| BOE Minutes | BOE Home Page | |
| Previous: 2007-01-22 || Community Partnerships || Next: 2007-03-12 | ||
| Madison Metropolitan School District Madison, Wisconsin Art Rainwater, Superintendent | ||
|---|---|---|
| BOARD OF EDUCATION Minutes for Community Partnerships February 12, 2007 |
Doyle Administration Building 545 West Dayton Street, Auditorium Madison, Wisconsin |
|
Partnerships Committee meeting was called to order by Chair Lucy Mathiak at 5:05 p.m.
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Lucy Mathiak, Arlene Silveira, Shwaw Vang
BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: None
CITIZEN MEMBERS ABSENT: Barbara Schrank, Carl Silverman
OTHER BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Carol Carstensen, Johnny Winston, Jr.
STAFF PRESENT: Lucy Chaffin, Mary Gulbrandsen, Julie Koenke, Pam Nash, Roger Price, Art Rainwater, Marcia Standiford, Ken Syke, Nancy Yoder, Barbara Lehman-Recording Secretary
1. Approval of Minutes
It was moved by Arlene Silveira and seconded by Shwaw Vang to approve the minutes of the Community Partnerships Committee dated January 22, 2007. Motion unanimously carried by those present.
2. Public Appearances
There were no public appearances.
3. Announcements
There were no announcements.
4. Organizations and Programs funded out of the Fund 80 part of the MMSD 2007-08 Budget: Wisconsin Center for Academically Talented Youth (WCATY), Charles Hamilton Houston Institute, Kajsiab House, Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools
(Packets included a cover memorandum from Lisa Black (2/8/07); a chart listing the Fund 80 programs, funding, timeframe, and services provided; and short reports on the Kajsiab House School Project (2/5/07), WCATY (2/12/07), and the Gay Straight Alliance Support and Bystanders to Allies program. Copies are attached to the original of these minutes.)
Shwaw Vang recused himself.
Kajsiab House
Several Hmong students gave a short demonstration of their ability to play the Qeej, a wind instrument formerly allowed only to be played by males in Laos, now offered to female students by instructors contracted through the Kajsib House. Two of the students spoke of their experiences learning to play the traditional instrument from their country. Doua Vang, Kajsiab House Program Manager, spoke of their efforts to implement the Hmong culture into education for their youth. They were very grateful for the support of the district.
Discussion:
o More students would take advantage of the programs if they had more instructors and a coordinator for these activities.
o Freedom, Inc. is a separate project offering students 13-17 years old peer-to-peer group support.
o Both programs serve a total of 83 students.
o Fund 80 is 6.2 percent of the Kajsiab House total yearly operational budget.
Mr. Vang rejoined the committee.
WCATY
Additional materials were distributed: a mailer describing the 2007 internship program with Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc. and the 2007 Summer Program Catalog (copies are attached to the original of these minutes).
Carole Trone, President in her first year, appealed to the district's means of achieving equity through excellence. WCATY received $25,000 from the MMSD, all of which went towards scholarships for low-income students. They have an annual budget of $1.4 million; the district's contribution is less than 2 percent of their total budget. They are a statewide and nonprofit organization in their 25th year. They achieve racial and ethnic diversity as well as rural, urban and suburban diversity of enrollment of academically talented and motivated students. She spoke to the issue of what students lose over the summer months and how WCATY used the funding over the past year. They are looking to partner, support and collaborate. She pointed out that gifted students can also be at risk, dropouts, require special needs, etc., and that they are targeting more. Two students appeared with her who spoke about their experiences and how they could not have stayed in the program without the help of Fund 80.
Discussion:
o Looking at ways to expand awareness and exposure and make sure they can track long-term outcomes.
o They seek out schools which have low-income and test scores of populations that they serve. They continue to look and have those conversations with the schools.
o How Toki and O'Keeffe were chosen (interim situation at O'Keeffe).
o Low-income students identified through the school-based coordinators by the free and reduced lunch criteria.
Charles Hamilton Houston Institute
Materials distributed included: a Youth Empowerment Academy (YEA) program from the first annual YEA summer seminar awards reception, the mission statement and list of Board members, the YEA Handbook, a Student Nomination Form, a Student Pledge Form, and a Parent Acknowledgement and Agreement Form (copies are attached to the original of these minutes).
Dr. John Odom gave a presentation reporting on their successful experience over the last few months (a copy of the PowerPoint is attached to the original of these minutes). Highlights: 227 individuals impacted, curricular wheel, preparedness for economic readiness, YEA seminar, Senior Saturdays, study hall/coaching, summer schedule, classes, rules for students, mostly middle school students with a few more boys than girls. Dr. Joann Pritchett also emphasized the importance of having the students evaluate the failure or success of the program in terms of what it did for them and what it meant to them.
Discussion:
o How children are referred/selected. Process is different for summer programs than for the regular classes over the school year.
o Class size limited by what the instructors are comfortable working with.
Gay Straight Alliancefor Safe Schools
Additional materials distributed: Articles—"Playground Heroes," Greater Good Magazine and "This is why we need a GSA," Teaching Tolerance Spring 2007 (copies are attached to the original of these minutes).
Cindy Crane, Director of the Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools (GSA) introduced Brian Juchems, Program Director, and two students from Cherokee Middle School. She stated that they are following their proposal for the after-school program. The article from Teaching Tolerance magazine gave a "thumbs up" to Madison for its anti-bullying efforts. She added that 83 percent of the Bystanders into Allies (b2a) initiative comes from the MMSD, which makes up about 18 percent of their entire budget. They are in the middle schools for the first time this year and were very grateful that the district is making it possible. The students spoke about their work writing and doing skits, which are now being edited. They intend to show them at their schools and put up posters to let people know about the skits. After the skits are shown, they will have guides for the teachers to use with students. They hoped kids would see that bullying is a very bad thing and that it is not that hard to stand up to a bully.
Mr. Juchems described their work-in-progress at Sherman Middle School working with about 15 students on the Equity Leadership Council. The curriculum-in-action includes mapping the school where bullying has been experiences and sharing that with the larger school audience, writing down the kinds of bullying at Sherman, discussing the differences between a bystander and an ally, how physical bodies respond to anger, and the eventual development of story boards and skits.
Discussion:
o GSA presence at the recent Celebration of Leadership Conference was great.
o Suggestion was made to share their work with all the other schools and teachers.
5. MadisonSchool& Community Recreation (MSCR) Student Functions, Supervision, and Operations
(Packets included a MSCR Supervision Plan for Middle School Socials. An additional handout was distributed at the meeting outlining the progressive discipline system. Copies are attached to the original of these minutes.)
Julie Koenke, Supervisor of the middle and high school programs, noted that MSCR has been having middle school socials since 1998 at the Warner Park Community Recreation Center (WPCRC) facility on the east side of Madison. Students were bused from the west side. They began to have socials on the west side in the spring of 2006 either at Toki or Jefferson Middle Schools. She reviewed the registration and entrance process, staff assignments, community communications, departure process, behavior management protocol, and changes that will occur in supervision as a result of the issues from the December west side social.
Discussion:
o Written plan of current practices.
o Misbehaviors and consequences were put in place around 1999.
o Events are sponsored by MSCR.
o Information is made available during school registration week, notices are included in the MSCR program guide, and school announcements are made.
o Parents are not required to sign consent forms.
o No social has been held since the one in December.
o Cost is $3 per student.
o High school students do not staff the middle school socials.
o Differences between WPCRC facility and the schools.
o High school students not welcome to middle school socials; have not had any issues.
o More communication among the district, the Madison Police Department, and community groups will make the socials safer and these practices will continue.
6. Other Business
There was no other business.
7. Adjournment
It was moved by Arlene Silveira and seconded by Shwaw Vang to adjourn the meeting at 6:36 p.m. Motion unanimously carried by those present.
bl
Previous: 2007-01-22 || Community Partnerships || Next: 2007-03-12