Faulkton Area School District 24-4 Board of Education
Monday, May 8, 2017
6:00 p.m.
The regular meeting of the Faulkton Area Schools 24-4 Board of Education was called to order by Chairman Kelly Aesoph at 6:00 p.m. in the Faulkton Elementary Library.
Roll call of members present were Kelly Aesoph, Todd Brand, Grady Heitmann, Scott McCloud and Jerry Weyand. Also present were Superintendent/Elementary Principal Derek Barrios, Secondary Principal/AD Craig Cassens, Business Official Lisa Raethz, Val Ramsdell (Faulk Co. Record), staff members: Jeremy Demery, Shayne Geditz, Alicia Hammond, Michele Latt, and the following district patrons: Gloria Bode, Tim Bowar, Carrie Deiter, Tom Meyer, Ryan Nelson, Dawn Redden, Dave Speck, Tom Strasburg, and Corrine Weyand. The pledge of allegiance was recited.
2016-17.95. Agenda Approval. Motion by Heitmann, second by McCloud, to approve the proposed agenda with the addition of the Fiscal Year 2016 Audit at 8.4. Unanimous.
Acknowledgements. Mr. Barrios acknowledged the teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week and all the hard work that goes into making this school run well. Barrios also recognized the following people: Ryan Melius for receiving the Region Assistant Coach of the Year for girls’ basketball, Ellen Schlechter for tying for 1st place in the Governor’s Giant Vision Competition, Max Quinn for winning 3rd place in the Arbor Day Essay, and Tyler Cunningham for being Faulkton’s senior representative for the Governor’s Academic Excellence Award.
2016-17.96. Conflict of Interest Waivers. Mr. Barrios submitted a conflict of interest waiver due to the fact his wife Amanda was hired as Head Volleyball Coach for the upcoming school year. Motion was made by McCloud, seconded by Brand, to approve the waiver. Unanimous.
Open Forum Time. Tim Bowar asked if when items come up on short term, there is a certain dollar amount that requires them to be budgeted, such as the new lock expense that came up before? Raethz explained that unforeseen expenses are accounted for when the budget is completed. She stated that she purposely budgets high in the building department because sometimes you can’t foresee what will come up. Raethz also stated there is a contingency line item in the general fund that can be used for these purposes also. Schools are allowed to put a certain percent of their total budget into contingency and our district has $90,000 in that line item this fiscal year. Raethz told Bowar there are bid laws that apply if expenses are at a certain amount for certain items such as supplies & services ($25,000), and public improvements ($50,000).
2016-17.97. Consensus Agenda Approval. Motion by Weyand, second by Heitmann, to approve the following consensus agenda: minutes of the April 10, 2017 meeting, April 2017 Financial Statement and April 2017 Trust and Agency Fund Report, the April 2017 Imprest Fund Report, and payment of the presented bills for May 8, 2017. Unanimous.
April 2017 Imprest Fund: Travel & Fuel Costs/Reimbursements: Vanessa Bowman $50.40, Mary Vetch $50.40, Jeremy Demery $255.48, Shae Stephenson $61.64, Melissa Geditz $64.82, Dacotah Bank $950.00. Golf & Track Meet Fees: SBA $125.00, Gettysburg School $265.00, Split Rock Country Club $45.00, Ipswich School $50.00, Redfield School $125.00, Bowdle Golf Course $50.00, Howard Wood $50.00. Election Board Services: Sheilah Fischer $150.84, Dianne Baloun $175.20, Deb Roseland $171.84. Other: SD Bandmasters $35.00 Fees, American Legion $534.00 Bowling fees, BHSSC $50.00 Conf. Fee;
May 8, 2017 Bill Payment: A1 Locksmithing $13.50 Supplies, Advance Ed. $900.00 Fees, Bantz, Gosch, Cremer, Peterson $256.06 Legal Services, Bauer’s Super Valu $312.82 Supplies, BerMac $50.90 Gas, Brooklyn Publishers $151.50 Supplies, Cardmember Services $1,596.92 Textbooks & Supplies, CBM $10,667.08 Food Service Contract, Century Business $898.51 Services, City of Faulkton $190.78 Utilities, Cole Papers $14,318.57 Supplies, Combined Building Specialties $1,267.00 Bleacher Wheels, Convergint Technologies $161.16 Supplies, Dakota Dust-Tex $116.10 Services, Dakotah Lodge $2,520.00 Travel, Delta Dental $2,950.52 Insurance, Elite Drain & Sewer Cleaning $2,950.00 Services, EMC Publishing $1,189.65 Online Textbooks, Faulk County Record $437.97 Publishing & Supplies, FAMC $1,398.75 Services, Faulkton Hardware $75.19 Supplies, Faulkton School $3,259.62 Reimb. Imprest Fund, Flinn Scientific $2,379.59 Supplies, Hampton Inn & Suites $2,770.00 Travel, Homan Hardware $268.34 Supplies, Janelle Publications $280.50 Supplies, Johnson Controls $7,899.90 Service Agreement, Jostons $88.91 Supplies, K&D Busing $23,070.67 Busing Contract, Lakeshore $181.29 Supplies, Michele Latt $113.70 Mileage Reimb., The Lodge at Deadwood $228.00 Travel, Markerboard People $89.15 Supplies, McCrossan Boys Ranch $5,509.20 Tuition/Residential Fees, NASCO $531.52 Supplies, NCFE $311.59 Gas, NCS Pearson $326.48 Supplies, North Star Energy $912.07 Propane, Northwestern Energy $2,590.96 Utilities, Really Good Stuff $96.92 Supplies, Reliastar Life Ins. $23.40 Insurance, Reuer Sanitation $585.00 Services, Riddell $1,216.93 Services, Rushmore Plaza $652.14 Travel, Schatz Electric $720.93 Repairs, School Health $102.32 Supplies, SchoolMate $254.40 Supplies, School Specialty $834.33 Supplies, SD State Historical Society $175.00 Supplies, SDASSP $100.00 Fees, Sheraton Sioux Falls $278.00 Travel, Time Management Systems $37.77 Services, Trend Enterprises $35.78 Supplies, US Toy Co. $103.48 Supplies, Venture Communications $314.11 Phone/Fax/Internet, Wells Fargo $503.46 Copier Lease, Wellmark $28,189.00 Health Insurance; May 2017 Payroll: General Fund: $164,877.13 w/ benefits, Special Ed. $23,103.25 w/ benefits, Food Service $2,352.92 w/ benefits, Pre-K $753.55 w/ benefits.
2016-17.98. Strategic Planning Presentation. The board discussed the two companies who presented strategic planning proposals. There was much debate on whether or not the current board should be the one to decide this, or if it should be left up to the new board in July. After a long discussion, motion was made by Heitmann, seconded by Brand, to proceed with hiring Dakota Education Consulting for the strategic planning process for the district. Board members Heitmann, Brand and Aesoph voted aye. McCloud and Weyand opposed. Motion carried.
2016-17.99. Preschool. Mr. Barrios stated that next school year we will change from 3 half days to 4 half days of preschool per week. He said there are about 30 students and they will be divided into either a morning or afternoon class. Preschool will be Tuesday through Friday to avoid Monday holidays. Barrios also said preschool will now be held on days with a late start or early release due to weather, but that parents would receive a $3 per occurrence refund for these times. Barrios recommended the board increase the preschool tuition fee to $100 due to the additional day/week change. Barrios told the board that the full time Preschool teacher will also be assisting with title services on Mondays, as well as using Mondays as her planning periods due to the fact she will not receive a planning period during preschool days. Motion was made by McCloud, seconded by Brand, to change the preschool tuition fee to $100/month, with pro-rated rates the months of August and May, and a refund of $3 per occurrence for late starts or early releases due to weather. Unanimous.
Preliminary Budget Discussion/Budget & Bill Subcommittee Capital Outlay Budget Report. Raethz presented the board with a budget summary for the 2016-2017 school year and stated the district is at the beginning stages of the budget process right now. Once all negotiated agreements are passed, she can start plugging in more accurate numbers so we will know exactly where we are in each fund. Raethz gave a summary of each fund. General Fund: The district cannot plan on getting any sort of an increase from the state due to the minimal increase given by them this year. The district will have a small decrease in students next year due to 15 students graduating and 11 students coming into kindergarten. This number will turn around the following year because we have approximately 30 preschoolers. We are a little higher in our general fund right now than we were last year at this time. Since we have finally caught up “per se” due to opt-out funds we are in a good position right now. Raethz doesn’t foresee needing any more than we needed last year ($275,000) and maybe less. With the new state law regarding general fund balance caps, the district needs to remain at less than 30% (general fund balance in the lowest month/total general fund expenditures for the year). Raethz explained that planning opt-out funds is not a simple process because the requested amount will affect two school years (due to the county and school being on different fiscal years). An additional expense in the general fund this year is the expense of all retirement costs. Now that the pension levy has been eliminated and our district should be spending all, if not most, of the money left in the pension fund ($116.912.83) this school year, we will need to budget for this in general fund next year. Special Ed. Fund: Raethz stated she cannot foresee any significant changes in funding or expenses in this fund. There will be a salary increases after negotiations and the district always budgets high for unforeseen expenses that may occur. This year the district has an out of district placement student that we budget about $70,000 for and will again. That could change but we have to assume it won’t so funds are available. Food Service Fund: Raethz told the board that expenditures are down this year, compared to last year, (had a lot of equipment repairs in 15-16). CBM had also decreased their cost per meal to us for this school year so that also helped. The district will know what to expect for a fixed price for next school year before the next meeting. With the colonies not in the food program anymore we will lose some food program revenue and will have to look at those figures also when determining how much the general fund will supplement the food service fund next year. Pre-K & Dr. Education Fund- Both revenue and expenditures are both down this current school year. This is due to less students/less tuition on the revenue side, and then the cost of benefits is less this year due to the teacher not being full time. Next school year the revenue will be increasing due to the increase in tuition and the number of students, but due to this increase in student numbers the district will be hiring a full time teacher for the position which will increase expenditures also. Capital Outlay- Raethz presented a rough draft of the capital outlay budget for the board and Mr. Barrios summarized all expenditures. The budget and bills committee (Brand and Heitmann) met with administration to review the budget and stated currently it is at $1,222,298.75.
The budget hearing will be at the July board meeting.
2016-17.100. Sewer Lines Descaling Project. There was discussion on whether to do the sewer line descaling repairs all in one year or to phase it out. It was decided to do the entire project this summer and to budget in Capital Outlay for the sewer line relining project. Motion by Weyand, second by Brand, to advertise for bids for the sewer line descaling sevices. Unanimous. Raethz stated she would do this as soon as possible so the work can be done as soon as school is out.
2016-17.101. Roofing Project. Barrios gave clarification to the board on the quotes from last meeting. After discussion, motion was made by Weyand, second by Heitmann, to move forward hiring Grote Roofing to repair and inspect any areas deemed necessary on the east elementary wing roof for $2,800.00. Unanimous.
2016-17.102. School Board Election Canvass. Motion by Weyand, second by McCloud, to approve the official canvass for the school board election on April 11th, 2017. Canvass verified the following: Benjamin (BJ) Kalkman 473, Ryan Nelson 431, Gloria Bode 350 and Todd Brand 302. All members voted aye except Brand who abstained. Motion carried. Unanimous.
2016-17.103. ASBSD Health Insurance Renewal Resolution. Raethz explained the changes in the health insurance participation agreement and stated our district only received a 1% increase in premium effective July 1st. Motion by Weyand, second by Heitmann, to adopt the Associated School Boards Protective Trust – SD School District Benefits Fund Participation Agreement and Adoption and Renewal Motion effective July 1, 2017. Unanimous.
Audit – Fiscal Year 2016. Raethz presented the board with a letter from the SD Department of Legislative Audit stating they have accepted the district’s audit report for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2016. Copies of the audit were available for anyone to review.
Superintendent’s Report – AdvancEd Review. Mr. Barrios informed the board that he participated in an AdvancEd review for the Hamlin school district a couple of weeks ago. He explained the state requires school districts to be accredited through them or another entity and our district has chosen AdvancEd. He said it was a good experience for him as he hasn’t worked with AdvancEd before. Barrios stated he will be attending another training this month on the changes taking place. Our district will be reviewed again in 2 years. TIE Conference. Barrios stated he and several staff members attended the TIE conference a couple weeks ago also. He said it’s a very good conference that’s not just about technology but also leadership topics and is very informational about how education is ever changing.
Secondary Principal/AD Report. 2016-17.104. SDHSAA Ballot. Motion by Heitmann, second by Brand, to vote the following ways on the SD High School Activities Association Official Election Ballot: Randy Soma from Brookings, Division II Representative for the Board of Directors and Yes on Amendment No. 1 which is a by-laws change requiring some stricter criteria for open enrollment. Unanimous. 2016-17.105. JH Track Coach-Move to In-active list. Motion was made by McCloud, seconded by Brand, to place the Junior High Track Coaching position on the in-active list of the co-curricular schedule. Unanimous.
Open Forum. Tim Bowar spoke and thanked board members for keeping tempers under control during a few interesting moments here. Bowar said that planning is everything and strategic and long term planning is also very important. He said it is obvious that Brand and Heitmann wanted more planning and maybe this is because adequate planning has not been done in the past. Bowar wondered if we are so insecure in our own abilities to plan for the future ourselves instead of hiring another company to do it for us. He hoped that we haven’t given up on our own abilities to plan. Bowar stated there is a great deal of intelligent and knowledgeable people in the community that would be able to help us. He thought if the board wasn’t able to communicate together maybe hiring an outside company would be good, but he didn’t think we were at that point yet. He continued with saying that due to all the people who came out for the election it lead him to believe that a lot of people think there was not enough communication between the board and the community. He thought we should give the new board the opportunity to build some communication and reach out and see who is interested in being involved in a formative plan first. He said he thought it was maybe prudent to budget for strategic planning but should delay signing a contract with an outside company and give it time for feedback.
Dawn Redden then stated she is a past board member. She said as a board of education the board needs to be educated and she appreciated all the extra help they could get. Redden thinks the money would be well spent educating our board on different avenues. She continued saying that by hiring someone that knows what they are doing would be money well spent. Redden said if they would have had the opportunity in 2002, she would have jumped on it because being educated is so important. Redden ended with saying it is not only important to educate our students, but also our board.
2016-17.106. Executive Session-Personnel/Negotiations. Motion by McCloud, second by Heitmann, to go into executive session at 7:52 p.m. for the purpose of preparing for contract negotiations or negotiating with employees or employee representatives, as set forth in SDCL 1-25-2(4), and for the purpose of discussing the qualifications, competence, performance, character or fitness of any public officer or employee or prospective public officer or employee. The term "employee" does not include any independent contractor, as set forth in SDCL 1-25-2(1). Out of executive session at 10:21 p.m.
2016-17.107. Resignation. Motion was made by Heitmann, seconded by McCloud, to accept the resignation of Craig Cassens as Athletic Director as of June 30, 2017. Unanimous.
2016-17.108. Administrative Negotiated Agreement. Motion by Brand, second by Weyand, to approve the amended administrative negotiated agreement effective July 1, 2017. Unanimous.
2016-17.109. Negotiated Master Contract. Motion was made by Brand, seconded by McCloud, to accept the 2017-2018 Negotiated Master Contract with FEA and the Faulkton Area Schools 24-4 effective for the 2017-2018 school year. Unanimous.
2016-17.110. Special Education Director. Motion by Brand, second by Heitmann, to amend Michele’s Latt’s Special Education Director’s salary to $12,000 for the 2017-2018 school year. Unanimous.
2016-17.111. Preschool Teacher Contract. Motion by McCloud, second by Weyand, to offer a contract for Preschool Teacher for the 2017-2018 school year to Mallory Fischer on a BA Step 1 in the amount of $36,900.00, as per the 2017-18 negotiated agreement. Unanimous.
2016-17.112. ELA Teacher Contract. Motion by Brand, second by Heitmann, to offer a contract as 8-12th grade English Language Arts Teacher for the 2017-2018 school year to Voni Finck on a BA Step 0 in the amount of $36,500.00, as per the 2017-18 negotiated agreement. Unanimous.
2016-17.113. Classified Personnel. Motion by Brand, second by McCloud, to offer Work Agreements to the following Classified Personnel: Janet Reed, Dennis Crum, William Becker, Kim Holt, Pam Hutchinson, Shelly Martinmaas, Tiffany Ogle, Robin Young, Jill Wittmeier, Jeremy Demery, and Mary Vetch. Unanimous.
2016-17.114. Temporary Summer Maintenance. Motion was made by Brand, seconded by Weyand, to hire the following people as temporary maintenance assistants at $10.00/hour for 25 or less hours/week for 14 weeks: Jack McCamly and Don Hahler. Unanimous.
Summer Extended Services. 2016-17.115. Motion by Weyand, second by McCloud, to approve hiring Shae Stephenson at $30.44/hour for June, and $32.76/hour for July and August for Extended School Services. 2016-17.116. Motion by Brand, second by Heitmann, to approve hiring Michele Latt at $18.00/per 15-minute unit for Extended School Services. 2015-16.117. Motion by Brand, second by McCloud, to approve hiring Deb Beilke at $15.00/per 15-minute unit for Extended School Services. Unanimous on all motions.
2016-17.118. Title Services. Motion by McCloud, second by Brand, to hire Kari Haberling at an hourly rate of $37.38, Melissa Geditz at an hourly rate of $36.22, and Kathleen Melius at an hourly rate of $31.52 as Title I teachers for the summer of 2017. Unanimous.
2016-17.119. Adjournment. Motion by Brand, second by Weyand, to adjourn at 10:27 p.m. All in favor, motion carried.
_______________________________________ _________________________________________
Chairman, Kelly Aesoph Business Official, Lisa Raethz