The Shelton School District Board of Directors met in regular session at 6:00 p.m. on July 22, 2008 in the board room located at CHOICE High School.

 

Board members present:  Chairman Holly Sharpe, Sue McCausland, Gene Crater and Julianna Miljour.

 

Staff members present:  Superintendent Joan Zook, Alison Nutt, Jackie McGuire, Jim Judson and Sandi Thompson.

 

Others present:  Trevor Clarke, Jeff Green, Cheryl and Charlie Travaglione, and Helen Thomson.

 

CALL TO ORDER

Chairman Sharpe called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

ADMINISTERING OATH OF OFFICE TO CHERYL TRAVAGLIONE

Superintendent Zook administered the Oath of Office to Cheryl Travaglione.  Cheryl was selected by the board to fill the open Director District #5 board position previously held by Peter Boome.  Cheryl’s unexpired term will run through November 2009.  A brief reception was then held.

 

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA

There were two modifications to the agenda:

1)      Remove Bob Marshall from Item 10.05 as being hired for the coaching cadre for 2008-09 because he is resigning from the district; and

2)      Add a new Item 10.06 – Supplemental personnel report.

Sue McCausland made a motion to adopt the agenda as amended.  Gene Crater seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously.

 

Chairman Sharpe read the district’s Mission Statement.

 

BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS

§         Gene Crater thanked Bob Woods and Rick Hanson for all the work being done around the district this summer by the Maintenance Department.

 

§         Sue McCausland’s summer has been busy.

 

§         Holly Sharpe welcomed Cheryl Travaglione to the board.

 

§         Cheryl Travaglione thanked fellow board members for having confidence and trust in her and said she will work very hard to do her best on the board.

 

DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS

9.01 – Bus financing proposal:

Sandi Thompson presented a bus purchasing proposal for 2008 through 2011.  The proposal is for our current needs only and does not include buses for growth from the planned new housing developments.  The housing market has slowed and we will not be experiencing the amount of growth as soon as originally proposed by the developers.  This proposal will keep the district from having to run a bus levy at this time.

 

Sandi’s proposal would purchase two regular buses at approximately $104,515 each and one mid-size special needs bus at $92,358 before prices go up at the end of this year.  Then in the 2010-11 school year purchase another regular size bus at approximately $120,192.  This will allow depreciation monies to keep coming in as older buses fall off the depreciation schedule.

 

9.02 – Proposal on the increase of swimming pool and facility rental fees:

Jackie McGuire has been doing a lot of work trying to make sure our facility rental and swimming pool fees cover our actual operating costs.  As a result, there are proposed fee increases in the board packet for the swimming pool and rental of our facilities.  The last time there was an increase in rental fees was in 2004.

 

The cost of swimming lessons will increase, although there will be a longer swim time during the lessons.  Pool rental fees are also being raised to cover employee costs due to increases wages and benefits this year.  Jackie addressed the two letters received from community members who use the pool in the morning for adult lap swim and said the plan is to condense the hours to 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. so that one person is able to cover the entire shift.  Right now we have an employee coming in the early morning for the lap swim but only 4 to 5 people swim at that time and we are required to have a pool director and life guard on duty.

 

As far as the facility rental fees, Jackie did some research on what North Thurston, Olympia and Tumwater School Districts charge and our proposed increases reflect what they charge and maybe a little less in some cases.  We don’t have a lot of facility usage in Categories 3 and 4; they are mostly in Categories 1 and 2. 

 

Sue McCausland made a motion to approve the increased swimming pool and facility rental fees as proposed.  Gene Crater seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously.

 

9.03 – Change in school board meeting time:

Chairman Sharpe asked that this item be placed on the agenda because we have a new board member and it would be nice if meetings could begin earlier, if possible.  When Peter Boome joined the board the meeting time was changed from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to fit with his schedule, but now that he is no longer on the board the question is whether we change the meeting time back to 5:30 p.m.  Gene Crater didn’t mind the time change but said the general public does not get off work until 5:00 p.m. and that might make it difficult to attend a 5:30 p.m. meeting.  Julianna Miljour was concerned for the future and wondered when we had a future board opening that interested persons who have a normal 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. job with travel time may not apply because of that restriction.  Joan Zook said the board would always want to make it clear that the starting time is flexible and up to the board as the needs of the board change.  Gene added that if there was an important item on an agenda for discussion the board could always change the start time of a particular meeting.  Gene Crater then moved, seconded by Sue McCausland, to change the board meeting start time to 5:30 p.m. effective with the August 12, 2008 board meeting.

 

CONSENT AGENDA

Sue McCausland made a motion to approve the consent agenda with the removal of Bob Marshall from Item 10.05 and the addition of the supplemental personnel report as a new Item 10.06.  Julianna Miljour seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously.  Gene Crater asked the superintendent to explain where the money for the Coaching Cadre coaches comes from and Joan explained that the money comes from I-728 funds provided for staff development.  The board:

§         Approved minutes from the July 8, 2008 regular board meeting.

§         Corrected the June 24, 2008 meeting minutes to reflect that Sue McCausland was not present at the meeting.

§         Approved General Fund Voucher No. 111519 in the amount of $2,357.70.

§         Approved the surplus of a 1995 Carpenter school bus which the cost of repair exceeds the worth of the bus.

§         Approved the regular and supplemental personnel reports.  (See Attachment #1.)

 

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

11.01 – Budget status report:

Jackie McGuire gave a budget status report for June 2008.  We should end the school year with a $950,000 to $1 million cash balance in the bank.  The portable is in place at Mt. view which should use up about $140,000 of the Capital Projects funds and the remaining balance in that fund will be used for track repair.  Atlas was here today and they project the track repair work to be done mid-August.

 

FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER

Joan Zook suggested the board may want to think of having a board retreat to go over board member protocol and process since we have a new member on the board.  After some discussion about dates, it was agreed to hold a board retreat on Wednesday, August 27th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to include dinner.   Joan will check on the availability of A Lighthouse on Hammersley Bed & Breakfast for holding the retreat and also with Mike Boring to be the facilitator.

 

ADJOURN

Chairman Sharpe declared the meeting adjourned at 7:23 p.m.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Chairman, Board of Directors

                                                                       

Secretary to the Board