Senate Meeting Notes

Tuesday Nov 16, 2010

 

In Attendance (need to double check and add some students and parent reps)-- Attending—Feigal-Stickles, Neilson, Kuhns, Powell, Padilla, Miyata, Overlie, Scott, Ames, Renouard, Tarleton, Pingry, McFarland, Jones, Albertson, Berlin, Harper, Albertson, Wolf, Torvik, Greene

I.        Approval of Minutes—approved by voice vote

II.    Discussion of Common Principal—resources dedicated to teaching and learning--Resources dedicated to teaching and learning Ultimate administrative and budget targets should include student loads that promote personalization, substantial time for collective planning by teachers, competitive salaries for staff, and an ultimate per pupil cost not to exceed that at traditional schools by more than 10 percent. To accomplish this, administrative plans may have to show the phased reduction or elimination of some services now provided students in many traditional schools

a.      Rob—put largest share of $$$ toward classrooms and try to avoid cutting teaching staff

b.     Tony—every year we start cutting supplies in order to reduce impact on classrooms

c.     Jill—we have collaborative planning that we don’t have to pay for (built into schedule).  Our community supports this.

d.     Jill—we have had to reduce the number of elective choices we give our students.  Can’t spread ourselves too thin—limiting choices has pros and cons

III. Committee Reports

a.      Administration Report

                                                              i.      Staff change—Mr. Norton-Middaugh resigned—Ms. Higgins has returned to Hale

                                                            ii.      Hired IA in med frag program

                                                          iii.      Outdoor cafeteria—installed walls, putting in heaters and reducing drips on ends of tent

                                                         iv.      Science wing remodel—ahead of schedule—things going according to plan

                                                           v.      Gym bleachers—broken, but in negotiation to get more

                                                         vi.      Staffing Adjustments—

1.     Enrollment just under 1100 (45 Running Start kids do not count toward enrollment)

2.     This gave us an additional 1.0 FTE in special ed, which we received last summer due to increased 9th grade IEP enrollment

3.     Since under 1100, do not get 1.0 counseling secretary

4.     District held 20% of our Free/Reduced lunch money.  Held back $56422.

5.     Last year, overspent by $203—this shows that we are making good use of our funds

6.     We have already spent some of these funds—already allocated:

a.      Volunteer coordinator ($2500)

b.     Library support ($2500)

c.     Website ($4000)

d.     2 UWired tech (2 x 10 hours per week) = $15000

e.      0.2 IA = $9522

f.       Lost Language Arts books = $2500

7.      0.2 FTE for Read 180 = $12723

                                                                                                                                      i.      Read 180—Tasha Lewis—Read 180 coordinator at district—can offer us curriculum and computer support. 

                                                                                                                                    ii.      Direct instruction for literacy support to help kids read at grade level.

                                                                                                                                  iii.      Sen Hudson—wants to add 0.2 FTE to a current part-time teaching position to offer a Read 180 class

                                                                                                                                 iv.      Sen Hudson—would be used for 9th graders

                                                                                                                                   v.      Sen Linett—what do we know about Read 180?

1.     McFarland—strong curriculum, research based, students use computers, work collaboratively, work on decoding.  Well respected.

2.     We have about 20 9th graders who are not reading at grade level

                                                                                                                                 vi.      Sen Miyata—isn’t this what Susan Knutsen was going to teach?

1.     Sen Hudson—she is coordinating collection of evidence

                                                                                                                               vii.      Sen Feigal-Stickles—how did you get $12723?

1.     This is .2 FTE from this point in the school year forward

                                                                                                                             viii.      Parent Rep—can you explain why a full time position is more ideal?  Why wouldn’t this go out for a general search?

1.     Sen Hudson—better for a staff member to be here full time.  This helps us build a program.

2.      Sen Hudson—unlikely that we could hire someone for a .2 position

                                                                                                                                 ix.      Sen Linett—what about sustainability of this program?  Preference is for reading across the curriculum? 

1.     Sen Hudson—middle school tends to have more interventions for kids.  We have had to create our own math intervention.  Read 180 is being done by other high schools offering Reading Intervention.

2.     Sen Greene—this is the only program recommended for High Schools.

                                                                                                                                   x.      Sen Miyata—how will we move 9th graders into this?

1.     Sen Hudson—it will be offered 4th period

                                                                                                                                 xi.      Sen Ruehle—what about computer lab space?

1.     Sen Hudson—we have 6 computers and need to find a space for it.

8.     Sen Linett—did we have a priority list from last year?

9.     Sen Berlin—missing books?  Could parents help with this?

1.     Sen Linett—what about other departments who need books?

2.     Sen Sylver—we have searched for the books, but have not been able to find them.

3.     Sen Hudson—did not want to deny teachers the supplies that they need to teach

10. Senate reviewed last year’s buy back list—looks like we included everything from the list.

11.  How should we spend the remaining $8000?

a.      Could be used to buy some FTE in art for 2nd semester?  Sen Kuhns supports this.

b.     Sen Tarleton suggests that we ask our constituents how to spend the $8000.

12. Sen Tarleton moves that we consider the list up to the $48745.  Seconded by Sen Scott.

13. Sen Greene moves to suspend rules and vote on the proposed spending of the $48745 today.  This reflects the buy back list from last year’s June meeting.  Seconded by Sen Smith.

IV.            Old Business

a.      TRI Days Proposal—Sen Renouard for PD Committee—As a staff, paid for 16 hours of building directed TRI.  For this year and subsequent years we will work 8 hours collab with teams in August.  Remaining 8 hours will be accounted for by ALL STAFF participation in SCP night and other Exhibition nights.

                                                              i.      Sen Torvik—friendly amendment that the 8 hours be fully accounted for by staff participation in Exhibition Nights.

                                                            ii.      Sen Hudson—the reason that PD days are on a Wednesday is to account for an extra hour of meeting time.  Early release days should be 3 hours of meeting time—on those days we should end at 4:30 PM.

                                                          iii.      Sen Renouard—in his CFG most people would stay the extra half hour

                                                         iv.      Sen Feigal-Stickles—this is new information that we are required to stay until 4:30 on an Early Release day.

1.     Sen Hudson—in our contract, it states that we can require 1 meeting per week that lasts for 1 hour per contract day.

2.     Sen Hudson—this is a commitment to our students and community.

                                                           v.      Sen Linett—as professionals, we own our CFG time—we need to recommit to using the time well.  Perhaps this is an opportunity to talk to our peers.

                                                         vi.      Sen Hudson—this came up because there were different opinions about when CFG meetings should end.

                                                       vii.      Sen Linett—let’s separate out the proposals—8 hours for Exhibition Nights and 8 hours for August meetings (friendly amendment)

                                                     viii.      Moved and seconded—passed by voice vote

b.     Schedule change on Early Release Days

                                                              i.      Sen Smith—will there still be a lunch?  On Early Release days, lunch will occur at end of the day.

                                                            ii.      Sen Sylver—how will this affect our Running Start and other kids?

                                                          iii.      Schedule clarification—there will be a 10 minute break between 3rd and 4th period. 

                                                         iv.      Sen Jones—Running Start students may be affected?  Need to see schedule.

                                                           v.      Sen Ruehle—this would make for a loss of instructional minutes

                                                         vi.      Sen Linett—hardship not to see kids at the beginning and end of each week.

                                                       vii.      Sen Jones—this makes our schedule even more complicated.

                                                     viii.      Sen Miyata—this does make for a loss of 30 minutes of instructional time.

                                                         ix.      Sen Renouard—would it be more difficult to have 6 straight classes without a lunch break

                                                           x.      Sen Miyata—could we move lunch to the middle of the day on Early Release days?  Go until 1:30 PM?

                                                         xi.      Sen Padilla—called the question.  Seconded.

1.     In favor of schedule change on Early Release days—6

2.     Opposed—9

3.     Abstentions—6

c.     Proposal—Alternate staff meetings on Wed and Thurs.

                                                              i.      Sen Linett—supports proposal—will alleviate pressure on people with no prep on Wed

                                                            ii.      Sen Torvik—friendly amendment—can all meetings be afternoon meetings?

1.     Sen Hudson—supports this amendment.  AM staff meetings are too stressful.  Can still offer support to those staff who cannot meet in the afternoons

2.     Sen Padilla accepted amendment

                                                          iii.      Moved and Seconded—Motion passed by voice vote. 

 Meeting adjourned at 4:25 PM

Next Senate Meeting—Tuesday 12/7 at 3:15 PM

 

 

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