18 meeting of the Derry Township School District Board of Directors
to order and announce that this meeting is being audio recorded.
Mr. Friends, Rocco.
Mr. Abel Here.
Dr. Cronin.
Here.
Ms.. Drew Here. Is have a stick.
Here. Ms.. Mimi Here.
Dr. Shore Mercieca Here.
Mr. Singer.
Dear Ms.. Stoner Here.
Eight present, one absent.
Okay.
And like to report that Dr.
Shaw has an excused absence.
Please rise if you are able, and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance.
I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.
One nation, under God, indivisible, of liberty
and justice for all.
May I have a motion to approve
the August 13th, 2018 Board of Directors agenda?
So move Second.
Nancy Emery, is there any discussion?
This is a standard voice vote.
All those in favor say I.
All those opposed say no.
The motion carries.
I would like to announce the board met in executive session prior to this meeting
to discuss consultation with attorney or other professional advisors.
I'm sorry.
Hey. Recognition of citizens.
This is an opportunity for residents
and taxpayers to address the board on matters related to the agenda.
Those who speak are asked to come to the microphone
and state your name and address for the record
to provide other residents with an opportunity to speak.
Each speaker during the public comment
portion is limited to 5 minutes speaking time, once recognized and limited
to one opportunity to address the board during each of the public comment periods.
If necessary,
the board may set a maximum time for public comment portion of the meeting.
Any speakers are asked to review the protocol for addressing the board,
which can be found at the sign in table prior to speaking.
Those wishing to present private concerns or questions regarding follow up
outside the board meeting
are asked to fill out a comment card which can be found at the podium.
Completed cards may be turned into members of the administration
to facilitate a reply.
Are there any citizens or taxpayers who would like to come forward at this time?
Hey, recognition of new
extracurricular activities and school clubs.
Mr. McFarland.
Thank you. In compliance with policy.
122 The extracurriculars activities,
the list of additional high school student clubs are being recognized tonight.
The Elite M Club Best Buddies Club in the military Club.
Okay. Thank you.
Mr. Trojan, Do you have a report?
I have a very brief report.
During the month of July, the board received three submissions
via the constituent contact form online.
One of those was to provide a complement for one of our staff members.
The other two were to provide feedback from our constituency
regarding a request for the use of school facilities.
Okay, thank you.
The items listed on the proposed August 27, 2018
Board of Directors Meeting Agenda are listed.
Okay.
There's no unfinished business.
May I have a motion
to approve the consent agenda items as listed
so moved.
Second, Maria and Lindsay, is there any discussion?
Kate is the standard voice vote.
All those in favor say I, I and all those I say no.
Okay.
The motion carries.
Okay.
New business approval of architect of record.
Mr. McFarland.
Thank you.
The administration recommends the board approve Warehouse as the district's
architect of record effective August 13, 2018.
May I have a motion to approve Warehouse as the District architect of record?
I would like to make that motion.
Maria.
Donna, is there any discussion?
Yeah, I just had a question
I didn't read.
I have to admit,
I did not read all the fine detail that was provided in the board brief, but
it mentioned that
with the architect of record that they will be involved
in some way in every single
building project that we have going forward
that I understand that correctly,
we would play some role.
We definitely would want to make them aware.
Part of this is to ensure that there's an ongoing kind of consistency
to things that we're doing and will always involve a fee
when we
it would be up to us to include them in those discussions.
When we would include them, yes, it would include a fee, but
there could be projects in which we say, look, there is no we're
this is just swapping A for B, We don't really need that extra help.
We have that ability to go back.
We would also probably go inform them that this is happening
just so they wouldn't be surprised.
But it is up to us what we contract for them for.
And we would not.
We don't pay anything to them until the board approves.
So a contract would be put forth to the board before
allow you to to approve that.
This really only memorializes kind of the rate schedule
and some of the other legal information that's that goes into the agreement.
Okay. Thank you. My.
Is there any other discussion?
Okay.
This is a standard voice vote.
All those in favor say I.
All those apply.
All those opposed say no.
Okay.
The motion carries.
He. May I have a motion
to approve the listed resignations.
So moved.
Second, Maria and Lindsay, Is there any discussion?
Is this standard voice vote?
All those in favor say I always oppose.
I say no.
Emotion carries
personnel.
General. Mr.
McFarland.
The administration recommends the approval of the listed personnel.
May I have a motion to approve personnel, General?
So removed. Removed.
Maria Second had
motion by Donna. Seconded by Maria.
Is there any discussion?
Yeah, I have a question just with some of these movements.
A lot is like from the high school to the elementary are different.
Are these requests that they have made to move.
Paraprofessionals, you're saying.
And some of
I don't know, some of the custodial positions,
there's movement from one building to another.
And I was just curious if that's how that's
if that's something they requested or if it was something that.
Not necessarily para as a lot of times it's where needs are with kids
in moving those and custodians.
It's just based on where the needs are as well.
Okay. And same for professional.
Same for professional.
You're saying like psychologists and things.
Yeah.
And looking at meeting needs and best alignment of psychologists.
Yeah.
And I suppose
this was in the contract that like, they can be moved from place to place.
Okay.
Yeah.
Para is that happens because you have to move them based on.
Wonder because I saw a lot of them listed there and I wasn't sure why.
Yeah.
Any other discussion?
This is a standard voice vote.
All those in favor say I, I, I was opposed.
I say no.
Okay.
The motion carries board member reports.
Are there any board members who would like to give a report?
Okay.
No reports. Mr. McFarland, do you have a superintendents report?
I do. Madam President, thank you.
As we prepared for implementation of full day kindergarten time management
with our students
has been one of our top concerns, especially when it comes to our
youngest learners, our new kindergartners, who will be experiencing the cafeteria
for the very first time in June, I had shared with board members
that a site visit occurred which that school has never had a central
local district with full day kindergarten.
At that site visit, the team saw the finger scan technology
that improved the cafeteria experience for young learners
by cutting down on the time spent in the checkout line.
The technology provided students with more time to eat,
which, if you remember, that's one of the things
we've been trying to look at at the elementary
as a whole is how do we increase the time
within our schedule for kids to eat the finger scan technology
similar to the one many of you may already be using to log into your smartphones,
is proven safe.
Technology has been used by schools for nearly two decades,
so we will be offering the opportunity to choose this option
to families with students in the Early Childhood Center.
As a pilot in the cafeteria and the library,
a letter introducing the system was recently sent home
to families of kindergarten and first grade students.
It has since come to our attention that a file used
for printing an attachment to the letter became corrupted,
and some obviously garbled versions of the flier were mailed.
That's an error we should have noticed before
the mailings went out, but we didn't.
So this afternoon we sent an email to families apologizing for the confusion
and providing a clean copy of the original information that was sent.
All kindergarten students and their families
will have the opportunity to get finger scans at the kindergarten, meet
the teacher night, and we can also address questions in person at that time.
For any K-1 families who opt to stick with the conventional checkout system,
students will be given a card to use in the cafeteria in the library,
and the card system will be similar to what's used in the 25 building,
where they pick them out when they come into the cafeteria.
This is a one year pilot program that will allow us to see if we do
in fact experience here
the same benefits for our students that other districts have.
And of course, we'll provide a report to the board on our findings midway
through the year after we have some time for the kids to settle and learn routines
and see if it truly is helping increase that time for lunch.
The second thing I want to do
is just give you a reminder and a reminder to our our public
for all of our rising sixth and ninth graders
that next Wednesday, August 22nd, will be our inaugural Bridge day.
Bus transportation will be provided
and the busses will be running their regular routes and schedules that morning.
And they may be a little off because obviously they're not picking up
all the students.
They're only picking up the sixth and ninth graders
and they will be bused home at the end the bridge day,
which dismissal for that is around 1010 in the morning.
We're really excited about it.
We have a lot of neat things planned and really looking forward
to providing those kids an opportunity to settle in a little bit,
learn lockers in sixth grade,
get the combinations figured out so that stress of opening day isn't there.
And for our ninth graders, I really get the lay of the land, meet
all of their teachers, see what opportunities are there for them.
So we're excited for that.
And this morning I had the opportunity to attend Milton Hershey's School
opening of school Assembly, which is always a wonderful experience.
Their theme this year is give show gratitude, always the G
do positive things with intent, the eye being guided by values that Mr.
and Mrs.
Hershey espouse, the V and that of giving giving it
with humility and for the greater good and doing everything with enthusiasm.
So is a great morning.
You can actually go on to their Twitter site and you can see
the actual live feed of it if you'd like to watch it.
But it was it was a lot of fun.
And that ends my report.
All right. Thank you.
Can I ask you a quick question?
Sure.
Middle school, they for walkers, they just walk up and have to be there by 730.
Correct? By by 738. Right.
They just would if they're walkers
or parent drop off, it would be the same as they would on a normal day.
Parents would drop them off at the front.
Yeah, we're going to we're going to start at 738.
And then what do they expect when they walk in for like some like
they don't know what they're doing.
There will be people there to greet them, help them get to their classrooms,
just like we do on a normal first day of school.
Okay. All staff are on deck.
So the walkers can just walk up and then walk.
Walk back.
No notes.
They're all good, right? Okay. Mm hmm. Thank you.
You're welcome.
I just have a question.
So, the piloting of the fingerprint
is that technology we have currently or something?
We had a purchase or something they're loaning to?
No, that was.
That was for a one year purchase. It's the
software and the materials.
Okay.
Mm hmm.
When you say when you're
when you say when your purchase if we were to
it was a one year agreement to you to purchase.
Right.
But we wouldn't have to repurchase the physical hardware that we have for it.
So it's not.
Now, there might be a rental or something for it, but that would be
we'd have to work that out in the future if we decided to keep it and go with it.
But we purchased and.
We purchased the home, so we know the money
we paid was giving us the the usage of that equipment for the year.
So it's rental as long as they're using the service.
Right.
If we get rid of the service, we get rid of the equipment.
Okay.
Okay. Thank you.
And board presidents report.
We have two more weeks till the kids return.
And our committees do start again in September.
So we have one more meeting August with no committee meetings,
and then we start again the first meeting in September.
And if you have any ideas or desires to see certain presentations
from throughout the district, you just want to let Jo know
so we can prepare that presentation schedule.
Okay.
Recognition of citizens.
This is an opportunity for residents and taxpayers to address the board on
matters related to the agenda or matters of district governance, not on the agenda.
Those are Speaker asked to come to the microphone
and follow the same guidelines outlined
at the initial public comment portion of our meeting.
Are there any residents and or taxpayers who would like to come forward at
this time?
Sharon Miller 441 Elm Avenue.
And I'll just have a positive comment on the bridge day.
I do have a sixth grader or a upcoming sixth grader.
Yes. And he's actually very excited.
And I've also heard a lot of very positive comments from other families that
attend and plan to attend.
So I think it's a good job. Good plan.
Thank you.
In the next
public board of directors meeting will be held on August 27, 2018,
starting at 7:00, and the District Office Board of Directors Room.
May I have a motion to adjourn this meeting?
So moved. Second, Enzi and Maria.
All those in favor say i, i. I.
K. And the time of adjournment is 722.