May 24, 2011

GOOCHLAND COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
REGULAR MONTHLY WORKSHOP
May 24, 2011
Goochland High School

MINUTES

CALL TO ORDER
Ivan O. Mattox, Sr., Chairman, called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.

Present were:
Ivan O. Mattox, Sr., Chairman
James L. Haskell, Vice Chairman
Mr. Maxwell G. Cisne
Mr. Raymond A. Miller
Dr. Linda A. Underwood, Superintendent

Absent:
Mr. Andrew A. Meng, III

Also attending were:
Peter M. Gretz, Assistant Superintendent
Tom DeWeerd, Director of Secondary Education
Ernie McLeod, Director of Finance
Francie Ball, Principal, Goochland High School
Johnette Burdette, Principal, Goochland Middle School
Dianna Gordon, Principal, Randolph Elementary School
Stacey Austin, Principal, Goochland Elementary School
Andrea Erard, Legal Counsel

The Media was represented by:
Ken Odor, The Goochland Gazette

ADDITIONS/CHANGES TO AGENDA
Dr. Underwood presented additions/deletions/changes to agenda.

MR. MATTOX MADE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT:

The board has been looking at this budget and we have also been listening to our constituents that have been emailing and calling, and we have made two adjustments to the budget and I am also going to go over clarifications, I’ve tried to practice this year, because of a difficulty with the monies coming to us and the cuts we have to make, I have tried to start doing clarifications so people can catch up with what’s going on, what’s accurate, because there is a lot of information that has gone out and we went to make sure everybody is clear on it.  So, I’ll start off, first of all there seems to be a great deal of misunderstanding concerning our transportation of special education students to schools outside of the county.  Please know that providing services outside of our neighborhood schools is never the first choice-we want all of our Goochland students in Goochland schools.  However, outside placements must be made when the IEP team, including parents, determines that we cannot meet the child’s needs within our own programs.  Transportation of special education children is a mandate-and that is the only transportation that is mandated.  Due to the individual needs of each child and the starting and ending times of each out-of-county program, it is impossible to transport these children on the Maggie Walker bus.  We have had parents actually ask if we can place the special education kids with the Maggie Walker kids to help this situation.  Because of the mandated aspect of that, we cannot do that.

2. There have been suggestions that the sequence and timing of the reduction in force and budget revision and adoption processes have been contrary to policy, procedures and/or code.  This is absolutely not the case.  The sequence this year was the same as the sequence last year, designed to bring our budget into line, approve contract renewals, issue contracts, and comply with policy and code timelines.

3. Misinformation has been communicated concerning the Board salaries and the Superintendent’s salary.  Every Board member is receiving a reduced salary this year, $550 less, and will continue at that reduced level in the revised budget.  And again, the Board actually made that motion last year to reduce our salary with budget items that we dealt with last year, and we will continue that into this current year. The Superintendent has not received a raise since 2008.  Her salary this year was reduced by the same four furlough days as all other staff.  Although there was an adjustment in her health benefits as recommended by the health insurance consultant, moving an expense to deferred compensation, there was no net increase to the Superintendent’s salary last year.  Going into this year, based on the budget, whatever change we have with regard to the furlough days will be applicable across the board.

4. We have heard your concerns regarding changes in programs and services driven by budget reductions.  A few changes have been made to the revised budget in response to your concerns.  A four-tenths art teacher has been restored to the revised budget.  Golf, swimming and gymnastics have been restored to the revised budget as well.  As far as the proposed budget, those are the only two changes that we have made adjustments, and again those are made based on comments, concerns, received by phone and email.

PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD

• Heather Wilckens spoke regarding budget cuts and where this will leave her children.  She was confused when she read the strategic plan it states that Goochland County Schools will foster a culture including extracurricular activities, arts, specialized clubs, as well respond to diverse student interest and match offerings with the goal of reaching all students.  She wonders how this will happen with the budget cuts.  She feels the Board has been traveling down a road with warning signs but they haven’t heeded the warnings.  She said they have to try a different road.  Teachers were told that programs and services will continue to be dismantled.  She feels we are in this terrible place because of the tension between the Board of Supervisors and the School Board.  It was very apparent at their last meeting that the Board members were tired of giving the School Board money that is not being used properly.  She recalls that the Board of Supervisors increased the money designated to instruction so as not have instruction cut, but here we are with teachers losing jobs.  She said money needs to be allocated to instruction first.  She said the needs of the children has to come first. She said that what is being said and what is being done don’t match.

• Heather Marshall said she is not pleased with the budget cuts.  She said the latest positions to be cut were drama teacher, language instruction, library media specialist, and music teacher.  She said in trying to confirm this, she was told that a part time art and two sports were the only things being cut and now she hears the art teacher is back in.  She is confused as to why teachers have received termination letters before the final vote on the budget.  If the elementary music teacher position is not lost, then why are students upset that their teacher is being let go?  Why have 240 high school students made a petition to save Mr. Gall, their current high school band teacher, not that he’s losing his job but that he’s being asked to fill the elementary level position, leaving Mr. Sykes to teach both middle and high school band.  She said Mr. Gall’s leadership has found the band in first place in their district and often times the best performance across all districts.  Why disrupt this program?  What if he decided to leave the county?  Would the elementary students be left with no music program at all?  She can somewhat see the logic for shifting teachers around she thinks it puts undue stress on the teachers and students and she doesn’t agree with it.  She said she sees little evidence of scaling back in administration.  She said there is an increase in clerical compensation line item.  Why is there a need for more secretaries at central office at the expense of teachers?  She feels programs like drama and band that really help kids learn to work with others and give them skills to success versus just the ability to sit behind the scenes behind a computer all day.  As she sees the number of creative programs shrinking due to decreased funding and mandatory cuts, she is frustrated and not pleased.  She asked if the School Board is not inclined to represent the wishes of the parents and children of the county then what good is it.  She urged the Board to stand up with the parents and fight for the teachers.

• Cabell Neterer, a recent graduate of Goochland High School, spoke regarding drama.  He transferred from a private school and had difficulty making friends.  Through drama he found a group of friends.  He said if he hadn’t done that he may not have been able to speak tonight.  He is worried about his siblings and whether they will have that offered to them.  He feels it’s a disservice to the kids and asked that the School Board reconsider the decision.

• Lisa Handy is greatly disappointed in the budget process this year.  She said the documents provided to the public only shows what will be cut but do not show the whole budget line items, so citizens can see what is staying in the budget and what is not.  She looked for a document but couldn’t find one.  She said it looks like non-instructional personnel are being moved into instructional lines.  This leads her to question anything coming from administration.  She wants to know where the transparency is. She said all of the cuts are coming from teachers.  In the budget criteria it says it will affect as few students as possible.  By reducing the music staff every child in elementary school is affected.  She stated that earlier in the year Dr. Underwood visited Randolph and stated how poorly students are doing this year, but Ms. Handy feels the teachers are doing the best they can given limited resources.  Since last year’s cuts included a reading specialist and increased class sizes, how can things be expected to improve.  She said if students are struggling with reading they will do poorly on every test.  She feels Dr. Underwood is disconnected in how the schools are run and what is need to run a top-notch school.  Otherwise how would she continue to reduce instructional employees and still expect the same results from the students.  She believes that if Dr. Underwood spent more time in the schools, she would find better opportunities to make the budget work for the students.  She asked if anyone in administration had looked at average class sizes for each school and transfer teachers where class sizes are larger.  She said all of the above is evidence that Dr. Underwood is not competent in the job of Superintendent and asked the School Board to not approve the unacceptable budget.

• Michael Payne said he is very concerned about budget proposal.  He said the Board of Supervisors just gave $100,000 extra for instruction.  How can getting $100,000 extra result in cutting programs and teachers?  He is frustrated, if not angry.  He feels the way the School Board has handled the budget is thoughtless.  He said we have a remarkable group of teachers in Goochland and they have been asked to do more with less for years and they continue to do it.  He said we need to support them in every way we can.  He wants to know how we can be reaching all students if we are systematically removing arts, technology, career and tech ed in the school system.  He said this is being done with little to no explanation to the parents.  He is glad to see that art was put back, but drama is still gone.  He said our children deserve better, as well as the parents and taxpayers.  He said the School Board was elected to represent all of us . He asked them to find another way other than cutting teachers and programs.

• Richard Carchmann spoke regarding the budget and said the message he’s getting is that we seem to be sliding backward. He understands the tough economic times and he believes everyone is honorable and there is not plot to destroy the school system.  He just thinks things are not right because of the lack of transparency.  He thinks it’s absurd to dismiss people and then try to rehire them later and wonders what the consequences for that would be, and also doing that without a passed budget.  He wonders how many articles we need to read in the paper about the way things go in this county whether it be a treasurer or someone else.  He said that not only being the laughing stock of the region is a bad thing, but it has a dramatic impact on the tax base, quality of the schools, and quality of life.  He said he has had the privilege to work in some of the schools and the teachers, principals, and students are very good and it would be a shame to lose the opportunity for all of us, because if the school system reverts to the way it was when he came here, we will all suffer.  He said we can’t go back, but we need to go forward in a way that communicates to the community what we’re doing and why.

• Jessica Stanley, a 2009 graduate of Goochland High School, and spoke on behalf of the drama department.  She said the news of Gemma Smith resigning was sad, but the fact that no replacement drama teacher would be hired was worse.  She realizes budget cuts have to come from somewhere, but she feels the performing arts are just as important as the core subjects.  Studies have shown that participation not only boosts confidence, reading comprehension and reading scores.  It provides a sense of community and allows the students to work toward a common goal, see it to fruition and to take pride in what they can accomplish.  It helps a student’s public speaking skills, memorization, and creative thought.  Since 2006 seven Goochland graduates have gone on to pursue theater in college or professionally.  To take away theater entirely would be a disservice to students.  While she’s heard that this decision is final, she believes that even the most concrete decisions can be adjusted.  She respectfully asked that the School Board consider some alternatives before sacrificing this program.  She said that back in 2001 there was no full time drama teacher, but an English teacher who was assigned some drama courses.  She asked that the board consider return to the 2001 arrangement before cutting the program entirely.  While not ideal, the arrangement did work and could work again.  She believes the School Board has the students’ best interest at heart.

• Jane Christie asked the School Board not to approve the Superintendent’s proposed budget.  The Board of Supervisors added $100,000 to the instruction category so that not programs or teachers would be cut, and she asked why this budget cuts more teachers and programs.  She said Dr. Underwood is using the grants fund as a revolving door for shifting expenses between categories and effectively transfer the cuts made by the Board of Supervisors in other areas back into the instruction category.  She said the Code of Virginia makes it clear that funds cannot be moved between budget categories without the approval of the Board of Supervisors.  Despite the number of appeals, Dr. Underwood has refused to cut a single high-paid administration position in two years.  In fact this budget adds $18,000 in high-level administration costs for a new Director of Elementary Education and includes three assistant principal positions at the high school, when the Standards of Quality requires only one.  If the Director of Elementary Education position had been left vacant and just one assistant principal cut, with the incumbent being transferred to the vacant Director position, no jobs would be lost but $180,000 or three teaching positions could be saved.  The French, art, and music teachers have already been notified that they no longer have a position next year even though the School Board has not approved the budget for next year.  She said teacher morale is at an all-time low and we’re losing good teachers, yet Dr. Underwood has ensured that her own contract is safely extended through 2014.  And when the four-day furlough was implemented for all teachers, Dr. Underwood ensured that approximately $2,000 was added to the annuity in her contract to shelter her from the negative financial affect.  She doesn’t feel this is fair.  She urged the School Board to listen who will speak up and who is in favor of the cuts suggested by Dr. Underwood.  She asked the School Board to adjourn the meeting and reconsider the cuts.

• Eve Barenholtz said she attended Senior honor awards and she watched students receive scholarships and awards in all of the areas that will be cut.  She said there are a lot of great teachers in the system.  She said if the programs are cut at the elementary school level and teachers spread so thin that they are driving all over the county, the students will not have the basic elementary level learning they will need by the time they get to high school.  She said the teachers are mentors.  She said that taking a teacher from the music program at the high school is cutting the program off at the knees.  She understands the budget needs to be cut, but she also understands the Board of Supervisors directed instruction not to be cut.  She said the shuffling of positions feels dishonest and she doesn’t understand the justification for it.  She asked the School Board to reconsider before they agree to this proposal.  She also questioned the fact that the teachers have received notices when the budget has not been approved.

• Kristin Emery is very pleased that the swim team was put back in the budget.  She spoke regarding the band program.  She is concerned about the proposed budget cuts.  She is asking specifically that the band program be left in tact.  She said band is more than just a band class, but it includes competitions, marching band, and coordination of the programs by two staff members.  If we want excellent programs, it is necessary to have two directors and cutting it to one would have an impact on the program.  She asked the Board to keep two band directors.

• Brian Lapkin and Trevor Hartley spoke regarding the golf and now that it has been put back in the budget they wanted to thank the Board.

• Don Ashburn said he works in a school division that in the last two years has lost 500 positions and in every school the programs are less robust, teacher morale isn’t nearly where it used to be, and more importantly students are losing out.  He spoke asking that Maggie Walker transportation be restored.  He understands that they are not required to transport those students to school, but he feels there is an implied contract between families of Maggie Walker and the School Board. It has always been provided and all literature from Maggie Walker states transportation is provided for all students.  He said that by being accepted to Maggie Walker those students then become special needs and as a result if transportation is not provided they are not guaranteed they can participate in the program.  He said this budget does seem to be somewhat of a shell game.  He understands there are funds that will need to be returned to the Board of Supervisors if not spent this year.  He feels there is money in the budget to provide for art teachers and drama teachers, and Maggie Walker transportation.

• Michael Melvin said they moved to Goochland because of the school system.  They currently have two students in the county.  His elementary age daughter was injured during a supervised PE class when she fell and hit her mouth on the chalkboard tray wherein she lost a permanent tooth.  He said he remembers PE being taught in a facility that had enough space so injuries like this did not happen.  He said when they moved here they knew the system was small, but thought the people responsible were doing all that they could to mitigate the risk to injury.  They were very excited to have their children in the Goochland school system.  At that time the county was on the cusp of building a new facility, making improvements to the facility or not making any improvements at all.  He said this is a debate that he feels parents and students lost.  Today that has been replaced by concern and disappointment.  Under the current proposal she will lose her transportation to Maggie Walker.  He asked if the School Board members have given consideration to safety concerns at stake?  Has the Board weighed the risks and decided the county will be better off by saving $31,000?  Why will his daughter not have equal access to bus transportation?  Is it because the School Board did not allocate those funds or is it because the School Board lacks credibility with the Board of Supervisors to spend its funds wisely?  His daughter has a different type of education need, which is not offered within the county.  The fact that she is gifted makes her less important in the eyes of the School Board or it would not be eliminated.  He anticipates this is a preliminary step toward a reduction or elimination of the county’s commitment to maintain its current support for gifted education, via Maggie Walker.  He said it seems it is easier than to push back on the Board of Supervisors to get the necessary funds.  How can Goochland County be in the highest per capita earning population in the county yet the parents and citizens have to watch the education programs crumble?  Why does the School Board not offer the necessary challenges to the Board of Supervisors in defense of the students of the county when Goochland enjoys one of the lowest tax rates and one of the lowest per student expenditures per the budget proposal?  The stated goal of the School Board to attract and retain the highest caliber personnel is in contrast with the pink slips that were handed out to teachers before the budget was approved.  This is not acceptable fulfillment of the School Board’s role.  He asked the School Board to work with the residents and restore the quality of the school system as that will generate tax dollars.  He asked the School Board not to place the burden on the children and parents.  He said the School Board should not act like it answers to the Board of Supervisors because they answer to the citizens of the county.  He said it is time to say yes to the citizens and the Supervisors.

• Jennifer Phillips said she is concerned that the School Board is willing to limit the arts, several athletic programs, math specialist, advanced languages, and media specialist.  She feels the School Board is thwarting the opportunity for the students of Goochland County to develop their love for the arts and the understanding of how they may enhance our world.  For some students it is their only opportunity to shine.  She said she heard Dr. Underwood say she just didn’t know what to do when presenting information regarding the budget.  No teacher would accept such an answer from a student.  She does not accept this budget as an answer to the current situation.  She asked the School Board to make further cuts on administrative salaries, eliminate expense accounts and not add any positions.  She understands that cuts must be made, but asked that they provide a reasonable budget that will leave the children inspired and with the tools to learn for the rest of their lives.

• John Wright said he usually appears before the Board to speak prepared with notes and lists of items to discuss, but this time he decided to speak from the heart about issues as he sees them that are probably more emotional things.  He said he’s heard many times from the Board of Supervisors that there is a silent majority who agrees with the way that they do things.  He said this is not the case.  What they see is a not-so-silent majority telling them what they’re doing is not what the public wants and not what the Board of Supervisors wants.  The Board of Supervisors very specifically funded the budget in a manner that told them exactly what they wanted and that was based on feedback they had received from the citizens.  He said the way things have been going and have been presented, it is not at all what the public wants.

• Beth Hardy said she is a huge proponent of a public education and tries to be a voice in the community.  She has had many meetings with Dr. Underwood and her School Board representative, and while she appreciates the responsiveness she has received, she is disheartened at the proposed budget cuts this year.  While she appreciates the efficiency reflected in the proposed budget cuts like consolidating bus routes, but not cutting Maggie Walker transportation.  She is concerned that we would lose any teaching positions when administration appears to remain untouched.  Again, she is concerned about cuts to arts when they have such a positive impact.  Concerned about the RIF policy and the negative impact it has on teacher morale, that we continue to lose teachers, that the Superintendent’s contract was extended a second time when the community has expressed dissatisfaction, about the lack of consideration of what constituents have expressed in the last two years, and that the Board of Supervisors provided an additional $100,000 earmarked specifically to instruction and yet teachers were still cut.  She asked those in the audience who do not support the budget cuts to stand.  She is upset with the school budget.  She does not envy the position of the School Board in this difficult financial situation in that there is no way to make everyone happy, but feels there are other options.  She suggested putting capital improvement projects on hold, no technology upgrades, and no new construction until the economy rebounds.  Over the past 10 years the School Board has built a system that was flourishing, but with the cuts from the last couple of years, we are taking steps backwards.  She said the proposed cuts speaks volumes about what is and isn’t important.  She feels the teachers and kids are paying the price.  She asked the School Board to not approve the budget as presented.

• Arthur Jennings said he would like to charge both the Board and the administration what they promised to do when they were hired or elected.  He said the taxpayers own the building and they’re the ones making the dollars, but he said the School Board sometimes looks at them and frowns like they don’t know, but they do.  He said when he looks at the budget all he sees are threats to take away.  He said that is not the way to get the mass to support them.  He would think there would be incredible creative thoughts coming from the Board to change things.  He feels that tax dollars are precious and should be used where they would have the greatest value and that’s the children.  He said if you take away arts and sports you no long have “well-rounded.” He said the School Board’s purpose is to develop well-rounded children and educated young adults.  He said the cloud of deception needs to be removed.

• Michael McDermott said he counted thus far 17 people who have spoken against the current budget, the current regime and the current superintendent.  He affirmed the other citizens who are there but not speaking.  He took the time to do some internet research and he looked on the Superintendent’s blog and it had not be updated since August 16, 2010.  He said we’re spending money on technology but wonders if the people in charge know how to use it.  He said there are questions on the weblog from last year’s May 11 board meeting, one of which was “why was the budget presentation so difficult to follow along and skipped quickly past the list of positions she proposed to eliminate?” He said that when he looked at those comments and looked at this year it felt like deja vu.  He said two weeks ago there was a presentation that showed personnel moving but when all was said and done teachers were cut.  He said we have a moral obligation to educate the children, and what’s happening now is immoral, unethical and probably illegal.  He said there is no right way to do the wrong thing.  He said the Board has the opportunity to cast a legacy vote.  He said there are a lot of celebrations that go on at the public meetings and as part of that the community was asked to volunteer for strategic planning and he volunteered.  He said he was on a subcommittee of nine people 7 of which were county employees.  He said this mirrored other subcommittees too which were also heavily laden with school employees.  He said he suggested including the students on the subcommittees, but there were no students included.  He affirmed the School Board for not using the timer and letting the citizens speak.  He said his son wrote a letter about one of his classes that has 35 students in which the teacher has a difficult time controlling the class so little work is done.  He said the big thing people are talking about is that they don’t support the current budget.  He called on the School Board to ask for the resignation of the current superintendent.

• Ned Creasey said this is not about money.  He said what we have is a total failure of leadership.  He said it’s just not here.  He said things are getting better than what they were.  He said you have to have cuts, but good leadership will find a way to do it with the money that’s available.  He said most of the people there would probably be in favor of a tax increase but there are people who don’t have kids who are not in favor of that.  He said as far as the county appearing to be so wealthy, there are less than 100 families making it look that way, not the bulk of the population.  He said we all need to work together and get this straightened out.

• Cathy Kelley said arts in school are important.  She said she is in a position with her work with the band program to know how things run behind the scenes.  She said to have an award-winning band it takes a collaboration of people to do it.  She said the two band directors are what make it work.  She said they are about the kids and asked if the School Board is about the kids.

• Katie Shedden, a Goochland student with two siblings in the school system.  She said she is concerned for her siblings in that she does not feel they will be prepared for a higher-level education, nor will they be exposed to the language programs, art programs, or sport programs.  She said she was able to participate in a lot of these programs and they changed her outlook on life and what she wants to do with her future and she fears it will be detrimental to take them away.  She said the elimination of teachers has not only destroyed the morale and motivation of students but it has moved them enough for them to speak.  Ms. Parisher is her French teacher and she cannot imagine what will happen to that program without her.  She said there was a petition sent around to save Mr. Gall’s position.  She doesn’t know how the Board can expect one person to cover all of the grade levels of band.  She said she has been involved with the drama program and can’t believe it will be disassembled.  She said the teachers are being scared away.  She understands cuts must be made.  She said in cutting the programs the Board is cutting the students’ competitiveness to get into college.  She said she doesn’t believe the Board will listen and that the message being conveyed is that administration is more important than instruction, therefore promoting a more obvious message to the parents and students that you don’t care about their education.

• Penny Palen said that as a citizen and parent in the county requested that the School Board reject the proposed budget and send it back to the county for the required funding that is needed and has been stated by numerous parents and citizens.  She said the Petersburg School Board rejected their budget and sent it back to the city for renegotiation.  She said it’s time for the School Board to defend their schools, their constituents, and their community.

• Dustin Cutright, a Goochland Junior, spoke regarding Mr. Gall.  He said Mr. Gall can teach anyone and can make anyone great at what they play.  He said Mr. Gall and Mr. Sykes are both great band directors and they should both stay.

• Mr. Mattox thanked everyone for addressing the Board with their concerns.  He said this has been a difficult last three years with the budget cuts.  He said the Board and the Superintendent are having to cut the budget and tear apart a system they have worked hard to build a system that four years ago everyone was proud of, but they have been tasked with cutting over 15% of their budget with constant increases across the board from mandates and other costs such as electricity that have to be factored in.  He said they love their school system and they are losing ground, but they are tasked to try to run the system as best they can with the funds they have.  He knows sometimes it may not look like they are doing what is in the best interest of the children, but assured them they are looking at everything.  He said they were asked last year before they even produced a budget to cut it, and it’s difficult to tear apart things they have worked hard to put in place.  He said this is not the Superintendent’s budget, it is the School Board’s budget.  He understands everyone’s concerns and appreciates their comments, and he hopes that next year this starts early on in the process.  He hopes things will get better in the next year.

The Board took a short break.

Mr. Mattox called the meeting back to order and stated the Board would not address the budget issue tonight, but would continue the meeting to May 31, 2011 for budget discussion.

INFORMATION ITEMS:
GRASP PRESENTATION
The Honorable Senator Walter Stosch presented information regarding the GRASP program. A few years ago Senator Stosch and a friend started the Great Aspirations Scholarship Program (GRASP) to help young people overcome barriers to get to college.  The mission of GRASP is to make sure that no one who has an interest in secondary education is denied that education.  It’s a free program with about 35 employees working directly with students to help them overcome the barrier.

PERSONNEL ACTIONS

The following Personnel Action item was presented for approval:

Appointment:

Preston Gordon, Secondary Math

Move from Probationary to Continuing Contract:

Kathlyn Albert
Frances Ball
Krystle Battistelli
Kelli Bratton
Nicole Carter
Matt Covington
Grace Creasey
Megan Donovan
John Driscoll
Jennifer Gates
Douglas Getter
Peter Gretz
Laura Hatcher
William James
Michael Jarvis
Khadijah Johnson
Sara Jones
Shelliotte Lawson
Amanda Lingor
Stephanie Mask
Renee Mayo
Joshua Rooke
Brian Ross
Amy Scheetz
Barry Smith
Michael Tomlin

Probationary Contract:

Sarah Bay
Margaret Dickerson
Susan Duty
Jennifer Erixon
Olivia Exum
Connie Foreman
Alex Fruth
Alice Fruth
Debora Harkrader
Emily Holloway
Corey Jacobsen Sandra Kasch
Laura Kassner
Japeira Keys
Shannon Lacy
Jeffery Mabry
Tina McCay
Leah McGowan
Lisa Melton
Leslie Neely
Crystal Neilson-Hall
Christina Owens
Courtney Rodgers
Douglas Rohrer
Jaime Sprouse
Christina Thompson
Jennifer Waggener
Annelise Ware
Melissa Webb
Meredith Wilkinson
Erin Yearout-Patton

Continuing Contract:

Jennifer Abbott
Eric Albright
Betsy Alvis
Elizabeth Alvis
Carla Armstrong
Linda Arnette
Christin Ashman
Kimberly Austin
Kim Bachmann
Leona Barnes
Debra Beasley
Jamieson Beatty
Kimberly Berry
Catherine Biggs
Melissa Black
Deborah Blackburn
Jennifer Bocrie
Amy Bowles
Patrick Brook
Lisa Brown
Amanda Brownson
Johnette Burdette
Kelly Burton
Andrea Cachina
Sean Campbell
Beatriz Cantor
Thomas Case
Jennifer Casteel
Graham Chapman
Jodi Chewning
Beverly Cooley
Oliver Courtney
Elizabeth Curfman
Gretchen Curreri
John Dacey
Jermelle Dandridge
Kimberly Daniels
Linda Davidson
Hannah DeFore
Leslie Deitterick
Brett Derrico
Thomas DeWeerd
Donna Dickerson
Mary Dinger
Kristy Dodd
Jillian Edwards
Elane Ellis
Barbara Evans
Wesley Farkas
Cary Farr
Elizabeth Ferguson
Edith Flaig
Elizabeth Fowler
Joe Fowler
Kent Gall
Anteal Gargiulo
Elizabeth Gentry
Kimberly Gentry
Dianna Gordon
Patrick Gordon
Bryan Gordon
Bethany Gordon
Kimberly Gragnani
Blair Grigg
Karen Hall
Harry Hancock
Karen Harden
Julia Harper
Amy Hartley
Glenda Hawk
John Hendron
Amy Henneberger
Teresa Hood
James Hopkins
Bradley Jackson
Cindi Jackson
Henry Jones
Rhonda Kass
Sherrill Kauffman
Anne Keo
Elizabeth Kuhns
Kristin Larsen
Susanna Launder
Nancy Lewis
Carolyn Long
Kristian Lull
Darlene Martin
James McKenzie
Beth McKenzie-Mohr
Karen McTamaney
Elizabeth Meiller
Addie Minns
Bruce Montgomery
Stacy Mott
Wendy Murray
James Neufer
Karen Neylan
Deanna Nichols
Diane Nichols
Diana Nixon
Julia Norris
Terri Nunes
Diane O’Connell
Bridget Parker
Deborah Parker
Zoe Parrish
Joyce Pechan
Amie Potter
Stacey Rainbolt
Patricia Randolph
Emily Ray
Tiffany Ray
Ann Rohrer
Elizabeth Routson
Karen Scott
Michael Simons
Zarina Singh
Matthew Singleton
Heather Slater
Carole Smith
Kamesha Smith
Deborah Solyan
Bonnie Spencer
Jamie-Ellen Spessard
Amy Spoonhower
Melanie Stegner
Adrian Stevens
Daniel Summitt
James Sykes
Kimberley Talley
Tina Taylor
Renae Townsend
Joni Truscott
David Tual
Shannon Tual
Maryanne Tysinger
Amanda Valenzuela
Melanie Vaughan
Susan Vaughan
Sarah Voyack
Rebecca Wallace
Carol Washburn
Roberta Watson
Kimberly Watts
Marianne Whisler
Rachel Wiggins
Sandra Wilcox
Carla Williams
Nancy Wilmink
Matthew Wilson
Margaret Yurick
Jessica Zorger

Retirement:

Patricia Smith, GMS, Math

Resignation:

Brenda Davis, BES, Special Education
Kristy Dodd, RES, 3rd Grade
Jessica Shelton, GMS, English

Mr. Cisne made a motion, which was seconded by Mr. Haskell, to approve Personnel Action as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

INFORMATION ITEM:
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Jim Popp, Steering Committee Chairman, stated that step one of the comprehensive plan was complete and the draft plan is done.  He stated the plan represents a collective effort of over 75 volunteers who sincerely care about the community.  He commented at the number of staff members who volunteered because if it weren’t for the staff members it wouldn’t be done.  He said they were always in attendance and knew enough about what is going to keep the process moving forward.  He recognized all subcommittee members present.  He said the comprehensive plan should act as a compass and a guide.  He said that creating the plan was a priority of Dr. Underwood and he is convinced that the administration is committed to following through on the plan.

Mr. Mattox thanked all of the members of the subcommittees for all of their hard work.

ACTION ITEM:
FURLOUGH DAYS
Deferred to May 31, 2011 special meeting.

SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION REQUEST
Dr. Underwood presented information for a supplemental appropriation for additional funds needed to pay FAPT aides in the amount of $229,757 that will reimburse the cost of the FAPT aides.  In addition there is a supplemental appropriation for sales tax.  Based on Mr. McLeod’s projections we should be receiving about $100,796 in additional sales tax, however we received notification by the state last Thursday that based on the reporting our average daily members is lower than the state used or that we used, so we will get less SOQ funding than we had counted on in the revenue.  The difference between the two is $48,527. Dr. Underwood recommended approval of the supplemental appropriation in the amount of $278,284 so we can then make the request to the Board of Supervisors that our revenues be increased by this amount.

Mr. Haskell made a motion, which was seconded by Mr. Cisne, to approve the supplemental appropriation request as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

CATEGORY TRANSFER REQUEST
Dr. Underwood presented a request for a category transfer funds into the instructional category to compensate for an unbudgeted amount in VRS.  When FY 2010-2011 budget was prepared we were advised that when there is a furlough VRS is not paid on that amount.  After the budget was approved that changed and we were underbudgeted in VRS.  In addition, savings from health insurance that we experienced last year was reduced the amount by about $220,000.  Unfortunately all of that was taken out of instruction rather than across the five categories where health insurance is paid.  The request is to make reductions in operations and maintenance and technology and an increase in the instructional category.  This change would need to be approved by the Board of Supervisors and will need to be done before the end of the fiscal year.

Mr. Cisne made a motion, which was seconded by Mr. Haskell, to approve the category transfer request as presented.  The motion was approved unanimously.

OTHER BUSINESS
None.

CLOSED MEETING
Mr. Cisne made a motion, which was seconded by Mr. Miller, to go into closed meeting pursuant to Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711(A)(2) for the discussion or consideration of a student disciplinary matter because discussion in open meeting would disclose information from a student scholastic record and pursuant to Va. Code section 2.2-3711(A)(1) for the discussion or consideration of the hiring of an elementary school principal and the discussion or consideration of the hiring of a director of elementary education.  The motion was approved unanimously.

END CLOSED MEETING
Mr. Miller made a motion, which was seconded by Mr. Cisne, for the Board to come out of Closed Meeting.  The motion was approved unanimously.

CERTIFICATION OF CLOSED MEETING
Mr. Miller made a motion, which was seconded by Mr. Cisne, to certify that only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and only such public business matters as were identified in the motion by which the closed meeting was convened were heard, discussed or considered in the meeting by the Board.  The motion was approved unanimously.

ACTION ITEM
Mr. Miller made a motion, which was seconded by Mr. Haskell, to long term suspend student no. 14-10 through the end of the first semester of the 2011-12 school year and to permit student no. 14-10 to participate in Project Return as well as summer school, and to authorize the Superintendent to permit student no. 14-10 to be readmitted to school prior to the end of the first semester of the 2011-12 school year based upon the student’s academic performance and behavior.  The motion was approved unanimously.

ACTION ITEM
Mr. Cisne made a motion, which was seconded by Mr. Haskell, to appoint Tina McCay as the principal of Goochland Elementary School effective July 1, 2011.  The motion was approved unanimously.

ACTION ITEM
Mr. Miller made a motion, which was seconded by Mr. Cisne, to appoint Dr. Stephen Geyer as the Director of Elementary Education and Title I effective July 1, 2011.  The motion was approved unanimously.

The meeting was recessed until May 31, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.