----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 2:44
PM
Subject: Minutes Special Board
Meeting
See attached.
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\'00\'00\'00MORETOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL\par
Special School Board Meeting
Minutes\par
Wednesday, November 19th,
2003\par
\par
DRAFT\par
\par
}{\f20\ul Present}{\f20 :
\par
Board members - Kent Holden, Wavell Cowan, Karen Horn, Deb Hunter, and
Mary Nowlan \par
Principal - Roberta Barone\par
Business manager - John
Pike\par
Teaching staff member - Jeff Isham\par
\par
Meeting called
to order at 6:35 pm by Chair, Kent Holden\par
\par
}\pard {\f20\ul
Preliminary}{\f20 :\par
}\pard {\f20 Wavell distributed copies of (a) a New
York Times article on FASD, (b) an edited version of the Act 68 article
proposed for publication, (c) a budget overview printout.\par
}\pard
{\f20\ul Budget Discussion}{\f20 :\par
}\pard {\f20 John Pike distributed
an updated budget proposal in which corrections to fringe benefit estimates
increased the budget slightly, giving a bottom line increase of 7% in the
proposed 05 budget relative to the 04 budget
. In addition, a
proper allocation of costs shifted significant money out of regular education
and into special education. Most of this is associated with servicing
the cohort of children with Down Syndrome, which costs we believe will
continue to be
90% reimbursed. This is based on the presumption that
the legislature will extend the current "unexpected or unusual" special ed
reimbursement formula of Act 117 until new legislation comes into effect in
2006. \par
}\pard {\f20 The fact that
the foreign language costs for 05 do not exceed those for 04 in spite of the
adopted program introduction plan requiring an increase in instructional time
from 0.4 FTE to 0.6 FTE, is because the cost
for implementing the
program in 04 was somewhat below the estimated cost that was
budgeted.\par
}\pard {\f20 A discussion
occurred about the size of the subsidy given to the hot lunch program.
The perennial question of the feasability of Moretown abandoning the program
or establishing its own hot lunch program reached the perennial '
not
feasible' answers. Perhaps in some future configuration the hot lunch
program might best be delivered under the authority of the WWSU rather than of
the Harwood administration.\par
The transportation
costs which the WWSU assesses in accordance with a complex formula orignally
developed when Harwood provided transportation services, rather than by the
normal percentage ADM method conventionally used
, significantly inflates
Moretown costs. However, until such times as a WWSU governance change is
negotiated it is inconceivable that this de facto arrangement could be
altered. \par
}\pard {\f20 Considerable
discussion took place regarding technology costs and the difficulties of
properly dealing with technology needs that we believe can only be properly
addressed from a WWSU perspective.
Jeff Isham who has been providing much
needed technology support services to the school as best he can on an
essentially pro bono basis warned that current budget levels are totally
inad
equate to significantly explore and advance the effective use of
technology in the school. This led to the question as to whether current
small piecemeal technology expenditures each budget year might preferably be
replaced by a major investment
through a bond issue to provide the
necessary funds to execute a technology makeover for the school. It was
suggested that the educational quality argu
ment for selling such an
investment to the community would be far less convincing than would be an
economic argument; i.e. that the investment would ultimately allow a
substantial increase in the student/teacher ratio as well as improving the
quality
of the educational output. These questions raised issues that
need to be pursued further.\par
}\pard {\f20
Jeff indicated that his access to advanced information indicated that health
care costs will not increase at the assumed rate, so some budget cost
reductions will occur when these data are published. John indicated that
he woul
d see that the Board received updated information re the health
cost budget immediately that this information becomes available to him.
Further, prior to the next regular meeting on December 9th he will pr
ovide
his best estimate from available data as to the property tax impact of the
current proposed budget.\par
}\pard {\f20\ul Posting of a School Safety
Zone}{\f20 :\par
}\pard {\f20 Mary reported that she has set in place a
plan to properly post the newly adopted school safety zone to apply to all
hunting activity in 2005.\par
}\pard {\f20\ul Adjournment}{\f20 :\par
On
a motion by Kent seconded by Karen the board meeting was adjourned at 8:25
pm.\par
\par
\par
APPROVED\par
\par
Date:
__________________
_________________________________________\par
}\pard {\f20 \tab \tab \tab
\tab \tab \tab Wavell Cowan - Board Clerk}\par
}