Minutes attached in two formats as normal.



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\paperh15860\widowctrl\ftnbj \sectd \sbknone\linemod0\linex0\cols1\endnhere \pard\plain {\f20 MINUTES\par
MORETOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOARD MEETING\par
Regular Meeting\par
Thursday, January 10th, 2002\par
5:45pm in the library of Moretown Elementary School\par
\par
}\pard {\f20 DRAFT\par
}\pard {\f20 \par
}{\f20\ul Present}{\f20 : \par
Board members - Kent Holden, Wavell Cowan, Karen Horn, Amy Kuzio, and Deb Hunter.\par
Principal - Roberta Barone\par
Superintendent - Bill Riegel\par
\par
Meeting called to order at 5:50 PM by Chair, Kent Holden}{\i\f20 \par
}{\f20 \par
}{\f20\ul Approval of Mi}{\f20\ul n}{\f20\ul utes}{\f20  \par
}\pard {\f20 Wavell moved the adoption of the minutes of the regular December11th board meeting and of the special January 3rd, 2002 board meeting.  The motion was seconded by Karen and unanimously approved. \par
}\pard {\f20\ul Board Orders}{\f20 :\par
}\pard {\f20 Upon a motion by Amy seconded by Wavell the following board orders were unanimously approved for payment:  Board Orders #28 for $43,865.74;  #30 for $43,924.21;  #31 for $17,846.99; #32 for $37,698.82; and #33 for $11,147.82\par
}\pard {\f20\ul Tuition Rate}{\f20 :\par
}\pard {\f20  In accordance with information provided by Michelle Baker, it was moved by Karen, seconded by Amy and unanimously approved, that the tuition rate for Moretown Elementary school be set at at the maximum allowable rate, estimated to be
$3,550 for kindergarten, and to be $7,100 for grades 1-6.\par
}\pard {\f20\ul Budget Discussion/Approval}{\f20 :\par
}\pard {\f20 A final draft of the 2003 Moretown budget was presented with various changes including the elimination of a 0.5 FTE regular ed para professional from the budget through the efficient use of Medicaid funds.
 The net result of these changes was to reduce the overall Moretown proposed budget increase from just over 4% to just under 3.5%.
Karen presented a review of legislative sentiment which suggests wide spread support for fully funding rather than level funding of the Act 60 general state support grant.  This would mean the per pupil grant would rise to $5,566 rather than be held at $5
,448.  Wavell was asked to prepare a letter to be sent by Kent to our legislative representatives requesting their support for fully funding the general state support grant.  On a motion by Wavell, seconded by Amy, the final draft of the 2003
budget was unanimously approved.\par
}\pard {\f20\ul WWSU}{\f20 :\par
}\pard {\f20 Although Karen's questioning of the emphasis in the Math curriculum on written explanation to support math problem solving was apparently answered in an opaque manner, after discussion and Roberta's expressed view that the proposed math
curriculum was a good starting point for further curriculum development, it was moved by Kent, seconded by Amy and unanimously approved that the Moretown vote at the WSU excom meeting would be cast in favor of the adoption of the proposed math curriculum.
 \par
}\pard {\f20      Karen agreed to represent Moretown at the above meeting, apparently scheduled for Tuesday, January 22nd, which according to the agenda will also discuss job description/goals for the superintendent
, a subject which the Moreown board discussed at their November meeting;  i.e.
it was agreed that Karen should provide Michael Vasseur with copies of superintendent job descriptions that she has collected and that Kent would submit to Michael, on the WWSU file server, Moretown's contribution for establishing a superintendent performa
nce schedule.\par
}\pard {\f20\ul \par
Special Education}{\f20 :\par
}\pard {\f20 Kent attended the Senate Legislative Rules Committee meeting at which the Department of Education rules for implementing the unusual or unexpected special education expenditures clause of Act 117 were reviewed.  He reported that p
rior to adoption, both senators Doyle and Cummings specifically asked whether these rules would accommodate the Moretown problem and were assured that the 10% addendum specifically addressed the Moretown problem.\par
}\pard {\f20
A letter from Commissioner McNulty to Kent has acknowledged receipt of the Moretown reports on special ed funding reform indicating that a busy schedule had prevented him from yet reading these reports, but implying that he intended to do so.\par
}\pard {\f20\ul Policy Review Program}{\f20 :\par
}\pard {\f20 Copies of old and new policies dealing with Fiscal Management (E1), Budgeting (E2), and Risk Management (E5) were distributed by Deb.  Board members will review these in preparation for discussion at the February meeting of the board.
Deb will review the new model policy listing on the VSBA web site in respect to the above.  In addition Roberta and Kent will liaise with Deb to identify the list of new policies that were reviewed last year and judged acceptable.
Ideally these will be warned as a group in the upcoming issue of Moretown Matters.  In t
his regard Kent will check with legal counsel as to whether the board can establish Moretown Matters as an alternative newspaper of record to the already designated Times Argus, allowing them to meet legal requirements by publishing warnings in either one
or other (but not both) of these papers.\par
}\pard {\f20 \par
Bill Riegel departed the meeting at 7:05 PM.\par
}\pard {\f20 \par
}\pard {\f20\ul Student Handbook}{\f20 :\par
}\pard {\f20 The student handbook has been published and delivered to all parents.  The electronic version will be updated each year allowing a new student handbook to be published and routinely  available for the first week of school.\par
}\pard {\f20\ul After School Program}{\f20 :\par
}\pard {\f20 It was agreed that Deb will produce and circulate a draft to advertise a board request for proposals for a privately operated after school program for the Moretown school.
  It is the hope of the board that such an initiative would in due course expand from essentially day-care into a quality education enrichment program.  This request will be published in the upcoming issue of Moretown Matters
 and in other newspapers at about the same time.  \par
}\pard {\f20\ul Roberta's Five minute Feature}{\f20 :\par
}\pard {\f20 Roberta gave a dramatic account of the PTN funded Kids on the Block presentation where black garbed puppeteers manipulate life sized puppets in presentations which explored aspects of human differences and
 similarities, gender stereo-typing, etc.  Two sessions were given, one for K-4, the other for 5/6.  Puppets included one in a wheel chair with cerebral palsey, one a Viet Nam refugee, one a dark skinned Vermonter as well as a boy and girl of "normal
" countenance.  The above issues were explored through dialogue between puppets and between puppets and the student audience.  }\par
\pard {\f20\ul Student Performance database}{\f20 :\par
}\pard {\f20 Wavell discussed his report analysing the Moretown student performance database.  He expressed his view that action planning discussions this year should focus on what specific }{\f20\ul measureable}{\f20  performance goals
the Moretown community and its teaching staff should establish for its student population and what measurements should be employed.  These are obviously fundamental and far reaching issues deserving of the
 broadest community input.  Accordingly Deb will draft an action planning program reflecting the above for distribution to parents in the hope that the community action planning group can be expanded beyond its current numbers.  \par
}\pard {\f20\ul Executive Session}{\f20 :\par
}\pard {\f20 On a motion by Kent seconded by Karen the board entered executive session at 8:00 PM for the purpose of discussing personnel matters.  The meeting came out of executive session at 8:14 PM.\par
}\pard {\f20      \par
}\pard {\f20 On a motion by Kent seconded by Wavell the board unanimously approved a one year renewal contract for the principal.\par
}\pard {\f20  }{\f20\ul Adjournment}{\f20 :\par
On a  motion by Kent, seconded by Amy the board meeting was adjourned at 8:17 pm.\par
\par
APPROVED\par
\par
\par
\par
Date:  __________________              _________________________________________\par
}\pard {\f20 \tab \tab \tab \tab \tab \tab Wavell Cowan - Board Clerk}\par
}