November 10, 2009

The November regular meeting of the Elementary and High School District No. 1 Board of Trustees was held on November 10, 2009 in the Choteau High School Library. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chairman Kirk Moore.

Members Present: Kirk Moore, Mark Henderson, Brodie Gollehon, Mark Salmond, Perri Lindgren, and Jonathan Stoltz.

Members Absent: Sharon Rice.

Supt. St. John, High School Principal Achenbach, and Clerk Davis were present throughout the meeting.

Visitors: Choteau Acantha Editor Melody Martinsen; Local 1686 Business Manager Kim Rickard; KG Educational Consultants Representative Ken Kelly; and District Patrons Michelle Archer, Cliff Heuscher, Sally Heuscher, and Ron Daley.

GRIEVANCE HEARING Chairman Kirk Moore introduced himself and stated that he would be chairing the hearing this evening on the grievance that the Laborer’s Union Local No. 1686 has brought against the Administration regarding the use of a time clock for certain employees. Chairman Moore had the parties identify themselves at this time. Laborer’s Union Local No. 1686 was represented by their Business Manager Kim Rickard and Choteau School District No. 1 Administration was represented by Supt. St. John. It was noted that Ken Kelly of KG Educational Consultants, who negotiated the collective bargaining union with the Laborer’s Union on behalf of the District, was present to assist the administration if need be. Chairman Moore informed all parties of the process that would be followed, noting that the hearing would be informal and either side may introduce any relevant documents or records. Chairman Moore further noted that this grievance is a question of contract interpretation so that the Union will present its case first and then the Administration, with both sides given the opportunity to cross-examine any witnesses that may be called, and that each side will be allowed closing remarks, after which the Board will consider all the evidence and testimony presented by both parties.

Local 1686 Business Manager Kim Rickard provided the Board with a packet of exhibits regarding this grievance, a copy of which is attached to the minutes of this meeting. Exhibit A is a correspondence dated September 10, 2009 from Supt. St. John outlining the procedures for all custodial and maintenance staff to start using a time clock as of September 14, 2009. Exhibit B is a correspondence dated September 28, 2009 from Local 1686 Business Manager Kim Rickard thanking Supt. St. John for meeting with her to discuss the recent implementation of the time clock, noting that the parties were unable to come to a resolution at this meeting; so according to the grievance procedure, the Union was proceeding to Level 3 and seeking the remedy that the Administration require all classified personnel to follow the time clock procedure or desist with the required time clock procedure for custodial staff. Exhibit C is a correspondence dated September 29, 2009 from Supt. St. John reminding all custodial staff that they are required to punch out and punch in on the time clock when taking dinner breaks off campus. Exhibit D is the Administration’s response to the remedy requested by the Union in Exhibit B, wherein Supt. St. John proposed the following compromise that all hourly staff working outside the unsupervised hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. would be required to use the time clocks. Exhibit E is a correspondence dated October 12, 2009 from the Union thanking the Administration for presenting the compromise, but stating that the Union needed to know the number of staff the compromise would include before agreeing to it. Upon learning that this compromise would only cover the maintenance/custodial staff and one cook, Exhibit F was generated which is a correspondence dated October 26, 2009 directed to Board Chairman Kirk Moore, noting that the Union and Administration have been unable to reach a remedy for the grievance of the implementation of time clocks for the custodial staff so wish to proceed to Level 4 of the grievance procedure and bring the matter before the Board for a hearing. Ms. Rickard concluded by stating the Union is not opposed to the use of a time clock but feel the two union members are being singled out since only they are required to clock in and use the time clocks.

Supt. St. John began by stating that after hearing Ms. Rickard’s presentation he does not believe there is an issue at all since the Union is under the misconception that the use of the time clocks was only required of the two union custodians, when all of the exhibits clearly state that all custodial and maintenance staff are required to follow the time clock procedures and that has been the practice from the beginning. Ms. Rickard countered that in all of their conversations Supt. St. John never indicated that all maintenance and custodial staff were using the time clocks. She even alleged that there were meetings between Supt. St. John and the two union members to drop the grievance that bordered on coercion and intimidation, so the Union now is requesting that all classified staff be required to use the time clocks.

Supt. St. John outlined the following arguments concerning this grievance, a copy of which is attached to the minutes of this meeting. Supt. St. John informed the Board that under Article 9.1, Section A of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) a grievance is defined as any dispute or complaint concerning the interpretation, application, or compliance with any provision(s) of the Agreement, noting that the Union has failed to identify a violation of a provision within the CBA. Supt. St. John further noted that the Union’s grievance and request for a remedy are contradictory in that the Union states the implementation of time clocks must be negotiated, even though there is no such provision within the CBA, while simultaneously requesting a remedy that allows the non-negotiated implementation of the use of time clocks as long as the time clocks are used under their condition of requiring such use for all classified personnel. The Union’s request for remedy also wrongly and unfairly involves employees who are expressly excluded within Article 1 and Article 9.1, section B of the CBA. Supt. St. John went on to state that the implementation of time clocks is clearly a management right as outlined in Article 3 of the CBA, noting that the Administration did contact the Union last spring, as a matter of courtesy and professionalism, regarding the implementation of time clocks and did not receive a negative response at that time. Supt. St. John concluded by stating that it appears there has been a lack of correct and proper communication between the two parties as the managerial decision to implement the use of time clocks revolved around the concept of fairness and common sense and was required of all maintenance and custodial staff and not just the two union custodians as stated by the Union.

Chairman Kirk Moore asked Ms. Rickard to clarify the remedy the Union is requesting as she has stated all maintenance and custodial staff and also all classified personnel, which includes all non-teaching staff members. Ms. Rickard stated that the Union is requesting equality for the two Union custodians so is requesting all classified personnel use the time clocks, which includes maintenance, custodians, cooks, as well as aides and clerical staff. Chairman Moore stated that the Collective Bargaining Agreement only covers the custodial staff, but Ms. Rickard stated the Union can and is requesting a remedy that will be applied to staff not covered by the CBA.

KG Educational Consultants Representative Ken Kelly addressed the Board at this time. Mr. Kelly reminded the Board that he had negotiated the Collective Bargaining Agreement with Laborer’s Union Local 1686 on behalf of the District. Mr. Kelly informed the Board that he specifically had written in the managerial right clause in Article 3 to address such issues as this and agrees with Supt. St. John’s arguments and position. Supt. St. John informed the Board that in accordance with the grievance procedure in the CBA, that Board does have 15 days to deliberate whether to sustain or deny this grievance.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson and seconded by Jonathan Stoltz to deny the Laborer’s Union Local 1686 grievance as outlined above because the implementation of the use of time clocks is a managerial right and not an issue that can be grieved as per the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The Board discussed the motion on the floor. Chairman Kirk Moore agreed with the motion as made and also cited the contract recognition language of Article 1, noting the CBA only applies to custodial staff. Chairman Moore called for a vote on the motion on the floor. The motion was unanimously carried (1 absent) to deny the grievance as put forth by the Union. Chairman Moore thanked both Ms. Rickard and Mr. Kelly for their efforts regarding this matter.

Chairman Moore proceeded to conduct the business of this regular meeting.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Perri Lindgren and unanimously carried to approve the elementary minutes of the October 8, 2009 regular meeting as written.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Brodie Gollehon and unanimously carried (1 absent) to approve the high school minutes of the October 8, 2009 regular meeting as written.

A motion was made by Brodie Gollehon, seconded by Perri Lindgren and unanimously carried to approve the elementary claims clearing warrants #15229-#15352 and payroll clearing warrants #19658-#19790 for payment. A vendor list for claims is attached to the minutes of this meeting.

A motion was made by Jonathan Stoltz, seconded by Mark Salmond and unanimously carried (1 absent) to approve the high school claims clearing warrants #15229-#15352 and payroll clearing warrants #19658-#19790 for payment. A vendor list for claims is attached to the minutes of this meeting.

Correspondence:

A) Supt. St. John shared a communication from Gaye Genereux, the MNCESR Director, to commend Junior High Science Teacher Rachael Newmiller on her presentation of using technical writing in her science classes at a recent Technical Writing Essentials for Math and Science (TWEMS) grant presentation at MSU-Northern.

B) Supt. St. John shared a communication from Elaine Sedlack and JoLynn Miller thanking the volleyball team and their moms for the wonderful “Pack the Place in Pink” night that raised money for the Region 5 Health Fund to help fund breast and cervical cancer screenings for area women who cannot afford such screenings.

PRINCIPALS’ REPORTS High School Principal Nate Achenbach reported to the Board on the following matters:

A) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that the District had received a Sportsmanship Certificate sponsored by the US Bank as no coach, player, or team was ejected from a game.

B) High School Principal Achenbach reminded the Board that long time science teacher Gary Betcher had received the National Biology Teacher of the Year award last spring and would be leaving to attend the National Conference on Science in Denver, Colorado tomorrow. High School Principal Achenbach noted that Mr. Betcher will report back to the Board on this National Conference at a later date.

C) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that it is very evident that the H1N1 virus really hit the District as he recently sent out a record number of attendance letters, stating that a student was over the 10 day absence limit for the semester. High School Principal Achenbach stated that the attendance committee of himself, Trustee Mark Henderson, and Trustee Sharon Rice would have a large number of requests to reinstate credits to consider, noting that the committee has never taken away credit and if that was the committee’s recommendation they would bring it before the Board to consider.

D) High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that the State Volleyball Tournament will be held in Bozeman this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and that the FFA will be in Bozeman at the same time for Ag Days. High School Principal Achenbach noted that the volleyball team will have the regular activity bus and FFA will have the old activity bus, and if at least 20 high school students sign up by noon tomorrow the District will pay to use a Teton Bus Services yellow route bus as a state volleyball pep bus on Friday and interested students will have to pay for their own food and tournament admission.

Elementary Principal Chuck Gameon was not present at the meeting but had provided a written report for Supt. St. John to share with the Board at this time.

A) Elementary Principal Gameon informed the Board that WalMart has discontinued their plastic bag recycling program so the elementary school will no longer collect such bags.

B) Elementary Principal Gameon informed the Board that the elementary school’s annual Veteran’s Day program will be held tomorrow at 12:45 p.m. in the high school auditorium and encouraged everyone to come.

C) Elementary Principal Gameon informed the Board that the end of the elementary school’s first trimester will be on November 20th so Parent-Teacher conferences will be held Tuesday, December 1st and Wednesday, December 2nd from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Supt. St. John noted that 7-12 Parent-Teacher conferences will also be held the evening of Tuesday, December 1st.

D) Elementary Principal Gameon informed the Board that the elementary school was once again conducting their annual “Cookie Dough Fundraiser” and would be accepting orders until Thursday, November 19th, noting that all funds raised will be used to go towards the purchase of a new piece of playground equipment. The Board was also informed that the Grizzly Marathon organizers had recently voted to provide up to $500 toward the elementary playground equipment fund.

E) Elementary Principal Gameon informed the Board that the District had received the first check from Cellular One from the School Rebate Program in the amount of $265. Elementary Principal Gameon noted that these funds will be shared equally between the elementary, junior high, and high school student councils and encouraged everyone to sign up for this program.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT A copy of the Superintendent’s Report provided to the Board by Supt. St. John is attached to the minutes of this meeting.

A) Supt. St. John reviewed his report with the Board at this time.

B) Supt. St. John informed the Board that that Fall Report had been completed and the information provided in this report helps the Office of Public Instruction determine the accreditation status of the District. Supt. St. John noted that the District had received a regular accreditation status last school year and should again this year since Tami Krone has a provisional certificate to teach home economics since she is in the OPI “Intern” program to become fully endorsed.

POLICY

Third Reading and Adoption of New Policy #3235 Supt. St. John provided the Board with a revision to new policy #3235 regarding video surveillance that was developed by MTSBA Policy Director Joe Brott and MTSBA Attorney Tony Konig. Supt. St. John informed the Board that this language change was recommended to allow more flexibility and addressing the possibility of a live feed. Supt. St. John noted that the new language is very broad and grey and the District will only have the live feed capability if a grant was awarded to purchase such a video surveillance system. The Board reviewed the proposed revision and felt that such a revision should require an additional reading before consideration for adoption.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Perri Lindgren and unanimously carried (1 absent) to table the third reading and consideration of adopting new policy #3235 on video surveillance until the regular December Board meeting.

Second Reading of Revised Policy #3310 The Board held the second reading of a revision proposed by the administration to the gun free schools portion of the student discipline policy #3110. This revision would permit and authorize the Superintendent to modify the disciplinary action on a case by case basis for any student who uses, possesses, controls, or transfers a firearm as allowed by 20-5-202, MCA. The Board discussed this proposed revision further at this time, with Trustee Jonathan Stoltz stating he felt the last incident was handled properly and any such incident should come before the Board for their consideration. Chairman Kirk Moore agreed with this position, stating that there needs to be a consequence for such incidents and having a hearing before the Board is important. Supt. St. John suggested adding language that would allow the Superintendent to modify the disciplinary action with a minimum two day out of school suspension.

District Patron Cliff Heuscher stated that he believes any student that does something that results in an out of school suspension should be required to come before the Board to explain why it happened, to face the responsibility of his/her actions, to plead his/her case and to apologize to the Board for such actions. Supt. St. John noted that some acts can be purely innocent and no fault of a student; but Trustee Mark Henderson noted that even if it is an innocent act, coming before the Board presents a teachable moment. Supt. St. John stated that he is neutral about this revision, noting that he was frustrated at the time of the previous incident but in the end felt it went okay.

High School Principal Achenbach addressed the Board regarding the proposed revision, noting this revision will not make life easier for the administration. High School Principal Achenbach reminded the Board that they were hard pressed to find a time that a quorum of the Board could attend and still meet the written notification requirements of such a special meeting. High School Principal Achenbach questioned what would happen if a student was out for a week or longer because a special meeting of the Board could not be called for whatever reason during that period of time. Such a scenario could force a student to miss a very important test or event such as Senior recognition night of the last home game. High School Principal Achenbach questioned if the Board really would want a student to face such additional unwarranted consequences when it is an innocent act with no ill intent. High School Principal Achenbach stated that it the administrations’ job and they are prepared to make the tough decisions to investigate any such incidents and modify the necessary disciplinary actions on a case by case basis. The Board thanked High School Principal Achenbach for presenting the other side for them to think about and requested that at least language be added that the Board will be immediately notified of all incidents and the disciplinary action imposed.

PERSONNEL

Approve Substitute Activity Bus Driver Supt. St. John informed the Board that there are times when it would be beneficial to have another substitute activity bus driver to call upon so he would recommend the employment of Greg Alzheimer, noting that Mr. Alzheimer is a fully certified bus driver and works as such for the Fairfield Public Schools. A motion was made by Jonathan Stoltz, seconded by Perri Lindgren and unanimously carried (1 absent) to accept the administrations’ recommendation and employ Gary Alzheimer as a substitute activity bus driver.

Accept Resignations Supt. St. John informed the Board that he has received letters of resignation from Robert McKay as the High School Assistant Wrestling Coach and Robert Scott as the Elementary Assistant Wrestling Coach for the 2009-10 school year. A motion was made by Mark Salmond, seconded by Brodie Gollehon and unanimously carried (1 absent) to acknowledge receipt of and accept the letters of resignation from Robert McKay as the High School Assistant Wrestling Coach and Robert Scott as the Elementary Assistant Wrestling Coach for the 2009-10 school year.

Consider Employment of Elementary and High School Assistant Wrestling Coaches Supt. St. John informed the Board that Robert Scott resigned from the Elementary Assistant Wrestling Coach position as he is interested in the High School Assistant Wrestling Coach position and the administration does not have a recommendation for filling the vacant elementary position at this time. A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Mark Salmond and unanimously carried (1 absent) to accept the administrations’ recommendation and employ Robert Scott as the High School Assistant Wrestling Coach for the 2009-10 school year.

SCOREBOARD PROJECT High School Principal Achenbach provided a picture of the new digital, wireless scoreboards he would like to purchase through advertising dollars. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that Malta had such scoreboards at the divisional volleyball tournament and they were very nice, noting that they are very durable and almost maintenance free. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that such new scoreboards will cost approximately $26,000 but he is waiting to enter into a contract until he knows whether the Board will accept advertising dollars to purchase them. The picture High School Principal Achenbach provided gave advertising graphics that would be on both scoreboards and on both sides of the gymnasium for 3 Rivers Communications that would cost them $6,500, Sun River Electric Cooperative that would cost them $6,500, and Citizen’s State Bank that would cost them $13,000; but noted that additional sponsors could be obtained so that different sponsors would be advertised on each clock or new scoreboards for the elementary gymnasium could be purchased with additional sponsors advertising dollars.

The Board and administration discussed this project further and Trustee Jonathan Stoltz requested that High School Principal Achenbach look into how these new scoreboards were guaranteed in the event of power surges or brown outs, which occur frequently in this area. High School Principal Achenbach noted that he would like to order the scoreboards by March so they can be installed over the summer, but stressed that they will not be ordered if there are not enough sponsors and advertising dollars to purchase them. Clerk Davis noted that the District will have to initially purchase the scoreboards, probably with Building Reserve funds, and then these funds will be restored as the District receives the advertising fees from the sponsors probably through a contract over a period of years.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson and seconded by Jonathan Stoltz to authorize High School Principal Nate Achenbach to proceed to procure sponsors and advertising dollars to purchase new scoreboards for the District. Trustees voting for this motion were: Mark Henderson, Jonathan Stoltz, Brodie Gollehon, Mark Salmond, and Kirk Moore. Trustees voting against this motion were: Perri Lindgren. The motion carried with a 5 to 1 vote (1 absent).

ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM TILE PROJECT Supt. St. John informed the Board that the High School Quality Schools Deferred Maintenance ARRA funds in the amount of $20,773.30 will be used to purchase new whiteboards, as well as tables and chairs to replace desks in the high school classrooms. Supt. St. John reminded the Board that the Elementary Quality Schools Deferred Maintenance ARRA funds in the amount of $39,962.15 have been earmarked to replace the tiles in 15 elementary classrooms. Supt. St. John reminded the Board that the administration was looking into tiling over the old asbestos tiles in the elementary classrooms to save $27,500 in asbestos removal costs; but has learned the wax build up of many years on the elementary classroom tiles must be removed before the new tiles can be installed, so this option would be labor intensive as well as costly and not attainable for the custodial staff during the summer months. Supt. St. John informed the Board that the administration and maintenance staff believe the best option would be to remove the old asbestos tiles rather than installing the new tiles over them. Supt. St. John informed the Board that he would like to get this project under contract so that the costs and a schedule are locked in. Supt. St. John further noted that the ARRA Stimulus allocation will pay for the lion’s share of this project, and end of year unspent general fund budget authority and/or building reserve funds will need to cover approximately $16,400 of this project.

A motion was made by Mark Henderson, seconded by Perri Lindgren and unanimously carried to authorize the administration to proceed using the Elementary Quality Schools Deferred Maintenance ARRA allocation of $39,962.15 to remove the old asbestos tiles and install new tiles in 15 elementary classrooms.

BUDGET AMENDMENT PROCLAMATION/PETITION Supt. St. John informed the Board that the large incoming Freshman class of 50 students increased the high school ANB by 11% and provided the Board a worksheet developed by the Office of Public Instruction that outlined the maximum budget amendment ($111,067.66) and additional state aid ($32,973.85) for fiscal year 2010 due to this unanticipated enrollment increase. Section 20-9-163, MCA allows the Board of Trustees to petition the Office of Public Instruction to adopt a resolution for a budget amendment under the provision of Section 20-9-161(1), MCA.

A motion was made by Jonathan Stoltz, seconded by Brodie Gollehon and unanimously carried (1 absent) to approve petitioning the Office of Public Instruction for permission to adopt a resolution for a budget amendment for fiscal year 2010 as a result of an unanticipated enrollment increase. A copy of the signed petition in its entirety is attached to the minutes of this meeting.

ATTENDANCE AGREEMENT A motion was made by Brodie Gollehon, seconded by Mark Salmond and unanimously carried to approve the following attendance agreements as designated for the 2009-10 school year.

Attendance Agreements: High School – Kristine Brenna (sending district – tuition waived).

DISPOSITION OF OLD UNREDEEMED WARRANTS Clerk Davis informed the Board that she and High School Student Activity Fund Custodian Patty Mellinger are requesting authorization to stop payment and void several old, unredeemed warrants so that the funds can be deposited back into the appropriate accounts.

A motion was made by Mark Salmond, seconded by Jonathan Stoltz and unanimously carried (1 absent) to authorize High School Activity Account Fund Custodian Patty Mellinger and Clerk Gloria Davis to stop payment and void the following old, unredeemed elementary activity and district claims clearing warrants and deposit the funds back into the appropriate accounts:

1) High School Activity check #1330 issued 9/19/07 to Region II Principals for $20.00 for dues, to be re-deposited into the athletic activity account.

2) High School Activity check #1479 issued 11/27/07 to VISA for $35.88 for coin wrappers, to be re-deposited into the athletic activity account.

3) High School Activity check #1952 issued 10/02/08 to Montana Association of Student Council for $10.00 for dues, to be re-deposited into the student council activity account.

4) District Claims Clearing Warrant #13536 issued 6/30/08 to Music Theatre for $25.00 for script fees, to be re-deposited into the High School General Fund.

5) District Claims Clearing Warrant #13550 issued 6/30/08 to Bowhunter Archery for $64.00 for supplies, to be re-deposited into the High School General Fund.

ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF AND APPROVE DEPOSIT OF CHECKS A motion was made by Perri Lindgren, seconded by Brodie Gollehon and unanimously carried (1 absent) to acknowledge receipt of and approve depositing the following checks in the appropriate funds.

1) ETS check #100142151 in the amount of $90.00 for AP program overpayment, to be deposited in the High School General Fund.

2) Shelby Public Schools check #61001 in the amount of $65.00 for substitute cost reimbursement, to be deposited in the Elementary General Fund.

3) Dan Isakson check #5642 in the amount of $150.00 for surplus property bid, to be deposited in the Elementary General Fund.

4) Food Services of America check #675328 in the amount of $340.50 for recalled product refund, to be deposited in the Elementary Lunch Fund.

5) Big Sky Special Needs Cooperative check #7525 in the amount of $12,740.00 for IDEA-B ARRA quarterly stimulus payment, with $8,450.00 to be deposited in the Elementary Miscellaneous Federal Fund and $4,290.00 to be deposited into the High School Miscellaneous Federal Fund.

CONSOLIDATED APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL TITLE PROGRAMS Supt. St. John informed the Board that the Consolidated Application for all Federal Title Programs has been submitted and approved through the E-Grants program. Supt. St. John outlined the allocations and how they will be spent for the Board’s information.

The FY2010 Elementary Title I allocation is $84,014 and the FY2010 High School Title I allocation is $29,673 for a total of $113,687, which is a decrease of $12,232 from last year. These funds will be used to pay the salaries and benefits of five Title I tutors and limited supplies for them.

In the past the Title I funds have also covered the costs of a Title I reading aide, a Title I Boost Tutor, and the summer school program, but due to the cut in the regular Title I allocation these costs will be covered with the Title I ARRA allocation. The Title I ARRA allocations are for a two year period, fiscal years 2010 and 2011, with the elementary receiving $56,655 and the high school receiving $21,309 for a total allocation of $77,964. In addition to covering the above listed expenses that may have been cut due to the decrease in the regular Title I allocation, the Title I ARRA allocation will be used to provide district wide professional development on differentiated instruction, response to intervention, grade level collaboration, and various educational institutes teaching strategies for reading, math, and science for fiscal years 2010 and 2011.

The FY Title II, Part A allocation of $29,711 for the elementary and high school, which is a decrease of $1,005 from last year, will no longer be used for teacher and principal training and recruitment/retention purposes but to reduce class size. The August 6, 2009 Final Budget Meeting minutes state that in the absence of ESEA Title II, A funds, Choteau Elementary Grade 2 would have 25 students which exceeds the accreditation standard of 20 for that grade level, so the 2009-10 ESEA Title II, A funds will be used to pay for .75 FTE teacher salary and benefits. (The remaining .25 FTE representing the cost that would have been needed to place an aide in that classroom to meet accreditation standards.)

The FY20009 Title II, Part D Educational Technology Funds allocation of $1,697 for the elementary and high school, which is a decrease of $196 from last year, will continue to be used to pay the wages for the software specialist and data collection.

The FY2009 Title IV, Part A Drug Free Funds allocation of $3,280 for the elementary and high school, which is the same as last year, will be redirected to the Title II, Part D Educational Technology program to help fund it as outlined above.

The District has received notification that it will once again receive a FY2010 SRS or Small Rural Schools allocation of $16,317 for the elementary and $13,343 for the high school or a total of $29,660, which is an increase of $962 from last year. The SRS allocation can be expended according to any of the above listed Title programs and as in the past will cover additional teacher professional development during the summer and any shortfalls in the other Title programs.

The FY2010 Carl Perkins Basic Grant allocation of $8,707, which is a decrease of $1,476 from last year, will be used to upgrade technology in the vocational agriculture department and for supplemental supplies, training, and field trips in the family consumer science department. The District also receives state vocational funds each year which provide supplemental supplies for the vocational agriculture ($3,256), the family consumer science ($896), and the industrial arts ($1,012) departments.

The FY2010 State Gifted and Talented Grant allocation of $1,718, which is a decrease of $782 from last year, will be used to fund supplies and training for the accelerated and differentiated learning programs. The district must match these funds dollar for dollar.

The District belongs to the Big Sky Special Needs Cooperative so all of the District’s Federal IDEA-B funds ($92,765) for special education services are funneled directly to the Coop. There are also Federal IDEA-B ARRA stimulus funds for fiscal years 2010 and 2011 and the District’s elementary allocation of $69,923 and high school allocation of $31,212 for a total of $101,135 will also be funneled directly to the Coop, but the District will be able to request these funds. The District will use these IDEA-B ARRA stimulus dollars to fund the salaries and benefits of two special education teacher aides, additional RTI training, and special education AIM reporting equipment needs for fiscal years 2010 and 2011.

FIVE YEAR PLAN Supt. St. John informed the Board that the Office of Public Instruction has required each district to submit a comprehensive educational five year plan for at least the past 15 years. The Board received a draft copy of the Choteau School District Comprehensive Educational Five Year Plan for years 2009 – 2014 to review and discuss. Supt. St. John noted that the information in this report is already know but it is good information to have and be made known.

SUPERINTENDENT’S EVALUATION Supt. St. John outlined the superintendent evaluation process and provided the Board with the form. Supt. St. John noted that the cover page of the evaluation form outlines the following purpose for the superintendent’s evaluation:

PURPOSE: The superintendent’s evaluation is conducted to provide the Superintendent with the Board of Trustees’ assessment of his/her strengths and weaknesses relative to his/her performance as the Superintendent of the School District. It is the intent that this instrument serve to provide the Superintendent with reinforcement of effective performance and as a guide for change and improvement. Further, it is the intent that this instrument serve as a catalyst to strengthen the Board/Superintendent working relationship and the achievement of their mutual goal: To make the Choteau School District the most effective it can be.

It was noted that each Board member shall complete this evaluation form individually prior to the December Board meeting and a composite or consensus evaluation form, complete with comments, will be then be compiled. Chairman Kirk Moore noted that this process has occurred at a work session before the December meeting for the past several years and he will look into scheduling such a session.

CLERK/BUSINESS MANAGER’S REPORT Clerk Davis informed the Board that there were no investments made in October by the Teton County Treasurer on behalf of the Teton County Investment Committee due to a lack of cash flow. Clerk Davis noted that property tax revenue will be collected in November so there probably will be upcoming investments.

SUPERINTENDENT’S SUMMARY Supt. St. John took this opportunity to wrap up the meeting and informed the Board that he appreciated the discussion and feedback on the policy readings.

Supt. St. John stated that it was not worth rehashing the miscommunication and misunderstandings between the Administration and the Union regarding their grievance, but felt the Union’s personal accusations against the Administration were uncalled for.

Supt. St. John informed the Board that he believes the number one focus for the building principals is to concentrate on what takes place in the classroom so he believes it is okay for them to not always be present at the Board meetings. Supt. St. John noted that when the principals can’t or don’t want to be present at a Board meeting, they can provide written reports for the Board as Elementary Principal Gameon did this evening. High School Principal Achenbach informed the Board that he feels the need to be present at most Board meetings, as there usually are high school issues to be discussed; but can understand why Elementary Principal Gameon would rather not be present, as he feels his time would be better spent concentrating on elementary school matters.

SCHEDULE NEXT REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING Supt. St. John reminded the Board that the December Board Meeting has been held during the morning in the elementary school music room for the past several years, as this practice provides an ideal opportunity for the Trustees to fulfill their responsibility to observe the workings of the District during the school day. A motion was made by Perri Lindgren, seconded by Jonathan Stoltz and unanimously carried (1 absent) to set the December Regular Board Meeting date for Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. in the Elementary School Music Room.

There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 10:25 p.m.

ATTEST: ________________________ CLERK _________________________ CHAIRMAN