BG Board, Briefly Summary of Battle Ground Public Schools, Board of Directors’ Meetings

Meeting Date: July 14, 2014, Lewisville Campus Work Session 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Board members discussed options and wording for proposed Policy 3211-Transgender Students. District administration responded to the board’s request for additional research by presenting sample policies from other districts as well as language from the Washington Administrative Code (WAC), Revised Code of Washington (RCW), and Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Board members made suggestions to the draft policy which will be sent to the district’s attorney for review.

Budget Hearing 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM Assistant Superintendent of Finance and School Operations MaryBeth Lynn presented a draft budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year. The presentation highlighted the different sources of funds, including local, state, and federal dollars as well as allocation of funding throughout the district. The presentation also gave projections of the 2014-15 enrollment by grade level and staffing needs. Approximately 70% of the annual budget goes toward supporting classroom learning including teaching, staff support, supplies, and programs. The presentation highlighted the current beginning fund balances, projected revenues and expenditures, as well as provided a connection to the district’s strategic plan. A copy of the presentation can be viewed online by clicking here.

Regular Board Meeting 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM Communications Recognition of Pleasant Valley Middle School’s History Team Board members recognized Pleasant Valley Middle School students Ally Orr, Jethro Abatayo, Logan Gibert (not pictured) Simon Benko, and teacher Irene Soohoo (all pictured left) for their outstanding performances in the National History Day Competition. Each student won first place in state competition and went to Washington D.C., to compete on the national level last month. Jethro and Logan brought home a first place finish and Naval BG Board, Briefly submitted July 16, 2014

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History Award with their Junior Group Documentary, “Vietnam War Prisoners of War: Taking Responsibility When Deprived of All Rights." The students showed the 10 minute documentary to board members and guests. You can view the winning film on YouTube by clicking here. You can also read about all of the student’s achievements and awards on the district website by clicking here.

Recognition of Lori Schilling Linda Gellings, director of business and risk management, presented a recognition to the board of Lori Shilling who assisted an injured woman on Government Island last month. Shilling, who serves the district as Assistant Principal at Laurin Middle School, called 911 and administered first aid to a woman who fell and hit her head. A Multnomah County Sheriff’s river patrol deputy notified the district and asked that Lori be recognized for being a first responder and providing excellent first aid.

Committee Reports Legislative Committee Legislative committee member Mavis Nickels updated board members on her recent meeting with Senator Ann Rivers and asked board members for direction on setting up public meetings with state representatives to discuss upcoming legislative actions in regards to public education and the school district. Board members encouraged Nickels to reach out and start the process of setting potential dates to meet.

Audit Committee Audit Committee members Monty Anderson and Stephanie McClintock met with district staff on June 26 for their regular monthly meeting. The committee reviewed vouchers, signed off on the superintendent’s timesheet, and discussed current financial reports. Director McClintock shared with the board that there were no problems or concerns of any kind.

Board Business Approval of 2014-15 District Calendar Board members approved the revised 2014-15 District Calendar. The revised calendar includes the addition of 11 early release days designed for professional development to meet the minimum basic education requirement for student contact time set forth by Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for the 2014-15 school year. The 11 days are spread out over the course of the year and are scheduled for Wednesdays. The approval of 11 days is a reduction from last year’s 16. In addition to fewer days, the board approved that all early release days (including professional development and conference days) would follow a three hour early release schedule. For additional information on the district calendar and the “Key Dates for Families,” please visit the district website by clicking here.

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Approval of the 2014-15 School Board Calendar Board members approved the 2014-15 School Board Calendar. Board meetings will continue to be held on the second and fourth Monday of the month. All Regular Board Meetings will begin at 6:00 PM. Specific locations and any additional information can be found on the Director Information page of the district website. (link)

Introduction of Four New Principals Assistant Superintendent Mark Ross presented Tamarah Grigg, Jennifer Paulson, Beth Swift, and Kevin Palena to the board of directors as new principals within the district. Tamarah Grigg will be moving from the assistant principal position at Glenwood Heights Primary School and will be taking on the principal position at Pleasant Valley Middle School. Jennifer Paulson will fill the position of principal at Tukes Valley Primary School and Kevin Palena will fill the position at Daybreak Middle School. Beth Swift will be staying at Chief Umtuch Middle School but will be moving from the assistant principal position to the principal position.

Adoption of New K-12 Writing Curricula Board members approved new K-8 and 9-12 writing curricula. The new curricula “Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing” is for grades K-8 Language Arts instruction, and “Come to Class: Lessons for High School Writers” for use in high school English Language Arts classes. The new curricula will enable students to build on the skills they learn in each grade level as well as giving them a recognizable vocabulary which is consistent from year to year. It will also enable teachers to share information using a common vocabulary to describe student work and to compare results as they collaborate in professional learning communities (PLCs). Most importantly, it will provide teachers and students with a guaranteed and viable curriculum which is based on effective instructional practices. Implementation of the new curricula will begin in the upcoming 2014-15 school year.

Approval of Resolution H-14: 2014-15 District Budget Board members approved Resolution H-14: 2014-15 District Budget. The approval came after two public Budget Hearing meetings on June 23 and July 14. The Board has determined the final appropriation level of expenditures for each fund in 2014-15 will be as follows: APPROPRIATION LEVEL: A. B. C. D. E.

General Fund $136,637,009 General Fund Transfers to Debt Service $ 649,200 Capital Projects Fund $ 2,500,000 Debt Service Fund $ 5,925,000 Associated Student Body Fund $ 4,734,967

A copy of the Budget Hearing presentation can be found online by clicking here.

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Revision of Policy 3240: Student Conduct Revisions for Policy 3240: Student Conduct were approved. The revisions align current policy with the revisions to RCW 28A.400, RCW 28A.635 and WAC 392-400 as well as to accommodate the name change from 20 U.S.C. 3171 et. seq. Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act to 20 U.S.C. 7101 et. seq. Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act.

Upcoming Regular Board Meetings Regular Board Meeting You are invited to attend the Regular Board Meeting scheduled for Monday, August 11, 6:30 PM, at the Lewisville Campus, 406 NW 5th Ave. Battle Ground, WA. For more information please visit the Board of Directors’ webpage. (Link)

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