September 21, 2009

Transcribed 09/22/2009

Regular meeting of the Pittsford Area Schools Board of Education was held with Robert Clarke, Pete Wines, Denese Belson, David Billington, Craig Armstrong, Mike Fowler, and Cindy Fenton being present.

Mr. Shaw, Superintendent and Elementary Principal and Mr. T.G. Cook, High School Principal were present from the administrative staff.

President Robert Clarke called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and asked the audience to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

A motion was made by Denese Belson and seconded by Dave Billington to waive the reading of the minutes and approve the August 17, 2009 regular meeting minutes. The motion carried (unanimous).

Mr. Shaw reported that the district’s Title I School Wide Plan has been submitted. A copy will be posted on the school’s website.

Kim Svacha, a Pittsford parent and employee of the Hillsdale County Intermediate School District, introduced herself to the Board of Education at the request of the ISD.

A motion was made by Pete Wines and seconded by Denese Belson to pay the bills. The motion carried (unanimously).

Mr. Shaw extended a thank you to Mrs. Kay Hoover for taking the initiative in collecting school supplies from the community and donating them to the school. He also recognized that Cody Krasny is a semifinalist for the National Merit Scholarship.

The central office renovation is complete with only a few minor touches that need to be finalized. A thank you to Mr. Fowler for his work on the office doors was expressed. An anonymous donor donated the carpet to the school.

The free breakfast program is up and running. So far approximately 150 students are taking advantage of the program.

A survey by Cobalt Community Research has been sent out to 385 families of the Pittsford district. The survey is an opportunity to grade Pittsford Area Schools based on family experiences of the past 12 months. There is no cost to the school and the surveys are due back by September 30, 2009.

Student count is currently at 341 for the middle school/high school and 313 for the elementary. The district budgeted for 640. Actual student count day is September 30^th. There will be a revised budget at the October board meeting.

The district’s website has been experiencing some trouble through Google website. Mr. Shaw spoke with the Board about the possibility of having our website set up through a private web designer, which would service the website instead of the ISD.

Mr. Shaw reminded the Board of Education that he would be out of the office September 23^rd-25^th to attend the annual MASA Superintendents’ Conference in Traverse City.

Jan Tombeau has retired as the UniServ Director for the district. Mary Hally, a former teacher at North Adams-Jerome Public Schools, is the new UniServ Director.

Mr. Shaw gave an update to the Board regarding the H1N1 Swine Flu Guidelines and what steps we are taking to help prevent the spread of germs.

Mr. Shaw and Mr. Burger have been invited to attend the Leadership Initiative meetings. The next meeting on October 7^th is to talk about getting all county schools to have the same start time for the purpose of interactive classes, the possibility of bidding health care packages, and other collaborative efforts between districts.

NEOLA discussion is tabled until the October board meeting.

A motion was made by Dave Billington and seconded by Mike Fowler to hire Jodi Mallar as Yearbook advisor. The motion carried (unanimously).

A motion was made by Pete Wines and seconded by Dave Billington to hire Teresa Ryan as 10^th grade advisor. The motion carried (unanimously).

A motion was made by Pete Wines and seconded by Dave Billington to hire Teresa Ryan as high school lunchroom advisor. The motion carried (unanimously).

Mr. Shaw reported that $2,000 was made by selling old school equipment. The Ford tractor did not sell due to low bids. There is still a freezer available for sale. The district would like to use the money towards the purchase of a used 30-horse New Holland tractor. The Board of Education asked Mr. Shaw and Mr. Cook to put together specific justifications for the tractor and a cost analysis.

Mr. Shaw reported that the Promethean white boards are up and being used in the 1^st through 6^th grade classrooms. Elementary teachers will be at additional Promethean training on fair day. The elementary Open House went well with 80% participation.

Mr. Cook stated that school was off to a good start. He and Mrs. Sanderson have gone to a presentation on Internet classes called Seat Time Waiver, which would allow students a chance to take AP classes through Northwest University earning college credit. The district would pay for the classes, but the parents would pay for the exams. They hope to utilize this service second semester. Secondary teachers will be aT Davis Middle School on fair day for professional development. Homecoming is September 25^th against Bellvue.

Mr. Cook spoke on how the maintenance department has worked hard in completing its list of summer duties. Caulking and sealing has already begun for the start of winter. The bleacher renovations in the large gym are complete. Mr. Cook is waiting to hear from the HCRC about a cost to pea stone our parking lot. He is looking at cost effective ways to save the lot. Scrap has been cleaned up around the school and taken to the salvage yard. Automatic sanitizers have been given to the district, with the district only purchasing the product for them.

A motion was made by Mike Fowler and seconded by Craig Armstrong to adjourn the meeting at 8:00 p.m. The motion carried (unanimously).

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Denese Belson, Secretary

Board of Education