October 11

 Picadome Elementary

SBDM Council Minutes

October 11, 2001

The Picadome School Community is committed to all students attaining the highest level of academic achievement and responsible citizenship through equitable opportunities in becoming lifelong learners.

 The meeting was called to order at 6:37 instead of 6:00 in order to wait for our parent member since we currently have only one parent member.  Members present:  Tammy Lynch, Juaacklyn Cunningham, Tammy Johnson, Betty Ann Scott, and Darla Simms;  visitors present:  Becky Boling, Charlene Ocelli, and Vicky Prater.

 The minutes of the September 20^th meeting were approved with clarification on the procedure for distribution of the Primary report card:  the first progress report will be sent to parents on the specified date if the required parent conference has been attended.

 Budget

Professional Development Budget:  Becky Boling reported that there is $1164.55 remaining in professional development funds from the 2000-2001 school year and $15,310 budgeted for this year.  Stipends have not yet been paid from the 2000-2001 money for those attending the Closing the Achievement Gap institute and for purchase the alpha-smarts to be used in the alpha-smart professional development training to be taught this fall by Jenny Keith.  Nine alpha-smarts are needed for this training at $175 each. This price does not include the pod and cable.  Miss Simms reminder council that state textbook funds have been approved for purchasing alpha-smarts.  Miss Simms and Ms. Boling will check professional development money and remaining textbook money to determine which to use for purchase of alpha-smarts.  Textbook money may also be used to purchase consumable math textbooks for kindergarten, first, and second grade.  Reading workbooks cannot be purchased with textbook money. 

Ms. Boling reviewed with council the issue of substitute teachers for teachers attending professional development activities during the school day.   Substitute teachers are paid from professional development funds at $130 per day.  The issue is that there are often no substitute teachers available for professional development.   If there are no substitutes available, teachers cannot attend professional development during school hours unless someone at the school is able to cover their class. 

Miss Simms asked council to change the order of the agenda so that Ms. Ocelli might present the science curriculum earlier in the meeting.   Council agreed.

 Work Session

Science Curriculum-Charlene Ocelli explained suggestions that she and Debra Bodkin have identified in the Competency Assurance Science Curriculum as to what should be taught in the science lab and what should be taught in the classroom.  (See attachment)  After reviewing the suggestions, council approved by consensus to adopt Fayette County’s Draft Competency Assurance Science Curriculum as a working document for our science curriculum this year and make changes with suggestions from staff after they use it this year.

 Information

Miss Simms reported that Brenda Smith turned in her resignation as SBDM secretary after the September meeting.  Miss Simms will advertise the position to staff in order to fill this vacancy (SBDM Secretary is a supplemental paid position).  Until such time as a new secretary is found, one of the SBDM members will take notes/minutes during the meeting and Miss Simms will type the minutes from these notes.  Tammy Lynch, PTA president, will purchase

 The SBDM parent election to fill the parent vacancy on SBDM Council will be held at the October 23^rd PTA meeting.  Candidates will be introduced and the election will be held after the PTA meeting and Music program.

     The elementary parent information and exchange session handout was shared with council and given to Tammy Lynch to communicate the meeting dates to parents.

     Isaac Hart has been hired as a special education assistant through district funding.  He will work with 4^th and 5^th grade collaboration classes with Kaye Simpson, special education intermediate teacher.

 Work session continued…

Council discussed the possibility of hiring Charlene Ocelli, currently .4 science lab teacher, for an additional .075 (an additional half-day) to help meet the kindergarten needs in the area of science.  Council may address this again if money is available in the SCIF budget or the General Fund.

     Council reviewed the Spring 2001 Kentucky Performance Report.  The work session on KCCT results will be delayed until the next meeting in order to have our new parent member present.  In looking at our scores, one area of need identified was writing with a seventeen-point decrease in the academic index (from 47 to 30).  Strategies in place to improve writing include a .5 writing specialist, writing instructional moments on the Morning News Show, and lowering the 4^th grade class size by moving a primary teacher to 4^th grade.

     SBDM committee meetings will begin next week. Council discussed existing policies that need to be reviewed/revised and new policies that need to be written.  The following charges/assignments were approved by consensus: 

·       Technology and Instructional Materials-Technology Policy

·       Student, Faculty, and Parent Support-School Wide Discipline Plan

·       Needs Assessment-assignment of students to classes

·       Curriculum and Instructional Practices-Curriculum Policy

·       Budget and Personnel-Hiring Policy

·       Arts and Humanities/Practical Living and Vocational Studies-align Arts and Humanities Curriculum; align Practical Living Curriculum

 Council briefly looked again at the reading specialist job description written by Mrs. Linton.  Members discussed the need to examine the job description again to determine if our intention for hiring this position was to have a reading specialist or a reading teacher.  Council discussed the need for time in Mrs. Linton’s schedule to provide diagnostic testing of students.  No decision was made on the job description; it will be discussed at a future meeting.  Mrs. Linton will continue to follow her definition of the job and the schedule she has in place.

     The next SBDM meeting is scheduled for November 15 at 6:00 p.m.  Items considered for the meeting agenda include:

                    ·       Policy on the 5^th year in primary

·       PD/Textbook money for Alpha-smarts

·       KCCT analysis

·       Budget

·       Science position

·       Student placement policy

·       Committee membership

·       Building access for the staff

 The meeting adjourned at 8:32 pm.

 Respectfully submitted,

 Darla Simms