Regular Meeting Minutes – December 17, 2012

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF SHEBOYGAN FALLS

BOARD OF EDUCATION

REGULAR MEETING MINUTES

Monday, DECEMBER 17, 2012

6:30 P.M.

 

Community Open Forum:  6:30 – 6:45 P.M.

This regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Education of the School District of Sheboygan Falls was held on Monday evening, December 17, 2012, in the High School Library at Sheboygan Falls High School.  Board President, John Mauer, called the meeting to order at 6:30 P.M.

 

Present:           Mr. John Mauer, President

Mr. Tom Bigler, Vice President
Mr. Peter Geise, Treasurer

Mrs. Victoria Bramstedt, Clerk

Mrs. Linda Adams, Clerk Pro-Tem

Mr. Steve Aykens

Mr. John Johnson

Mrs. Julie Hahn, Board Secretary
Roll call was taken with 7 board members present.

 

M/S/Geise/Bramstedt to approve the agenda as printed with the exception of item #9, adding the wording “and Support Staff” following the existing wording, Compensation for Non-Represented Employees.  Motion Carried Unanimously.

 

M/S/Bigler/Geise to approve the minutes of the November 19, 2012 Regular Board Meeting and the minutes of the November 29th, December 7th, and December 13th, 2012, Special Board Meetings, as printed.  Motion Carried Unanimously.

 

M/S/Bigler/Geise to approve the accounts for November, 2012, as prepared.  Motion Carried Unanimously.  Expenditures for November, 2012, were $1,569,194.03.  Receipts for November, 2012, were $318,108.17.

Administrative Reports:

 

District/Jean Born: Background information on vouchers was sent to board members as requested.  Discussion this morning at legislative meeting included vouchers, regulation reform-administrative rules which includes 56 chapters, state funding linked to school performance/accountability, career readiness folders and youth options, apprenticeship programs, Sheboygan county mental health options, and FMLA at federal and state levels.  District Leadership team has been discussing the calendar for the 2013-2014 school year, survey data will be collected at some time and approval will be brought to the board at the February meeting.  School and educator effectiveness models are being looked into.  We have two choices- CESA 6 and DPI model.  Physical education policy- WIAA sport in lieu of PE .5 credit-policy committee will look at tomorrow.

 

Kellie Manning, Elementary School Principal; Ann Roy, Director of Special Education and Pupil Services; and Mary Lofy, Director of Instruction, gave their monthly reports to the Board.

Committee Reports:

 

Personnel…Geise/Adams/Bramstedt.. Met and discussed personnel compensation.  Will discuss later in the meeting, item #9.  Have come to an agreement with the support staff and non-represented employees, still working with the teachers.

 

Public Relations…Adams/Geise/Aykens.. Vision/Mission/Branding- committee will go back and get the teacher’s input at this point.

Policy…Mauer/Bigler.. Meeting tomorrow.

Finance…Bramstedt/Mauer.. Nothing to report.

Facilities…Bigler/Bramstedt… Nothing to report.

 

Recreation Board…Nothing to report.

CESA #7…Bigler.. Nothing to report.

Legislative/WASB…Adams.. Nothing to report.

 

School Foundation/Geise.. Nothing significant to report.

 

In response to recent Board conversations and changing student demographics, Mary Lofy, Director of Instruction, and Ann Roy, Director of  Pupil Services and Special Education, presented information on the update and implications of poverty in our school community and specific data on local prevalence.

 

The Personnel Committee discussed their recommendation for compensation for the non-represented and support staff employees and seeks Board approval to move forward. The proposed recommendation is aligned with the 2012-13 budget and BOE compensation guidelines.  M/S/Geise/Bramstedt to approve the personnel committee’s recommendation of a non-base building compensation, $960 pro-rated according to Full Time Equivalency, divided into 2 payments, to be paid to all non-represented and support staff employees for the 2012-2013 school year. Motion Carried Unanimously.

 

Mary Blaha, Director of Business Services, presented in board packets the provisional updates to the 403(b) plan and seeks approval of these updates.  M/S/Bramstedt/Adams to approve the provisional changes to the 403(b) plan as presented. Motion Carried 6/0, Aykens/Abstained.

As the administration begins to determine open enrollment seats for January Jean asked that the BOE discuss their feelings about class sizes in the District.  Board policies were reviewed and there are no specific number guidelines identified. In grades 5K-3 the SAGE grant determines the class size, 18 to 1.  Prior to that the BOE kept class sizes in the low 20’s in those grades.  In grades 4-8 the class sizes have ranged from 24–30 and in grades 9-12 they have ranged from 24-35.  There are some exceptions to that range including music and PE which may have 40+ students in the class or in courses where larger numbers of students may create a safety concern such as welding or lab science courses.  With the changing demographics of our students and the increasing accountability measures in place from the state the administration would certainly recommend that the BOE stay within the guidelines we currently support, 5K-3 (currently SAGE), 4-8 (22-25), 9-12 (24-35).  Administration continues to explore alternatives for instruction that are less dependent on class sizes with the use of technology tools.  John Mauer expressed concern with the high end of 35 at the high school level.  Jean reminded the board that when numbers have gotten high in the past, it is brought back to the board for possible solutions including staff additions.
Facilities Planning:  The board approved the resolution of necessity, results of the traffic study have been reviewed and EUA has been working with administration with necessary spaces in the new building as we proceed with programming.  Appraisals are in process.  Resolution deadline is January 22nd.  Next meeting is scheduled for January 10th,  when they hope to have a footprint and flow of traffic for the potential site.  The cost of bleachers was brought up by Tom Bigler.  He expressed concern of the cost that has been estimated.

M/S/Geise/Bigler to adjourn.  Motion Carried Unanimously.

 

The meeting adjourned at 8:31 p.m.

 

Minutes taken by Julie M. Hahn, Board Secretary

 

Approved by the Board of Education on January 21, 2013.

 

Victoria Bramstedt, Board Clerk

 

 

Open Enrollment 2014-2015

CLICK LINK BELOW
A message from Superintendent Jean Born

How to Apply For Open Enrollment

For the 2014-2015 School Year

 

The Open Enrollment Application Period for the 2014-2015 School Year
is from February 3, 2014 – April 30, 2014

The Department of Public Instruction recommends that parents apply for Open Enrollment through the on-line application process.

During the application period, the on-line applications can be found at the following DPI web site location: http://sms.dpi.wi.gov/sms_psctoc

What is Public School Open Enrollment?

Wisconsin’s inter-district public school open enrollment program allows parents to apply for their children to attend school districts other than the one in which they live.

Who may participate in open enrollment?

Students in 5-year-old kindergarten to grade 12 may apply to participate in open enrollment.

Open enrollment for pre-kindergarten, 4-year-old kindergarten and early childhood education is limited. Parents should call their resident school districts to find out if their preschool-aged children qualify for open enrollment.

How and when may parents apply?

The open enrollment application period for the 2014-2015 school year is from February 3-April 30, 2014. Late applications will not be accepted for any reason.

Parents may apply in one of two ways:

  • On-line application at http://sms.dpi.wi.gov/sms_psctoc
    (NOTE: this site will close on April 30th at 4:00 p.m.) The Sheboygan Falls District Office, located at 220 Amherst Ave., will have a computer available between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. for parents who are applying to open enroll their students to Sheboygan Falls. Help will also be available for completion of the on-line application.
  • Although completion of the on-line application is recommended by DPI, paper applications may be printed from the Department of Public Instruction web site or can be picked up at your school district office. Paper copies must be returned to the nonresident school district (the district that your student is applying to attend) before February 24th at 4:00 P.M. It is recommended that paper applications be hand delivered to the nonresident district office.

Can applications be submitted to more than one school district?

Applications may be submitted to up to three nonresident school districts.

Can I apply to a virtual charter school under open enrollment?

Yes. It is strongly recommended that applications to attend virtual charter schools be submitted on-line. Other important things to know about applying to virtual charter schools:

  • A virtual charter school is not home-schooling. Students attending virtual charter schools are public school students.
  • You must know the nonresident school district in which the virtual charter school is located. If you have any questions about this, call the virtual charter school.
  • You must know your resident school district in order to apply.
  • State law limits the number of students that may attend virtual charter schools under open enrollment. You may be placed on a waiting list.

Can an application be rejected?

Yes. Nonresident school districts may deny an application if regular or special education space is not available for the student, if the student has been referred for a special education evaluation but has not yet been evaluated, or if the student has been expelled during the current or preceding two years for certain violent conduct.

If there are more applications than spaces, students must be selected randomly, after giving preference to students already attending school in the nonresident school district and siblings of currently-attending students.

Some school districts establish waiting lists to fill unused spaces, but others do not.

Can a resident district prevent a student from leaving?

A resident school district may prevent a student from leaving the district if the tuition charge for the student’s special education in the nonresident school district is an undue financial burden for the resident school district.

If you have further questions about open enrollment for children with disabilities, contact the resident or nonresident school district or the DPI.

Can parents appeal if an application is denied?

Parents whose applications are denied may appeal to the DPI within 30 days of the denial. State law requires the DPI to uphold the school district’s decision unless DPI finds that the decision was arbitrary or unreasonable. The DPI’s decision may be appealed to circuit court.

Must students reapply every year?

Once a student is accepted into a nonresident school district, the student may continue to attend that district without reapplication except that:

  • The nonresident district may require a student to reapply one time—at the beginning of middle school, junior high or high school. Sheboygan Falls does not require anyone to reapply once they have been approved. If your student is currently attending school in Sheboygan Falls under open enrollment, DO NOT SUBMIT ANOTHER APPLICATION.
  • Under certain circumstances, a student who needs special education may be required to return to the student’s resident school district.

Is there a cost to parents for open enrollment?

There is no tuition cost to parents for participation in open enrollment. Parents of open enrolled students may be charged the same fees as resident students.

Who is responsible for transportation?

Parents are responsible for transporting their children to and from school.

If transportation is required in the individualized education program (IEP) for a child with a disability, it must be provided by the nonresident district.

School districts may provide transportation to open enrollment students if they wish. Usually, if transportation is provided, parents must transport the student to a location in the nonresident district.

Low-income parents may apply to the DPI for partial reimbursement of their transportation costs.

Can a parent select a specific school in the student’s resident school district?

The state’s open enrollment program applies only to transfers from one school district to another school district. It is up to each individual school board to decide whether or not to allow transfers from one attendance area to another attendance area in the same school district.

Can an open enrolled student participate in sports and other extra –curricular activities in the nonresident school district?

Open enrolled students have the same rights and responsibilities as resident students.

Inter-scholastic athletics are governed by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA), which has recently adopted new rules concerning transfer students. Parents should check with the WIAA or the school district’s athletic director about eligibility.

The Entire Open Enrollment Brochure for the 2014-2015 School Year Can Be Found At

The Department of Public Instruction Website: http://sms.dpi.wi.gov/sms_psctoc