BOARD MINUTES
Rising Sun-Ohio County Community School Corporation
January 12, 2010
The regular session of the Board of School Trustees was held as advertised on January 12, 2010 at 7:15 P.M. in the administration building. Members present were Felix Massey III, Chistopher Whitham, Corey Potts, Timothy Elbright, Harlan Holt Hoffman, and Superintendent Stephen Patz. Also present were Gloria Holland, Patty Huff, Noel Bostic, Robert White, Ryan Lozier, Tyler Hannah, Bill Marksberry, Keith Majewski, and Sandy Ande-Walker.
Meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Superintendent acted as Temporary Chairperson to receive nominations for the Board President for the 2010 calendar year. Timothy Elbright nominated Felix Massey III for Board President. Christopher Whitham seconded the nomination. Felix Maseey III was elected by unanimous vote.
Board President Felix Massey III received nominations for Vice President. Harlan Holt Hoffman nominated Corey Potts for the position. Christopher Whitham seconded the nomination. Corey Potts was elected by unanimous vote.
Timothy Elbright nominated Harlan Holt Hoffman for the position of secretary. Christopher Whitham seconded the nomination. Harlan Holt Hoffman was elected by unanimous vote.
The Superintendent stated that by law, the Board must appoint officers for a Board of Finance. He recommended using the same officers as the School Board. Upon motion by Christopher Whitham and seconded by Timothy Elbright to appoint the School Board officers as stated above to act as the Board of Finance officers, members voted as follows: Aye – Christopher Whitham, Timothy Elbright, Harlan Holt Hoffman, Corey Potts, and Felix Massey III.
Mr. Patz recommended renewing the appointments of Kelli Keith as Corporation Treasurer and Rita Scudder as Corporation Deputy Treasurer. Upon motion by Corey Potts and seconded by Harlan Holt Hoffman to accept the recommendation, members voted as follows: Aye – Corey Potts, Harlan Holt Hoffman, Christopher Whitham, Timothy Elbright, and Felix Massey III.
The Superintendent asked that each Board Member sign the Conflict of Interest Statements for the 2010 calendar year.
Minutes from the December 8 and December 30, 2009 meetings were reviewed. Upon motion by Timothy Elbright and seconded by Harlan Holt Hoffman to approve the minutes, members voted as follows: Aye – Timothy Elbright, Harlan Holt Hoffman, Christopher Whitham, Corey Potts, and Felix Massey III.
Claims were reviewed and discussed. Upon motion by Harlan Holt Hoffman and seconded by Corey Potts to approved the claims, members voted as follows: Aye – Harlan Holt Hoffman, Corey Potts, Christopher Whitham, Timothy Elbright, and Felix Massey III.
Personnel issues were not discussed at this time. They will be discussed after the 2010 budget issues are discussed.
The Superintendent presented the bids for the purchase of a 72-passenger bus. (Bids on file) Mr. Patz noted that there were only 2 bids received which were Kerlin Bus Sales and Midwest Transit. Mr. Patz stated that the bus would be paid for out of the Bus Replacement Fund and would not affect the General Fund budget. The quote from Kerlin Bus Sales was $76,238.00, and the bid from Midwest Transit was $69,720.00. Midwest Transit also offered package of options at a cost of $2,981.00, which includes extended warranties, towing, and an engine cover. Mr. Patz recommended accepting the bid of $69,720.00 from Midwest Transit and purchasing the optional package for an additional $2,981.00. After a review of the information, a motion was made by Christopher Whitham and seconded by Corey Potts to accept the recommendation, members voted as follows: Aye – Harlan Holt Hoffman, Christopher Whitham, Corey Potts, Timothy Elbright, and Felix Massey III.
Mr. Patz presented a brief report on the status of the Race to the Top grant. This grant is made possible by federal money, which is to be passed through the State. At this point, it appears that the State intends to use the money to encourage higher achievement and test scores. Part of the State plan may include the use of teacher incentives. However, nothing has been made clear at this point. Once the State sets the guidelines, the School will have the choice to write a plan in order to apply for the grant, which is competitive. The School has signed an agreement that only establishes interest at this time. After the State guidelines are made clear, the School will decide whether or not to pursue the grant. Mr. Patz asked for Board approval for the Race to the Top Partnership Agreement that was signed by Kevin Smith, Felix Massey III, and Mr. Patz and was sent in earlier in January. Upon motion by Christopher Whitham and seconded by Timothy Elbright to approve the Agreement, members voted as follows: Aye – Christopher Whitham, Timothy Elbright, Corey Potts, Harlan Holt Hoffman, and Felix Massey III.
The Assistant Principals were in attendance to present reports on the current status of the "NO F" grading policy. Patty Huff presented the report from OCEMS. Ms. Huff stated that the changes that were made this year have been very successful. Very few students have needed tutoring this year, and almost all of those have brought their grades up. She is happy with the policy as it stands at this time.
Noel Bostic presented the report from RSHS. He also stated approval of the changes that have been made to the policy and said that it seems to be running more smoothly. PowerSchool has helped with parents being able to monitor their students’ grades more closely.
Mr. Patz presented information regarding a possible One Time Retirement Incentive as previously requested by the Board. (Attached) The Superintendent said that the Corporation has 14 teachers who qualify for full retirement. After a lengthy discussion, the Board agreed to re-visit the issue after the conversation regarding the 2010 budget.
The Superintendent gave an update on the budget cuts to the School’s General Fund. In 2009, the School received $5,743,723.00 in State aide for the General Fund. The budget that was approved for the General Fund by the Department of Local Government Finance for 2010 was $5,782,635.00. The most recent letter from the Department of Education states that the actual amount of State aide that the General Fund will receive is $5,534.409.00. That creates a deficit of $248,226.00. At the end of 2009, the General Fund had a cash balance of approximately $605,000.00. This balance is necessary to cover expenses that are incurred during the year. The Superintendent stated that, as the Board begins to examine future spending cuts, it should note that personnel and expenses related to personnel make up 85% of the Corporation’s General Fund budget.
A lengthy discussion regarding the General Fund followed the Superintendent’s comments. The Board discussed possible budget cuts and the affect that possible teacher retirements may have on the budget. There was a discussion about the possibility of requesting funds from the city or county to help with the General Fund.
The Superintendent requested direction regarding the One Time Retirement Incentive. After more discussion, modifications were made to the incentive. The Board asked that if possible, an H.S.A. option might be added. In addition, the incentive would only be offered to the first five teachers who respond. Upon motion by Corey Potts to approve the incentive with the above listed modifications, no second was received. Motion died for lack of a second.
Mr. Corey Potts expressed frustration with the lack of support for the retirement incentive. He stated that he feels that if a retirement incentive had been offered three years ago, the General Fund would have seen the benefits of such an offer.
Mr. Patz presented a resignation from Alan Althoff, OCEMS custodian. The Superintendent recommended accepting the resignation. Upon motion by Harlan Holt Hoffman and seconded by Timothy Elbright to accept the recommendation, members voted as follows: Aye – Harlan Holt Hoffman, Timothy Elbright, Corey Potts, Christopher Whitham, and Felix Massey III.
The Superintendent recommended hiring Jo Ann Rayls for the custodial position vacated by Mr. Althoff. Ms. Rayls is currently a cafeteria worker and has worked as a substitute/summer custodian in the past. Mr. Patz stated that she has always done a nice job and would be a good addition to the custodial staff. Upon motion by Timothy Elbright and seconded by Harlan Holt Hoffman to approve the recommendation, members voted as follows: Aye – Timothy Elbright, Harlan Holt Hoffman, Corey Potts, Christopher Whitham, and Felix Massey III.
The Superintendent recommended holding off on hiring the 4-hour custodian that has been advertised for OCEMS. He stated that he will discuss the situation with Ms. Holland and report back to the Board in February. By consensus, the Board agreed to table the 4-hour custodian hiring until a later date.
Mr. Patz asked Board permission to work with Sandy Ande-Walker and Lynn Lozier, cafeteria supervisors, regarding cafeteria work duties. After this is done, he will report back to the Board regarding Jo Ann Rayls’ cafeteria position, and whether or not she will need to be replaced. By consensus, the Board agreed for Mr. Patz to work with the cafeteria supervisors on the issue and report back to the Board.
Mr. Harlan Holt Hoffman stated that he would like to thank the custodians for the work they are doing. He stated that due to the increased demands caused by the H1N1 virus, their workload has increased greatly. He expressed frustration with being turned down by the Rising Sun Regional Foundation when the Board requested money for increased staff to handle the increased demands caused by the virus.
There was a brief discussion regarding NovaNet. Mr. Majewski stated that the training has been scheduled for January 25th, and the students should be able to use it on January 26th.
Mr. Felix Massey III expressed congratulations on behalf of the Board to Mr. Majewski and the high school staff on achieving a 93.8% graduation rate for 2009.
The Board of School Trustees of the Rising Sun-Ohio County Community School Corporation did not discuss any subject matter in executive session other than the topic specified in the public notice.
Upon motion by Harlan Holt Hoffman and seconded by Corey Potts to adjourn the meeting at 10:07 PM, members voted as follows: Aye – Harlan Holt Hoffman, Corey Potts, Christopher Whitham, Timothy Elbright, and Felix Massey III.