Minutes of Regular Board Meeting
April 25th, 2006 7:00 PM
Location: District Office, Gander
Present:
Mr. Bill Sceviour (Acting Chair) Mr. Charlie McCormack
Mr. Clar Brown Ms. Claudine Wells
Mr. Peter Budgell Ms. Bonnie Lane McCarthy (Recorder)
Mr. John George Ms. Marina Hewlett
Mr. Peter Gibbons
Mr. Newman Harris
Mr. Hubert Langdon
Mr. Scott Pritchett
Ms. Audrey Whiteway
Mr. Greg Woolfrey
Ms. Kim Cheeks
Mr. Kerry Noble
Mr. Robert Hannaford
Regrets:
Mr. Thomas Kendell (Chair)
Mr. Randell Mercer, Director
Mr. Shawn Brace
1. Approval of Agenda
Motion: to approve the agenda as circulated. (Pritchett/George). Carried.
2. Minutes of Meetings
2.1 Regular Meeting March 21st, 2006
Motion: to accept the minutes of the March 21st, 2006 as circulated. (Hannaford/Brown). Carried.
The following motion that was tabled at the March 21 Board meeting was omitted from the minutes.
Motion: to table the proposed School Funding Allocation Formula.
2.2 Special Board Meeting April 11th, 2006, 6:00 PM (Trustee Information Session)
Motion: to accept the Minutes of the Special Board Meeting (Trustee Information Session) April 11th, 2006 as circulated. (Pritchett/George). Carried
2.3 Special Board Meeting April 11th, 2006 8:00 PM
Motion: to accept the Minutes of the Special Board Meeting April 11th, 2006 as circulated. (Harris/Hannaford). Carried.
3. Business Arising:
3.1 Restructuring Update
Copies of the motions that were made at the April 11th Special Board meeting have been forwarded to the Minister of Education, local school board trustees and local MHA’s.
There has been no communication from the Department of Education regarding the motions dealing with restructuring.
3.2 Trustee Vacancy
Deferred
3.3 Tabled Motions
School Funding Allocation Formula
Motion: that the tabled motion for the school funding allocation formula be lifted in order for the motion to be discussed. (Pritchett/Woolfrey) Carried
Motion: that the motion tabled on March 21st be withdrawn as a result of the Provincial Budget announcement on March 30th concerning school allocations. (Pritchett/Gibbons) Carried
The Government has revised its per pupil grant to School Boards. Due to this it will be necessary to review the per pupil grant to schools.
School Sports Code of Conduct
Motion: to approve the revised School Sports Code of Conduct. (George/Cheeks). Carried.
The revision to this document was necessary to bring consistency to the application of this sports code of conduct.
New School for Baie Verte
Motion: that the tabled motion of the April 11th School Board Meeting be lifted which read that the Nova Central School District reaffirm its position to the Minister of Education that a completely new school facility be constructed in Baie Verte as stated in the Nova Central School Board’s 5-year restructuring Plan 2005 as opposed to any type of redevelopment of any existing structure. (Brown/Langdon) Carried
Mr. Brown wanted to ensure that the Minister of Education was aware that the Board was requesting a new facility for the Baie Verte school system.
Motion: to reaffirm the motion made at the April 11, 2006 meeting. (Brown/George).
3.4 Mr. Langdon felt that the minutes of the March 21st did reflect what he said about the committees of the Board. He reiterated that he felt that issues need to be brought to the Board table and discussed. However, committees do play an important role.
4. Committee Reports/Updates
4.1 Executive Committee (see attached report)
Mr. Sceviour presented the Executive Committee Report.
There is a need to carry out the annual performance review of the Director which is included in the mandate of this committee. This committee is working through this process and will report on its progress at a future meeting.
Mr. Brown asked about the information regarding school closures and school reorganizing. It is the intent of the committee to draft a protocol for consideration and discussion at the Board table on this topic.
Motion: to accept Executive Committee Report. (Noble/Brown). Carried.
4.2 Finance/Property Committee (see attached report)
Sale of Coaker Academy
The committee was informed that the highest bidder for Coaker Academy has withdrawn his bid due to the risks associated with the underground oil tank.
The Assistant Director – Finance will explore any options available for the most efficient means of removing the underground oil tank.
Mr. Noble reminded the Board that there must be caution used when dealing with any type of oil tank.
Exploits Valley Intermediate
The matter with the R.C. Episcopal Corporation regarding acquisition of the land to carry out the renovations to Exploits Valley Intermediate has not been resolved. Discussions are continuing to take place.
Quarterly Financial Report
Motion: to accept the Quarterly Financial Report. (Pritchett/Brown). Carried.
Mr. Noble asked for clarification on the following line items in the Quarterly Financial Report. He noted the following:
|
|
Budget |
Year to Date |
|
IM3 Technology |
$ 4,000 |
$ 22,612.02 |
|
IM3 Shutdowns |
7,000 |
32,251.58 |
|
IT3 Shutdown Travel |
100,000 |
172,615 |
|
Gander Board Office Annex |
10,000 |
98,692.35 |
He asked that an explanation for the each of these expenditures be provided at the next Board meeting.
With respect to item 1, Mr. McCormack explained that when the initial budget was compiled it included $4000 for technology. However, when the planning was being done for the shutdown there was a need identified for a large screen and a sound system. Since this would be something that would be needed in the future and considering the cost of renting one it was decided to buy both a large screen and a sound system. There have been some discussions with the Department about covering a portion of the cost of these items. The Department will cover 50% of the cost. This was not reflected in the financial statement at this time.
With respect to item 2, when the budget was initially prepared the shutdown travel and related costs were allocated to various schedules in the budget. However, for accounting expedancy at the time of the shutdown, all expenditures were reflected in IM3 and IT3 only. The appropriate accounting adjustment will be accommodated before year-end. Other divisions in the School District will transfer money to the IT3 account to offset some of these expenditures.
Mr. Brace, being absent from this meeting, will provide further explanation to these queries at the next meeting.
Mr. Pritchett informed the Board that it may receive some extra funding from the Department. Requests have been submitted, including $58,000 for glass replacement, $80,000 for Leading Tickles and extra funding for the reclassification of 2 computer technicians.
Motion: that the Board donate 2 decommissioned busses to the town of Gander to be used in Emergency Planning Exercise in June. (Pritchett/Woolfrey). Carried.
Motion: to accept the Finance & Property Report. (Pritchett/Budgell). Carried.
4.3 Personnel Committee – no report
4.4 Programs Committee
The Programs Committee had a presentation by Heather Hillier on the Health Promotion Project. Also time was spent reviewing the AIMS report and discussing the CDLI report
Mr. Noble recommended that the CDLI Review Committee report be presented to the Teacher Liaison Committee
Motion: that the staff take the recommendation of the review committee as the basis for continued improvement on the delivery of CDLI courses to the students in the Nova Central School District. (George/Cheeks). Carried.
Mr. Budgell requested a list of school offering CDLI courses
Motion: to accept the Program Committee Report. (Pritchett/George) Carried.
Motion: to extend the meeting for 18 minutes. (Brown/Harris). Carried.
4.5 Student Support Services Committee
The Student Support Services committee had a presentation concerning the Lead Teacher Initiative the Board is undertaking and the inclusionary model of program delivery. There will be a written report available for the next meeting.
The committee also discussed its role.
5. New Business
5.1 CDLI Committee Report
A presentation (attached) was made by Bob Hipditch, Frank Shapleigh and Bill Butt concerning CDLI. Highlights of the presentation:
· The Nova Central School District is the largest user of CDLI in the province.
· CDLI should be placed in a school where supervision can be carried out.
· Where CDLI is set up in a school depends on a number of factors and what is best for the particular school.
· CDLI also offers courses to students who are unable to attend regular school.
· Every year CDLI replaces some equipment so that no piece of equipment used is over 3 years old.
· Anytime a student is absent from a CDLI class it is recorded. Other classes may be recorded at the discretion of the teacher.
· Materials developed for CDLI may be used by any student in the province.
· There is an online guidance room on the CDLI site.
· Each CDLI school has a M-Team.
· Online free tutoring is available to CDLI students.
· There is a 15% increase in the number of students who are pre-registered for CDLI courses for the 2006-07 school year over the 2005-06 school year.
Questions from Board Members to Bob Hipditch:
1. What are some concerns with CDLI?
Scheduling is always a concern. Real time teaching causes CDLI to have a fixed schedule.
2. Why do some students drop out of CDLI courses?
For every student who drops a CDLI course there is a form to be signed by a number of people. The student is counseled prior to dropping a course.
3. Would it be possible to do a presentation to new sites?
New students and parents will get a presentation through e-class.
4. Should the Board be concerned in the future as schools get smaller that they will only offer courses to the less academically inclined students and leave the advanced students for CDLI?
Different schools use CDLI in different ways. There are some courses that are for the advanced students. However, there are courses for all students. Half the courses cater to all students.
5. What supports are in place for the CDLI students?
There are supports such as tutoring in the evening and after school, guidance services and correspondence with the m-team.
6. Statement – The new staffing procedure of Government should allow for extra allocation for each school who offers CDLI. NLTA has asked for ½ unit for any school that offers CDLI.
Anyone who has further questions may contact [email protected].
5.2 Organizational Chart Revision
Motion: to extend the meeting for fifteen minutes. (Brown/Harris). Carried.
The Department of Education has recently announced that it will be putting an additional 1.5M into district office staff positions. There has been a letter sent by the Director to Rick Hayward, ADM, outlining the new positions that the district would need to effectively carry out its work. Mr. Hayward suggested that we forward a current organizational chart to support the request. An updated organizational chart was circulated for Board approval. Further discussion is ongoing between the Directors of Education and Mr. Hayward regarding the allocation of these new funds.
Motion: to approve the Revised Organizational Chart for the Nova Central School District, dated May 2006. (Hannaford/Pritchett). Carried.
5.3 Skilled Trades and Technology Program
The District will participate in the new Skilled Trades and Technology Program. It will be piloted in seven schools in the District. A total of 19 schools applied for the pilot.
5.4 Notice of Board Meetings in Local Newspapers
To have the monthly School Board meetings announced in Robinson Blackmore papers would cost approximately $200 per month. It was decided that the Board would discontinue its notice of meetings through the local newspapers. The meetings will continue to be announced on the radio stations and the district website.
5.5 Teacher Allocations
Since there was no reduction in the teacher allocation from the Provincial Government, we have 995 teachers to staff our 69 schools for the 2006-07 school year. There are five teachers held in reserve. The Government has also committed to carrying out a review of the Teacher Allocation Process over the next year. A copy of the school by school teacher allocation was distributed to the Trustees.
6. Date of Next Meeting
The next regular meeting of the Board will be held on May 16, 7:00 PM, Regional Office, Grand Falls-Windsor.
7. Adjournment
Motion: to adjourn the meeting (Woolfrey/Noble). Carried
_____________________________ ____________________________
Thomas Kendell Bonnie Lane-McCarthy
Chair Recorder
BLMcC/fg