A regular meeting of the Cold Spring Schoo (CSS) board was held on Wednesday, February 8, 2017 in the CSS Conference room.  Presiding officer was Mr. Bob Albano, Board Chair.

Members present were : Bob Albano, Steve Downing, Cheryl Hertz, Janice Hicks-Slaughter, and Kelly Payne.

Members absent were: Chris Gerrity, Leroy Robinson, Lori Schein, and Tonya Tudor

CSS Principal Carrie Bruns and Assistant Principal Tom Hakim attended the meeting.

No community members attended or signed in to provide input.

The Board discussed the Teacher Merit Pay Proposal.  The CSS budget includes a line item for merit pay and there is $10,000 available for merit pay after a total of $15,000 was awarded to teachers at the end of the fall semester.  

Board members considered offering one-time merit pay to teachers whose end of the year evaluation rating is effective or highly effective.  It was suggested that teachers from 2016-2017 academic year who are still employed by CSS on August 31, 2017 receive a bonus up to $750 in September 2017.

The board discussed paying a $125 leadership stipend to teachers who plan and facilitate Family Nights and awarding an extra $50 to the teachers who facilitate the Family Night with the most attendees.

Board members discussed the possibility of creating a paid position for the teacher leader of the robotics club and competition team.  The pay for this position would be $1,000.

Due to the need to consider budget and funding to determine merit pay, Mr. Albano asked board members to discuss the 2017-2018 staffing plan and how CSS will be funded.  Mrs. Bruns reminded the board of various funding factors which must be taken into consideration.  Cold Spring School needs a social worker, and this salary must be picked up by CSS in 2017-2018.  A literacy coach position is necessary, and it will be paid through Title I funds.  The board must determine what funding is available to pay a licensed media specialist, a position which must be created and posted. 

Current funding through Student Based Allocation (SBA) is $6, 971 per student.  There will be a base allocation next year supplemented by various amounts according to the numbers of students in grades K-2, students living at poverty level, and students in grades 7 and pre-K.  CSS does not currently offer pre-K or grade 7.  CSS enrollment of Free and Reduced Lunch students has decreased and is not about 65% which results in lower additional funds for this category.

The CSS budget is based on 290 students.  Average Daily Membership (ADM) for January 2017 was 312 students. 

The projected Title I funding for reading for 2017-2018 is $142,400.  The official amount will not be know until May or June 2017.  The projected Title II funding for professional development will be the same as 2016-2017.  The projected Title III funding for professional development will be the same as 2016-2017.  

The board will need to consider health insurance rates at the end of May or June.  August 1 is the renewal date for CSS.

Another factor to consider is that CSS pays 10.5% into the Teacher Retirement Fund.

After discussion of staff merit pay for 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, staff planning, and budget for 2017-2018, the Board recommended that a proposal from the administrative team be presented at the March 8, 2017 board meeting.  A motion was made to recommend that the administrative team prepare the budget proposal.  The motion was seconded and it passed with 5 ayes and no nays. 

At 5:59pm, Mr. Steve Downing excused himself from the meeting.

At 5:59pm, Mr. Albano, as Board Chair, adjourned the meeting due to the loss of a quorum.

Recorded by: Dr. Cheryl A. Hertzer

Reviewed and Submitted by:  Dr. Cheryl A. Hertzer