A brief summary of the March 25 working session – from my notes and observations. Personal opinions noted as such.

Board member Cox was absent today. Small crowd in attendance, likely a combination of the subject matter on the agenda and the fact that today is the second day of the early enrollment period for Collierville Schools.

On the agenda today is the first reading of 58 proposed policies, all HR-related. The plan is to put these on a consent agenda to be voted on at the next business meeting (April 1). Any items needing further discussion, clarification or changes would not remain on the consent agenda.

Proposed policies outlined all sorts of HR business, from personnel goals, evaluation, leave, termination and communicable disease. Most policies are controlled by law. The TN School Board Association played a crucial role in the development of these for Collierville Schools.

Of note, part of the information and commentary around the policies:

  • Application and employment – The district is very close to finalizing the terms around using SearchSoft for applicant entry and tracking.
  • Evaluation – teachers will be evaluated by the TEAM model, which is the state model. This is close to what legacy SCS used before the merger added the Bill Gates Foundation metrics.
  • The policy on Career Level Educators was withdrawn.
  • The policy on Assignment and Transfer of employees outlines that the Superintendent hires all personnel (with input of and recommendation by central office staff and school admin) and assigns them to schools, and the principal then assigns specific assignments within the school.
  • There was discussion on the tenure policy, as this has been subject to a lot of legislative change recently. A clarification of the process and the intent will be covered in the business meeting before this policy will be voted on.
  • Collierville Schools will have a policy allowing employees to establish a sick bank, similar to the one legacy SCS had. With the merger, the administration abolished the sick bank, forfeiting the balance of days in it. Participation will be voluntary, but will require employees to pay sick days into the balance. Administration will be by an oversight committee, and will be along specific rules. Board member Vaughan asked whether this was considered a desirable perk, given the administrative overhead. Board member Chism (a retired teacher) energetically affirmed that this is a highly valued perk for teachers, and has helped avoid significant financial hardship for those with family health issues.
  • In the policy on vacations and holidays, the calculations of days reverts to the way this was done under legacy SCS before the merger. This will be easier to understand and administer than what the mega district uses this year, according to Mr A.
  • The policy on drug and alcohol testing focuses on testing in case of suspected abuse. If Collierville Schools maintains its own transportation services, there will likely be a random testing policy for those drivers.

The full list of proposed policies is available on the school board agenda section of the Collierville Schools website.

Finally, before adjourning, a brief superintendent update highlights the successful and well-organized early enrollment process at the schools this week. Positive feedback has been received from parents and staff alike. Mr A has already visited 6 of the 8 schools, and will visit the other two on Thursday during registration. On April 4, he is expecting an initial estimate from the state of its allocation of educational funding, based on the current enrollment numbers.

In answering a question from Mr. Hansen, Mr A updated the board that the state Board of Education has the Collierville Schools LEA packet for both the district and the 8 schools, and they are going through the first pass. In the next few weeks those are expected back and then they will be finalized with CMSD board signatures for formal submission. Approval of this by the State Board will formally establish the school district for the 2014-15 school year.

Finally, approximately 200 non-resident applications have been received through mid-day today. Non-residents have until April 4 to submit their application for this round of enrollment.

Mr Hansen adjourned the meeting.