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Fairfax Board of School Directors
Monday, September 11, 2006
Regular Board Meeting at 6:30pm
Fairfax Community Library
Present: Chairperson Peg Stewart, Greg Beeman, Jeff Loller, Lauri Fisher, Dustin Howard, Clara Pedley, Scott Lang, Thomas Walsh, Lisa Delorme
Public: Nancy Mead, Hannah DuPrat, Barb Nason
1. Call to Order – Peg Stewart called the meeting to order at 6:30PM.
2. Approval of Minutes
ACTION: Jeff Loller moved to accept the revised minutes of the Regular Meeting of August 14, 2006. Greg Beeman seconded. Passed unanimously.
ACTION: Jeff Loller moved to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of August 28, 2006. Greg Beeman seconded. Passed unanimously.
3. Correspondence
a. New Subdivision – There will be a new 11 home subdivision north of the village on RT104. Peg met with Skip Taylor regarding building growth in Fairfax. He has issued 43 building permits so far this year. The Zoning Board is willing to let the School Board know of any subdivisions of more than 4 houses that are being planned. The Zoning Board is obligated to report any subdivisions of 9 houses or more.
4. Public Comment - none
5. Reports
a. Principals’ Report
Scott Lang reported they are currently looking for a Student Council Advisor. He attended training for the NECAP for high school students. November 14-17th is the testing window for the piloting of this test. Reading, writing, and math will be taken.
Lisa Delorme reported that the elementary school’s annual hike day will be October 5th with a rain date of the 6th. There will be a school-wide Open House on October 12th.
Tom Walsh reported that he would be attending a conference for schools that have been identified for not meeting AYP. The 6th grade will be hiking Mt. Mansfield on September 29th and October 6th. The 7th grade will be going to Bolton Resort to do the ropes course.
b. Board Reports
Clara Pedley acknowledged that there are some students that are upset about the Practical Arts requirement of 1 credit. Hannah DuPrat spoke to this issue. Some feel the classes could become elective classes but shouldn’t be with a requirement. Scott Lang shared where the requirement came from and would be open to discussing the issue with students.
Lauri Fisher reported she connected with Joy Mercer on the computer policy. There are some things that will need to be worked out between the two policies. It is on hold until they work on it.
Greg Beeman stated the date for the Welcome to Fairfax meeting will be Tuesday, October 17th at 7:00PM. He gave an update on the field work.
Jeff Loller stated the Safety Committee would be meeting on September 21st.
Peg Stewart brought up the issue of renewing the contract with the Town for the use of the white house. Discussion ensued on how to handle the contract. In place of meeting with the Selectboard, Lauri will write a letter stating the Board’s wishes. On September 30th, the Safe Routes to Schools committee will be holding a Bike Safety Fair in elementary parking lot from 10:00 to noon. This will follow the bike path dedication from 9:00 to 10:00AM.
6. Old Business
a. Moratorium on New Co-Curricular Activities – The Board discussed the idea of putting a hold on any new extra-curricular activities for a period of one or two years. This would allow the school to be sure all the recently added activities can be sustainable. Scott Lang would like to meet and work with Mike Brown on a monthly basis to see how all the present activities are working out. Discussion ensued and the Board decided to hold their decision until the next meeting.
7. New Business
a. School Safety – Tom Walsh gave updates on the School Security/Response Planning. The goal is to have the building secured at all times, not only during the school day. The rekeying has been completed. The Safety Committee will be working towards another “Clear the Halls” drill for the staff to take place in November. They will analyze the feedback from this drill and then plan a student drill for the future. They will need to install interior push door locks for areas such as the offices and library.
ACTION: Lauri Fisher moved to authorize $3000 to install push door locks hardware on the needed doors. Jeff Loller seconded. Passed unanimously.
b. VT Strategic Reading Initiative – Tom Walsh presented an overview of this program that has been instituted to improve the reading ability of students beyond grade 4. It builds upon existing literacy efforts and recognizes that improving student reading is the responsibility of all teachers. By focusing on critical thinking skills, VSRI targets fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. A team of BFA teachers and administrators attended the Vermont Reads Conference this summer and they have instituted a VSRI Action Plan to guide the implementation of VSRI at the school.
c. Food Allergies – BFA now has a small population of students who have food allergies, specifically peanut and tree nut allergies. In responding to their needs, extensive work has been done to make sure the school is a safe place for these students. Tom Walsh presented the Procedures for Students with Food Allergies at BFA Fairfax. The administration used the Fletcher school’s model and modified it to suit BFA’s setting and needs. It outlines all procedures that need to be adhered to insure the safety of these BFA students with allergies.
8. Other – Peg Stewart passed out the results of the School Board Self Assessment Survey that was taken by the Board members and the administrators. She was pleased with results but was also concerned about some of the “disagrees” and “strongly disagrees”.
9. Policy Review
a. Internet Acceptable Use Policy – 1st Reading – Policy was tabled.
b. Tuition Policy
ACTION: Lauri Fisher moved to accept the Tuition Policy. Jeff Loller seconded. Passed unanimously.
c. Transportation Policy– A question was raised on letter (G) of the policy and it was held for Action for next meeting.
10. Upcoming Meetings
September 25, 2006 - Regular Meeting at6:30pm in the Fairfax Community Library
September 27, 2006 - FWSU Board Meeting at7:00pmin the Fairfax Community Library
11. Exective Session
Board entered exective session at 8:25PM
Respectfully submitted,
Julie Filiberti
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