from the new Wallace Grant, which the district had been awarded in conjunction with the State. Ms. Mehas recognized the contribution of the Educational Development Center. Ms. Mehas noted the remarks of an outside evaluator who had interviewed the district’s administrators and who indicated the morale of the district was high and that school leaders believed that they could and would close the achievement gap. They trusted each other more and were enjoying productive, more collaborative working relationships and continued to produce effective outcomes for students. Eugene was cited as a model for change by the evaluator. Minutes – Board of Directors –April 4, 2007 3 Ms. Mehas invited questions. There were none. Mr. Hermann thanked Ms. Mehas. Items for Action at this Meeting Approve a Proposed Resolution Requesting Support of Adequacy Law Suit by Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA) Legal Assistance Trust SCHEDULE A Superintendent Russell introduced the item, reminding the board it received a request from Kathryn Firestone and the Oregon School Funding Defense Foundation to support a resolution to support the adequacy lawsuit the district was a partner in. Mr. Hermann noted that a copy of the resolution was in the board’s packet. MOTION: Ms. Gerot, seconded by Mr. Martinez, moved to support the resolution. Ms. Gerot recalled that she had shared that the trust had previously indicated the lawsuit would not increase costs to districts because the trust had some funding, but if the Oregon School Boards Association decided to challenge House Bill 426, it could mean some of those funds could be depleted; however, that decision had not been made. VOTE: The motion passed unanimously, 5:0. Consent Group—Items for Action MOTION: Mr. Martinez, seconded by Ms. Gerot, moved to approve the Consent Calendar. VOTE: The motion passed unanimously, 5:0. Approve Board Meeting Minutes The superintendent recommended approval of the board meeting minutes from the Special Meeting held January 8, 2007, and the regular board meetings held January 10 and January 17, 2007. Approve Personnel Items The superintendent recommended approval of the personnel items included in the packet. These cover employment, resignations, and other routine personnel matters. Comments and Committee Reports by Individual Board Members Ms. Gerot said she had the opportunity to attend part of Bob Marzano’s talk earlier in the week and found him to be a dynamic presenter. Several district staff met with him and talked about the MSAN conference and made him aware there was a board assembly component to it so he could tailor some of his remarks to board governance issues. Ms. Gerot said that Strategic Planning Process Coordinating Committee met that day and was moving along. The Think Tank had the background information from the district and would be looking at priority areas for emphasis. She expected the board would hear more in the future.