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Fairfax Board of School Directors
Monday, January 22, 2007
Regular Board Meeting at 6:30pm
Fairfax Community Library
Present: Chairperson Peg Stewart, Greg Beeman, Jeff Loller, Lauri Fisher, Rachelle Howard, Dustin Howard, Clara Pedley, Scott Lang, Thomas Walsh, Lisa Delorme, Armando Vilaseca
Public: none
1. Call to Order - Peg Stewart called the meeting to order at 6:30PM.
2. Approval of Minutes
Action: Jeff Loller moved to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting ofJanuary 8, 2007. Lauri Fisher seconded. Passed unanimously.
3. Correspondence - none
4. Reports
a. Superintendent Report – Armando Vilaseca reported he has been working on getting all the information together for the Town Report.
b. Principals’ Report –
Scott Lang reported that the second semester began today. An issue has arisen over the school sharing the radio frequency with the town. The buses will now be on their own frequency. Because the buses need to communicate with the town trucks, the town trucks will now carry the school frequency as well as the Town’s but the school will no longer share the frequency with the rescue and fire departments.
Lisa Delorme reported that the administrators would be attending a training on the evaluation system this week. On February 2nd the NAPE will be given to the 4th and 8th grade. NECAP scores should be back to the school by the end of January. The administration will bring the information to the Board in March.
Tom Walsh outlined his updates in his letter to parents of which the Board should have received a copy. He met with his parent advisory group this evening and got feedback on the middle school.
c. Financial Report – Armando passed out an updated financial report for this year for the Board to review. He passed out an Act 68 comparison worksheet showing how the tax rate went down from last year. A summary of anticipated revenues for 2007-2008 was also distributed.
d. Board Reports –
Clara Pedley reported that exams are done and the students are excited about new classes.
Dustin Howard reported that the senior class started their last fundraiser. They are planning on taking two coach buses to Great Escape for a class trip.
Rachelle Howard reported she attended the steering committee meeting and reminded the Board that the State of the Academy is tomorrow at 3:00PM in the elementary gym.
Jeff Loller reported on the graduation requirements meeting. Negotiations meetings are still ongoing. He recommended the snow banks be removed from the Hunt Street edge of the elementary parking lot, as it is a visibility issue.
Peg Stewart reported that the Recreation Dept. is having a meeting February 5th. She gave an update on sidewalks and Safe Routes to Schools.
5. New Business
a. Action Plan Status Report – Lisa Delorme briefly explained the process in updating the Action Plan and how all the teachers have contributed to it. She summarized and highlighted some aspects of the plan as it applies to grades K-5 in the elementary. A major concentration has been in applying the new math program. Tom Walsh summarized the concentrations and highlighted areas of the Action Plan as it applies to the middle school. The VSRI work has been a major focus in literacy in the middle school this year. Scott Lang highlighted the some of the areas of focus in the high school. VSRI is also a large focus in the high school. The areas of Technology, PE, Art, Health, and Music have all also made great strides across the board.
b. Approve Tuition Rate – A tuition rate history report was distributed showing the tuition rates for the past two years in the schools. Discussion took place on how the tuition rates are set and whether the rate covers the actual cost to educate incoming students.
Action: Rachelle Howard motioned to approve the FY2008 Tuition rates for the school, $9000 for the elementary, $8600 for the middle school, and $7800 for the high school. Greg Beeman seconded. Motion passed.
c. Approve Legal Warning – Discussion took place on the necessity and wording of Article V. It was the Board’s decision to eliminate Article V and they will revisit it for next year’s Town Meeting vote.
Action: Greg Beeman motioned to approve the Legal Warning for the Town Report with the elimination of Article V. Rachelle Howard seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
d. Budget Presentation/Communication Plan – Armando stated that he and Natasha are working on getting the presentation for the Board together. They will email the presentation prior to the February 12th meeting. Peg will do the presenting and the Board members will be available to answer questions from the public. A mailing will go out to all community members by mid-February.
6. Policies
a. Public Complaints About School Personnel Policy –2nd reading will take place next meeting.
b. Educational Support System Policy – 2nd reading will take place next meeting.
7. Other –Tom Walsh requested that the Board consider approving the spending of up to $5000 to install a card reader for the library door. This was a highlighted concern for the security of the building. The librarians are currently responsible for monitoring the traffic through the door.
Action: Lauri Fisher motioned to approve up to $5000 for the installation of a card reader on the library interior door. Jeff Loller seconded. Passed unanimously.
8. Meeting adjourned at 9:00PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Julie Filiberti
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