School Board Highlights School Board Highlights
April 25, 2016
Heidi Anderson
Staff writer
Director Scott Schwarz absent New Community Education Director In the Consent Agenda, The Independent School District 15 (ISD 15) School Board approved the hire of new Community Education Director. St. Francis High School site report St. Francis High School (SFHS) Principal Doug Austin presented the SFHS site report. SFHS science teacher and Professional Learning Community committee member Tyler Schaff also presented an update on what high school teachers have been working on during PLC time. In the future, licensed staff will work on data analysis, timely response to intervention (RTI) participation and use of Mastery Connect. Austin said that he along with SFHS staff are working on additions to Post Secondary Enrollment Options and expanding technical school partnerships. Austin also presented a proposal for having May 31 and June 1 designated as Senior Exemption Days. This has been standard procedure in the past and seniors who are in good standing with their grades and behavior will be exempt from attending school May 31 and June 1. Commencement is Friday, June 3.
School Board Members Marsha Van Denburgh, Chairwoman 763-753-6653 Janet Hunt, Vice Chairwoman 763-221-5341 Barbara Jahnke, Clerk 763-753-6846 Amy Kelly, Treasurer 763-744-8458 Suzanne Erkel, Director 763-413-1195 David Roberts, Director 763-843-0013 Scott Schwarz, Director 763-898-6985 Email: schoolboard@isd15.org 26
ISD 15 Website Redesign Communications Manager Kathleen Miller and Communications Coordinator Heidi Anderson provided an update on the redesign of ISD 15’s website. The ISD 15 Communications Department planned a “soft launch” first in order to make adjustments prior to making a major announcement. According to Miller, the redesign offers a clean look and information is organized so that parents, staff, students and community members can quickly find what they need. The home page showcases eight photos, each with a reference to one of the district’s core values. The top banner has been changed to reflect four main categories: District, School, Departments and School Board. Anderson said the other major change with the redesign is that the website now has a responsive design, which means it is fully optimized for viewing and use on any electronic device, from desktops to mobile devices. As more traffic to the website comes from mobile phones and tablets, this is an important feature that will make the website easy to navigate on any device. Insurance Rates 2016-17 Human Resources Director Brandon Nelson presented the insurance rates effective July 1, 2016 for the 2016-17 fiscal year. PreferredOne, medical insurance available to employees not represented by Education Minnesota St. Francis Local 1977 (Local 1977), increased by 7.69 percent. The Public Employees Insurance
School Board Meeting Schedule School board meetings are held in the Community Room at Central Services Center, located at 4115 Ambassador Blvd. NW, St. Francis. Monday, June 13 Dialogue with School Board 6:30 p.m. Regular Meeting 7:00 p.m. Monday, June 27 Dialogue with School Board 6:30 p.m. Regular Meeting 7:00 p.m. Monday, July 25 Dialogue with School Board 6:30 p.m. Regular Meeting 7:00 p.m. Live streaming and video archives of school board meetings are available at www.isd15.org/sbvideo
Program (PEIP), chosen by groups represented by Local 1977, increased 5.9 percent. Nelson also noted a plan change with PreferredOne. For the highest deductible, the maximum deductible amount was replaced and the prescription drug plan is now a co-pay. This change was made without increasing the cost of coverage. For dental insurance, there was no plan change but the average increase for coverage was 5.5 percent. There was no increase to life insurance, long-term disability or flex spending plans. Bus Purchase and Lease Agreement Business Services Director Scott Nelson presented a side-by-side cost comparison of leasing versus purchasing two gasoline buses. The cost of purchasing the new buses is $186,478, while entering a seven-year lease would cost $203,324. Funds from the sale of ten buses will be used. Nelson said that if the district buys the buses and later decides to not have gasoline buses, they can sell them. If they decide to lease the buses and are not happy with them, they must keep them for seven years. 2015-16 General Fund Budget Revision Business Services Director Scott Nelson presented revisions to the 2015-16 general fund budget. For revenue, there is a positive adjustment due to average daily membership numbers. There have also been adjustments to expenditures. Additions include administrative rights to an online service and the hiring of two kindergarten teachers. There is a savings of $230,000 as the district was projected to pay that amount into the healthcare savings plan. This savings is a one-time occurrence, as the district will once again contribute to it July 1. There is additional savings with the salary severance amount to former Superintendent Ed Saxton. The actual severance amount, originally projected to be $300,000, was $150,000. Nelson said that since there is no longer a self-insurance program, the District and its employees who are insured by the District are on an insurance premium holiday for ten pay
periods. This is a one-time savings of $980,000. With the proposed revisions, the total unreserved and undesignated 2015-16 general fund budget is $2.8 million. Superintendent’s Report Superintendent Troy Ferguson said that although the district has resisted adding short call substitute teachers to the call list, there is now a need to do so. Short call substitutes must have a bachelor’s degree and are strongly discouraged from filling the same position for more than fifteen consecutive days.
Ferguson said that there are close to 800 responses on the ISD 15 communications survey. Since there is a large amount of data, Ferguson asked the board if they approved him bringing in a representative from TeamWorks International to analyze responses and provide data on the results. Action Items The ISD 15 School Board unanimously approved the following action items: bus purchase and lease agreement, 2015-16 general fund budget revision and SFHS senior exemption days.
School Board Highlights
May 9, 2016
Kathleen Miller Staff writer
All board members present Lifelong Learning Center site report Jennifer Dupre, early childhood program manager and Kandi Danielson, early childhood special education program supervisor, outlined highlights from the early childhood program at the Lifelong Learning Center. Focusing on the eight core values from the ISD 15 Strategic Plan, they shared how staff have incorporated these values into their work every day. Collaborating, building trust and communicating with parents has been key to the success of the program. One highlight shared was that over 315 early childhood screenings were completed this school year. Screening is a free, simple check of a young child’s health and development and is usually done soon after a child’s third birthday. All students entering kindergarten are required to be screened. Superintendent’s Report Superintendent Troy Ferguson reported that a possible partnership with the District and the Lee Carlson Center is being discussed. Ferguson was looking for input and consent from the School Board to continue discussions. According to their website, the Lee Carlson Center for Mental Health and Well Being provides exceptional and affordable mental health services for families, children, youth and adults in our community. The idea would be for the District to collaborate with this non-profit to provide mental health services. The School Board agreed to continue the discussions with the Lee Carlson Center. Strategic Plan update Superintendent Troy Ferguson reported on an event that took place April 29. The core planning team was reassembled for the day to assess progress made in year one of the ISD 15 Strategic Plan. Susan Hintz, from Transformation Systems, led the group. Most members of the team were involved in last year’s creation of the Strategic Plan, but new members were added to keep the team at thirty. Recommendations from Have news or photos the team were given to the to share with the superintendent, who will share community? the information with cabinet, Email to district leadership team and news@isd15.org formally with the School Board at the June 13 meeting. Get community and Saints Online update school news sooner! The School Board agreed Follow The Courier to expand the Saints Online on Facebook option to include grades 3-8, facebook.com/isd15courier making it a program for grades 3-12 in ISD 15. The Courier | June 2016 | www.the-courier.org