School Board Meeting: Jan 25th

SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS 

 January, 25 2022 - 7:00 PM

 

The board meeting in its entirety can be found on the District YouTube channel.  The agenda, documents, and recording of all votes can be found on board docs.  

 

Board Meeting Review

North Brandywine Middle School’s band gave a wonderful performance and the board recognized outstanding students.

Superintendent's Report 

• Operation Warm donated a coat to every student at Reeceville 

• Supplemental programs update

  • Reading: K-5 completed 165,000 units in Lexia, learned 11,000 new skills, over 250 students moved from below level to in or above, kindergartners reading levels rose from 39% to 77%
  • Math: Students 6-12 completed one million math problems on IXL

• Update on progress of the Comprehensive Plan (presentation) 
  
  CCAP Notes: There has been tangible progress made from this plan including creating curriculum teams, progress on CASD curriculum, added STEM field trips, progress on a STEM lab with Siemens, climate coaches hired on the campus,

  The district had a speaker on the first day of in-service this year explain trauma, we are not aware of any further training or future dates scheduled.
  
  We would encourage the board to share with the public both the results of the communications audit, and more about how the partnership with Krapf reduced the budget.

• Equity audit to be conducted: review our systems and processes to ensure they are fair for all of our students, policies, textbooks, what we're teaching. We’d like to know more about this audit and who is conducting it. 

• Legislators will be visiting and our Administration will visit other other schools "to ensure we provide a balanced budget."
  
  CCAP Note: Specifics on how this will ensure a balanced budget would be helpful
  

• Transportation team is establishing routing for next year, researching the use of a web-based program for efficiency

• Mr. Pelegrin is in charge of creating a facility's master plan.
  CCAP Note: Due to the uprise in students back to the district and the reorganization of the 7-12 grades last year, we would encourage the board to ask for an evaluation of the current breakdown and verify it is still the best solution. 

• Creating technology assessment for inventory of Chromebook. Creating plan to collect Chromebooks at end of year as well.
  
  CCAP Note: Written processes and procedures regarding distribution, collection, maintenance, insurance fees, etc. have been pushed for by the Technology Task Force as well as the Board from the beginning of the 1-1 Device Initiative.
  
  Details on this new inventory and how it differs from previous inventories would be helpful.
  

  
  

Health and Safety Update (58.48)

• Due to the high positive numbers, the district is still requiring masks to be worn indoors
  
• The CDC has changed guidelines, so the District will no longer do contact tracing
  
• Parents are encouraged to inform the school nurse of any cases of quarantine due to exposure or positive test results
  

CASD Budget Discussion (105.55)

• Reminder the debt payments are scheduled to increase in 2023
• Areas to explore in order to balance budget moving forward
  
• Use of ESSERS dollars (Must be tied to Covid19)
• Reduce programming 
• Reduce Staffing
• Change real estate holdings/use
  
• Board votes to stay within the Act 1 Index of 4.4%
  

Held From Consent Agenda 
FINANCE COMMITTEE

 

A. Financial Statements (Always held from consent agenda)

 

B. 2022-2023 Budget Resolution 

 

CASD's school board voted for option B to "stay within the 4.4% Act 1 Index" for the 22-23 school year Budget. This means that the board will not raise taxes above 4.4% this year. It's also important to understand that this does NOT mean they will raise it 4.4%. 

 

CCAP Note: Read more about the ACT 1 Index.

 

F. Edward A. Pristernik - Tax Collector Agreement (Attachment)

 

N. Human Resources Report (Attachment)

 

 

EDUCATION COMMITTEE

 

E-K. All Adjudication  (always held from consent agenda)

 

 

OPERATIONS COMMITTEE

 

E. Health and Safety Plan (Attachment)

Public Comments of Note

CCAP Note - The quality of the live stream makes hearing comments difficult. CCAP encourages the district to look at surrounding districts and their livestreams.  Many have positioned mics and cameras closer to the public speakers and board members while some are using multiple cameras.  (See Octorara, Oxford, Downingtown, Phoenixville)

• During public comment, Shelly Durbanes read a letter from Downingtown district asking Pristernick to waive fees for the year to help reduce budget expenses.  After this, the board voted to hold the vote for the Tax Collector Agreement for further investigation.
  
• Many Muslim Residents requested that CASD take into consideration honoring Muslim holidays on the school calendar.
  
• Laurie Shannon Bailey 
• Asked to consider have the ACT as an option
  
• Milton Serles passed
• Wanted a response to the resolution to fair funding - Mr. Hanna responded it would be on the 2/8 agenda.
  

CCAP Note: We continue to be encouraged by the admin and board interactions with the public during comments.

 

You can watch the entire board meeting on CASD's YouTube

CASD School Board Meeting Review: January 11th

SCHOOL BOARD COMMITTEE MEETINGS 

 January, 11 2022 - 6:00 PM

For the new year, CCAP has decided to approach recaps by focusing on what we believe to be significant agenda items, including context and information to promote discussion. It is our hope that this will allow our community members to engage more in the district’s decision making process by voicing opinions on current school board topics. 

The board meeting in its entirety can be found on the District YouTube channel.  The agenda, documents, and recording of all votes can be found on board docs.  

 

Education Committee  (Agenda)

Curriculum Update  - Lynn Mancinelli presented for Jason Palaia and Cassandra Jones

• For the specifics of how the district is evaluating the piloted programs, please see the presentation.
• All pilot teachers, K-7 principals, and parents of students in formal pilot classrooms will be sent a feedback survey by 1/17 surveys (due by 1/31) and feedback will be on the district website for public view by 2/21.
• Presentation
• Supporting Documents

5. INFORMATIONAL ITEM(S)  

A. Enrollment Reports as of December 31, 2021

• Continue to trend positive, getting students back
• Additional 133 compared to a year ago 
• Decrease in charter enrollment by 86 students

 

A. High School Summer School - Tuition Fee - Sliding Scale

• Looking at sliding scale for tuition for summer school
• Students attending summer school (to earn repeat credit) have not paid any fees for the past several years. 

Comments

• Laurie Shannon Bailey commented - Mr. Hanna and board engaged with discussion and answers
  
• Admin is planning on presenting what the process is for adjudications at a future board meeting
  

 

Finance Committee  (Agenda)

2022-2023 School District Budget Update - Tomás Hanna and Lori A. Diefenderfer

• Tax increase can be up to 4.4%, recommending stay within 4.4% Act 1 Index
  
• CCAP Note: Act 1 Index is set each year by PDE and is different for each district
• CCAP will soon post a blog with an explanation of Act I index.

 

ESSRS Funding Report

• CARES/ESSRS1 funding total $1,346,239 (used $1,329,473 with $16,766 remaining)
• Used for salaries, BVA (cyber school), supplies, software, prof development, facilities related costs

• CRRSA/ESSRS2 funding total $6,915,330 (used $2,794,612 with $4,120,718 remaining)
  
• Used for salaries, services, software, health supplies, transportation, chromebook expenses
• Balance remaining is already accounted for
  
  
• Remaining ESSRS money allocated to district is still in process

4. AGENDA ITEMS

A. Financial Statements

• Finkbohner noted that the debt and legal amounts listed in financial statements include settlements 

Operations Committee  (Agenda)

 

C. Mainline Commercial Pools - Monthly Water Management Program and Chemicals  

• Rehabilitation work for pool, following through on all details and preventative measures

 

F. Wiggins Shredding Inc. - Updated Secure Shredding Services Agreement  

• Use of service is less, so reducing the number of times they come

 

Policy Committee  (Agenda)

F. Policy 236.1 Threat Assessment  

• New team being developed with annual board report (most policies are asking for this)
• Hanna said all policies will be compiled in a report in June
• Hanna stated there was trauma informed training over the summer, have two climate coaches at CASH, looking to add one at CAIHS
• Information on threatening behavior and how to report concerns will be distributed by school messenger, students taking info home, training online
• Board asked if we are prepared to put this in place in each building, Hanna says yes 
• Discussion about developing an individualized management plan, but no specifics on what this looks like  
• IMP requires ongoing monitoring, follow up assessments, referrals, Mr. Hanna stated whoever is in charge of the team will be trained to do this

 

5. INFORMATIONAL ITEM(S)

L. 214-AR-0 Class Rank 

• Pulled to be discussed again and added back for next board meeting

 

7. New Business

A. Policy Presentation 

Dunlap and team of administrators engaging in conversations around changing four policies in particular.  Items below are changes to existing policies currently in discussion.

• Policy 204 Attendance
• Requires 90% attendance
• Better enforcement truancy follow through / Accountability
  
• Absence or cutting class could result in 45% for the day
• Fine for accrued absences / referrals to agencies & court
• Comments determined we are behind on SAIP meetings
• Snyder clarified that letters used to be practice, trying to reimplement -it is for lates to school, not lates to class
• In public comment, Shannon-Bailey impressed upon the board and admin that parents should be notified and held accountable for truancy issues
  
• Policy 212 Student Progress 
• Elementary
• Revamp report card to reflect new ELA program standards and curriculum
• AR to provide parents with meaningful information about student progress
  
• Secondary
• Review passing threshold to be appropriate - currently 50%
  
• Increase midterm value 5 to 10 percent
• Tie in attendance to student progress
  
• Policy 215 Retention and Promotion
  
• Add true acceleration for gifted students
  
• Update AR for clear procedure for acceleration
  
• Verify AR to clearly inform parents of issues in a timely manner 
• Policy 217 Graduation
• Updating with Pathways to Acceleration
• Aligning with state expectations across the board
  
• Updating AR's to align with pathways to acceleration
• Updating and enforcing obligations list
  
  
• Comments
  
• Fisher impressed upon policy writers that any policy brought to the board should be able to be enforced 
• A student can still receive a 50% if they don't attend classes or do work 
• If they could get a 10% in one semester, they cannot numerically make it up the rest of the year; therefore, 50% was determined to be the lower threshold, allowing a student the opportunity to come back after a very disappointing marking period
• This needs to be re-evaluated and balanced with the accountability factor
• Harlan - the goal would be to reach the student before the they fall to 10% 
  

 

Special Board Meeting (Agenda)

Agenda Changes

• 8D - Policy 212 Reporting Student Progress - deletion from agenda - presented as informational item, not followed proper procedure - will be reviewed later this month or February

Comments:

• When asked if we compared vendors for roofing, Pellegrin said we've been using roofing resources as they know our roofs

Items pulled from Consent Agenda

Finance 5 A,G 

Education 6 F,G,H,I student adjudications

BRIEF OVERVIEW | ITEMS OF TO NOTE

Consent Agenda and items pulled all passed

Comments:

• Laurie Shannon Bailey - sent info to board about resolution and asked them to support it
• Elicker - CATA thanked school board for their service and commitment to our community

Informational Items: 

Health and Safety Plan

• Current PCR positivity rate 28%
  
• Policy changed to reflect CDC guidelines
• Positive Covid case may return to school after five days of isolation IF asymptomatic, and wear well-fitting mask for additional five days in public settings (schools days and events require them.) 
• CASD Covid-19 Guidelines
  

You can watch the entire board meeting on CASD's YouTube