Cold Spring School
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday January 17, 2018 at 5:30 PM
Directors Present
B. Albano
Directors Absent
None
Guests Present
C. Bruns
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
B. Albano called a meeting of the board of directors of Cold Spring School to order on Wednesday Jan 17, 2018 at 5:33 PM.
A regular meeting of the Cold Spring School (CSS) Board was held on Wednesday, January 18, 2018 in the media center at the school. Presiding officer was Mr. Bob Albano, Board Chair.
Members present were: Bob Albano, Cheryl Hertzer, Janice Hicks-Slaughter, Kelly Payne, JR Renbarger, Leroy Robinson and Tonya Tudor.
Members Steve Downing and Chris Gerrity were absent.
Chief Operating Officer Mrs. Carrie Bruns; Interim principal Mr. Thomas Hakim; Director of CliftonLarsonAllen, Ms. Michelle Hartman (until 6:14pm); and Mr. Brian Anderson from Options in Education Foundation (until 6:36pm) also attended.
No community members signed in to provide input or attended the meeting.
C.
Approve Minutes
Motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 11-15-17.
The motion carried with 7 ayes and no nays.
II. NEW BUSINESS
A.
New Business Items
Mrs. Bruns discussed the Media Center proposal which was presented to the board at the October 18, 2017 meeting. She announced that an IPS literacy grant funded about $3,5000 for purchase of new books. Mrs. Bruns explained that she preferred to delay action on Further Media Center updates in order to consider possible long-term changes in school facilities and school-wide needs.
B.
Financial Report
Mr. Brian Anderson presented the financial report to the board.
Motion to to approve the financial report as of December 31, 2017 as presented.
The motion was seconded and was unanimously approved with 7 ayes and no nays.
Mr. Anderson left the meeting at 6:36pm.
Mrs. Bruns provided the Chief Operating Officer Report. One highlight of the report was that Ms. Mihalich and Mrs. Impink, who are Cold Spring School teachers, will participate in the UnboundEd Standards Institute. This week-long professional development opportunity will take place in Los Angeles, CA.
C.
Principal Report
Mr. Leroy Robinson left the meeting at 6:43pm.
Mr. Thomas Hakim gave the Principal's report to board
- Mr. Hakim distributed a school calendar for spring semester 2018.
- Mr. Hakim provided information about attendance initiatives. Social worker Mrs. Thomas and teachers are collaborating with Mr. Hakim on various methods to increase attendance, including sending letters to parents and making telephone calls to parents. In the future, setting expectations for new families will be emphasized.
- Ms. Tudor suggested that computers be available at Family Night so that parents can log in and update names, email addresses, and telephone numbers.
- Purdue University is cooperating with CSS to conduct a research project. They are working with grades 4-6 on STEM and agricultural science-based units. These efforts assist the teachers in moving to project-based learning.
- NWEA winter tests are in progress. Resources have been provided to increase reading skills in K, 1, and 2. Grades 1 and 2 both show growth in mathematics and reading as measured by mid year tests.
- All NWEA data will be ready for the February 2018 meeting.
- For the their time, Playworks is hosting an event at CSS.
- The Kitchen Community has awarded a grant to CSS for curriculum on cooking and healthy eating. Students who are currently in the cooking STEM club will remain in the club for the remainder of spring semester.
- Shoe Closets, Inc. is a new partner that will provide 72 pairs of new shoes for children who need them. The shoes will be stored in a closet at CSS and will be re-stocked monthly.
- The third Open House event will be hosted at CSS on Thursday, January 25, 2018. Interest in enrollment for the 2018-2019 school year is on track.
- ISTEP testing is moving to online testing only. CSS was able to obtain a waiver this year for the writing test so that CSS students will use pencil and paper. The board expressed concerns about children in grade 3 being required to type test answers on a laptop or desk top.
- Ms. Kelly Howard, Fourth Grade Teacher at CSS, was accepted for the Sontag Prize in Urban Education. She was the only Indiana teacher to be selected for the Prize and she will travel to Boston for professional development at Harvard.
- Mr. Albano requested that a flyer be available at Open House with information about CSS teachers' accomplishments and awards.
- Saturday Stars will start up again on Saturday, January 20, 2018.
III. Other Business
A.
Other Information
Mrs. Bruns and the board discussed the need for a Personnel Retirement Policy. She will present a proposal to the board for action at the February 21, 2018 meeting.
No action was taken on a proposal to purchase Board on Track. Mrs. Bruns requested that a stipend for Animal care be paid to Mrs. Megan Thomas, who feeds and waters the animals and cleans the barns. Mrs. Thomas has agreed to take care of the animals throughout the year, including during summer.
Motion to approve the request for an animal care stipend of $1,250 per year for a staff member to be primary caretaker.
The motion passed with 6 ayes and no nays.
Mr. Hakim explained the need for an Outdoor Learning and Recess policy. He provided a draft to the board and requested feedback on the policy, especially regarding setting guidelines for temperature and outdoor clothing.
Mr. Hakim presented a Teacher Merit Pay Proposal to the board. This proposal will be added to the agenda for the February 21, 2018 meeting for action at this meeting.
Mr. Hakim and Mrs. Burns discussed CSS plans to make up Snow Days. Flex days were building the calendar on March 19 and 20.
The 2018-2019 academic year calendar for CSS will be discussed at the February 21, 2018 board meeting. Action will be taken at this meeting.
IV. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 8:22 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
B. Albano
Recorded by: Dr. Cheryl A. Hertzer
Reviewed and Submitted by : Dr. Cheryl A. Hertzer