Special Meeting - Open Session - April 26, 2004

Madison Metropolitan School District Madison, Wisconsin Art Rainwater, Superintendent
BOARD OF EDUCATION Minutes for Special Meeting - Open Session April 26, 2004		Doyle Administration Building 545 West Dayton Street, Room 103 Madison, Wisconsin

The Special Meeting of the Board of Education was called to order by President Bill Keys at 5:01 p.m.

MEMBERS PRESENT: Carol Carstensen, Bill Clingan, Bill Keys, Juan José López, Ruth Robarts,

Shwaw Vang (left at 7:02 p.m.), Johnny Winston, Jr.

MEMBERS ABSENT: None

STAFF PRESENT: Jane Belmore, Valencia Douglas, Mark Evans, Mary Gulbrandsen, Robert Nadler, Roger Price, Art Rainwater, Attorney Clarence Sherrod, Ken Syke, Eddie Thomas, Barbara Lehman-Recording Secretary

1. Approval of Minutes

It was moved by Juan José López and seconded by Ruth Robarts to approve the minutes from the Special Board meetings dated March 15, March 29 (5:45 p.m.), March 29 (7 p.m.), and March 31, 2004 as distributed. Motion unanimously carried.

2. Public Appearances

There were no public appearances at this time but written registrations included 37 in support of the partnership between the Madison Metropolitan School District and the Wexford Ridge Neighborhood Center from individuals and various community organizations.

3. Announcements

Mr. Keys announced the candidates for Board of Education Student Liaison and Alternate for the 2004-05 school year, Oliver Kiefer, West High School, 11^th grade, and Lena Song, West High School, 11^th grade. The final election will be held on Friday, May 14, 2004. All high school students are eligible to vote at their respective high school.

4. Swearing in of Newly Elected Board Members

Ruth Robarts, Shwaw Vang, and Johnny Winston, Jr. took the Official Oath of Elected School Board Members.

Public Appearances were taken up again:

Michael Jackson, UW-Madison student, works in the community with some programs and the Boys and Girls Club. He asked what the district is doing to actively work in the community and make sure that children, once they leave school, are getting support that goes hand-in-hand with their schools.

The Superintendent described the after-school programs available at most elementary and middle schools involving academic tutoring and recreation programs and sports and the various sources of funding. Various community organizations were mentioned, e.g., Urban League, Centro Hispano, and agreements with several neighborhood centers. The speaker asked how success rates are evaluated. The Superintendent noted that the district tracks how a child progresses through the system overall and does not evaluate or conclude that a particular program provides specific movement. The programs are too complex and too broad to narrow down to a specific program or tutors. The district evaluates reading, math, science, and social studies. Mr. Clingan noted that there are many services the city and county provides that give a holistic approach, including health and safety, which does not end at 3 p.m. Outreach is done from the classroom and through MSCR. There was a comment about the limited resources available to respond to all the needs. The speaker also asked about the role that Unions play in helping solve these problems.

5. Election of School Board Officers

Chair was turned over to Carol Carstensen

Johnny Winston, Jr. nominated Bill Keys for the office of President. It was moved by Juan José López and seconded by Shwaw Vang to close the nominations. Motion unanimously carried.

It was moved by Bill Clingan and seconded by Juan José López to elect Bill Keys President by unanimous acclamation.

Chair was returned to Bill Keys

Shwaw Vang nominated Bill Clingan for the office of Vice President. It was moved by Juan José López and seconded by Shwaw Vang to close the nominations. Motion unanimously carried.

It was moved by Juan José López and seconded by Shwaw Vang to elect Bill Clingan for the office of Vice President by unanimous acclamation.

Juan José López nominated Carol Carstensen for the office of Clerk. It was moved by Juan José López and seconded by Bill Clingan to close the nominations. Motion unanimously carried.

It was moved by Juan José López and seconded by Bill Clingan to elect Carol Carstensen for the office of Clerk by unanimous acclamation.

Bill Clingan nominated Juan José López for the office of Treasurer. It was moved by Carol Carstensen and seconded by Bill Clingan to close nominations. Motion unanimously carried.

It was moved by Bill Clingan and seconded by Shwaw Vang to elect Juan José López for the office of Treasurer by unanimous acclamation.

Juan José López nominated Roger Price for the office of Secretary. It was moved by Carol Carstensen and seconded by Shwaw Vang to close the nominations. Motion unanimously carried.

It was moved by Juan José López and seconded by Shwaw Vang to elect Roger Price for the office of Secretary by unanimous acclamation.

6. Wexford Ridge Neighborhood Center Ground Lease

(Packets included a proposed Wexford Ridge Lease Agreement, a proposed resolution to approve the Agreement, and a summary highlighting various provisions in the Lease and listing the District's obligations and responsibilities that have to be met prior to and subsequent to the commencement of the construction of the Neighborhood Center on school grounds (4/20/04). Copies are attached to the original of these minutes.)

It was moved by Ruth Robarts and seconded by Juan José López to approve the proposed Wexford Ridge Lease Agreement.

Members of the Board expressed their appreciation to everyone involved in the effort and thanked those in attendance for showing their support.

Motion unanimously carried.

Some children from the Wexford Ridge Neighborhood Center presented a cloth mural and some plants to the Superintendent and staff.

7. 2004-05 Plan for the Recruitment of Minority Teachers

(Packets included a presentation and the Minority Recruitment Plan for 2004-08. Copies are attached to the original of these minutes.)

Bob Nadler introduced the plan as something that Mr. Thomas has been working on for two years, honing it and giving updates along the way. It has been discovered that it is a very fluid kind of job traveling all of the states recruiting teachers, administrators, special education people, etc. Mr. Nadler praised Mr. Thomas' efforts and noted that the plan had been presented to Management Team this past Friday.

Mr. Thomas distributed copies of last year's hiring showing where the district stands today (a copy is attached to the original of these minutes). He reported that the district had a great year last year. He talked about what went into the planning and that he anticipated getting better. Report highlights included goals, objectives, preparation, decisions, continuous efforts vs. intense, offerings and incentives for candidates, recruitment options, advertising plans, technology-based plans, plans with community-based organizations, churches, high school and college recruiting, direct mail and referrals, career conferences and job fairs, open houses, trade and professional associations, employment services, keeping applicants interested, and evaluating efforts.

Discussion: Difficulties with creating an incentive package without cost to the district. Current starting salary and benefit package. Superintendents group is experiencing the same problems in their districts across the country. Most school districts are using recruiters. Human Resources Committee can look at possibly increasing the starting salary in the next round of negotiations to remain competitive. Principals are very motivated to hire minority candidates but remain committed to the best candidate. Follow up is done on those minority candidates who are not successful in the interviews. Goal is to get better candidates into the pool and it is happening. Interview training is provided; individuals do things that hurt their chances. Hiring practices are not part of principals' evaluations but it is measured. Pluralistic staffing is captured from a form that principals are required to fill out if they do not hire a minority candidate that is referred to them and this form is reviewed by the Affirmative Action Officer and the Director of Human Resources. Couples are occasionally hired at the same time. Seniority plays a role through the union contracts. If all the current minority teachers were spread out evenly it would be 4-5 at each school. Problem with Grow Your Own program is it specifies that candidates attend UW-Madison where they cannot get in; principal program is different. District is working closely with other projects and universities to hire more ESL/ELL teachers.

District is trying to put packages together to offer placement, bonuses, forgiving student loans over time, housing, and sponsors. There has been an aggressive effort to hire minority teachers to teach summer school. Suggestion to meet in the Human Resources Committee was seconded to talk with Mr. Thomas about the Collective Bargaining Agreement's full range of barriers in early recruitment. Law School has contacts for spouses who could be teachers. Recommendations from principals relative to student teachers are spotty citing lack of time. Suggestion was made to focus on UW recruitment of undergraduates going into education and to remind the UW to broaden their pool. Law and medical school students are captive population with spouses and partners. Implementation is being formulated on a role for the business community to help the school system recruit in the way of incentive packages.

Suggestion was made to approach Hmong teachers around the state and encourage them to apply in Madison. Principals cannot be forced to hire any particular person. District is trying to enhance its reputation for minority candidates and give them extra attention; that is not true of anyone else. Want principals to hire the best candidate and they are committed to diversifying staff. District cannot go beyond teaching people interviewing skills.

Schools look a lot different today. In talking to a group of ESL students, the teachers they look up to are not necessarily minority. District's efforts with Mr. Singleton and Mr. Ferguson are moving it in the right direction. Current teachers have to be culturally competent; have to address this issue. Favor the Grow Your Own approach.

Shwaw Vang left at 7:02 p.m.

Grow Your Own Principal program was very successful but was cut from the budget one year ago. Summer school internships are being used this year. There is very little difference in pay for the people who intern.

Mr. Nadler reminded the Board about the charge they gave him to study the hiring and evaluating of administrators. Within a few months, recommendations are expected from both committees. When negotiations come up again, the board has to look at making the process non-manipulative; have heard of people blocking minority people from coming in if the principal is pro-union. New teachers need to be mentored throughout the year and made to feel welcome. Hiring criteria is already there but hard to measure. Brand new teachers come from the State of Wisconsin. Regardless of what the district does, the vast majority of teachers in this district will be white because the minority pool is so low. The responsibility for teaching all the children has to be everyone's responsibility.

FOLLOW UP: List of where the minority hires were placed.

8. Other Business

There was no other business.

9. Adjournment

It was moved by Juan José López and seconded by Ruth Robarts to adjourn the meeting at7:14 p.m. Motion unanimously carried by those present.

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