Summary of Regular Board Meeting Held on August 23, 1999

Regular monthly meetings of the Board of Education are close captioned. They are shown again on Tuesday evenings with captions for those unable to watch on Monday evenings.

Recognition

Falk Elementary Principal and Director of the Elementary/Middle Summer School Program Merle Sweet reported on the summer's program. Two thousand students participated in the enrichment program. Teachers Marcia Standiford and Roger Nicolai described the courses they taught.

Public Appearances

None.

Board President's Announcements And Reports

Mrs. Carstensen announced:

• the Back to School Rally was energizing and thanked staff and MTI members who organized it.
• the Board restructured its committees. Every committee has a chair and two board members. Every board member serves as chair and a member on two other committees. This will allow members to be more efficient and gain expertise in particular areas as well as reduce the number of issues discussed by the full board.
• the Board took action to reschedule a referendum on November 9 and decided on the questions to be included.
• the Board held a workshop on gay/lesbian issues focusing on the board's legal, moral and ethnical issues.
• a coalition of teachers, parents and school administrators held a capital news conference on July 21 to urge legislators to support $107 million in increased education spending.
• East High School Principal Milt McPike was able to partner with local employers to release parents and guardians from work so they could come to the first day of school with their freshman students.
• the Middle School Sports Committee raised $8,000 to support the middle school intramural program. A group of business people is working to support a boys and girls basketball team at each middle school and to supply volunteer support. Businessmen Tripp Widder and Gary Gorman head the committee.
• the 21st Century Learning Center grant that is funding Community Learning Centers at Lowell, Glendale and Mendota will support a new after school program for children attending Midvale and Lincoln schools. The program will be operated by MSCR and serve 30 children this fall at Lincoln.

Superintendent's Announcements And Reports

Mr. Rainwater announced:

• the first day of school went well and the year is off to an excellent start.
• ACT test results show Madison students' high performance. Scores far exceeded those from both the state and the nation. Third graders surpassed their state peers at the highest level in reading. SAGE schools turned in strong performances.
• Memorial students Ryan Atkins and Charles Archer will spend their senior year in Beijing, China as part of the School Year Abroad program. They have studied Chinese since seventh grade at Jefferson.
• everyone was pleased with the Back to School Rally. He thanked presenters and organizations for their generous contributions.
• welcomed new Public Communications and Community Relations Coordinator Ken Syke.
• a multicultural mural painted by Hamilton art teachers Linda Mathis and Sarah McRae will be dedicated and is part of the annual school picnic.

Committee Reports And Action Thereon

Performance & Achievement: Recommendations from the Selection of Program Materials Committee were approved. Chair Ruth Robarts announced Deborah Lawson and Calvin Williams are new members of the committee.

Budget and Finance: Bids were accepted for materials for floor tile replacement work at various locations, for natural gas district-wide, for a steam boiler and for repair of a boiler. Usage fees were set for the Planetarium and Obsevatory for non-MMSD groups and individuals. Juan José López announced Joann Elder and Ray Allen are new committee members.

Human Resources: The committee met to discuss negotiations strategy with the substitute teachers bargaining unit. Ray Allen welcomed Calvin Williams and Ruth Robarts as new committee members.

Long Range Planning: Chair Deborah Lawson welcomed Joann Elder and Ray Allen as new committee members. The committee will work to build a model for decision making about declining enrollments similar to the model for dealing with overcrowding of schools. The goal is to have a long range plan to handle growth or decline in enrollment resulting in the closing or building of schools.

Partnerships: Chair Calvin Williams welcomed Deborah Lawson and Juan José López as new committee members and Ken Syke as staff liaison. The committee is looking for community collaborations to support the referendum.

Board of Education/Common Council Liaison Committee: No report.

Legislative: The committee will again be chaired by Joann Elder with Juan José López and Ruth Robarts as new members. The legislature has not yet passed the state budget.

Auditing, Purchasing, Transfers & Other Financial Transactions

Auditing: Interim and Building Fund bills were paid.

Purchasing: Bids were approved for printing papers for Central Stores and for a Novell School License Agreement for Primary and Secondary Education for Management Information Services.

Transfers: Funds were transferred for consulting services for a district planner and to fund preliminary architectural work in advance of the elementary school referendum.

Other Financial Transactions: All donations and grants received since July 19, 1999 were approved. Authority was given to administration to approve through October 30, 1999 the expenditure of $160,000 from the Reserve for Contingencies for up to five teacher positions, including educational assistants, to accommodate fall enrollment changes within the equity formula process.

Human Resources Transactions and Reports:

All personnel items were approved.

Reports to the Board:

Board packets contained information about the Council of Urban Boards of Education conference focusing on districtwide improvement of achievement.

Other Business:

Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Roger Price was appointed Board Secretary until the office is up for re-election in April 2000. Thirty-two students were granted diplomas.

Old and New Business: None.

(A complete copy of these minutes is available from the Board of Education Office, 261-9000. This summary may have been published before the minutes were approved by the Board of Education. Please call to check on any changes.)

Regular Meeting Summaries