OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE GREENEVILLE CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION SEPTEMBER 23, 2008 The Greeneville City Board of Education met in regular session on Tuesday, September 23, 2008, at Tusculum View Elementary School. Members present were Jerry Anderson, Chairman, Craig Ogle, Mike Hollowell, Cindy Luttrell, and Ben Collins. Mark Patterson was absent. Others in attendance included Dr. Lyle C. Ailshie, Director of Schools; administrative personnel; Tusculum View staff members, and media representatives. Mr. Jerry Anderson, Chairman, called the meeting to order. Ben Collins led in pledging allegiance to the American flag. Special Presentations Wal Mart Teacher of the Year Ms. Kelli Read, representing Wal-Mart Distribution Center, presented Mr. David Pauley, related arts teacher at Greenville High school, with the Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year award. Wal-Mart presented $1,000.00 to the school and a $100.00 gift card to Mr. Pauley. Family Life Education Public Hearing Dr. Vicki Kirk stated that Board Policy and State Law require a yearly hearing for the Family Life Strand of the local health curriculum. Dr. Kirk opened the floor for questions or comments regarding the Family Life Strand, and there were none. Report on Tusculum View Elementary School Mrs. Pat Donaldson, principal, welcomed the Board to Tusculum View. Several topics were covered in the report presented by Mrs. Donaldson: Response To Intervention (RTI) Mrs. Donaldson stated that K-2 teachers are working diligently on this program as they work to identify early those students that may be at risk for poor learning outcomes. 5 th Grade Writing Scores Teachers success using Write from the Beginning has helped produce some of the best 5 th grade writing scores ever. Tusculum View has one Trainer-of-Trainers and has two additional teachers going through training to become trainers. Math Mrs. Donaldson explained that math has been identified as an area that needs strengthening. A new program, Just About Math (JAM) is being used for remediation and enrichment math activities.
The fifth grade chorus under the direction of Mrs. Cindy Sams, presented a patriotic musical presentation. Special Recognition Dr. Kirk recognized Mrs. Kim Gass, Adult Education (AE) Program Supervisor, for the recent commendation she received from the State of Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Mrs. Gass provided information which was shared at a national training sponsored by the American Institutes for Research showing how she uses data to successfully manage her program. BUSINESS TRANSACTED Approval of Agenda On a motion by Mrs. Luttrell and a second by Mr. Hollowell, the Board unanimously approved the Agenda, including the Consent Agenda. Mr. Anderson noted that Item K Consideration of Approving Naming of GHS Training Room would be moved to the first item under Action Items. Consent Agenda A. Consideration of Approving Minutes of August 28, 2008 Board Meeting Board approval was unanimous for the August 28, 2008 Board minutes. Minutes are on file in the Central Office. B. Consideration of Accepting Personnel Report Board approval was unanimous for acceptance of the personnel report noting the following changes in personnel since the August report to the Board. Nichole King has transferred from a part-time Instructional Assistant/LPN position to a full-time School Nurse position. Jennifer Debusk has been employed as a part-time Instructional Assistant at Eastview Elementary replacing Tracy Olson who transferred to a full time Instructional Assistant position. Sarah Whitted has been employed as a part-time worker in the Extended School Program as a replacement for Ira Ginn. Pam Roberts was terminated from her Extended School Program position. Broderick Gillispie will be working in a volunteer role with the Greeneville High School basketball program. C. Consideration of Approving Textbook Certification
The Board unanimously approved textbook certification for the 2008-2009 school year. (A copy of the Textbook Certification Compliance form is on file in the Assistant Director s office.) D. Consideration of Approving Board Policy Revision (2 nd Reading) The Board unanimously approved revisions to the following policies on second reading: 1.106 Code of Ethics 1.1061 Effective Boardmanship Standards A new policy, Code of Ethics, replaces the previous ethics policy. The previous policy has been renumbered 1.1061 and re-titled to avoid confusion. 2.404 School Support Groups Additional revisions to Policy 2.404 were approved on first reading at the July 22, 2008 Board meeting. Since that time, TSBA has proposed amendments to ensure compliance with recent changes in the law. One additional revision is necessary to bring the policy into compliance. This revision is in Item 10 on page 2 regarding the location of fundraising activities that must be approved. 4.406 Use of the Internet This policy has been amended to comply with recent changes in the law to incorporate safety instruction and an explicit statement of the consequences of the violation of the policy or any procedures. 4.502 Parent/Family Involvement This policy has been amended to comply with recent changes in the law. 4.503 Parent Organizations/Booster Clubs This policy is being deleted obsolete. (Copies of the revised policy are attached to the minutes.) E. Consideration of Approving School Trip Board approval was unanimous for a trip to Nashville, Tennessee for the seventh grade class at Greeneville Middle School on May 13-15, 2009. (A copy of the letter of request is attached to the minutes.) F. Consideration of Approving System Wide Emergency Response Plan Board approval was unanimous for approval of the System Wide Emergency Response Plan that is required by state law for all school systems. The plan is based on National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System. The plan will be submitted to the Tennessee Department of Education along with an action plan to the State that outlines implementation strategies. (A copy of the plan is on file in the office of the Coordinator of School Health.) Action Items K. Consideration of Approving Naming of GHS Training Room On a motion from Mr. Ogle and second from Mrs. Luttrell, the Board unanimously approved naming the GHS Training Room in memory of Dr. Walter C. Chapman. Dr. Ailshie explained that Dr. Chapman, who recently passed away, served as Greeneville
High School s orthopedic doctor for approximately thirty years. He was an integral part of creating a training room at Greeneville High School, having purchased a significant portion of the equipment. Dr. Ailshie added that Dr. Chapman also served on the sidelines of both home and away football games and that his staff had provided athletic physicals for many student athletes. Wilton Chapman, son of the late Dr. Chapman, thanked the Board, stating that his father loved to help people, especially young people, and would have been thrilled with the honor. A special ceremony to officially recognize the honor will be held on October 24, 2008, at Burley Stadium during the Greeneville High School football game. A bronze plaque will be placed in the training room in recognition of the honor. G. Consideration of Accepting August Financial Statement Mrs. Lisa Stephens presented the August financial statements for Board approval. Mrs. Stephens stated that year-to-date revenue collections through August 2008 totaling $492,501.03 are $9,920.62 over the same period last year, adding that a 1% increase in property tax was projected for 2008-2009. Mrs. Stephens noted that the $116,552.05 item under Board of Education on the General Purpose financial statement reflects the annual payment for workers compensation insurance premium and student and athletic accident insurance. Mr. Hollowell moved for approval of the financial statements, Mr. Ogle provided the second, and Board approval was unanimous. (A copy of the financial statements is on file in the Human Resource and Finance office.) H. Consideration of Approving Auditing Services Mrs. Stephens explained that after sixteen years, Adams and Plucker had notified the school system that they would no longer be performing school system audits due to the strict governmental requirements. A request for Proposal was sent out and three bids were received as follows: Rodefer & Moss $37,500.00 Mitchell Emert & Hill $41,400.00 Blackburn, Childers & Steagall $42,000.00 Mr. Anderson relinquished his position as Chairman to Mr. Ogle and made a motion to accept the low bid from Rodefer & Moss for $37,500.00 for one year. Mr. Hollowell seconded the motion, and Board approval was unanimous. I. Consideration of Approving 2009-2010 School Calendar
Dr. Vicki Kirk presented the 2009-2010 school calendar for Board approval. She explained that both the regular calendar and Highland Year Round calendar meet all state guidelines for approval. The calendar was presented as a draft because the TCAP testing window and Gateway test dates have not yet been determined by the State Department of Education. She stated that August 10, 2009 will be the first day of school on the regular calendar. Dr. Kirk noted that the calendars are aligned with the county school system s calendar to prevent scheduling problems at the Center for Technology. Additionally, three professional learning days have been built into the calendars. On a motion from Mrs. Luttrell and second from Mr. Hollowell, the Board approved unanimously the 2009-2010 calendars. J. Consideration of Approving Board Policy Revision (1 st Reading) Dr. Kirk explained that Policy 4.209 Alternative Credit Options is being revised to ensure policy matches practice and intent. Revisions to the policy include deletion of the section on correspondence courses because those courses are obsolete; the provider, the University of Tennessee, no longer offers correspondence courses. Other changes have been made to reflect the system s intention to provide online course offerings to students from both vendor providers and our own archived classes. The policy is also being revised to allow middle school students to take online courses and to remove the maximum number of credits that can be earned online. Dr. Kirk also explained that procedures will be developed on the fee structure. Mr. Ogle moved to approve the proposed revisions on first reading, Mrs. Luttrell provided the second, and Board concurrence was unanimous. Reports L. Report on Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp (JROTC) Program A report on the GHS Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp (JROTC) Program was presented by Lt. Col. Galen Kirchmeier who is senior aerospace science instructor of the program along with MSgt. Lynn Durden, aerospace science instructor. Lt. Col. Kirchmeier stated that enrollment in the program is up from sixty-six students last year to eighty-eight students this year. He explained the mission of the program is to develop citizens of character dedicated to serving their nation and community. According to Lt. Col. Kirchmeier, students can earn up to thirteen college credits if they take JROTC all four years of high school. The JROTC curriculum includes
fundamentals of leadership and aviation history; science of flight; space exploration; defense aviation policies and cadet corps leadership; personal management; and character education. He noted that a new class has just been added for next year, global studies. Cadet Commander Jennifer Crump and Deputy Commander John Morrow aided in the presentation. Unit goals were shared as follows: integrate technology and project-based learning into JROTC curriculum; increase cadet population by 5% each year to achieve 150 cadets; work with school administrators to create additional academic periods/opportunities for students to enroll in JROTC and provide flexibility to guidance; provide awareness to community on the value of citizenship programs of JROTC and make the community aware of military service importance; and work with community civic organizations to assist in charitable fund raisers and community projects. Announcements School Board Retreat October 5-6, 2008 Adjournment The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:15 p.m. on a motion from Mr. Ogle and second from Mrs. Luttrell. Respectfully submitted, Jerry Anderson, Chairman Lyle C. Ailshie, Director of Schools