January 9, 2017 at 7:15 PM - Work Session

Description:  Board Members: Demuth, Habben, Hesse, Humbert, Schurman, and Wesenberg.

Student Representatives:  Taylor Dingmann, Lisa Volkers, Nick Warne

Description:  Board action to approve the agenda for the meeting is expected.

Description:  This portion of the agenda has been designated to highlight programs and initiatives within the district or to invest extended time to discuss issues of strategic direction. 

Description:  Cold Spring Elementary Principal, Eric Skanson, has a scheduled opportunity to share information with the school board about activities in his building and the strategic initiatives that are planned for the CSE site. No formal action is expected.

Description:  Stephanie Hillman, Community Education Director, has been working with the Business Office and Early Childhood staff on the development of an early childhood 'wrap-around" care project.  At one time, almost two years ago, the school board had some preliminary discussion about developing wrap-around care in conjunction with the early childhood classes as a means to provide greater opportunities for parents and students to participate in our program.

Stephanie has been working to develop a concept plan to implement wrap-around care for the fall of 2017.  It is important, in order to move the proposal forward, for the concept to be shared with the full board for feedback and direction.  If it does not appear that implementation would be appropriate or feasible, from the board perspective, the background work should end.  If it appears to be a concept worth pursuing, a more formal proposal and detail would be finalized for school board authorization.

This information is shared, at this time, without expectation of particular board action but with the idea that questions and concerns can be shared.  The issues would then be researched or weighed in the development of a final proposal.  In order to provide information to parents in a timely and appropriate fashion, the preliminary discussion of the wrap-around care concept are shared at this meeting and would then return at a future meeting for specific action.

No formal action is requested at this meeting.

Description:  As the district begins to develop the budget for FY2018, the process has included discussion about the broad parameters and goals the school board may wish to pursue.  The district has previously used several documents to assist in that process.  Discussion related to those tools is expected and encouraged in the work session.

Description:  Given that the primary role of the governance model involves School Board consideration of policy issues, there has been some thought given to the idea that regular agenda discussion should include a review of policy items and issues.  Several thoughts are offered for consideration.

Much of the policy work of the board, in the past, has been delegated to the Policy Committee.  The Policy Committee has been tasked with conducting the review of school district policy and then the committee refers issues back to the full board for action.  Perhaps, however, the concept should be reversed in that the full board might review the overall policies according to the review cycle and policies requiring additional "work" might be referred to the Committee.

In addition, questions regarding the "Annual Organizational" meeting of the board have brought district practices to light.  The practice of the school board has been to have an "Annual Organizational" meeting in January for "calendar" year issues and has used the practice of a July organizational agenda for "fiscal" year issues.  The current policies refer to "an organizational" meeting (which would suggest one meeting for the year) while practice has been to conduct the separate calendar and fiscal year issues.  Resolution of these issues is desired.

Although formal decisions do not need to be made at this meeting, direction for the review of policy should be set.