Summary of Regular Board Meeting Held on October 2, 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

Reading Together at Sandburg is a grant program supporting literacy in kindergarten and first grade for families of targeted students at Sandburg Elementary School. A teacher, parent and student talked about their initial successes and long term goals for the project.

Public Appearances

Bill Rettig, Huegel Librarian, explained a school project to help students transition to the new school at Cross Country by studying the people nomined for the school name. He supported naming the school after Cesar Chavez.

Board President's Announcements And Reports

Mr. Williams announced:

• State Superintendent John Benson wil visit Franklin Elementary School and present a special award for Excellence in Education to the Madison schools. A video report will be on Channel 10 in November.
• a group of foreign journalists will visit Rod Bena's LaFollette High School World History class, tour the school, and be interviewed by student newspaper reporters.
• retired LaFollette Art Teacher Roger Hansen was named Outstanding Art Educator for the year 2000 by the Wisconsin Art Education Association.
• the Third Friday enrollment reflects an increase of 144 students. This is the first increase in two years and is seen primarily in high school students which was up by 296. Middle school enrollment is up by 10 students, elementary is down by 162.

Superintendent's Announcements And Reports

Mr. Rainwater announced:

• parents, students and schools working together continues to be an important theme for the school district. The Schools of Hope Project, for example, brings together community support in the form of volunteers, contributions and public attention from area businesses, media, government and social services agencies. The safe and productive climates we enjoy in our schools reflect the contributions of the community at all levels.
• Van Hise Elementary is celebrating the installation of Phase 1 of new playground equipment. The PTO at Van Hise raised $12,000 for the new equipment that is now accessible to students with mobility impairments.
• Memorial High School has received a U.S. Department of Education grant to restructure over the next three years into a network of small learning communities using a "neighborhood" concept. Partners in this effort include the City of Madison, the UW-Madison School of Education, the UW Morgridge Center for Community Service, Edgewood College Center for Democracy in Action, the Urban League of Greater Madison and the Allied-Dunn's Marsh and Wexford Ridge Community Centers.
• the Muir Family Science Club held its first event of the year focusing on human life science and safety. The club is coordinated by a parent and all activities are offered free of charge, primarily through in-kind donations.
• the MSCR program, MSCR: Recreation, The Benefits Are Endless, recently won an award from the Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association for its efforts at community outreach through cable channel 10. The program was recognized for its high quality and effectiveness in encouraging participation in recreation programs.
• a record number of students, 56, was named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. Students and their families will be recognized at a special board meeting on November 20.
• members of the Madison Student Senate will speak on the subject of state revenue caps for education spending at a forum in Janesville sponsored by the Wisconsin Alliance of Excellent Schools.
• MMSD representatives Juan José López, Ed Holmes, Karen Seno and Caroline Johnson were recognized with an UMOJA Magazine Village Award at their tenth anniversary award ceremony.

Committee Reports And Action Thereon

Performance & Achievement: Recommendations of the Evaluation of Learning Materials Committee were approved. This month, the committee will discuss the Superintendent's report on the three priorities adopted by the Board of Education.

Finance and Operations: The committee postponed the deadline for receiving applications for naming the new school at Cross Country until October 13. A public hearing is scheduled October 23. On October 30, the committee will review administrative recommendations.

Human Resources: The MTI-EA contract was ratified. Comments were shared from participants at the reception for new minority hires and the committee was thanked for arranging this opportunity for new teachers and their mentors.

Long Range Planning: The committee reviewed the reasons for boundary changes and heard a presentation of options presented by the administration. The committee will hold several meetings in the community in October and is seeking input, comments and suggestions in a variety of formats. It is hoped a decision will be reached in mid-January.

Partnerships: A meeting will be scheduled to review policy for facility usage.

Legislative: The committee welcomed new citizen member Pamela Delfosse, reviewed possible issues before the legislature this coming year and focuses for the committee in the next year, including lobbying to make SAGE permanent and monitoring support for special education funding.

Auditing, Purchasing, Transfers & Other Financial Transactions

Auditing: Interim bills and school building fund bills were paid.

Purchasing: No items.

Transfers: There were no transfers.

Other Financial Transactions: All donations and grants received since September 11, 2000 were approved. The 2000-2001 budget was increased to support the Even Start Family Literacy program at Lapham, to support the cost of remodeling the athletic training room and purchasing athletic training equipment at East High School, and to support comprehensive school reform activities at Lowell and Franklin Elementary Schools.

Human Resources Transactions and Reports:

All transactions and reports were approved.

Reports to the Board:

Board of Education/Common Council Liaison Committee: There was no report.

Other Business:

Two claims filed against the district were referred to Legal Counsel and the District's insurer. A list of graduates was granted diplomas from the start date of the 1999-2000 school year through the start date of the 2000-2001 school year. Christine Lupton was appointed as a citizen member to the MSCR Advisory Committee. The penalties in Board Policy 4235 relative to Alcohol and Other Drug Use/Abuse were amended in order to be consistent with the penalities in the Student Conduct and Discipline Plan. A student over the age of 20 was given approval to continue enrollment. Twenty-one students were granted diplomas of graduation.

Old and New Business: A former West student was congratulated for winning a bronze medal at the Olympics. There was appreciation to the Partnerships Committee for looking at the Boy Scouts issue. There was a reminder of the NAACP Banquet. A board member supported the current climate in schools which is supportive of all minority groups and stated that intolerance is counterproductive.

(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