| BOE Minutes | BOE Home Page | |
| Previous: 2007-07-30 || Community Partnerships || Next: 2007-10-01 | ||
| Madison Metropolitan School District Madison, Wisconsin Art Rainwater, Superintendent | ||
|---|---|---|
| BOARD OF EDUCATION Minutes for Community Partnerships September 10, 2007 |
Doyle Administration Building 545 West Dayton Street, Auditorium Madison, Wisconsin |
|
Community Partnerships Committee meeting was called to order by Chair Maya Cole at 6:08 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Board Members Maya Cole, Lucy Mathiak, Johnny Winston, Jr.
Citizen Members Amy Hilgendorf, Carl Silverman
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHER BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Arlene Silveira
STUDENT LIAISON PRESENT: None
STAFF PRESENT: Lisa Black, Pam Nash, Joe Quick, Art Rainwater, Marcia Standiford, Ann Wilson-Recording Secretary
1. Approval of Minutes
It was moved by Lucy Mathiak and seconded by Johnny Winston, Jr. to approve the minutes of the Community Partnerships Committee meeting dated July 30, 2007 as distributed. Motion unanimously carried.
2. Public Appearances
There were no public appearances.
3. Announcements
Maya Cole announced the appointment of the new Citizen Member to the committee, Amy Hilgendorf.
4. Future Funding of Community Partners through Fund 80
(Materials provided in advance of the meeting: Madison Metropolitan School District Community Service Fund 80, Decision Matrix for Fund 80 Community Partnership Funds - attached to the original copy of these minutes.)
Lisa Black described the steps in the Decision Making Matrix for Fund 80 Community Partnership Funds. Lucy Mathiak asked where the Board's decision to fund projects through an open grant competition falls on the decision matrix. Superintendent Rainwater left the room to find minutes that reflected action and reported that a motion that reflected that proposed action was withdrawn at the Regular Board Meeting in August so funding projects in this way should not, at this time, be reflected on the decision matrix.
Maya Cole reviewed for the citizen members the purpose and background for discussion at this meeting.
DISCUSSION:
· No clear definition/explanation of relationships among the grantees. Need more work on reporting back or evaluation.
· Fund 80 grants should be open to the entire community. Committee needs more discussion of evaluation - measurements, outcomes.
· Elements for evaluation that grant writers and evaluators are looking for in general.
· Need to sort out a big picture and purpose before deciding where funding should go. Need clarity, assurance that resources are not being duplicated.
· Decision needs to be made about the focus for funding. Committee could identify a specific goal.
· In many cases the district is a minority funder. Projects are similar in nature regarding their relationship with the district, except the Schools of Hope project which works together with the Urban League project and possibly the Centro Hispano project. Those projects should be considered as a group for funding because they are interrelated.
· Need to see funding and relationships in a coherent, clear way. Not sure how they fit together.
· Review contracts for evaluation information. Committee needs to become clear about evaluation.
· Site visits have already been conducted by Lisa Black.
· Do not have a good sense of the groups, amounts or purpose. Continue to be in the same spot of having no formal process for application, granting varying amounts, continuing unqualified entitlements with no real sense of what or why.
· More desirable to require objective measurement. All projects have goals for evaluation, but has there been improvement?
· Appreciate these partnerships and wish there were more. Need to be able to articulate how they are adding to educational outcomes for students. Need to be more specific, maybe look at examples outside of the district.
· Not the only partnerships in the district. Caution to not put more restrictions on these programs which serve students of color than other programs.
· Community has been critical about the lack of a neutral, formal process for selecting groups. (Another committee member did not recall criticism.)
FOLLOW-UP:
· Clarify relationships among Schools of Hope, Urban League and Centro Hispano programs, including connection with MSCR staffing.
· Provide a full list of Fund 80 community services.
Superintendent Rainwater noted the Decision Matrix illustrates the choices that could be made in order to proceed. It does not assure, nor preclude funding for the organizations currently funded. The second step in the process deals with evaluation, whether there is continued funding of current projects or an annual RFP process is followed. He noted concern that a decision should be made so that the committee does not find itself in the same position as last spring when it was too late to impose a different evaluation component.
It was moved by Lucy Mathiak and seconded by Carl Silverman that the Partnerships Committee recommend to the Board of Education that, beginning with funding for 2008-2009, Community Partnerships Fund 80 funds be awarded through a competitive grant process for all organizations except those that fall under the Schools of Hope contract. The motion carried 4‑1 with Johnny Winston, Jr. voting no.
5. Topics for Discussion for the 2007-08 School Year
Maya Cole indicated she would set additional dates when she would meet with the citizen members on an ad hoc basis to pursue other agenda items in areas where the citizen members had interest or expertise. The two items noted were alternative funding for athletics and a parent involvement policy. The chair and citizens will meet regularly on the third Thursday morning. The first of these meetings is on September 20 at 8 a.m.
6. Other Business
There was no other business.
7. Adjournment
It was moved by Maya Cole and seconded by Lucy Mathiak to adjourn the meeting at 7:20 p.m. Motion unanimously carried.
aw
Previous: 2007-07-30 || Community Partnerships || Next: 2007-10-01