Minutes of Mississippi Board of Education Meeting July 16, 2009 The members of the Mississippi Board of Education met in a work session at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 16, 2009 in the 4 th Floor Boardroom of the Central High School Building, 359 North West Street, Jackson, Mississippi. Board members present were: Ms. Kami Bumgarner, Mr. Hal Gage, Dr. O. Wayne Gann, Mr. Claude Hartley, Mr. William H. Jones, Mr. Charles McClelland, Dr. Sue Matheson, and Ms. Rosetta Richard. Board member absent was: Ms. Martha Murphy. The meeting was called to order by Mr. William H. Jones, Chair. Mr. Jones noted the statement on the agenda that cellular telephones and pagers are not permitted during Board meetings. Mr. William H. Jones, Chair gave the following report: Informed the Board that Dr. Hank Bounds would not be able to attend the Board meeting due to family obligations; Introduced and welcomed the two new Board members Dr. Sue Matheson and Ms. Kami Bumgarner; Noted a handout providing the total American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds slated for K-12 education in Mississippi. In addition, the printout indicates the total Qualified School Construction Bonds allocated to Mississippi (copy on file); Reminded the Board to check their calendar for a possible date for a Board retreat in August; Noted a handout regarding Teach for America training sites, indicating that the Mississippi Delta area (Cleveland, Mississippi) has been designated as a new training site (copy on file); and, Reminded the Board that Dr. Aubrey Lucas, IHL interim Commissioner, requested that a State Board member serve on the Graduation Task Force Committee scheduled to hold its first meeting on July 22. On a motion by Mr. Claude Hartley, seconded by Mr. Hal Gage, the Board unanimously approved that the Executive Session be moved from the consent agenda to the regular agenda and that item 24: the appointment of the Superintendent of the Mississippi School for the Deaf be discussed in Executive Session.
Minutes of Mississippi Board of Education Meeting The regular meeting of the Mississippi Board of Education was held at 8:30 a.m. on Friday,, in the 4 th Floor Boardroom of the Central High School Building, 359 North West Street, Jackson, Mississippi. Board members present were: Ms. Kami Bumgarner, Mr. Hal Gage, Dr. O. Wayne Gann, Mr. Claude Hartley, Mr. William H. Jones, Mr. Charles McClelland, Dr. Sue Matheson, and Ms. Rosetta Richard. Board member absent was: Ms. Martha Murphy. I. The meeting was called to order by Mr. William H. Jones, Chair. II. III. IV. Ms. Kami Bumgarner led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and Mr. Hal Gage gave the invocation. On a motion by Ms. Rosetta Richard, seconded by Mr. Charles McClelland, the Board unanimously approved the minutes of the meeting of June 18-19, 2009 and the Special Called meeting of June 30, 2009. On a motion by Mr. Hal Gage, seconded by Ms. Rosetta Richard, the Board voted unanimously to amend the agenda to add item 02 to read as follows: Approval of endorsement of the African American Males College Report. On a motion by Mr. Hal Gage, seconded by Ms. Rosetta Richard, the Board unanimously approved the agenda as amended. V. Mr. William H. Jones gave the following Chair s Report: Reminded Board members to review the sample report of the Children First Act of 2009 annual report that each local school district shall be required to develop and publish annually; Reported that Teach for America has selected the Mississippi Delta area as the newest teacher training site; Noted that Mr. Claude Hartley will serve as chair of the Legislative Budget Process sub-committee; and, Stated that Ms. Kami Bumgarner will serve as the MDE s designee on the IHL Graduation Task Force Committee which will meet on July 22. VI. Approval of Action Items (Items below are numbered to correspond to the items as discussed on Thursday, July 16, 2009.)
Page 2 02. On a motion by Mr. Hal Gage, seconded by Ms. Rosetta Richard, the Board unanimously approved to endorse the African American Males College Report (copy attached). (Office of the State Superintendent) 11. On a motion by Mr. O. Wayne Gann, seconded by Ms. Rosetta Richard, the Board voted unanimously to begin the Administrative Procedures Act process to approve a policy to prescribe the information and format required to be included in the development and publication of an annual report as required by Senate Bill 2628, the Children First Act of 2009 (copy attached). (Office of Legislation and Budget) 13. On a motion by Dr. O. Wayne Gann, seconded by Mr. Charles McClelland, the Board unanimously approved the revision to the Licensure Guidelines for American Board Certification (ABCTE) Alternate Route to amend the Mentoring Requirements as recommended by the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure Development. The revision cleared the Administrative Procedures Act process with no public comment (copy attached). 14. On a motion by Dr. O. Wayne Gann, seconded by Mr. Charles McClelland, the Board unanimously approved the proposal from Vocational Education for New Occupational and Technical Competencies for Vocational Licensure as recommended by the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure Development. The proposal cleared the Administrative Procedures Act process with no public comment (copy attached). 15. On a motion by Dr. O. Wayne Gann, seconded by Mr. Charles McClelland, the Board unanimously approved the four new Praxis II Subject Area Exams and Cut Scores as recommended by the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure Development. The new Praxis Subject Area Exams and Cut Scores cleared the Administrative Procedures Act process with no public comment (copy attached). 16. On a motion by Dr. O. Wayne Gann, seconded by Mr. Charles McClelland, the Board unanimously approved the Brookhaven School District Interlocal Agreement to provide instructional services for the Mississippi School of the Arts during the 2009-2010 school year (copy attached). 17. On a motion by Ms. Rosetta Richard, seconded by Mr. Claude Hartley, the Board unanimously approved the Evaluation Team members to evaluate in schools designated as Schools At-Risk beginning Fall 2009 as required by MS Code 37-
Page 3 18-3 (copy attached). (Office of Student Performance)
Page 4 18. On a motion by Ms. Rosetta Richard, seconded by Mr. Claude Hartley, the Board unanimously approved the appointment of Mr. Kevin Eubank, Congressional District 1, to the Commission on School Accreditation (copy attached). (Office of Student Performance) 19. On a motion by Ms. Rosetta Richard, seconded by Mr. Hal Gage, the Board unanimously approved to amend the Mississippi Department of Education Policies and Procedures Manual (copy attached). 20. On a motion by Ms. Rosetta Richard, seconded by Mr. Hal Gage, the Board unanimously approved to allocate funds to school sites under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (copy attached). 21. On a motion by Ms. Rosetta Richard, seconded by Mr. Hal Gage, the Board unanimously approved the revised State Board Policy 4906 for the selection of successful districts used in the calculation of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program Base Student Cost. The revision cleared the Administrative Procedures Act process with no public comment (copy attached). 22. On a motion by Ms. Rosetta Richard, seconded by Mr. Hal Gage, the Board unanimously approved the preliminary estimate of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program Base Student Cost for Fiscal Year 2011 (copy attached). 23. On a motion by Ms. Rosetta Richard, seconded by Mr. Hal Gage, the Board unanimously approved the preliminary estimate of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program for Fiscal Year 2011 (copy attached). 24. On a motion by Mr. Charles McClelland, seconded by Ms. Rosetta Richard, the Board unanimously approved the appointment Ms. Sandra Edwards to serve as the Superintendent of the Mississippi School for the Deaf (copy attached). VII. On a motion by Dr. O. Wayne Gann, seconded by Mr. Hal Gage, the Board unanimously approved the following consent items (copy attached): A. Approval to award the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds to Jobs for Mississippi Graduates, Inc. (JMG), pending authorization by the Mississippi Department for Employment Security (Office of Student Performance)
Page 5 B. Approval of Fiscal Year 2010 Contracts with former State Employees receiving retirement benefits C. Approval to modify/extend competitive contract to milk and ice cream vendors for product distribution to local organizations in the State Food Purchasing Program (all 7 regions in the State) D. Approval of request of the Madison County School District to contract for pupil transportation services E. Approval of contract between the Mississippi Department of Education and the Mississippi State Department of Health to fulfill the requirements of year two of a cooperative agreement between the Mississippi Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention F. Approval to contract with Mississippi Public Broadcasting to provide technical assistance with scheduling and monitoring of all interactive video classes and teleconferences for the K-12 schools/districts and MDE, provide the necessary infrastructure for ISDN connectivity, and maintain equipment in K-12 and MDE interactive video network sites G. Approval of the Mississippi School of the Arts 2009-2010 Staff Handbook H. Approval to contract with Michael O. Norris to provide services as School Safety Officer at the Mississippi School of the Arts I. Approval to contract with Michael C. Harvey to provide services as School Safety Officer at the Mississippi School of the Arts J. Approval to contract with Dorothy McClendon to provide part-time instructional services in Science to students at the Mississippi School of the Arts K. Approval to contract with James Randy Davis to provide part-time instructional services in Mathematics to students at the Mississippi School of the Arts
Page 6 L. Approval to contract with Tammy Stanford Williams to provide instructional services in Dance, Movement, and Theatre to students at the Mississippi School of the Arts M. Approval to contract with Jeanne Lebow, Ph.D. to provide instructional services in Literary Arts to students at the Mississippi School of the Arts N. Approval to renew the contract with Dr. Glen H. Stribling for the provision of Low Vision services on the campus of the Mississippi School for the Blind O. Approval to award competitive continuation grants for the Reading First Initiative in support of districts implementation of Reading First programs and practices (Office of Instructional Programs and Services) P. Approval to contract with American Council on Education, General Educational Development (GED) Testing Service for the GED Option Program (Office of Student Performance) VIII. The Recognition Ceremony was held as follows: 2007-2008 U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Schools Davis Magnet Oak Grove Middle School Bayou View Elementary Poplarville High School 2009 Mississippi Virtual Public School Teacher of the Year Erin Fortenberry July 2009 MDE Employee of the Month Melissa Hall IX. State Board of Education 01. On a motion by Dr. O. Wayne Gann, seconded by Mr. Claude Hartley, the Board voted unanimously to re-elect Mr. William H. Jones to serve as Chair and Mr. Charles McClelland to serve as Vice-Chair from July 2009 to July 2010. 02. Mr. Charles McClelland reported the he recently attended the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents (MASS) annual conference in Biloxi. He attended several work sessions offered at the conference.
Page 7 Mr. Claude Hartley and Dr. O. Wayne Gann also reported that they had attended the MASS conference. 03. There were no requests to attend meetings. X. Other Business Mr. Jones introduced and welcomed new Board members, Ms. Kami Bumgarner and Dr. Sue Matheson. Mr. Jones noted that the Board retreat is scheduled for August 13 and that Board members will be notified of the location and time. XI. On a motion by Mr. Charles McClelland, seconded by Mr. Hal Gage, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 9:05 a.m. Approved: William H. Jones, Chair Mississippi Board of Education John W. Jordan, Ed.D. Executive Secretary Mississippi Board of Education
Page 2 July 16, 2009 Mr. Marcus Thompson introduced and welcomed Dr. Reginald Sykes, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning; and Dr. Larry Day, Mississippi State Board for Community and Junior Colleges, to the meeting. Dr. Sykes and Dr. Day gave a report on African American Males in College (copy attached). Dr. Sykes requested the Board s endorsement on this initiative. He stated that to make progress and to seek funding needed, it would take all three education entities working together. Mr. Jones thanked Dr. Sykes and Dr. Day for their presentation. Ms. Jean Massey, Dr. Glen Swan and Ms. Dianne Day gave a report on Jefferson Davis County School District (copy on file). Ms. Massey, Dr. Bob Strebeck, Ms. Jennifer Mock, and Dr. Kay Alford gave a report on North Panola School District. Ms. Massey, Mr. James Reeves and Ms. Susanne Smith gave a report on Hazlehurst City School District (copy on file). Ms. Massey and Mr. Ronnie Watson gave a report on Tate County School District. Mr. James Malone, who will serve as the conservator to Tate County School District, also attended the meeting. Ms. Massey, Mr. John Garner and Mr. Steve Loden gave a report on Indianola School District. Dr. George Gilreath, who will serve as conservator for the Indianola School District, also attended the meeting. The meeting recessed for lunch at 12:00 p.m. and reconvened at 1:05 p.m. Dr. Kris Kaase introduced and welcomed Ms. Patty Horton, Chair of the Mississippi Special Education Advisory Panel. Ms. Horton gave the Mississippi Special Education Advisory Panel Annual Report (copy on file). Dr. Kris Kaase and Ms. Ann Moore gave an updated report on the Mattie T. Consent Decree (copy on file). Dr. Kaase discussed revising State Board Policy 7610 Subject Area Testing Appeals Process regarding Section II: Appeal for a Substitute Evaluation Process and to change the name to Section II to Appeal for an Alternative Assessment as a Substitute Evaluation. Dr. Kaase said he plans to bring this item back to the Board next month to begin the Administrative Procedures Act process. Mr. Paul Sumrall and Ms. Caron Blanton discussed a policy to prescribe the information and format required to be included in the development and publication of an annual report as required by Senate Bill 2628, the Children First Act of 2009 (copy on file). Mr. Sumrall requested approval on Friday to begin the Administrative Procedures Act process.
Page 3 July 16, 2009 Dr. Daphne Buckley discussed the revision to the Licensure Guidelines for American Board Certification (ABCTE) Alternate Route to amend the Mentoring Requirements as recommended by the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure Development. The revision cleared the Administrative Procedures Act process with no public comment. Dr. Buckley recommended approval on Friday. Dr. Buckley discussed the proposal from Vocational Education for new Occupational and Technical Competencies for Vocational Licensure as recommended by the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure Development. The proposal cleared the Administrative Procedures Act process with no public comment. Dr. Buckley recommended approval on Friday. Dr. Buckley discussed the four new Praxis II Subject Area Exams and Cut Scores as recommended by the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure Development. The item cleared the Administrative Procedures Act process with no public comment. Dr. Buckley recommended approval on Friday. Dr. Buckley discussed the Brookhaven School District Interlocal Agreement to provide instructional services for the Mississippi School of the Arts during the 2009-2010 school year. Dr. Buckley recommended approval on Friday. Dr. Pallascene Cole discussed the Evaluation Team members to evaluate in schools designated as Schools At-Risk beginning Fall 2009 as required by Mississippi Code 37-18-3. Dr. Cole recommended approval on Friday. Ms. Jean Massey discussed an appointment to the Commission on School Accreditation. Dr. Massey recommended approval on Friday. Mr. Martez Hill discussed amending the Mississippi Department of Education Policies and Procedures Manual. Mr. Hill recommended approval on Friday. Mr. Hill and Mr. Shane McNeill discussed allocating funds to school sites under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. Mr. Hill recommended approval on Friday. Mr. Todd Ivey discussed the revision of State Board Policy 4906 for the selection of successful districts used in the calculation of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program Base Student Cost. The revision cleared the Administrative Procedures Act process with no public comment. Mr. Ivey recommended approval on Friday. Mr. Ivey discussed the preliminary estimate of the Mississippi Adequate Education
Page 4 July 16, 2009 Program Base Student Cost for Fiscal Year 2011(copy on file). Mr. Ivey recommended approval on Friday. Mr. Ivey discussed the preliminary estimate of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program for Fiscal Year 2011. Mr. Ivey recommended approval on Friday. Mr. Jones gave the Board an opportunity to discuss the following consent items: Award the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds to Jobs for Mississippi Graduates, Inc. (JMG), pending authorization by the Mississippi Department for Employment Security (Sheril Smith) Fiscal Year 2010 Contracts with former State Employees receiving retirement benefits (Martez Hill) Modify/extend competitive contract to milk and ice cream vendors for product distribution to local organizations in the State Food Purchasing Program (all 7 regions in the State) (Shane McNeill) Request of the Madison County School District to contract for pupil transportation services (Shane McNeill) Contract between the Mississippi Department of Education and the Mississippi State Department of Health to fulfill the requirements of year two of a cooperative agreement between the Mississippi Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Shane McNeill) Contract with Mississippi Public Broadcasting to provide technical assistance with scheduling and monitoring of all interactive video classes and teleconferences for the K-12 schools/districts and MDE, provide the necessary infrastructure for ISDN connectivity, and maintain equipment in K-12 and MDE interactive video network sites (Derrick Lindsay) Mississippi School of the Arts 2009-2010 Staff Handbook (Daphne Buckley) Contract with Michael O. Norris to provide services as School Safety Officer at the Mississippi School of the Arts (Daphne Buckley) Contract with Michael C. Harvey to provide services as School Safety Officer at the Mississippi School of the Arts (Daphne Buckley)
Page 5 July 16, 2009 Contract with Dorothy McClendon to provide part-time instructional services in Science to students at the Mississippi School of the Arts (Daphne Buckley) Contract with James Randy Davis to provide part-time instructional services in Mathematics to students at the Mississippi School of the Arts (Daphne Buckley) Contract with Tammy Stanford Williams to provide instructional services in Dance, Movement, and Theatre to students at the Mississippi School of the Arts (Daphne Buckley) Contract with Jeanne Lebow, Ph.D. to provide instructional services in Literary Arts to students at the Mississippi School of the Arts (Daphne Buckley) Renew the contract with Dr. Glen H. Stribling for the provision of Low Vision services on the campus of the Mississippi School for the Blind (Daphne Buckley) Award competitive continuation grants for the Reading First Initiative in support of districts implementation of Reading First programs and practices (Kris Kaase) Contract with American Council on Education, General Educational Development (GED) Testing Service for the GED Option Program (Toni Kersh) Report of Personnel Actions (Martez Hill) At 2:40 p.m., Dr. O. Wayne Gann moved that the Board consider making a closed determination of the need to go into Executive Session to discuss personnel matters, in accordance with Section 25-41-7 (4)(k) of the Mississippi Code. The motion was seconded by Mr. Hal Gage, and the motion passed on a vote of 7 to 0. Dr. O. Wayne Gann then moved that the Board go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing personnel matters related to the appointment of a Superintendent for the Mississippi School for the Deaf, and the search for a State Superintendent and transacting business related thereto, in accordance with Section 25-41-7 (4)(a) of the Mississippi Code. Mr. Charles McClelland seconded the motion, and the motion passed on a vote of 7 to 0. Minutes of the Executive Session During the Executive Session, the Board discussed personnel matters related to the appointment of the Superintendent for the Mississippi School for the Deaf and the search for employment of a State Superintendent and transacting business related thereto.
Page 6 July 16, 2009 Mr. Claude Hartley moved to contract with the Mississippi School Board Association to implement a search process for a State Superintendent. The motion was seconded by Dr. Sue Matheson and approved on a vote of 7 to 0. Dr. O. Wayne Gann moved to accept the request of Ms. Judy Rhodes to withdraw her offer to work as Interim Superintendent. The motion was seconded by Mr. Charles McClelland and approved on a vote of 7 to 0. Mr. Claude Hartley moved to appoint Dr. John W. Jordan as Interim Superintendent. The motion was seconded by Mr. Charles McClelland and approved on a vote of 7 to 0. On a motion by Dr. Sue Matheson, seconded by Dr. O. Wayne Gann, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn from Executive Session. Upon returning to regular session, Mr. Bill Jones announced the actions taken in Executive Session. On a motion by Dr. Sue Matheson, seconded by Dr. O. Wayne Gann, the Board voted to adjourn the meeting at 3:30 p.m. Approved: William H. Jones, Chair Mississippi Board of Education John W. Jordan, Ed.D. Executive Secretary Mississippi Board of Education