Summary of Regular Board Meeting Held on September 11, 2000

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

Mann Scholarship recipients were introduced: Cecile Gamble, Fallon Jones, Regina Jones and Roosevelt Wilson and the recipient of the first Sanchez Scholarship, Sandra Becerra. The students are ninth graders currently entering LaFollette, Memorial and West who were selected by the middle schools to receive financial and mentor support through scholarships created by community members.

New administrators were introduced and a list was read of administrators who had changed positions.

Public Appearances

There were no public appearances.

Board President's Announcements And Reports

Mr. Williams announced:

• the state Assembly Education Commitee has directed the DPI to modify their recommended changes to rules related to special education identification. DPI contends that their recommended changes, with more specific special education identification criteria, should help stem the tide of increasing enrollments.
• the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools will hold six regional public forums focusing on the detrimental effects of revenue limits on Wisconsin's students. Members of the Madison Student Senate will speak in Janesville on October 5. The Legislature will receive a report on the forums in January in conjunction with the Wisconsin PTA's annual Legislative Conference.
• five individuals have thus far declared their candidacy for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, including Libby Burmaster, Principal of West High School. The primary election is in February of 2001.

Superintendent's Announcements And Reports

Mr. Rainwater announced:

• enrollment is increasing with 192 students above last year's and 474 above projection.
• a September 5 groundbreaking ceremony marked the beginning of construction on a new elementary school in the Cross Country neighborhood. The Board will endorse a school name that honors a Latino, Latina, or person of Hispanic heritage.
• Shabazz students are engaged in a web-based cultural exchange project with youth from Namibia, South Africa. The Madison Children's Museum will feature their work.
• Shorewood Elementary PTO is organizing language clubs before and after school and the Shorewood community held an annual picnic on September 7.
• nearly 200 Falk families attended Back-to-School Night.
• Memorial High School held a very successful Welcome to Memorial evening for ninth graders and their families.
• Randall School students came back to see their new outdoor classroom had taken root and blossomed over the summer. It will be dedicated on September 27.
• the MIS department has succesfully implemented a web-based work order processing system to reduce paperwork, save time and track issues, solutions and inventory.
• last school year, the composite scores of Madison students taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test were on average 23 percent higher than the national average and six percent higher than the composite average for other Wisconsin students.
• all parents are encouraged to take time during the fall season to visit their child's school and take part in his or her learning.

Committee Reports And Action Thereon

Performance & Achievement: The committee will begin meeting in October to discuss the first annual report from the Superintendent on the three major areas of priorities. Recommendations of the Evaluation of Learning Materials Committee were approved.

Finance and Operations: The committee will hear proposals at its next meeting on a name for the new school in the Cross Country area.

Human Resources: The Superintendent was directed to appoint personnel to modify the current Administrative Appraisal surveys, keeping the most useful items to date, but also a) revising the Student Survey using fewer abstractions and more references to observed behaviors in language and items that reflect more accurately the students' experiential opportunities; b) revising the Parent Survey using fewer abstractions and more references to observed behaviors, oriented more towards public relations, biases and student safety, in items that reflect more accurately the parents' experiential opportunities; c) revising all evaluations taking into consideration the revised Strategic Plan 2000; d) revising all evaluations to include items that evaluate cultural competence in addition to multicultural curricula questions. These modifications should be completed for use during the 2000-2001 school year.

The Human Resources Department will revise its screening procedures for future employees to include evidence of cultural competence and include these criteria in all job postings: Experience working cross-culturally and/or commitment to work toward improving one's own cultural competence, i.e., valuing difference/diversity, recognizing personal limitations in one's skills and expertise, and having the desire to learn in these areas.

Long Range Planning: The committee is awaiting an administrative recommendation on a series of options dealing with attendance areas for West, Memorial, and the new school, the implementation of SAGE, and the overcrowding of some schools.

Partnerships: The committee welcomed citizen member Don Severson.

Legislative: The committee reviewed what the district hopes the Legislature is planning for its next season.

Auditing, Purchasing, Transfers & Other Financial Transactions

Auditing: Interim bills were paid.

Purchasing: No items.

Transfers: There were no transfers.

Other Financial Transactions: All donations and grants received since August 28, 2000 were approved.

Human Resources Transactions and Reports:

All transactions and reports were approved.

Reports to the Board:

Board of Education/Common Council Liaison Committee: Alder Linda Bellman was elected chair. The two last meetings were on the topic of a pilot program placing Educational Resource Officers in the middle schools.

Other Business:

The boundary agreement with the Verona School District was amended. Sixteen students were excused from school attendance so that they could enroll in high school equivalency diploma programs. Thirty-three students were granted diplomas of graduation.

Old and New Business: There were comments about election day, changing the policy for issuing building permits and distribution of materials in the schools, and report on a meeting with Latino parents.

(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