Board Report



(Revised 1/6/10)

FLORENCE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT #1

JANUARY 2010 BOARD REPORT

Tony Jimenez, Assistant to the Superintendent (Administrative Services)

FUSD Staffing

Anthem All Positions Filled (hired Rene Cervantes as LT Sub—Life Skills Resource)

Circle Cross Ranch Kathryn Davis hired to replace Bryan Munoz 7th /8th Grades

Copper Basin Hired Sandy Wicker as certified teacher for 1st Grade

Florence K-8 All Positions Filled

Magma Ranch All Positions Filled

Skyline Ranch All Positions Filled

Walker Butte Hired Christie Conley as LT Sub for the Autism position

FHS Hired Eric Hjalmarson in Life Skills Resource position (replaced LT Sub)

PBHS Hired Jennifer Plantz as LT Sub for vacant SPED position

Board Action on Personnel

Requesting the Board accept the following:

• Approval to hire Eric Hjalmarson for the vacant SPED position at FHS. This position is currently being filled with a Long Term Substitute.

• Approval of Christie Conley as a Long Term Substitute for WB SPED Autism position.

• Approval to hire Kathryn Davis to replace Bryan Munoz at CCR. Mr. Munoz has been out for medical reasons since September 2009.

• Approval to hire Jennifer Plantz as a LT Substitute at Poston Butte High School for the vacant SPED position. Jennifer will have proper certification by the end of February 2010, and at this time we will place her on a certified teacher contract.

• Approval to place Barbara Harper back on a certified teacher contract. She temporarily lost her certification and now has removed all deficiencies which allows the re-issuance of her teaching certificate.

• Approval to hire Rene Cervantes as a Long Term Substitute for the Anthem K-8 SPED position.

• Sandy Wicker is moving from a LT Sub contract to a remainder of the year certified teacher contract as a 1st Grade teacher at Copper Basin.

• Approval of Superintendent’s recommendation to allow Katie Fox, WB Speech Therapist, twelve weeks of leave for a medical condition related to her unborn child. Ms. Fox is currently hospitalized in California. Request letter is attached to the agenda item.

Board Policy Revisions

FUSD received a Policy Services Advisory from Arizona School Boards Association for November 2009 that exceeded seventy pages. The 3rd special session of the Forty-ninth Arizona Legislature produced twelve additional bills to accompany the vast changes made to A.R.S. during the 1st general, 1st special, and 2nd special legislative sessions. House Bill 2011 which came out of the 3rd special session incorporates a number of changes that will greatly impact public education and educators in the state. We are requesting acceptance of these for first presentation and posting. The following is a brief summary of the policy revisions for consideration:

• Policy BBBB—Board Member Oath of Office

Previously the policy required at least one day between the date an elected or appointed Board Member took the oath of office and the date the official could begin the term of office. HB 2011 removes the one day requirement so now a Board Member can take the oath of office and immediately begin the term of office.

• Policy BIE—Board Member Insurance/Liability

Revised language that directs the governing board to ensure general liability, property damage, and workers’ compensation insurance coverage is secured for all construction projects (statutory requirement).

• Policy CBA—Qualifications and Duties of the Superintendent

HB 2011 specifies that the Board shall determine the qualifications for Superintendent by action at a public meeting. Our recommendation is to keep the policy as is, but add language to allow for Board discretion in determining the qualifications on a per case basis. Also, language has been added to make it mandatory for the Superintendent to have a valid fingerprint clearance card in accordance with Arizona statutes.

• Policy CBI—Evaluation of the Superintendent

Per ASBA Policy Services Advisory, November 2009, the inclusion of the term ‘each year’ into the statute does not appear to accomplish anything more than what is already in effect.

• Policy DBF—Budget Hearings and Review/Adoption Process

If the district receives notice from the Superintendent of Public Instruction that categorical budgets are in excess of allowable limits, the Board must adopt a revised categorical budget.

• Policy DBJ—Budget Transfers

Per ASBA, this should have been stricken from Policy DBJ several years ago.

• Policy DFF—Income from School Sales and Services

Change allows for selling advertising space at athletic facilities.

• Policy DIA—Accounting Systems

No change in the protocol that is currently being followed.

• Policy DIE-R— Audits/Financial Monitoring

Currently the standard utilized at FUSD.

• Policy DJE-R--Bidding/Purchasing Procedures

Currently the standard utilized at FUSD.

• Policy GCF—Professional Staff Hiring

Per ASBA, the statutory language designating the conditions for a teacher’s appropriate response to a contract offer was not altered. However, there has been confusion concerning granting contracts. Policy Services thus recommends the addition for requirements for correct acceptance of a contract.

• Policy GCMF—Professional Staff Duties and Responsibilities

Requires the teacher take and maintain classroom attendance (currently the standard utilized) and removes the requirement that a teacher keep a school register.

• Policy GCO—Evaluation of Professional Staff Members

Policy Services recommends that board delegation of the general authority and the employee(s) to whom it is delegated with respect to issuance of notices of inadequacy of classroom performances.

• Policy IKFA—Early Graduation

To qualify for the Early Graduation Scholarship Program a student MUST have graduated one year earlier than would have normally been expected.

• Policy JEB—Entrance Age Requirements

The district will not receive state aid for any early enrolled kindergarten student if the student is held back for another year of kindergarten. Added language also requires half-day kindergarten IF there are enough students at the school site to fill an average-sized classroom.

• Policy JK—Student Discipline

Even though this is the protocol for our schools, language is added that places the responsibility on the school principal for ensuring that a copy of all rules pertaining to discipline, suspension, and expulsion of students is distributed to the parents at the time of enrollment.

• Policy JKE—Expulsion of Students

We have revised the recommendation from Policy Services to fit FUSD protocol yet meet statutory requirements.

• Policy KHB—Advertising in Schools

Enables school districts to sell advertising space at athletic facilities and extends the authority to sell space on the district website and websites maintained by district schools.

Athletic Directors Reports

Find attachments from FHS and PBHS, plus Mr. Cluff will report monthly on our K-8 athletic events.

Future Items for Board Consideration

• While many of the policies affected by House Bill 2011 which came out of the 3rd special session have been addressed above, there are some policy changes that are not included for presentation at the January 2010 board meeting. Some of the policy revisions have been challenged in court by the Arizona Education Association (AEA) and we await the results of this litigation. AEA has challenged some school personnel issues, notably, the allowance districts now have to determine its own deadlines for notifying teachers of employment status for the upcoming year, prohibition of district employment retention policies based upon “tenure or seniority”, and prohibition of school district employment contracts from including compensated days for professional association activities.

• The Human Resources Department is in the process of revising many of our job descriptions. With the cooperation of all our Department Supervisors we hope to have all revisions completed sometime in the Spring of 2010, and at that time we will request the Board to consider a Work Study Session to review all the revisions and then accept them at a future meeting.

Personnel Report

For Personnel Report, see Consent Agenda items, January 13, 2010.

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