April Board of Education Meeting Summary

April 2017- Board of Education Meeting Summary

Public Participation:

• Greg Cawein- Co-President TEA- Shares concerns regarding possible staffing reductions.  Shared information regarding staff morale and impact to programs.  He shared concerns that the potential reduction is being considered during a time when the district is experiencing financial stability.  Mr. Cawein shared concerns about the elimination of just one position that will be examined this evening.  Mr. Cawein shared that he served as a baseball coach at THS for 20 years, and that in that time he never cut just one player, while comparing that analogy to the current issue with the possible reduction of one staff member.
• Jody Clemmons- TEA Co President- Shares a letter from Ms. Sarno, THS World language Teacher.
• Kay Brown (THS student,  & her mother Tomoko) both share a letter in support of Ms. Sarno.
• Nate Silberstein- ESL instructor-Shares information regarding ESL numbers.
• Wyatt Collins (THS students and two more students) Shared information in support of Mr. Maynard- THS Social Studies.  Mr. Maynard was hired to fill a position that was only required for the 2016-17 school year.
• Jasper Ralinovski - Shares support for Mr. Maynard.
• Stephan Hill- Shares support for Mr. Maynard.
• Kate Byrd- THS Field Hockey Coach- Shared that 23 girls are ready to play next year and the youth program just started this spring.  She would like the BOE to consider keeping the program in place.
• Ellen Jaeger- Speaks in support of THS field hockey on behalf of her daughter, Maggie.
• Betsy Walker- TSD parent and field hockey player from the 1990’s supports the THS field hockey program.  She shared that she received 250K in scholarships for the field hockey for college.
• Pam Hodgson- Parent from Bogan Elementary- wanted to speak in support of teachers in the district, she helps tutor 3rd graders.  She is concerned about how reductions might impact class sizes.  She is very much in support of making staffing decisions that support more one-on-one support for students in TSD.
• Jennifer Fisher- Parent of children not yet in TSD.  Shared that when her husband made the decision to take a position at MU, they were told to NOT live in the community, but when they determined that Talawanda was superior to neighboring districts, they selected to move to the community.  She indicated that TODAY her husband’s departmental colleagues all live in the community and support the schools.

Presentations:

• Update from Butler County Auditor- Representing the Auditor- Mike Stein- Just completed the cycle for tax year 2016.  Now working on the tri-annual update to reevaluate property values based on the data determined.  Deadline is August 9th for any tax levies.  Homestead Exemption Program will be rolled out again this year (open until June).
• Sustainability Project (Mrs. Ruther’s Project)- Ryan Barter & Adriane Ruther-  Mr. Barter shared that Mrs. Ruther has written multiple grants for the outdoor learning land lab (Erik Sustainability Initiative).  This is the second year that Mrs. Ruther serves as the coordinator of the program.  Shares a powerpoint including maps, photos, and programming on the site.  See THS Blog on the district website for the detailed presentation.
• Curriculum Adoptions- Art, Health,Family/Consumer Sciences, School Counseling
• Energy Optimization Project (Heapy Engineering)- Mike Witt, served as the commissioning agency on Bogan, THS, and Kramer construction projects.  Mike shared information about energy usage across TSD, by reviewing 2 years of energy data to determine the benchmark for each school.  This equates to a 7-10% energy reduction (or $38k-$52K). The savings is equal to the contract fees.  Utilizes the Energy Star Portfolio Manager, and provides a score on how well we compare to our peers.  Focuses on low-cost and no-cost measures.  Providing an analysis for payback.  A score of 50 equates to a “C”- scores compare usage, climate, size, and age.  Kramer is not included as it is still in the commissioning process.
• TMS- 33
• Marshall-57
• Bogan-52
• THS-55

Board Liaison Reports:

• Mark Butterfield/Chris Otto-Athletic Liaison- No report

• Lois Vollmer-Butler Tech- No report

• MJ Roberts- Legislative
• HB181- Eliminate common core, OTES, ETPES, etc.
• Attended a town hall meeting with Warren Davidson on this topic.

Regular BOE Meeting:

Treasurer Report Highlights:

• Blocked agenda items A, and B-F- See agenda on Board Docs- pass 5-0
• See approval of Gifts-

• Reimburse Dr. Roberts for OSBA travel expenses- transparency- pass 4-0
• Head Start program at all 3 elementary buildings- pass 5-0
• NextStep- server maintenance and monitoring of existing contract (rate lowered with Superintendent’s help)- pass 5-0
• Kasich Budget- Governor is recommending more cuts to the state budget (1 billion in cuts), and education is at risk.  Potentially puts TSD deeper on the guarantee.
• Update on Kramer- Phase 1 nearly completed.  Started Phase 2 (ahead 6 weeks)
• Update on the THS Storage Barn- New permits in place and project will start next week.
• Possible Marshall Renovation- Working with the OSFCC for more information.  If approved the updates would come without a bond levy.
• Amtrak Update- TSD was thanked by the City of Oxford for their letter of support.  Stay tuned for more updates.
• Update- BOR Counter- Walmart property complaint- requesting a change in value ($1million dollar reduction in value request).
• Paperless accounts payable project, that should save about $5k.

Superintendent Report Highlights:

• Cost Reduction Proposal Plan- See Board Docs- See Minutes from the January 2017 work session, 2016 Per Pupil Expenditure, Financial Benchmarking/Analytics FY15 (2 separate docs).  TSD spends more in per pupil expenditure than like districts, so the Superintendent’s office was asked to recommend cuts
• Hiring freeze
• Savings through attrition (25 positions have been reduced already in recent years)
• Look at retire/rehire positions
• Eliminate 1 World Language
• Eliminate 1 Administrator this year and 1 next year

• Approval of Certificated/Licensed Personnel- See BoardDocs for specific personnel items. Items 1-5 motion passes 5-0
• Approval to Eliminate World language Teacher & Approval to Eliminate Retire/Rehire for Certificated Teachers- Motion Fails
• Approval of Classified Staff- See BoardDocs for specific personnel items
• Supplemental Review Proposal- Mr Butterfield requests to take Field Hockey off the list for review.  Passes 5-0
• Approval of College Credit Plus agreements for state requirements.  Passes 5-0
• Second reading of updated policy revisions from March Meeting Passes 5-0
• Update:  Importance of the Community Advisory Meeting on May 11th, when we will continue to educate community members on issues that impact public schools and how to contact legislators.
• Kudos to Amy Macechko for her leadership on drug prevention education.
• Next Wednesday May 3- EDUCATION BANQUET
• Graduation May 25th at 7pm at Millett Hall
• THS is a third finalist for the sustainability wall system used in the building.

Comments from BOE Members:

Dr. Crowder

• Sarah Roche will be recognized for Science Teacher of the Year!
• Safety issue at morning drop-off at THS- parents NOT dropping off in the appropriate location.  A possible solution would be utilizing the SRO in the drop off area to enforce the correct procedure is followed, and update cross-walk areas.  Also market to parents/students the correct procedure.

Dr. Roberts

• Thanks from the Rudolph Family after serious accident father and daughter who suffered serious injuries.  THS faculty and staff support was much appreciated!

Adjourn- 9:48pm

Next Meeting May 15, 2017

Graduation- May 25, 2017