St. Tammany Parish School Board Covington, LA COMMITTEE AS A WHOLE (HUMAN RESOURCES AND EDUCATION) February 6, 2014 The St. Tammany Parish School Board met as a Committee As A Whole on February 6, 2014, at the C. J. Schoen Administrative Complex in Covington, Louisiana. There were present: Robin P. Mullett, Chairperson, Neal M. Hennegan, Elizabeth B. Heintz, Michael J. Dirmann, Stephen J. Jack Loup, III, Charles T. Harrell, Roanne V. Tipton, Willie B. Jeter, Peggy H. Seeley, Ronald Ron Bettencourtt, Robert R. Bob Womack, James Ronnie Panks, Sr., John C. Lamarque, Ray A. Alfred, and Mary K. Bellisario. Absent: None Invocation was led by Mr. Alfred, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. No one had requested time on the agenda. The minutes from the Committee As A Whole meeting held on January 9, 2014, were approved as presented. Mrs. Mullett called on Mrs. Arabie for the Strategic Plan Update report. Mrs. Arabie presented the four Core Task areas of the Strategic Plan for building capacity. They were: Core Task One: Core Task Two: Core Task Three: Core Task Four: Shared Beliefs Results for Customers Cultures of Improvement Design Resources Mrs. Arabie stated this was the fifth year of the current District Strategic Plan as well as the AdvancED certification and it was time to think about developing a new plan for the next five years. The three phases for development of the Strategic Plan were: A future orientation Direction and focus Strategic action Mrs. Arabie stated based on the success of the District Strategic Plan, the new plan was scheduled to follow the same process and framework to roll out new initiatives and to make clear the vision and mission throughout the district and community. Mrs. Arabie stated the first phase was A Future Orientation which began with ongoing reflection and included reports such as Quality Assurance Review, data results, Guaranteed Curriculum reviews and feedback, and Board reports presented twice a year. The second phase was the Standards Alignment which was the AdvancED standards and the Schlechty standards aligned into one list. Mrs. Arabie stated the AdvancED standards had changed somewhat and there were now fewer. Because of the great job and the great condition of the school system, the set of core beliefs and framework was one of the items the district was most proud. Mrs. Arabie stated the same process would continue. The protocol and processes in place to roll out new initiatives to the principals and assistant principals down to the schools provided a common language in all the schools and community. Mrs. Arabie stated phase three was the Stakeholder Input which included parents, teachers, students, administrators and community members. The stakeholder information was very important. The district was aware the stakeholders valued public education and supported our great school system. Last year in May, 2012, when the bond issue was approved, it showed the support of the stakeholders and how they valued and supported our school system. Mrs. Arabie stated the district kept the stakeholders informed in a variety of ways such as the website, Facebook, Twitter and Channel 13. Mrs. Arabie showed a video produced by Channel 13 on the subject of No Child Left Behind. Mrs. Arabie stated March 2-4, 2015, was scheduled for the AdvancED team to visit St. Tammany Parish for the accreditation for the district AdvancED certification. Mr. Alfred asked when the first Strategic Plan was. 1
Mrs. Arabie replied 20 years ago with a new plan developed every five years. Mr. Alfred asked when the last plan was updated. Mrs. Arabie stated five years ago. Mr. Alfred asked if it was time to develop a new plan. Mrs. Arabie replied yes. Mr. Alfred stated he remembered the meetings with the parents, community leaders, and principals to build the plan. Mrs. Arabie stated fortunately because of the district s technology many of those face-toface meetings were eliminated because many of those surveys were scheduled to be done on line. Some face-to-face meetings were still scheduled as they continued to be important. Superintendent Folse stated even though the plan was redone every five years, the district still continued to keep the plan updated and current. The five year time was when the stakeholders came together and actually certified what was done. Mr. Alfred asked if Superintendent Folse was referring to AdvancED. Superintendent Folse stated yes. Mr. Alfred stated he was referring to the Strategic Plan. Mrs. Arabie stated that had all been connected. Superintendent Folse stated the Strategic Plan was part of the AdvancED process. Mr. Alfred stated he was glad the process was taking place so the new board members had an opportunity to partake in the development of the plan. There were no further questions or comments. Mrs. Mullett called on Mrs. Arabie for the State Pilot Initiative Jump Start report. Mrs. Arabie stated the state Jump Start initiative was a pilot program in draft form and had not yet been voted on by the state. Dr. Sanford and Ms. Parker had attended any and every meeting brought to our attention about this initiative. Mrs. Arabie stated Jump Start was the new program for school districts, colleges, and businesses to collaborate to provide career courses and work place experiences to high school students certifying them for the career fields that most likely led to high wage jobs. Jump Start was an elected path for students pursuing a university preparatory diploma and a required path for students pursuing a career diploma. BESE was scheduled to consider final proposals at the March, 2014, meeting. Mrs. Arabie stated there was no requirement for a district to participate in Jump Start immediately, but incoming 9 th graders had to adhere to the new policies. Transitional 9 th graders required BESE action and one year at a time Individual Graduation Plan (IGP) required Legislative action. Ultimately Jump Start replaced Area of Concentration (AOC) which required Legislative action. Mrs. Arabie stated the Jump Start experience first was a transition to high school and Individual Graduation Plan. Mrs. Arabie stated with 8 th graders on a high school campus the district had much of this already in place. Four or five years ago the state suggested the districts not offer the options program. Mrs. Arabie stated our district had always made decisions based on what was best for our students and still had programs at the high schools to assist with over aged eighth graders or for students who needed remedial courses at the high school level. Mrs. Arabie stated the district had not stopped offering those courses at the high schools and felt the district was in good shape to be able to provide the state initiative to the students. Ninth and tenth graders developed fundamental skills. Pathways to the Future was for the eleventh and twelfth grade students. Mrs. Arabie highlighted the Career Diploma Graduation Requirement for incoming freshmen in the fall of 2014. 4 Units of English 2 Units of Science 4 Units of Math 2 Units of Social Studies 2 Units of PE/Health Minimum of 9 electives in Jump Start Initiative Pathway Coursework (one course must be career readiness course) End of Course Test requirements remained the same 2
Mrs. Arabie highlighted the nine state certification areas. Those areas were determined by high wage and high demand identified by the Workforce Investment Commission. Construction Crafts Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Architecture and Construction Arts, Audio Visual Technology and Communication Health Science Hospitality and Tourism Information Technology Manufacturing Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Mrs. Arabie highlighted the regional certification areas. Those areas were determined by regional teams which consisted of business, secondary and post-secondary representatives. Coursework Internships Apprenticeships Work-place learning Based on workforce needs for the region Industry based credentials The state Jump Start policy implementation schedule was as follows: Mrs. Arabie stated while a student was taking remedial classes they could also take other classes and earn Carnegie credit. For the school year 2017-2018 all districts needed to have an approved plan in place to accommodate the Jump Start requirements. Also at this time, Basic Diplomas were no longer awarded. Mrs. Arabie stated starting in the school year 2017-2018 Areas of Concentration no longer counted toward graduation other than as courses included in statewide or regional Jump Start credentials. The fall 2017 graduation index was based on students graduating in 2016. Index counts only for WIC approved basic statewide credentials for 110 points. Mrs. Arabie stated the fall 2017 graduation index was based on students graduating in 2016. Mrs. Arabie highlighted the School Accountability points which were important in the planning of the Jump Start initiative. The points were the same whether the student chose the Jump Start pathway or the university pathway. The two diploma pathways were the Jump Start pathway which required 23 credits and the university pathway which required 24 credits. Mrs. Arabie stated one of the earlier 3
questions was if incoming ninth graders next year were part of this plan what impact was that on course offerings. Mrs. Arabie stated the incoming freshmen took English, math, science and social studies and were monitored as they progressed from grade-to-grade. It was possible the schedule would look different from one high school to another. The proposed funding for 2014-2015 through MFP Task Force was: Double the career education funding weight for courses in high growth, high wage fields from 6% to 12%. Districts must apply for funds dedicated to career equipment, facilities and teacher training. 90% subsidy for district enrolling high school students in BESE approved career courses and college credit courses outside of high school. Mrs. Arabie provided the website for anyone to find additional information on Jump Start. This information was provided to the districts Monday at 4:00 p.m. of this week. Dr. Sanford and Ms. Parker had received all the updates and had built relationships with those individuals on the ground floor of the initiative. Mrs. Arabie reminded the board this was a pilot, a draft, and still to be voted on initiative not scheduled for vote until March, 2014. Mr. Dirmann asked if the board had to take action to implement this for St. Tammany. Mrs. Arabie stated after the vote by BESE, she believed it would become part of the Pupil Progression Plan and part of Bulletin 741 as the district would be expected to comply with the initiative. Mr. Dirmann asked what was referenced with the statement about the 90% subsidy and asked if the district received additional funding. Mrs. Arabie replied yes at this time it was the MFP plus 90% subsidy. Mr. Dirmann asked if a dollar amount was proposed. Mrs. Arabie stated it was a weight just as special education students were weighted. It came with the MFP money. Mr. Dirmann asked if the students were still required to take the ACT. Mrs. Arabie replied yes as well as the Work Keys. That was what was being proposed. Superintendent Folse stated it was important to note this was still subject to change as well as the requirement for funding. The district continued to monitor the initiative and stay actively involved with its development to ensure the district was current and knowledgeable about the process. Mr. Dirmann stated in reviewing the different criteria required for each type of diploma and the required ACT test, he felt there was an impact and asked if students could be exempt from taking the ACT. Mrs. Arabie stated there was a lot of discussion involving that area and felt there would be more conversations and some adjustments. Mr. Dirmann asked if the board should take some position on it and felt it was unfair to allow two different paths with the curriculum but require all the students to take the same test. Mr. Lamarque asked if all the high schools were required to have all nine areas of certification. Mrs. Arabie stated no and it was similar with what the district currently had. The needs and requests of the students determined the certifications given at each high school. now. Mr. Lamarque asked if any construction crafts were available at any of our high schools Mrs. Arabie stated welding was considered part of that. Ms. Parker stated HVAC was part of that also. 4
Mr. Lamarque asked where it was offered. Ms. Parker stated welding was at Covington High and Fontainebleau High, carpentry was at Covington High, Slidell High, and a few students took classes at Northshore Technical for electrician. Ms. Parker stated there were thirty-five job specialty areas so all thirty-five areas would not be offered at every high school since the resources were prohibitive. Ms. Parker stated it was possible to consider transporting students to different locations to meet the needs. As this continued to grow, our partners like Delgado, Northshore Technical and Nunez worked with us to offer some of the course work as well and the students were transported to those locations. Ms. Parker stated that was the reason the region was considered in offering courses. Superintendent Folse stated the district concept was to involve the technical colleges and partners we had in the past. What the rest of the state had and what the state mandated was something our district needed to be aware of and follow. Superintendent Folse stated the district wanted to continue to partner with the ones we had in the past and currently since they had a good track record with our district. Superintendent Folse stated the district wanted to promote, encourage and advertise for the students to take advantage of all the opportunities. Mr. Lamarque stated he agreed to continue the partnerships, but stated those initiatives were expensive programs to operate and was curious how the district planned to fund the nine areas of certification. Ms. Parker stated the vision of the state was a student would do two years on the high school campus and would build out the technical colleges to have more capacity for the students to travel to those technical colleges. The state had a lot of money to build some of those facilities. So the vision was for the students to travel to the technical colleges and take the technical courses with them and then take the academic course with the district. Mr. Lamarque stated it was a long commute to Nunez. Ms. Parker stated it was for some students but that might not be where the district would start since there were some facilities here. Ms. Parker stated there was a proposal to build more facilities here in St. Tammany. Mr. Lamarque commented that was interesting. Mr. Bettencourtt asked if the incoming freshmen for next year had to choose one of the two pathways to take. Ms. Parker stated that decision was not made until after the student s sophomore year. Ms. Parker stated the district could do a regional pathway for those things that met the needs of our students. The district could write its own pathway where students entered after their eleventh grade year. Ms. Parker stated there was some flexibility in writing our own pathway and what those requirements looked like. Ms. Parker stated every student had somewhat the same things in the freshman and sophomore years. After that the students chose either the university or the pathway, the Jump Start pathway. Mr. Bettencourtt asked if the program passed would the district change the name of our current Jumpstart program to eliminate the confusion. Superintendent Folse stated there had been some discussion about that. Mr. Bettencourtt stated since we used the term the state could change the name. Ms. Parker stated many of the districts currently had some program called Jumpstart and some conversation had occurred about the name being changed at the state level. Mr. Alfred asked if the proposed funding was dedicated for technical equipment, facilities, teacher training and pay for additional teachers. Ms. Parker stated it was not for salaries and to teach the classes the instructor was required to have specific certifications. The district had some teachers who had receive those certifications. Our district also had some contract teachers through Northshore Technical who taught courses like Certified Nursing Assistant (certified nurse was required to teach the course). Our teachers with those certifications were used first and if need arose, contract teachers through Northshore Technical were used and they taught in our schools. 5
Mr. Alfred voiced his concern where the nine areas of certification were not offered at every high school and he felt the state was requiring this. Ms. Parker stated the district currently had more than one area in each of the high schools. As an example Covington High had A++ with a great computer base that would fit into one of the areas. Covington High was the only high school that offered it because that was where the student interest was and had a teacher certified to teach the program. Mr. Alfred stated it was not at all the high schools. Ms. Parker replied every high school was not required to offer the program. Mr. Alfred stated he differed from that opinion because students at Slidell High wanted the program also. Superintendent Folse stated if the interest was there it would be offered. Mr. Alfred stated the interest was not there because it was not offered at Slidell High. Superintendent Folse stated that would be part of publishing and advertising the programs and that would be a great problem to have. Mr. Alfred stated he understood what Superintendent Folse had said but felt all the high schools should offer the students the same programs. If the state was going to fund it, the district should ask for it. If the state made this a mandate, they needed to fund it. If Covington High had A++, he would like Pearl River High, Slidell High, Lakeshore High, Fontainebleau High and all the high schools to have the program. Superintendent Folse stated the courses would be offered where the interest was. Mr. Alfred asked how many students interested in the program would it take to offer a program. Superintendent Folse stated it would depend on the program, costs associated with it and student interest. Mr. Alfred stated if the district needed to submit information to BESE about the program, they needed to know the impact at the district level to offer the programs at all of the schools. Mr. Alfred stated our district would make sure it would happen for our students, but since the state mandated the programs, St. Tammany should seek the funding for all of the district s high schools. Ms. Parker stated the district had an automotive shop at Salmen High School, but not at Slidell High. However, those students at Slidell High traveled to Salmen High to take the course work and the district had already made that available to the students. Mr. Alfred asked if the district transported the students. Ms. Parker stated the students transported themselves. Mr. Alfred stated if a student did not have transportation they could not enroll in the program. Ms. Parker stated the students found a way. Mr. Alfred asked what elective courses a student needed to take in the technology category. Ms. Parker replied those courses had not been decided. Those were still up for discussion and Ms. Parker stated some of those decisions would be left up to each district to decide based on the district s resources and the technical colleges. Ms. Parker stated it was a regional conversation to develop the course work. The state had not spelled out the course work for each of the nine certified areas. Ms. Parker stated in nearly all the Jump Start areas an industry certification was also achieved. The students still had the identification from the industry. Other than some course work this was not much different from what the district currently offered through School to Work. Mrs. Bellisario stated at the recent Chamber Education Committee meeting there was a discussion regarding the state Jump Start initiative. Mrs. Bellisario thanked everyone for getting the 6
information together so quickly. Mrs. Bellisario stated Northshore Technical assured her they were scheduled to break ground in September. Superintendent Folse asked if that location was on Highway 434. Mrs. Bellisario replied yes and stated Northshore Technical had furnished her with a list of courses available. She continued to encourage them to offer more in the Slidell area since the other Northshore Technical locations offered more courses than the Slidell campus. Mrs. Bellisario asked of the nine certified areas, if a student wanted to study automotive mechanics, which one of those they would choose. Ms. Parker stated she thought it was the last one. Mrs. Bellisario asked if that was Transportation. Ms. Parker stated yes, the Four Stroke Engine which led them to post-secondary Diesel Mechanic which was what was most requested. Ms. Parker stated a student was required to be at least 18 years of age to qualify to take Diesel Mechanic. The Four Stroke Engine course work was the foundation a student needed prior to taking Diesel Mechanic. Mrs. Bellisario asked what course work a student would take if they wanted to work on Lamborghinis. Ms. Parker stated it was the Transportation Distribution and Logistics. Mrs. Bellisario asked if certified teachers were required to teach in each of the nine areas rather than just area experience or profession. Ms. Parker stated it was her understanding in the proposal for those courses it might not be a certified teachers but it would be someone with at least five successful years in the work world as well as all the certifications to give the IBCs (industry based certification). Mr. Womack stated years ago Slidell High School had academies such as Allied Health and asked if the academies were parishwide or just at specific schools. Ms. Parker stated it actually started at Slidell High with Mr. Buccaran and grew to other schools. Those academies had developed into what the district now called School to Work programs. The district still had Certified Nursing Assistants, EMTs, First Responder, Patient Care, STAR (teachers) and others. Ms. Parker stated this was just another transition from School to Work to meet the needs of the students in the 21 st Century. Mr. Womack asked if that was used to determine student interest at each of the high schools. Ms. Parker stated this year students at four high schools attended the College Career Fair in Hammond and were exposed to different apprenticeships, colleges, and community colleges. Some high schools did their own career fair at their school to expose students and parents to opportunities available to students. Superintendent Folse stated certain factors determined the different academies offered at the high schools. Allied Health was popular at Slidell High because Slidell Memorial Hospital and a nursing home were within walking distance to the school. Mr. Womack stated that was a wonderful program and great idea since some students were just not cut out or interested in attending college. It had nothing to do with intelligence; the students were just interested in other areas. Mr. Womack stated it represented another area St. Tammany School System offered students that was tremendously successful. Mr. Lamarque asked why BESE had this before them and the rationale for proposing it. Ms. Parker stated the Career Diploma instituted four years ago was selected by just 1% of students statewide. The thought was when students graduated with a Basic Diploma they didn t have any skills to find employment or the academic level to pursue the four year university. This was a way for students to leave high school with some credential to go post-secondary that could ultimately lead to a university or go straight into the work field. It gave them more options. Mr. Lamarque stated he understood BESE wanted students to graduate with certain skill sets but over the past ten years BESE had pretty much destroyed the elective programs in the state. Mr. 7
Lamarque stated there were very few shop programs, agriculture programs and others that were pretty much doing what BESE was asking the districts to do again. Mr. Lamarque stated it seemed redundant to him to go back to where the district was twenty years ago and questioned where it would be in another twenty years. Mrs. Heintz asked when the state officials traveled the state questioning teachers, administrators and counselors on this program, were parents consulted also. Ms. Parker stated only if parents were aware of the meeting and attended the publicized meetings. Mrs. Seeley asked if the initiative was complimentary to the TOPS program with the college bound Core Four Program being aligned with each other. Ms. Parker replied no it won t be. For a student to receive TOPS tuition for Core Four the student needed to be on the university pathway. The state was proposing legislation to update the TOPS tech money and TOPS tech would not be just a two year plan. If a student was successful in the two year plan they could go to the university and was able to reapply for more money. Ms. Parker stated that was all legislative action and was in conversations now. There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 7:58 PM. 8