Minutes of Board Meeting 9-15-09

Minutes of Regular Board Meeting

9-15-09


I am posting these minutes to expedite information dissemination. Much more complete and detailed minutes will be posted in 4-6 weeks on the school district’s website. In the mean time, these minutes are what I feel were the big “takeaways”, a macro look at my impression of the meeting. These are condensed, abbreviated, shortened, and to the point.

Meeting convened at 6:42 PM (Meeting was preceded by the annual school district budget meeting, which went from 5:30 to 6:40)

All Board Members and Superintendent Malcolm Thomas present.


Three Speakers addressed the board during Public Forum

1. Speaker wanted a special exemption from property taxes for elderly
2. Speaker had numerous issues with the district as a whole
3. Speaker wants: TEMS gradebook fixed, FAIR testing to be scheduled better, and overall level of student testing to be decreased (“we’re testing these kids to death!”

PTA Presentation—given by Kathy Lasky

Stellar Employee Recognition—David Wilkeson, a 12 year employee of the district, currently serving as an Energy Management Technician for the maintenance department.



1. Rule adoptions: Adoption of Amendments to School District Rule 6Gx17-1 Approved 5-0


Permission to Advertise:
1. Notice of intent to advertise Revisions and Amendments to the District School Board Student Progression Plan, 6Gx17-7.09 Approved 5-0

3 sets of August Board Meeting Minutes Approved, 5-0

Entire Consent Agenda Approved.

All Curriculum items approved

All Finance items approved

All Human Resources items Approved

All Purchasing items approved

All Operations items approved

The following items were pulled for discussion, but ultimately approved by the board by 5-0 vote after discussion:

1. Curriculum Item 4-agreement between The Escambia County School Board and NAPA Auto Parts of Pensacola.

2. Curriculum Item 17-User agreement between the Escambia County School District and the Pensacola Civic center for graduations. (I voiced my concerns about the continued substantial expenditure ($26,000.00) to The County for use of their facility for school graduations in light of the fact that the county uses many of our facilities free of charge and have recently raised the athletic fees for schools to use their park facilities—I felt that a better rate should have been sought)

3. Human Resources Item g 8, addition of Confidential legal assistant/paralegal

4. Strategic Plan End of Year Report—following discussion with several members of the EEA, some areas that had been indicated as “goal met” were amended to indicate “goal partially met”

(Entire Consent Agenda was meticulously covered and discussed at length during two thorough school board workshops held during the early afternoon and evening of 9-10-2009 and 9-11- 2009)


Board voted unanimously, 5-0, to accept the superintendent’s recommendation regarding the following:

3 Employees suspended without pay
1 Employee returned to work after being suspended without pay since July—charges against this individual were dropped and this employee will be receiving back pay

List of nominees for the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Excellence, approved by Board 5-0


Student recommendations: None

Items from the board:

Certification of Compliance, Agency Rules Report Pursuant to 120.74, Fla. Stat. (2009) approved 5-0.





Meeting adjourned at 7:58PM.