My summary of the July 21, 2020 Work Session of the Collierville School Board. All members present except for Mr Cox, who is under the weather. As always, these notes represent my attempt to capture the relevant information discussed at the work session. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any concerns you may have.
Introductions:
Troop 56 boy scouts
Leigh Anne Rainey – Chief Academic Officer, head of the Curriculum Department.
Mario Hogue – Communications Specialist – started last week.
Review of deferred compensation plan – improvement in options for 401(k) plans; state-level plan, which has lower management costs due to much larger fund investment. Part of the activity is retroactively entering into the appropriate signed agreement.
Review of Proposal for Collierville Dragon Dancers School Support Organization – combining CMS and WCMS dance teams due to reduced participation this coming year. This reflects a few years of declining participation. The combined team will be coached by the same coach as the high school.
Review of 2020-2021 fees. No changes from previous year, except the device fee in elementary school will apply to 5th grade plus anyone enrolling in Collierville Virtual Academy. Mr Warren asks if fees will be refunded in case of cancellation of the team activities. Mr Curtis responds that a refund process will be in place (less fixed costs). Mrs Chism is asking for copies of the refund process documentation.
Review of financial statements for June, which closes out the fiscal year, but is subject to final changes. Overall funds balanced out overall, but nutrition needed to be supported with a transfer from the general fund due to the COVID shutdown. Savings were realized in payroll, transportation, utilities.
Policy updates:
- Budget line item transfer authority language and responsibility clarification
- Gifts and bequests
- Surplus property sales
- Audits
- Fundraising Activities – new policy replaces old policy – will need to add clause about exception process to follow TN law
- Staff Gifts
Review of Updating the Disciplinary Hearing Authority Committee of removing Herchel Burton (retired) as Chairman and appointing Andy Field as Chairman and adding Eric Linsy commencing on August 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021
Review of the Reopening & Recovery Plan School Year 2020-2021
- Plan reflects survey results showing vast majority of parents wanting to return to school full time, but to allow for students to stay home for 100% virtual school.
- FAQs still being added to, including answers to non-CVA questions
- Videos will be posted to show what school will look like to some degree
- Plans have been submitted to Shelby County Health Department, and they may require changes
- Collierville Schools does not have control over the fluid situation we are living in
- July 29 deadline is needed to ensure teachers can be appropriately assigned and then trained prior to the start of the school year
- currently 1111 students have selected the virtual academy (approximately 1/8 of the total enrollment)
- Mrs Chism suggests an online townhall meeting may be beneficial to help with parent questions and concerns
- There are some highly specialized (including AP) and technical or hands-on courses that will not be able to be made available online through CVA
- Dual Enrollment courses are controlled by the University of Memphis, and some will and some will not be available online, which is still being worked on with the U of M.
- List of courses offered in CVA is now in the FAQs – linked here.
- Explicitly stated: CVA will be taught primarily by Collierville teachers
Review of Board Resolution 2020-01, Emergency Suspension of Board Policies During the 2020-2021 School Year. This accommodates a fluid situation so appropriate measures can be taken when needed that are outside of regular board policy.
Meeting adjourned.
One more thing… I have been writing up these summaries in my attempt to help local stakeholders stay engaged and informed since 2014, adding up to 80+ meetings. I am hoping to further improve community engagement by getting elected to the school board. If you’re so inclined, please visit my campaign page and ‘like’ it for updates, and consider getting involved! Thank you!