Board Meeting
November 21, 2013
The board’s regular public meeting — where most policies, budgets, and personnel decisions get a formal vote.
Agenda items
28
With votes
10
Contested
0
Attendance
No recorded vote.
Voting Members
From the minutes- Dr. Wanda West , President - Mrs. Susan K Sipe , Vice President - Mr. Jason E. Downey , Board Member - Mrs. Lynn Farmer , Board Member - Mr. Thomas Hudson , Board Member - Mr. Lester M. Miller , Board Member - Dr. Thelma D. Dillard , Treasurer
No recorded vote.
Non-Voting Members
From the minutes- Dr. Steve Smith , Interim Superintendent Mrs. Ella Carter-Absent
No recorded vote.
Opens the meeting and merges the committee and board agendas.
Official wordingCall to Order
From the minutesDr. West Called the meeting to order at 6:38 p.m. The Board moved to merge the Committee and Regular Board meeting. The Board will return to the Instructional Services Agenda Item 7 from the Committee Meeting. - Motion made by: Mr. Jason E. Downey - Motion seconded by: Mrs. Susan K Sipe Voting results: Unanimously approved
7 Yes
Full roll call
Yes
Yes
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Pledge
Invocation
Approves the official record (minutes) of an earlier meeting.
Official wordingConfirmation of Minutes
No recorded vote.
Approves the minutes of the October 17, 2013 board meeting.
Official wordingOctober 17, 2013 Board Meeting
From the minutes- Motion made by: Mr. Thomas Hudson - Motion seconded by: Mrs. Susan K Sipe Voting results: Unanimously approved
7 Yes
Full roll call
Yes
Yes
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Special Recognitions
From the minutesDr. Erin Weaver, Deputy Supt., presided during the Special Recognitions. Two Central High Seniors Selected as QuestBridge Scholarship Finalists: Two seniors from Central High School, Joseph Lofton and Darby Mowell, have been selected as QuestBridge Scholarship Finalists. QuestBridge is a nonprofit program that connects high-achieving high school students with admission and full scholarships to participating colleges…
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Dr. Erin Weaver, Deputy Supt., presided during the Special Recognitions. Two Central High Seniors Selected as QuestBridge Scholarship Finalists: Two seniors from Central High School, Joseph Lofton and Darby Mowell, have been selected as QuestBridge Scholarship Finalists. QuestBridge is a nonprofit program that connects high-achieving high school students with admission and full scholarships to participating colleges. Now in its ninth year, QuestBridge’s National College Match opportunity provides students from economically challenged backgrounds with a unique early application process that couples admission with full financial aid. As finalists, Joseph and Darby are in the running to receive a scholarship through QuestBridge. If accepted at one of QuestBridge’s partner colleges, they will be QuestBridge Scholars and be provided a full four-year scholarship to the schools they have chosen. Joseph was accepted to the Governor’s Honors Program for art as a sophomore. The Governor’s Honors Program is a four-week summer program that presents attendees with the opportunity to learn from gifted instructors who happen to be high school and college teachers. Joseph credits the nomination to GHP as something that motivated him to improve his art. It "really pushed me to get my work to be where it is right now," he said last spring. "I really wanted to go to that summer program, I heard a lot about it. And so, I just began going after school every day in art spending a couple of hours there." In 2012, Joseph won the nationally recognized Congressional Art Competition for District 8 in Georgia. His winning submission was a self-portrait, which was featured in an exhibit at the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. In addition to Joseph’s passion for art, he also participates in Mock Trial. Joseph has said he would like to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) or the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He would like to pursue a Master of Fine Art degree and work as an art professor. Darby is president of Central’s chapters of the National Honors Society and the Spanish Club. She also participates in a Spanish program meaning "Limitless Leaders." There, she tutors Spanish-speaking elementary students. She also participated in the Governor’s Honors Program, where she majored in linguistics. She is also active in the school’s Academic Team. Outside of school, Darby enjoys working on personal research projects. She wants to attend Emory University in the fall, and she hopes to become a Spanish and French professor. Darby said her mother has been very involved in her college application process and encourages her to follow her dreams. "I want to be able to care for her later in life as she has cared for me," she said. Central, Howard Students Honored by National Merit, National Achievement Programs: The National Merit Scholarship Program and the National Achievement Scholarship Program are programs of academic competition for both recognition and scholarships. High school students enter the program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The National Merit Scholarship Program notifies schools in September if their students have qualified as either a Commended Scholar or a Semifinalist. In order for Semifinalists to move forward they must meet high academic requirements and will be notified in February if they have been chosen to be a Finalist. The winner is chosen from the group of Finalists based on abilities, skills and accomplishments – without regard to gender, race, ethnicity or religion. Commended Scholars placed among the top 5 percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the competition by taking the PSAT, but do not advance further in the National Merit program. The National Achievement Scholarship Program is recognition for African-American high school students. African-American high school students can receive recognition and be honored through both the National Merit Scholarship Program and the National Achievement Scholarship Program. Bibb County’s National Achievement Scholar Semifinalists, in alphabetical order, are: • Kelton Ellis, Central High School At Central High School, Kelton is captain of the Quiz Bowl team, vice president of the French Club, and the freshman liaison for Key Club. He also participates in Mock trial as an attorney. He participated in the Governor’s Honors Program this past summer as a social studies major with a minor in mathematics. Kelton has applied early decision to Brown University, and is interested in journalism. He wrote his National Achievement essay about the importance of being an example for his brother and sister. "If you’re the oldest sibling you have the responsibility to be the example, so I feel as if I did not have them I would not be inclined to do as well," Kelton said. He is most proud of being a semifinalist on the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament, where he won $10,000 and had the opportunity to meet Alex Trebek and be on national television. • Jeremiah Smith, Howard High School Jeremiah is president of Howard High’s Science Club and the District’s robotics team, RoboBibb. He is also active in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Model UN, and the Chess Club. Outside of school, he is active in his church. Jeremiah enjoys volunteering at the Museum of Arts and Sciences, where he is a camp counselor during the summer program and performs administrative work during the school year. He also volunteers at the Macon Convention and Visitors Bureau, where he does database entry. Jeremiah wants to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has applied early-action to Georgia Tech and is working on his application for Cornell University. He wants to earn a doctorate in computer science. One day he hopes to own his own computer science business. "I remember watching ‘The Matrix’ when I was about 8 years old and seeing Neo typing on the computer - I thought that was so cool," he said when reflecting on his interest in computer science. Bibb County’s National Merit Semifinalists are as follows, in alphabetical order: • Sam Duke, Central High School Sam is a part of the Central High String Orchestra, Academic Team, and BETA Club. Outside of school, Sam is an Eagle Scout. He also plays the violin for the Macon Youth Symphony Orchestra and is active in his church youth group. Sam also participated in the Duke TIP summer program. He has applied early action to both the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech, and is currently working on his application for Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is considering a career in biomedical engineering or medicine. • Teva Ilan, Howard High School At Howard High, Teva is a part of Student Council, BETA Club, the String Orchestra, National Honor Society and the Science Club. He also founded a music group at Howard High. He plans for the group to volunteer at retirement homes and children’s homes. Teva also plays for the Macon Youth Symphony Orchestra. He is an Eagle Scout and president of his synagogue’s religious youth group. He has applied early action to the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech. He also plans to apply to Princeton University. Teva wants to become a physics professor at a university where he would also like to conduct research. "I was inspired as a young child by watching science documentaries of Stephen Hawking and Michio Kaku," he said. Teva is most proud of receiving fourth place at the International Science Fair this past spring. His research was also published in a scientific journal. • Caroline Martin, Central High School Caroline is a part of the Mock Trial team where she acts as a lawyer. She is also a part of the National Honor Society and the Drama Club. She is active in the Wesleyan LEAP Camp, where she volunteers her time as a counselor and tutors children. She participated in the Governor’s Honors Program with a major in communicative arts. She also recently won Regional Best Supporting Actress for Region 2-AAA at One Act Competition. She hopes to attend a college somewhere in the North and plans to major in physics. • Darby Mowell, Central High School Darby is president of Central’s chapter for National Honors Society and the Spanish Club. She also participates in a Spanish program meaning "Limitless Leaders." There, she tutors Spanish-speaking elementary students. She also participated in the Governor’s Honors Program, where she majored in linguistics. She is also active in the school’s Academic Team. Outside of school, Darby enjoys working on personal research projects. She wants to attend Emory University in the fall, and she hopes to become a Spanish and French professor. Bibb County’s National Merit Commended Scholars are as follows, in alphabetical order: • Brendan Carmack, Howard High School Brendan is the treasurer of the Science Club at Howard High. He is also a member of FBLA and the Chess Club. Outside of school, he is active in his church. Brendan applied early action to the University of Georgia. He wants to major in biology with a focus on pre-medicine. Then he would like to continue his education to study neuroscience. When asked to reveal his career goals, Brendan replied, "To be happy. My goal is to be content." • Chelsea Carr, Howard High School Chelsea is a part of the Howard High Model UN, BETA Club, and Science Club. She is a member of the Math, Academic and Bowling teams. Chelsea also plays varsity tennis and is on Student Council. She was also selected for Georgia Girls State, a government education program, and participated in the program this past summer. Outside of school, Chelsea plays tennis and enjoys writing short stories and poetry. She has been writing since she was young and thanks her elementary teachers for encouraging her to never stop writing. She frequently enters writing contests and her poetry has even been published. Chelsea has applied early action to Georgia Tech, Furman University, Mercer University and Sewanee University. She wants to major in literature and become an author. She also wants to continue her education after undergraduate school by attending law school. • Jake Taylor, Howard High School Jake is involved with BETA Club and Academic Team at Howard High. He is also the pitcher for the varsity baseball team. Outside of school, Jake manages a part-time job at Kroger. He has applied early action to the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State University. In college, he wants to study economics and hopes to work in finance. "Overall I am proud of myself for maintaining my academics while participating in sports and working outside of school," he said. Miller Middle School Students Participate in Junior Youth Assembly: A group of students from Miller Middle School was selected to travel to Atlanta to participate in a hands-on program where students take on the role of the state government for three days. The program, the Junior Youth Assembly, is hosted annually by the Georgia Center for Civic Engagement. This year it took place Sunday, November 3, through Tuesday, November 5. The Junior Youth Assembly is a three-day residential simulation in which students in grades six through eight assume the role of state representative or senator, a lobbyist, or a member of the media. In this program, students experience first-hand the legislative process, from developing an idea into a bill, following the bill through committee to the floor of the House or Senate, and possibly to the youth governor’s desk to be signed into law. Miller Middle School eighth-graders Annabel DeSmet, Joseph Heaton, Tobias Kopp, and Nika Lofton each researched and submitted bills ahead of the event, while Judy Griffin, Miller’s Academic Team coach, served as their adviser. The students prepared for the event with a bill-writing workshop led by Brittany Hamilton of the Georgia Center for Civic Engagement. "She told us to write something that we really cared about and something that we could argue for," Nika said. "We had to do a lot of research and it took a lot of time. I had to look at the Georgia law to see if anything conflicted with it, and things like that." Bills were submitted to the Georgia Center for Civic Engagement for review, and out of about 100 submissions 24 House bills and 24 Senate bills were selected by staff, educators from around the state, and real state representatives to be presented at the Junior Youth Assembly in November. The bills written by all four Miller students were accepted. "I knew these students could do it. They’re just wonderful students. I’ve known them for three years, I taught them last year for science, and I knew that they would do well. This being our first year I was hoping we’d have at least one bill for debate, but when I got the message that all four had been selected I was just overjoyed because they all worked really hard and they really deserve it," Mrs. Griffin said. Their bills were: • Annabel DeSmet, House Bill 12: To decrease child abuse, domestic violence, and bullying by creating a hotline that is very easily accessed and advertised in as many ways as possible to get victims to speak up and get help before it is too late. • Joseph Heaton, House Bill 7: To separate the accusations and trials of first and second degree principals in Georgia. • Tobias Kopp, Senate Bill 15: To increase student learning in classrooms by enacting a law making it mandatory to have nonwaivable maximum class sizes for all upper elementary and middle grades classroom settings. • Nika Lofton, Senate Bill 14: To better education by requiring all upcoming public middle school and high school teachers to have a Master’s degree in their subject of teaching. "We will be presenting our bills in front of a mock House and Senate, and they will debate our bills and we’ll be there to answer questions," Annabel said. Students whose bills were not selected for review acted as members of the House or Senate. They were assigned a bill and had to argue for or against it. "The bills will be decided on – they will either be passed, passed with recommendations for change, or not passed at all," Mrs. Griffin said. "It’s very possible that if it’s a really good bill it could go to the youth governor’s desk, and if it’s picked up by one of our state representatives it may be made into a real bill that gets signed into law." Four Students Recognized for Artwork in State School Bus Safety Poster Contest: Three elementary students and one middle school student received recognition for their entries to the State School Bus Safety Poster Contest, with one of them being named a state winner. The theme for this year’s contest was "At My Stop You Stop," which coincided with the state’s efforts to reduce the number of vehicles illegally passing buses in our communities. Four local winners were chosen from different grade-level divisions, and their entries were submitted to the state competition. The committee used a blind judging process so that no one would know the name or school attached to the entries. The winners were: • Trevor Gottschalk, Springdale Elementary School • Rhys Howell, Carter Elementary School • Zemmie Mullis, Springdale Elementary School • Alexandra Castillo, Miller Middle School Alexandra was also chosen as the state winner for Division 3 for grades 6-8. As a state winner, she received a $100 check from the Georgia Association of Pupil Transportation and her poster will go on to be judged in the national competition at the National Association of Pupil Transportation Conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. Students may start preparing now for the 2014 competition. The theme will be "Be Smart - Be Seen, I Wait in a Safe Place." Additional information will be sent to each eligible school after the first of the year.No recorded vote.
Invitation to Visitors to Address the Board
From the minutesGwennette Westbrook addressed the Board regarding Springdale incident; child safety was not protected and how injuries were sustained. Ms. Westbrook concerns will be referred to Dr. Steven Smith.
No recorded vote.
Approves the graduation schedules for 2014 and 2015.
Official wordingInstructional Services
From the minutesBoard amended the Committee Meeting Agenda to make Agenda Item IS-4 an Action Item. "Graduation Schedule" The following is the graduation schedule for May 2014: Thursday, May 22, 2014: 7 p.m.: Westside High School Friday, May 23, 2014: 6 p.m.: Hutchings Career Center 8 p.m.: Howard High School Saturday, May 24, 2014: 9:30 a.m.: Central High School 12:30 p.m.: Southwest High School 2:30 p.m.: Northeast High School 5…
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Board amended the Committee Meeting Agenda to make Agenda Item IS-4 an Action Item. "Graduation Schedule" The following is the graduation schedule for May 2014: Thursday, May 22, 2014: 7 p.m.: Westside High School Friday, May 23, 2014: 6 p.m.: Hutchings Career Center 8 p.m.: Howard High School Saturday, May 24, 2014: 9:30 a.m.: Central High School 12:30 p.m.: Southwest High School 2:30 p.m.: Northeast High School 5 p.m.: Rutland High School The following is the graduation schedule for May 2015: Thursday, May 21, 2015: 7 p.m.: Central High School Friday, May 22, 2015: 6 p.m.: Hutchings Career Center 8 p.m.: Westside High School Saturday, May 23, 2015: 9:30 a.m.: Howard High School 12:30 p.m.: Southwest High School 2:30 p.m.: Rutland High School 5 p.m.: Northeast High School Winter Graduation will be held Thursday, January 23, 2014, at 6 p.m. at Central High School, 2155 Napier Avenue, Macon. - Motion made by: Mrs. Lynn Farmer - Motion seconded by: Mrs. Susan K Sipe Voting results: Unanimously approved7 Yes
Full roll call
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Adopts revised district vision and mission statements.
Official wordingIS-7 Revised Vision and Mission
From the minutesProposed Vision: Each student demonstrates strength of character and is college or career ready. The new vision has been revised to, "Each student demonstrates strength of character and is college or career ready." Proposed Mission: The Bibb County School District will develop a highly trained staff and an engaged community dedicated to educating each student for a 21st century, global society. The new mission state…
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Proposed Vision: Each student demonstrates strength of character and is college or career ready. The new vision has been revised to, "Each student demonstrates strength of character and is college or career ready." Proposed Mission: The Bibb County School District will develop a highly trained staff and an engaged community dedicated to educating each student for a 21st century, global society. The new mission statement has been revised to, "The Bibb County School District will develop a highly trained staff and an engaged community dedicated to educating each student for a 21st century global society." - Motion made by: Mrs. Lynn Farmer - Motion seconded by: Dr. Thelma D. Dillard Voting results: Unanimously approved7 Yes
Full roll call
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Fiscal Services
No recorded vote.
Video Surveillance Contract Award Elam Alexander @ Burke Campus
Official wordingFS-5 Video Surveillance Contract Award Elam Alexander @ Burke Campus
From the minutesAgenda Item was tabled until a tentative board meeting on Monday, December 9, 2013.
No recorded vote.
Support Services
No recorded vote.
Advertises for bids for a central data center, expected to cost about $2,000,000.
Official wordingSS-3 Core' Data Center
From the minutesBoard members authorized a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking bids for a "Core" Data Center, with responses due by December 20, 2013. As reported to the Board at its retreat in September and then as information in October, the "Core" Data Center is an essential key to technology upgrades in the District. Currently there are more than 80 servers functioning independently at individual schools. These servers house bot…
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Board members authorized a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking bids for a "Core" Data Center, with responses due by December 20, 2013. As reported to the Board at its retreat in September and then as information in October, the "Core" Data Center is an essential key to technology upgrades in the District. Currently there are more than 80 servers functioning independently at individual schools. These servers house both new and legacy programs serving all departments within the District. In addition, there are currently no systems in place for backup or disaster recovery should these servers go out. These servers are failing on a regular basis, thus causing the loss of valuable information. In order to centralize and then virtualize these servers with the appropriate redundancy and disaster recovery it is absolutely essential to establish this "Core" Data Center. The "Core" Data Center will be located on the second floor at Hutchings Career Center. This is considered a very large project and one that is essential to technology functionality. Bids are expected to be about $2,000,000 for hardware, software, installation, migration, and support (both onsite and remote). Money for this project will come from Technology SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) funds. The total budget for technology upgrades was $20,000,000, of which $10,198,443.92 has not been spent. - Motion made by: Mrs. Lynn Farmer - Motion seconded by: Mr. Jason E. Downey Voting results: Unanimously approved7 Yes
Full roll call
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Postpones a decision on the Amerigas contract.
Official wordingSS-4 Amerigas Contract
From the minutesAgenda Item was tabled. - Motion made by: Mr. Jason E. Downey - Motion seconded by: Mrs. Susan K Sipe Voting results: Unanimously approved
7 Yes
Full roll call
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Policies and Rules
From the minutesAgenda Item is a 1st reading. Concussion Management PolicyJGFGB The State Board of Education policy review O.C.G.A. � 20-2-324.1, will become effective January 1, 2014. This Policy requires every board to adopt a Concussion Management Policy.
No recorded vote.
Personnel Services
No recorded vote.
Votes to meet privately on matters state law lets boards close — like personnel, lawsuits, property, or safety. No final decisions are made behind closed doors.
Official wordingExecutive Session – Personnel Matters/Future Acquisition of Property/Pending Litigation
From the minutesExecutive Session was held during Committee Board Meeting. No business was taken during the Executive Session.
No recorded vote.
Approves new hires and job transfers for both teaching and support staff.
Official wordingPS-1 Appointments and Transfers
From the minutes- Motion made by: Mrs. Susan K Sipe - Motion seconded by: Mr. Jason E. Downey Voting results: Unanimously approved
7 Yes
Full roll call
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Approves a list of employees leaving the district — resignations, retirements, and terminations.
Official wordingPS-2 Separations from Employment
From the minutes- Motion made by: Mrs. Lynn Farmer - Motion seconded by: Mr. Jason E. Downey Voting results: Unanimously approved
7 Yes
Full roll call
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Approves coaching assignments for middle and high schools.
Official wordingPS-3 Recommendation for Coaching Assigments for Middle and High Schools
From the minutes- Motion made by: Mr. Lester M. Miller - Motion seconded by: Mr. Jason E. Downey Voting results: Unanimously approved
7 Yes
Full roll call
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Hires Anthony Jackson as the district's director of transportation.
Official wordingPS-4 Recommendation for Director of Transportation
From the minutesBoard members authorized the appointment of Anthony Jackson as the District’s new Director of Transportation. Mr. Jackson is currently the Director of Fleet Services for DeKalb County School District. - Motion made by: Mrs. Lynn Farmer - Motion seconded by: Mr. Jason E. Downey Voting results: Unanimously approved
7 Yes
Full roll call
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New Business
NB-1 Nominating Committee
Old Business
GSBA Superintendent Search Update
Official wordingOB-1 GSBA Superintendent Search Update
From the minutesInterim Superintendent Dr. E. Steven Smith and Board President Dr. Wanda West invited representatives from the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) - Bill Sampson and Mary Jessie - to update the Board on the search process for a permanent superintendent. Mr. Sampson and Ms. Jessie presented a proposed timeline for the search process, as well as information about how candidates are rated. They also discussed the…
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Interim Superintendent Dr. E. Steven Smith and Board President Dr. Wanda West invited representatives from the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) - Bill Sampson and Mary Jessie - to update the Board on the search process for a permanent superintendent. Mr. Sampson and Ms. Jessie presented a proposed timeline for the search process, as well as information about how candidates are rated. They also discussed the desired qualifications of the District's next superintendent. Based on a previous survey taken by Board members, GSBA determined required qualifications included that the candidate has a Ph.D. or Ed.D. and a minimum of an L6 Leadership Certificate. Georgia law also states candidates must meet moral character and have no family member serving on the Board or as an administrator in the District. Dr. West also appointed Board members Susan Sipe and Dr. Thelma Dillard to serve as co-chairs of the search committee. Dr. West presented notebooks to Board Members regarding Board of Education Operations Manual 2013-2014. Dr. West requested that the Board Members read and provide feedback regarding standard procedures for the next scheduled monthly board meeting on December 19, 2013. Adjourn: Mr. Downey made a motion to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Dr. Dillard and approved 7-0. Mrs. Carter was absent. The meeting adjourned at 10:02 p.m. Mrs. Ella Carter-AbsentNo recorded vote.