MINUTES OF MEETING
JACKSON SCHOOL BOARD
Jackson Grammar School
April 15, 2014
1. Call to Order: The Apr. 15th meeting of the Jackson School Board was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Supt., Dr. Carl Nelson. Also present were Genn Anzaldi, Keith Bradley, Fred Nemeth, Jerry Dougherty, and Principal, Gayle Dembowski. There were five members of public/staff present. Mr. Dougherty was welcomed to Board as the new member for the ensuing year.
Reorganization of Board:
Election of Chairman - Dr. Nelson called for nominations for Chairman for the ensuing year. Motion by Mr. Dougherty, second by Mr. Bradley, to elect Genn Anzaldi as Chairperson for the ensuing year. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
Election of Vice-chairman – Motion by Mr. Dougherty, second by Mr. Nemeth, to elect Keith Bradley as Vice Chair for the ensuing year. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
Set Meeting Dates and Time – It was the consensus that the meetings should continue to be held on the third Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m.
Adopt Rules of Order/Agenda Format – It was agreed the Board would follow the same rules of order and agenda format as in the previous year and that the Chair would cast a vote on all motions. Votes will be recorded with names of those voting in the minority and those abstaining.
Committee Assignments – A list of current committee assignments was provided with the instruction that each member would review them and contact the Chair with any changes desired.
Manifests – It was agreed that all manifests would be signed by Ms. Anzaldi and Mr. Bradley.
2. Approve Minutes (3-6-14) – Notation was made by Mr. Bradley that Pg. 1, Item 4, 3rd para. Should reflect that Mr. Bradley had conveyed that he would like to try the Blizzard Bag program even if it did not save us snow days. Motion was made by Mr. Nemeth, seconded by Mr. Bradley, that the Minutes of the Mar. 6th meeting be approved as amended. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
3. Citizen Comments: None.
4. Presentation of School Programs/FYI Items:
- SAU – Other School Board Reports - Dr. Nelson announced an SAU 9
Board meeting to be held on April 17th at 6:30 p.m. at Conway Professional Development Center, and will be a reorganizational meeting.
There will be a Joint Area Boards meeting on May 21st at 6:00 p.m. at the Conway Professional Development Center.
5. Old Business: None.
6. Instructional Issues: None.
7. Consider Personnel Actions:
A. Approve Stipend for Kayleigh Kearns and Cynthia Wenger – Motion was made by Mr. Nemeth, seconded by Mr. Bradley, to approve a stipend of $500 for Kayleigh Kearns (Nordic Ski Program Coordinator) and the same for Cynthia Wenger (Alpine Ski Program Coordinator). Mr. Dougherty questioned the time frame this covers and was told it is for the past year. Mr. Dougherty said he would like to see us do this every year for those two programs. Ms. Dembowski noted the soccer program coordinator would be included as well. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
B. Nonrenewal of Teaching Staff – FYI – There were no questions or comments.
C. Nonrenewal of Support Staff – FYI – There were no questions or comments.
8. Business Affairs:
- FYI – 2013-14 Budget Status Report – Dr. Nelson provided copy of updated
Budget stating the school is in good shape budget-wise. There were no questions or comments.
B. Disposal of Surplus Equipment – A listing of desktop PCs, Laptops, printers monitor, and miscellaneous equipment which are either obsolete, non-repairable, or for which the cost to repair would outweigh the cost of replacement was provided. Ms. Bennett stated it is quite remarkable the use we are getting out of some of our equipment. She noted that some of the items will be sent to a recycling center. Motion was made by Mr. Bradley, seconded by Mr. Nemeth, that the Board approve the list for disposal of surplus equipment as presented. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
9. Administrator’s Reports:
A. Superintendent –
1. Estimated Costs for Sending 6th Graders to Bartlett - Dr. Nelson provided information as requested as to the cost if it was decided to send Jackson 6th Grade students to Bartlett for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years. It was reported for 2014-15 (11 students) it would increase the budget by $130,000, the cost the following year (7 students) would increase the budget by $46,000, based on the current price of $21,500 per student. (See attached breakdown of costs.)
Ms. Anzaldi noted the consideration is not just economically, but also Bartlett uses a looping program that would integrate our students as well. She noted that Vicki Garland at a meeting last Monday reported that Jackson kids are just as ready as the other kids are. It was her opinion that pushing them forward over to Bartlett sooner may not make the difference we are hoping for. Ms. Anzaldi noted we are trying to increase our class sizes as well, and making sure our parents are aware of recreation program offerings, etc. We have been discussing getting together with the 6th graders in Bartlett more frequently; there are other excellent options without increasing our budget.
Mr. Nemeth said it seems if we ever were interested in considering this option more in depth, it would need to be a joint initiative with Bartlett and would have to make sense for both towns. Ms. Dembowski pointed out also what it would mean to the band, the chorus, CSA, and the Buddies Program. She said no one on the staff feels that it would be in our kids’ best interest.
Mr. Bradley said he agrees with that as well as the financial picture. Mr. Dougherty stated as a whole he does not hear people speaking about doing that; however, if something was ever to be considered seriously, it should be discussed with Bartlett and the community as well. He feels it is one or two individuals every year that bring it up.
Principal –
1. Transition Research Presentation - Ms. Dembowski noted Heather Woodward had been requested to come back to the Board and present the outcome of research done during her work for her Master’s degree.
Ms. Woodward then offered a power point presentation depicting the transitioning of students from elementary school to middle school. (See copy of presentation attached). Ms. Woodward noted there is a lot of anxiety every year for the children – it is a really big leap for them, more impactful than from middle school to high school. It also impacts drop out rate.
Ms. Woodward explained normative transition – the whole valley goes to middle school at 7th grade, and nonnormative which would be our kids transitioning in 6th grade, noting when no one else is doing it it can be harder. She said at JGS our kids have great opportunity for all-school meetings; Buddy Program, Steam Blast, provide an opportunity for leadership they would not get at any other school. She said it is important to have a variety of different types of activities. More contact is important.
Ms. Woodward noted the students’ concern about losing current friends and maintaining friendships once the transition is made; also the need to increase parent participation and the need to address homework. She noted sometimes older siblings can cause more anxiety, i.e. amount of homework. The goal is to try to ease them into it so they build up a stamina for it. She said this year the 5th graders have already done a transition activity, getting them used to grade peers, getting them ready, easing them into it. She noted cyber-bullying is happening – the 5th and 6th graders are the target audience for that. They will have a police officer come and address that. She said she did post data after the first quarter, but as
regards academic achievement, that would wait until get more standardized data is available.
Ms. Anzaldi questioned whether there is any parent time. Ms. Woodward said one suggestion discussed with Mr. Voci was a lot of desire for a lot of open informal time with teachers and to offer more time with parents. She will discuss this with the middle school team. Ms. Heisler said she had gotten feedback from Vicki Garland and suggested we do a follow up with Ms. Garland coming here to target a certain age group, bringing with her a couple of middle school students, and encouraging more parent integration.
- Configuration – Ms. Dembowski provided recommendations for
configuration resulting from a recent staff meeting as follows: K/1 – 9 students; 2/3 – 12 students; 4 – 6 students; 5/6 – 16 students. Mr. Bradley noted with the class with only 6 kids the impact if you lose two, or with the class with 16 students where you might gain two. Ms. Dembowski stated they won’t always be by themselves, the grouping for the students is quite flexible. She noted this would be the first time this class would be a stand-alone class. Ms. Anzaldi stated she knows of one more 4th grader coming it. The configuration also included a list of criteria for determining class configurations agreed on by the whole staff: Student needs, developmental issues, curriculum, staff strengths, social interactions,
student maturity, numbers, budgetary constructions.
Ms. Dembowski said she has a packet of letters from students asking her to do away with homework, except for one student “who felt it would better prepare her for college.” Ms. Dembowski will be writing them back explaining why, in her opinion, some homework is important and suggesting they look at their organizational skills and take advantage of homework club.
10. Citizen Comments: None.
11. Board Member Issues:
- Set Date for Next Meeting – May 19th at 6:00 p.m.
Dr. Nelson noted the next joint meeting with Bartlett is scheduled for May 6th in Bartlett at 5:30 p.m.
Ms. Dembowski stated they also have a parent wanting discussion of rerouting the bus routes. Dr. Nelson will call a meeting of the Transportation Committee. Mr. Kearns will represent the Board.
- Board Vacancy – Dr. Nelson noted this has been advertised with a deadline
date of May 5th.
Ms. Anzaldi wished to publicly thank the staff, and especially Heather Woodward for spearheading, the work done in getting together information for the EDies. She stated it is appreciated by the Board and the community.
12. Signing of Manifest: Manifests were duly signed.
13. Nonpublic Session: None.
14. Adjourn: Motion was made by Mr. Nemeth, seconded by Mr. Bradley, that the meeting be adjourned at 6:55 p.m. Carried by unanimous vote.
Respectfully submitted,
Gail T. Currier, Recording Secretary
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