Minutes 2018-01-08

YORK SUBURBAN SCHOOL BOARD
PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING
JANUARY 8, 2018 – 7:00 PM
PROVARD EDUCATION CENTER

M I N U T E S
(approved on January 22, 2018)

Official action did occur during this meeting for items marked by (*).

General Business

Call to Order – Mr. Posenau
1. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
  Mr. Posenau called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
2. Roll Call
  Members present – Ellen Freireich, John Posenau, Richard Robinson, James Sanders, Steven Scalet, Lois Ann Schroeder, Joel Sears, Michael Thoman, Kenneth Watts, Elise Atkinson (Student Representative)
  
  Member not present – none
3. A reminder to please silence your cell phone during the meeting.
  Mr. Posenau reported above.
4. Public Comment. All comments and questions will be addressed to the President. Board and staff members will not normally respond to comments or questions during the meeting unless recognized by the President for this purpose. Comments will be limited, at the discretion of the President, to five minutes or less.
  An opportunity was provided for public comment. There was none at this time.
Board President’s Report – Mr. Posenau
1. The Board met following the Regular Monthly Meeting on December 18, 2017 in Executive Session as permitted by Section 707 of the Sunshine Act for the purpose of discussing matters of legal and personnel. No official action was taken.
  Mr. Posenau reported above.
2. New Superintendent Search Updates
  Mr. Posenau reported the search process for the new superintendent has begun, resumes are arriving and the Board will be meeting with Chester County Intermediate Unit to review information. Another mailing will be sent out to the community by the Board President.
3. Board Committee Meeting Schedule – January to June
  Mr. Posenau reported above.
4. Board Goals
  Mr. Posenau reported that he distributed a goals list to Board members over the winter holiday break. He distributed a copy of the list to Board members and stated a time to look at measurements for the goals will be discussed at a later date.
Acting Superintendent’s Report – Dr. Redding
1. District Affiliated Report – Dollars For Scholars – Karen Evans, DFS President will provide a brief report on the work of this organization.
  Dr. Redding introduced Stephanie Sullivan, in attendance and she will be providing the report this evening.
  
  Mrs. Sullivan reported she is the current DFS Treasurer, has been a Board member since 2010 and has served the organization in several executive capacities. The YS DFS Chapter was founded in 1998. The mission of DFS is to provide financial assistance for eligible YS students to continue their education and ultimately to help them become responsible, dependable, capable community citizens and leaders. DFS provides scholarships to students. DFS has assisted 127 students with $405,000 in funding renewable scholarships. 76% of scholarships are in the renewable category. DFS supports 20 to 25 students annually. In the early years, DFS was very aggressive with fundraising and an endowment fund was established with the York County Community Foundation. DFS has connected with Scholarship America. DFS coordinates with the guidance office to promote the scholarships. Scholarship applications are done entirely online with a secure portal through Scholarship America. Applications are reviewed with objective criteria. 50% of the criteria reflects financial need which comes from the FAFSA and the other 50% comes from scholastic merit and general activities and work experience. Board members, as well as community members, are involved with scoring with the scoring rubric being set by Scholarship America. There are no names on the applications during the review for an unbiased process. DFS is a community organization administered by 16 volunteers of community and business leaders, parents, grandparents, school board members, coaches and educators. Two of the DFS board members have continued since the beginning. DFS welcomes board members at any time. Beyond board members, volunteers work with the scholarship application review and special events such as Battle of the Buildings that takes place every other year. Our hope is to reach out more to the community with our 20th year milestone in 2018-19. An endowment of just over $420,000 is managed by the York County Community Foundation. In addition, we have another $148,000 in fund monies that are held at the York County Community Foundation. Total assets are $568,000. Another named scholarship will be set-up this year increasing that total by another $25,000. The interest on these endowed funds allows DFS to fund our scholarships each year. DFS is regularly supported by the YS community with United Way Campaign payroll deductions, regular payroll deductions, donations in honor of retirees, donations in memoriam of former staff and employees of YS, direct contributions, retiree contributions and named funds. Every other year, Battle of the Buildings (BOB) supports DFS. Mrs. Sullivan answered questions from Board members.
2. State of the District Report
  Dr. Redding reviewed above and answered questions from Board members.
3. Reports from Administrators
  Dr. Redding announced there are no reports this evening.
Business Office Report – Ms. Mason
1. Item recommended for approval at this meeting.
  The Administration recommends Board approval to purchase the “Reading Wonders 2017” by McGraw Hill Education as the English Language Arts Program for Grades K-5 for a total cost of $326,988.69. The process of selecting a new ELA Program. [Motion; Discussion; Roll Call Vote]
  
  Ms. Mason reviewed above.
  
  (*) Motion, Schroeder, Second, Freireich; Approval.
  
  Dr. Stoltz provided an overview of the process of selecting a new ELA Program.
  
  A discussion continued and points were – on-site visitations have been done by the Reading Specialists and teachers will be doing site visitations; $327,000 was budgeted for 2018-19; the life cycle of the program is for six years and that is the same length of time that was discovered with other programs that were reviewed; professional development fee of $11,000 will provide the layout of program and tech pieces with trainer(s) here for a few days for initial set-up; the tech piece investment will provide interaction opportunities depending on student’s reading level (high, middle, low or other) beyond the student reading the book that includes exposure with reading the book to students, assessments done by student on Chromebook with information going to the teacher, tiers of intervention, support for reading support and learning support and ELL pieces; quantity will be 230 per grade for grades 1 to 5; consumables are part of the package, the district can photocopy or make electronic copy as needed; other school districts that are using this program are Conewago Valley, Bermudian Springs and Hanover; the negative impact of a delay was considered.
  
  Roll Call Vote, all present, yes, except Sanders, Sears, no. Motion carried 7-2.
  
  The Board expressed their thanks to Dr. Soltz for presenting information and answering questions and was asked to convey thanks to the committee for their work with this process.
2. Items being recommended for approval on January 22, 2018.
  1. The Administration submits the proposed 2018-19 York County School of Technology Budget for consideration and approval.
    Ms. Mason reported above. The Administration from YCST was unable to attend this evening due to the inclement weather and plans to be in attendance at the January 22 meeting.
    
    Mrs. Schroeder, the YCST representative, asked new Board members that are not familiar with YCST to read the first few pages of the attachment above for detailed information on the number of students and background information on how the county works with YCST.
  2. The Administration recommends Board approval of the contract with Paragon Engineering Services in the amount of $14,300 for the design, specifications and bidding/construction administration phase for the replacement of the Middle School chiller.
    Ms. Mason reported above.
  3. The Administration recommends Board approval of the IRS Mileage Reimbursement Rate of $.545 per mile for the 2018 calendar year. The rate for the 2017 calendar year was $.535.
    Ms. Mason reported above.
    
    A discussion was held and the point was – this approval is necessary per Board policy that follows PA School Code and this applies to staff requesting reimbursement for travel to attend conferences and travel between buildings.
  4. The Administration recommends Board approval of the Resolution Certifying the Tax Rate for the 2018-19 budget will not have a tax increase that exceeds the Act 1 Index of 2.8%.
    Ms. Mason reported above.
3. Informational Items
  1. 2018-19 Budget Presentation
    Ms. Mason reported above.
    
    A discussion continued and the point was – the fund balance is approximately 7.1% and Ms. Mason will verify that figure with Board members on Wednesday.
  2. Donation in the amount of $2,911.86 from Trojan Aquatic Club parents for pool lane lines.
  3. Donation in the amount of $300 from Dina Smoker for payment towards unpaid meal debt.
  4. Donation in the amount of $500 from Ann Marie Yost for payment towards unpaid meal debt.
  5. Facilities
    No report.
Student Board Representative Report – Elise Atkinson
Miss Atkinson reported miniTHON is six weeks away on February 23. The SnoCo Dance is scheduled Saturday, January 20 and will be held at The Bond from 7:00 to 9:30 PM. This dance is a significant fundraiser for miniTHON. Last year, 560 students attended and planning is being prepared for more students to attend this year. All Board members are invited to stop by on February 23. On Saturday, 102 music program students, staff and their families went to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and a great day was had by everyone. An athletic department report was provided. The end of the marking period is now Wednesday. The musical at the high school will be held the first weekend in March.
Committee Reports – Mr. Posenau
1. Personnel Committee Report – Mr. Robinson
  Consent Agenda [You have before you the Personnel Report which includes resignation, leave of absence, employment and volunteers. Would any Board member like any of these items considered separately or are there any questions on any of these items? If not, the chair moves approval of the below-mentioned items; Public Comment; Roll Call Vote]
  
  (*) Motion, Robinson, Second, Freireich; Approval.
  
  A discussion took place and the point was – the positions under resignations will all be replaced.
  
  Roll Call Vote, all present, yes. Motion carried 9-0.
  
  Mr. Robinson reported the Personnel Committee is meeting tomorrow afternoon at 4:30 PM.
  1. Resignation
    1. Recommend Board approval of the resignation of John Coppage, Grounds Keeper/Maintenance at the High School, effective January 5, 2018.
    2. Recommend Board approval of the resignation of Kathleen Diehl, Administrative Assistant for Academic Services at the Education Center, effective January 12, 2018.
    3. Recommend Board approval of the resignation of Kathleen Hall, Instructional Support Aide at Yorkshire Elementary, effective January 12, 2018.
  2. Leave of Absence
    Recommend Board approval of the request of Jessica Reimer, Kindergarten Teacher at Valley View Elementary, for a disability leave starting on or about March 7, 2018, followed by an FMLA leave of absence, followed by an unpaid leave of absence through November 2, 2018. Mrs. Reimer will be returning to employment on November 5, 2018.
  3. Employment
    1. Recommend the employment of Barbara Baquero as a Long-term Substitute Kindergarten Teacher at Valley View Elementary starting on or about March 7, 2018, through the end of the 2017-2018 school year, at the daily rate of $105.
    2. Recommend the employment of Anastasia Evans as Middle School Assistant Boys and Girls Track Coach at the salary of $3,304 which represents Step 4 of the Extracurricular Salary Schedule.
    3. Recommend the employment of John Coppage as a Substitute Custodian at the hourly rate of $10.00, effective January 9, 2018.
    4. Recommend the employment of Nicole Shaak as a Long-term Substitute 3^rd Grade Teacher at East York Elementary starting on or about January 26, 2018, through approximately April 20, 2018, at the daily rate of $105, pending employment documents.
  4. Recommend Board approval of the following Volunteers for 2017-2018:
    
    Henrietta Alicea
    
    Judith Efiom-Ekaha
    
    Tracy Hollman
    
    Todd McClimans
    
    Michele Mitchell
    
    Richard Ridinger
    
    Lania Yinger
2. Additional Committee Reports/Announcements
  Mr. Posenau asked if there were any additional committee reports or announcements.
  
  Mrs. Freireich reported a Facilities Committee meeting is scheduled on Wednesday at 4:30 PM.
Lincoln Intermediate Unit
The “…by Dawn’s Early Light”, highlights of the LIU Board meeting on January 2, is provided.

Mr. Posenau reported above.
York Adams Academy – Mrs. Freireich
Mrs. Freireich reported the YAA graduation took place on December 19 and there were 51 graduates. The following four students from YS were graduates – Celeste Davis, Gabriella Hollingshead, Jacob Hughes and Taryn Vendetti.
York County School of Technology – Mrs. Schroeder
Mrs. Schroeder reported a meeting is scheduled on the last Thursday in January.
Board Meeting and Committee Schedule
Mr. Posenau reported above.
Comments and/or Questions from the Public. All comments and questions will be addressed to the President. Board and staff members will not normally respond to comments or questions during the meeting unless recognized by the President for this purpose. Comments will be limited, at the discretion of the President, to five minutes or less.
An opportunity was provided for public comment. There were none at this time.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:57 PM.

There will be an opportunity for public comment at the end of each report.

/s/ Corinne D. Mason, PRSBA, M.Ed.
Board Secretary

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