Policy Committee

Reviewed the proposed policy amendments

 

Policies - First Reading

Received and discussed proposed amendments to existing policies and allowed 30 day review period to begin

• G725 - Recruitment (amendment to current policy)
  • Changes to align existing policy with new state law shifting authority over personnel from school boards to superintendents
• G726 - Employment of Personnel (amendment to current policy)
  • Changes to align existing policy with new state law shifting authority over personnel from school boards to superintendents
• G731- Promotion (amendment to current policy)
  • Changes to align existing policy with new state law shifting authority over personnel from school boards to superintendents
• J939 - Bullying, Intimidation, Harassment, and Hazing (amendment to current policy)
  • Adds provision for disciplinary actions against personnel who do not attempt to stop bullying
  • Administration has requested more clarity as to what is being required of employees
• I806 - Textbook Selection and Adoption (amendment to current policy)
  • Prohibits textbooks based on Texas revisionist guidelines or presenting creation or intelligent design as science
• I801 - Basic Instructional Program (amendment to current policy)
  • Prohibits teaching religious faith, creationism or intelligent design as science
• A127- Charter School Evaluations (amendment to current policy)
  • Requires new charters to participate in single application, common enrollment, and common expulsion & suspension processes
  • Attorney representing several current charter schools asked Board to add language clarifying that the policy will not affect existing charters until they are up for renewal
  • Some comments were made that the OneApp enrollment process needs "some work" to correct problems occurring in first year
  • Other comments were that the proposal carries out decisions already approved by Board to serve parents better in a transparent and equitable manner
  • A community person suggested that parent satisfaction would be better addressed by letting parents send their children to their nearest schools and thus avoid the very long bus rides
• A128 - Charter Renewal (amendment to current policy)
• Requires newly renewed charters to participate in single application, common enrollment, and common expulsion & suspension processes
• Attorney representing several current charter schools asked Board to add language on effective dates clarifying that the policy will not affect existing charters until they are up for renewal, and to change "shall" to "may" to give OPSB option on what to require when negotiating renewals in later years at a time that some other processes might be in place

 

Discussion Items

Received and discussed reports from Administration - No action taken

• Transfer of Schools from RSD Back to OPSB
  • Read the report from the Administration here
  • Thirteen schools are eligible to transfer back
    • Due to late receipt of School Performance Scores, deadline for eligible schools to indicate a desire to come back has been extended to January 7
    • One issue of major concern is that present law makes a Type 5 RSD charter school its own independent Local Educational Agency (LEA) while Type 3 and 4 OPSB schools must use OPSB as the LEA - schools feel loss of autonomy and resources if they lose LEA status
  • Another seven schools will be eligible for the following year if they maintain their current performance for another year
• Common Enrollment Process
  • Received presentation on how the process will work with OPSB direct-run schools included
  • Problems during first year with RSD schools included sending siblings to separate schools, not engaging all parents, schools scrambling for enrollment when school started with many students not showing up as indicated on OneApp, and projecting full enrollment after ending waiting lists
  • OPSB and RSD jointly obtained an $800,000 grant to expand process for the new year
• Fueling Your Future Finances: Financial Aid Night
  • Informational presentations for HS seniors and their parents on college financial aid
  • For McDonogh 35 and McMain High School seniors
  • November 29 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Franklin Avenue Multi-Purpose Center, 2515 Franklin Avenue

 

Reports and Presentations

Received and reviewed reports with no action taken

• Status Report on Charter School Audits
  • Superintendent recommends that schools maintain 6 months of fund reserves and a fund balance around 40% of annual expenses
  • Final reports expected for presentation in December

Action Items

Reviewed recommendations from the Administration and forwarded them to Board Business Meeting with recommendations for approval

• Dimension Software
  • Software and teaching training in Pre-Algebra and Algebra I
  • Received $20,000 grant to implement
• Type 3 Charter Contract
  • Inspire NOLA, Inc. for Karr HS and Harte ES
• Type 1 Charter Contract
  • Bricolage Academy for a new K-8 ES

 

Legal and Legislative Committee 

 

Action Item

Reviewed recommendation from Administration and forwarded to Board Business Meeting with recommendations for approval

• Resolution 21-12 urging the US Congress and Administration to mitigate the across-the-board cuts to education scheduled to occur January 2, 2013

Executive Session

Recessed to Executive Session to discuss confidential litigation matters and to later reconvene to take the actions indicated

• Reviewed a case of Personal Injury Litigation and forwarded a settlement recommendation to the Board Business Meeting with a recommendation for approval
• Deferred a case of Employee Litigation
• Received a status report on Potential Litigation involving the Soil Remediation at the Phillips-Waters site 

 

Property Committee

 

Discussion/Information Items

Received and discussed reports from the Administration without taking action

• Recent Project Construction Bids
  • Bids have been received and are under review for the following projects:
    • McMain HS New Gym
    • North Kenilworth PK-8 ES New School
    • McDonogh 35 HS Stabilization of Existing School
    • McDonogh 35 HS New School at Phillips-Waters Site
  • Most recent project bids are 8-10% higher than Master Plan cost estimates due to changing market conditions
    • Requires more analysis, coordinated with RSD, to see if Master Plan projects will require reprioritization
    • RSD projects have also exceeded Master Plan estimates
    • Will require monitoring to see if some planned projects will not be able to be funded in the Master Plan

Reports/Presentations

Received and discussed reports from the Administration without taking action 

• Monthly Capital Projects Summary Report
• Update on November 8th Surplus Property Auction
  • Administration recommends rejection of bids significantly below appraised value for the Algiers Bus Garage, Seabrook (Athis Street) Site, and the former Lake Forest ES Site.
  • Sales of the former Capdau ES, Jeff ES, and NO Free School generated $2,732,000 for the Capital Budget