Van Wijk Blog

Working Session of the School Board.

Meeting started with special recognition of the 2016-2017 STEM cohorts for Collierville Middle and Schilling Farms Middle. 24 students in each cohort.

Meeting to review various policies:

• Family and Leave policy – basically follows law and is essentially identical to other local policies
• Employee whistleblower policy deferred to April due to legislative updates
• Discipline procedures – adding e-cigarettes to anti-smoking policy; note: category A is dictated by state law
• Student fines and fees – once policy is in place, procedures will be worked on. Items of note:
  - budgeting process working to alleviate the parent fees
  - band support from the system
  - in order to have the quality programs students deserve and parents desire, some things will go outside of budgeted funding. Waiver process in place for those who qualify.
  - extracurricular activities are outside the fee structure
  - once policy is in place, all fees will be reviewed over the summer
  - fines are charges that will not be waived, and are required for payment
  - coordination with booster clubs is under way
  - Mr Hansen: cumulative effect of multiple fees and for multi-student households can get out of hand
  - booster club fundraising activities will have improved consistency and transparency
  - long-term view would see minimal parental funding needs

February financial report.

Superintendent update:

• Battle of the Books Thursday night at Harrell Theater
• Digital Learning initiative April 11 6pm at CMS community meeting
• Building update – site prep bids are in and being reviewed; design meetings continuing; tentative ground breaking date Friday May 13. Could have TN Education Commissioner McQueen in attendance > this will be the largest school in the state
• Central Office will be vacated over the summer
• Legislative session is under way still; hoping for $ for growing districts

No chair update.

Meeting adjourned.

Full board in attendance. Sparse crowd.

Staff items:

• Audit report – Dixon Hughes and Goodman; auditor representative presenting. Complimentary of work; first audit of the district. Highlights:
  -student activity funds audit – total $1M; state regulated, controlled at the schools
  -board of education audit – all of its budget, including pension funds (CS has pension asset due to good funding); $2.5M in grants
  -clean audit, no compliance issues, no material weaknesses and findings to report
  -some minor issues around deposit timings for student activity fund
• Rezoning presentation; presented by Ms Nedra Jones
  -rezoning information was online – will hopefully be restored and linked here…
  -new incoming 6th graders will be attending at the newly zoned school. Existing students and siblings can transfer outside of the rezoning timings.
  -one additional bus will be needed at CMS – $42k
  -two teachers would shift from SFMS to CMS
  -in order to not split feeder pattern from Bailey Station, a small section of the BSE zone will be reallocated to Sycamore (37 students impacted immediately – no phasing). This will also balance Sycamore attendance. 2 BSE will shift to Sycamore, and one additional teacher is likely needed at Sycamore
  -these rezoned areas are most likely not impacted by possible future rezoning (for 3rd middle school)
• Policy updates – will be brought to next regular business meeting – April:
  -Family and Medical leave – minor wording changes based on legal advice
  -Whistleblower protection – result of audit that just completed; standard policy for school systems
  -Discipline procedures – recommended changes from TSBA; including vaping in tobacco use
  -Fees and Fines – lots of progress on this policy; work left to do with booster clubs. Need to balance sensitivity to parents and their ability to pay and the need to have some parental financial support for quality programming. Policy draft is borrowed from Williamson county. Fine line between required and requested fees. Extracurricular payments are not fees by definition. By July the school board will be presented with the full list of fees to be asked from the parents.
  Fees for for-credit classes = requested
  Fines for items = required
  Extracurricular = special category
  Need to look at this district wide; what does district want (and can) to pay for vs request from parents.
  Need to make the fees more consistent across schools.
  “Everyone gets a scoop of icecream, but if you want sprinkles or whipped cream, the boosters will have to pay for that” Mike Marshall.
  Still to be worked through: what does a requested fee cover (budget)?
• January 2016 financial statements; tracking along expected figures.
  Shelby County capital $ information expected fairly soon, based on average attendance.
  BEP funding initiative from governor being watched closely.
  Digital Learning Initiative will incur cost this year.
  Cost of Living adjustment being targeted in next budget.
  Nutrition sales are up – close to breaking even for the year. Progress over last year.
• TNReady update by Ms Robbins:
  -3 changes in testing for this year – New standards; new assessment types; new testing platform (online)
  -lot of preparation by staff at all levels; technology purchases; teaching, etc.
  -(only) 18,000 students statewide were testing on Feb 8 when the state raised alarms and halted testing – new issue not previously experienced.
  -State reverted all testing to paper and pencil a few days later; new testing schedule developed by Collierville Schools
  -Teachers can now opt out of test results being part of evaluations
  -Each school had testing coordinator (Assistant Principal) on point – recognized in meeting.
  -Paper testing expected this week; printing cost/responsibility lies with Measurement, Inc (test vendor).

Chairman update:
-Trust update
-Reading week next week – school board and staff will be reading to kids

Superintendent update:
- Next Thursday (3/3) is CHS presentation at town planning commission
- Also family literacy night at CMS same night
- March meeting 3/16 1pm in CS conference room
- Non-resident enrollment process has been opened
- Chamber of Commerce gala – Mr A providing Elvis tribute entertainment
- Crosswind Elementary principal opening
- Monday 5/2 teacher employment fair
- Digital learning; depending on funds – recommendation of iPads 4th through 7th grades in January 2017. In preparation, teachers K-8 will receive equipment this year to start their learning process. Full implementation by 2019 with MacBook Pro in High Schools. Public meetings will be scheduled soon on this.

Meeting Adjourned.

Absent: Mr Cox

Policy reviews based on TSBA recommendation:
- graduation requirements, occupational diploma option
- Family and Medical Leave wording updates
- Cardiac arrest prevention/treatment program

Financial Statement for December

General Fund budget amendment – increase in technical support staff; funded from unfilled positions “have enough technical support so the teachers can teach and we can take care of the rest”

High School Design Team update

Note: this is a work in progress; design considerations still under way.

State approved storm water pollution prevention plan. Soil borings look good.

Scott Fleming intro – described the construction management process and the benefits this is bringing to the school system.

1600 parking places between school and athletic facilities

Building planned for 3500 students in core functions, etc. After that add classroom space.

Chism: soccer field info? Lights? Turf? Soccer will have lights on natural grass, and can play in stadium on turf.

Vaughan wants to see tour around the site. Also “please don’t fall in love so much with the trees that you screen the front of our building.”

Town purchased 35 acre lot between shelby drive and 385 which will be a park to prevent development between school and 385.

Floorplan – “no fat” and sized for 3000 students.

On screen 3-D simulations showing a lot of detail – very slick!

Vaughan: building looks like a timeless design. Not like anything that is “typical” for the involved design teams.

Vaughan asking about scalability… how will we accommodate growth? Academic buildings can add wings – what about the core buildings?

Fleming: once you go over 35-3600, you have to make sure that’s what you want… But expansion space is available for the facility and there is space on the campus to build additional buildings, such as a freshman academy. For illustration purposes, the design team will set aside a space for 1000 student facility. (‘standard 150 sq ft per student’)

Currently did not put lockers into design, but the space allows for it. Mr A: “trend is no lockers”

HVAC rooftop units will ‘scar’ the clean look of the facility. Will have some visibility from ground and through windows.

Lots of windows on outside of buildings; Large glass in corridors for outside light. Windows at ends of corridors also. But will have sufficient safe places throughout.

Gym has bleachers for 3000. Adding floor seating will allow 3500+ for pep rally type event.

Current budget still fits.

Chairman report: lots of other projects under way, including digital learning, which is very important for the school system. All will contribute to making this the best school system in the state.

Superintendent update:
Rezoning public meeting 2/18, 8:30 at CMS.
2/12 digital learning day will be about digital learning.
Germantown changing bell times. Collierville reviewing $ impact on transportation, which they will need to cover.

House finance committee passed voucher bill.

BMA will annex and zone the school property at the next meeting.

Kindness challenge week. Movie ‘Bully’ at Malco, Saturday at 1:30pm.

Meeting adjourned.