January 23, 2003
The
Board of Directors of the Little Rock School District held its regularly
scheduled meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 23, 2003, in the Boardroom
of the Administration Building, 810 West Markham Street, Little Rock,
Arkansas. President Judy Magness
presided.
MEMBERS
PRESENT:
Judy
Magness
Tony
Rose
Larry Berkley
Micheal
Daugherty
Baker Kurrus
Katherine Mitchell
Sue Strickland
MEMBERS
ABSENT:
None
ALSO
PRESENT:
T.
Kenneth James, Superintendent of Schools
Beverly Griffin, Recorder of Minutes
I. CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL
Board President Judy Magness called the
meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. Six
members of the Board were present at roll call; Dr. Daugherty arrived at 5:40
p.m.
Tamika Wordlow, student from J. A. Fair High School, served as the ex officio
representative for the month of January; the teacher representative, Krystie
Bailey, M. L. King Elementary School, was absent.
II. PROCEDURAL
MATTERS / WELCOMING COMMENTS
Immediately following roll call, Ms.
Magness asked the Board to consider a motion for an executive session. Mr. Berkley made a motion to move into
executive session for the purpose of discussing personnel matters. Mr. Rose seconded the motion, and it carried
unanimously. The Board returned
from executive session at 5:35 p.m. and reported that no action was taken.
Ms. Magness introduced the Mabelvale
Magnet School choir, directed by Mr. Dewayne Banks. The choir performed two selections: All Night / All Day, and It’s Up to You to Be the Best
You Can Be.
III. REPORTS/RECOGNITIONS/PUBLIC
COMMENTS
Dr. James announced that Hall High School and Henderson Middle School had been selected to receive 21st Century Community Learning Center grants to establish after-school and summer enrichment programs. These grants will provide funding for five years, and will total up to $1 million.
The superintendent announced that a tenth grade Central High School student, Yang Dai, scored a perfect 36 on the ACT exam. Yang was one of three students in Arkansas who achieved a perfect score, and was one of 58 students nationally to be recognized for this honor. Yang and her family will be invited to attend the February Board meeting to acknowledge and celebrate her achievement.
The January ex-officio representative to the Board was recognized with a certificate of appreciation, Tamika Wordlow, student at Fair High School.
B.
Partners in Education – New Partnerships
Debbie Milam presented certificates in
recognition of one new business / school partnership. Mr. Rose made a motion to accept the new partnership, Mr. Kurrus
seconded the motion, and it carried
unanimously.
The new partnership was:
Rockefeller
Elementary and Early Childhood Magnet School, represented by Ann Mangan, in partnership with Little
Rock Job Corp, represented by Willie Jones and Tim Foley
C. Remarks from Citizens
No remarks.
Clementine Kelley was present,
but did not make a presentation.
E.
Joshua Intervenors
No report.
F.
PTA Council
Ginny Kurrus, president
of the Little Rock PTA Council, addressed the Board regarding PTA plans and
activities for the up-coming legislative session. She announced that February 4, 2003 was Public Schools Day, and
that a rally would be held on the steps of the state capitol beginning at 11:30
a.m. In addition, Senator Jim Argue
will address PTA representatives from across the state at 9:00 a.m. that day at
the Arkansas Poultry Federation building.
Ms.
Kurrus announced that the PTA had adopted a resolution asking the Arkansas
Department of Education to provide clarification of requirements of No Child
Left Behind and plans for the implementation of these requirements. A copy of that resolution had been provided
to Ms. Magness for the Board’s review.
The
annual Founders Day luncheon will be held on February 11, at noon at Fellowship
Church on Napa Valley & Henson Roads.
IV. REPORTS
AND COMMUNICATIONS
None.
Mr. Babbs reviewed activities from the Student Assignment office, including a summary of transfers related to NCLB legislation. Open enrollment dates were announced: January 27 – February 7, 2003. Open houses, or “Check Us Out” activities are January 22 – 24.
Dr. Stewart reported that the final tax settlement funds had been received late in December and that the amount of revenue received from these taxes had been less than expected and projected in our original budget reports. He noted, however, that Pulaski County Collectors are doing a good job with delinquent tax collections, so we can expect additional funds to be received as the taxes are paid. He noted that we are still cautious about the state revenue expectations.
Mr. Goodman’s report was printed in the agenda,
but he was not present. Dr. Stewart
offered to respond to questions from the Board, and reported that interior
renovations at Central were in progress.
Bids on this project came in lower than expected so it is hoped that
they will be completed under-budget.
Architect’s drawings for the Dunbar project are being reviewed; bidding
will begin in a few weeks. The
Technology Center will also be bid within a few weeks.
Construction on Wakefield is in the design phase;
the architect is revising preliminary plans for review by Wakefield staff. It is hoped the building will be complete by
June 2004.
Mr. Becker’s report was provided as an addendum to the agenda. He was present, but provided no additional
information.
Ms. Neal
provided a brief summary in addition to the report printed in the Board’s
agenda. She noted that we had been
notified that e-rate funds had been mailed, but they had not been received as
of the date of this meeting. It is
expected that we will receive $1.6 million.
A.
Minutes
Minutes from the regular meeting of the
Board of Directors held on December 19, 2002, were presented for review and
approval. Dr. Mitchell made a motion to
approve the minutes as presented; Mr. Kurrus seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
B.
Personnel
Changes
Routine personnel items were printed in the
agenda and were submitted for the Board’s review and approval. Dr. Mitchell made a motion to approve the
personnel items as presented; Mr. Rose seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously.
C.
Student
Calendar, 2003-04
The proposed student calendar for the 2003-2004 school year was presented for review and approval. Mr. Berkley made a motion to approve the calendar as submitted. Dr. Mitchell seconded the motion and it carried 7-0.
D.
Superintendent’s
Evaluation and Contract Extension
The Board met in executive session
earlier in this meeting. Ms. Magness
reported that Dr. James had received an exceptional evaluation and that the
Board officially recognized his excellent leadership abilities. Mr. Rose made a motion to extend the
superintendent’s contract by one year; Dr. Daugherty seconded the motion and it
carried unanimously.
No items for review / approval.
A.
First Reading: Policy DGD - - Visa
Purchasing Card (Pro-Card)
The administration presented Policy DGD - - Visa
Pro-Card guidelines for implementation for first reading approval. The activation of a charge card for
purchases which total less than $1,000 will be piloted with a select number of
schools and departments, with full implementation phased in over the next
school year. This program will reduce
the costs associated with the requisition and purchase order process for small-dollar
purchases.
Mr. Paradis responded to questions from the
Board regarding training and accountability procedures. Mr. Berkley moved to approve the policy on
first reading. Dr. Mitchell seconded
the motion and it carried unanimously.
B.
Agreement Between the City of Little Rock and the LRSD -- Use of Facilities
The District has worked with the City of Little
Rock Department of Parks and Recreation to formulate a five-year commitment to
promote joint use of District and city properties. No additional funding is required for implementation of the
agreement. Dr. Mitchell moved to
approve the agreement; Mr. Rose seconded the motion. It carried unanimously.
C.
Donations of Property
The Board was asked to approve acceptance of
recent donations to the District.
Tamika Wordlow, student ex-officio representative, read the listed
donations.
Dr. Mitchell made a motion to accept the donations as listed; Mr. Rose seconded
the motion, and it carried
unanimously. Donations are
listed in the following chart:
DONATIONS
|
SCHOOL/DEPARTMENT |
ITEM |
DONOR |
|
Jefferson
Elementary School |
Pizza,
valued at approximately $100.00 for the faculty and staff |
Harold
Beckwith |
|
McClellan
Community High School |
$150.00
cash for the boy’s baseball program $50.00
cash for the boy’s baseball program $250.00
cash for the boy’s baseball program $100.00
cash for the boy’s baseball program $100.cash
for the boy’s baseball program |
Alvin
Smith / State Farm Insurance Dr.
Lee Hinson, DDS Tom
Dillon / Dillon Enterprises, Inc. Everett
Martindale, Attorney Staley,
Inc. |
|
Metropolitan
Career & Technical Center |
2003
Dodge Durange, valued at $27,329.00 for the automotive technology program |
Daimler-Chrysler
Corp. through partnership with AYES |
|
LRSD |
24
office cubicle workstations valued at approximately $400.00 per unit. Total value approximately $9,600.00 |
U of
A Cooperative Extension Service |
|
LRSD
Child Welfare Fund |
$110.00
cash to be used to purchase school clothing for students |
Bale
Elementary school Peer Helper Service Project |
Mr. Milhollen reviewed the budget summary and
noted that the December report was on target with the original projections for
expenditures. In addition, he briefly
highlighted the investment summary reports, and responded to questions from the
Board. Mr. Kurrus moved to approve the
financial reports as submitted. Dr.
Mitchell seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
IX.
SCHOOL SERVICES DIVISION
No items for review / approval.
X.
DISTRICT OPERATIONS
No items for review / approval.
XI.
CLOSING REMARKS
Dr. James reminded the Board that their conflict of interest statements are due to the Pulaski County Clerk by January 31, 2003.
In addition, he reviewed recent SREB training sessions with staff and reported that he had participated in a conference call to plan and review up-coming (in March) sessions. School teams are working hard on their individual school plans and have provided very positive feedback on the training.
A luncheon is planned in February for the Public Education Foundation and guest speakers will include Claiborne Demming and Walter Hussman. Board members will receive invitations.
XII.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the Board,
Mr. Berkley moved to adjourn at 6:40 p.m.
Mr. Rose seconded the motion and it carried
unanimously.
APPROVED:
_ 02-27-03 __ Original documents signed
by:
Judy Magness, President
Larry Berkley, Secretary