ODEBOLT-ARTHUR COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

JOINT BOARD MEETING

WITH

BCIG COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

6:30 PM

CONFERENCE ROOM – ODEBOLT

The Odebolt-Arthur (OA) Community School Board of Education met in joint session with the Battle Creek Ida Grove (BCIG) Community School Board of Education on the above date and time. The following members were present: Brad Lundell, Paul Neumann, Naomi Lozier, Traci Bengford, Pat Hoefling, Dani Trimble, Tony Spradlin, and Jann Murphy.

President Neumann called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm.

A motion was made by Lozier, seconded by Bengford to approve the agenda with the addition of $696.59 to the February payables. All Ayes. Motion Carried. (5-0)

President Neumann welcomed all visitors and reviewed public comments to the Board:

During this time the board may receive comments from the public on items that are not on the agenda. If a member of the public wishes to speak on an agenda item, the Board will hear their comments when that item is addressed. Twenty minutes are allotted for public comments either now or further in the meeting with a 5-minute time limit per person, if needed. The board may choose to extend this time if they wish, but that is a board decision. The board does not need to respond to any comment made.

A motion was made by Lozier, seconded by Lundell, to approve the consent agenda, items, which included the following:

1) Minutes; January 4, 2012 Work Session; January 9, 2012 Regular Meeting.

2) Current Payables;

3) Financial Reports;

4) Resignations;

5) Contract Approvals;

6) Out of State / Overnight Trips; SSEP Project Winners, July 1-7, presenting at the Air and Space Smithsonian on July 2^nd and 3^rd in Washington D.C. All Ayes. Motion Carried. (5-0)

Superintendent Report:

Dani Trimble, Superintendent reported on the OA/BCIG High School restroom project. She updated the board on the process to explore hiring a food service management program. A survey has been sent to 11 districts that currently outsource their food service and will share the results when they have been compiled. She updated the board on progress of the Geothermal Project at OA. Trimble discussed the professional development and individual growth plans that were included in the board packets and stated discussions are being held on a possible change to the school calendar regarding professional development days.

Trimble read the following statement to the boards regarding the joint sharing agreement with Battle Creek-Ida Grove for shared Superintendent services:

It is my recommendation that the OA & BCIG Districts not renew the 28E Agreement for Shared Superintendent, possibly until such time as reorganization is approved by the voters of both districts. While the Shared Superintendent position served as a means of transition into whole grade sharing and has provided additional supplemental weighting and associated funding, it is appropriate to re-evaluate if the Shared Superintendent position is still meeting the needs of each district.

Over the course of the last 10 years, the administrators in both districts have worked very hard to absorb positions while minimizing any disruptions to the educational process. A review of this administrative downsizing is attached for your review. While I have high regard for the efforts of the administrators through this process, there are unintended consequences to such decisions, especially those occurring since the most recent downsizing beginning in 2009-10. Most notable would be the demands of Superintendent Duties for two districts combined with Curriculum Director Duties.

If the 28E Agreement is not renewed, current language in the OA Superintendent contract returns the position to full time at Odebolt-Arthur as Superintendent/Elementary Principal and returns the current Principal position to full time 6-8 Principal. Whether it is myself, or a new Superintendent, I believe it is in the best interest of the OA District to have the full time presence of a Superintendent to attend to the needs of the district and building, and to communicate with the OA community.

Options for the BCIG District include hiring a part-time Superintendent, discussing a shared duty position with the current BCIG administrator that holds the proper Superintendent licensure, or hiring a full-time Superintendent. In any of these three scenarios, it is highly recommended that the BCIG Board work with a hiring consultant to establish a common vision for the leadership style they desire so that a proper fit can be attained. Like the above recommendation for OA, I believe it is in the best interest of the BCIG District and communities to have the presence of a separate Superintendent to attend to the ongoing needs and projects of the district.

In addition, high priority and careful consideration should be made regarding continuity of future professional development and curriculum director duties. Currently, this responsibility is assumed by the Shared Superintendent. It is recommended that a 28E Agreement for Curriculum Director be considered for equal sharing of 25% of the OA Superintendent/Elementary Principal contract. In the event that a new Superintendent is employed by OA in the future, it is strongly recommended that a Curriculum Director position of at least .25 FTE, ideally .5 FTE, be reinstated and shared equally between OA and BCIG.

Finally, the majority of both the OA and BCIG Boards have strongly supported the continuation of whole grade sharing and joint board meetings. You have my highest respect for this commitment, and no part of this recommendation should be perceived as anything less than my full support for continued sharing and joint board work. It is recommended that both boards strive to protect the integrity of this relationship by requiring Superintendents to continue joint board meetings and administrative leadership.

I also want to clarify that my recommendation is not a resignation to the BCIG Board. It is not about work that has been too hard or conversations that have been too difficult. It is, however, a critical review of our current situation as I search for a way to help us all make forward movement. It is certainly not a recommendation that comes easy for me, or one that I have not thought long and hard about.

In addition to the above considerations, I have asked both business managers to prepare an estimation of the financial implications of this recommendation. As you will see as they review this information with you, a balanced decision must be made by each board that takes into account financial repercussions as well as a review of appropriate level of administrative staffing in our two districts.

Superintendent Trimble then asked the boards if the use of iPads for the paperless board meeting was working and discussed any adjustments for next month. She concluded with a review of how the Whole Grade Sharing agreement currently reads regarding dates of review and timeline for modification(s) if needed.

Administrator Reports:

Pat Miller, OA/BCIG High School Principal, reported on speech students and wrestlers who qualified for state competition. Tony Spradlin, OA/BCIG Middle School Principal, reported on a recent conference on autism that 8 staff members attended, upcoming Ag Business Career Day to be held February 17 and stated he is applying for a farming grant for up to $25,000 from Monsanto.

Joyce Flink, OA Food Service Director and Mary Renze, BCIG Food Service Director, reported on their duties and school lunch programs.

Under Dialog and action items:

A motion was made by Lozier, seconded by Lundell to approve the early retirement application from Jim Mickelson. All Ayes. Motion Carried. (5-0)

A motion was made by Lundell, seconded by Bengford to approve the resignation of Jim Mickelson. All Ayes. Motion Carried. (5-0)

At this time President Neumann thanked Mr. Mickelson for his years of service to the district and his dedication to the students.

A motion was made by Bengford, seconded by Lozier to approve Deb Bengford to the OA Citizen’s Advisory Committee. All Ayes. Motion Carried. (5-0)

A motion was made by Lundell, seconded by Lozier to drop the first reading of New Board Policies 208.2 and 208.2E A Committee for Design Approval. All Ayes. Motion Carried. (5-0). A motion was made by BCIG to drop the First Reading of New Board Policies 208.32 and 208.2E Committee for Design Approval and asked for a written procedure from the administration. The motion died for lack of a second.

A motion was made by Bengford, seconded by Lundell to approve Phase II of the locker refurbishing project for $9030. All Ayes. Motion Carried. (5-0).

Discussion/Correspondence Items:

In other discussion President Neumann took this opportunity to thank Jane Hamann and Joan Wiese for their years of service to the BCIG and OA/BCIG school district and their dedication to the students.

The next Joint Regular Meeting will be March 12, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. in the Central Office in Ida Grove.

A Motion was made by Lozier, seconded by Lundell to adjourn the meeting at 8:51 p.m. All Ayes. Motion Carried. (5-0).

______________________________ _____________________________

Jann Murphy, Bd. Secretary Paul Neumann, Bd. President