BOE Meeting Notes - February 2, 2017 – 2016-17 Board of Education Summary Notes

The Kingsport City Schools Board of Education held its regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, February 2, 2017. Several key items were discussed, including:

Recognition of Board members as part of School Board Appreciation Week;
A performance by the Dobyns-Bennett High School Chamber Chorus;
A presentation on D-B's Response to Instruction and Intervention program (RTI²);
Recognition of two community members receiving the prestigious KCS "Champion of Education Award;"
Consideration of a formal agreement with Sullivan County to fund facilities projects;
Consideration of two resolutions for TSBA support regarding the weighting of high school Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, and Honors courses in the calculation of final grade point averages, and a resolution regarding State ACT/SAT accountability and reporting measures;
Consideration of both new and revised Board policies;
Review of the 2nd quarter financial report for FY 2016-17;

Tonight's reports and recognitions were broadcast live on the KCS Facebook Page! Click here to view this video from tonight's meeting.

Meeting Audio

Detailed Meeting Notes

CALL TO ORDER

The Pledge of Allegiance was led tonight by Keaton Campbell and Jack Kitzmiller, students at Jefferson Elementary School. Keaton is a 1st grader and is the daughter of Chris and Bunny Campbell. Jack, a 2nd grader, is the son of Greg and Sarah Kitzmiller.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

To commemorate "School Board Appreciation" Week in Tennessee, Mr. Andy True, Assistant Superintendent - Administration, recognized and thanked Board members for the valuable service they provide to Kingsport City Schools and the Kingsport community.

The Kingsport Board of Education:
- Mr. Eric Hyche, Board President
- Mrs. Susan Lodal, Board Vice President
- Mr. David Golden
- Dr. Karen Reed-Wright
- Mrs. Carrie Upshaw
Click here to view a thank you video the BOE from the students and staff of D-B EXCEL.
The week of January 22-28, 2017 was designated as School Board Appreciation Week in Tennessee.
To honor KCS Board members who donate their time and efforts to ensure Kingsport students have a world-class education, Board members were each presented items of appreciation donated by KCS schools.
In addition, a book was presented to each elementary school on behalf of the BOE, for placement in each KCS school library.
- KCS students receiving books on behalf of their schools this evening were:
  - Peyton McCoy, Palmer
  - Brayden Austin, Adams
  - Carly Olterman, Jackson
  - Tate Wernke, Jefferson
  - Tradd Weems, Johnson
  - Kyra Powell and Bailey Lindholm, Kennedy
  - Charlie McHugh, Lincoln
  - Kiera Hopkins, Roosevelt
  - Miguel Vasquez-Gonzales, Washington
  - Ashley Roberts, Robinson
  - Gabriel Tipton, Sevier
  - Elizabeth Flora, D-B
  - Malise Ford, D-B EXCEL
  - Mikayla Morgan, Cora Cox Academy

STUDENT FOCUS REPORT

The Dobyns-Bennett High School Chamber Chorus, under the direction Choral Music Teacher Mrs. Jenny Rogers, gave a brief performance. The D-B Varsity Chorus will be performing at the Carnegie Hall Music Festival in New York City this spring.

PARENT INTEREST REPORT

Dobyns-Bennett High School Assistant Principal Mr. Richard Brown, Associate Principal Ms. Amanda Arnold, and School Psychologist Ms. Leilani DeFord provided a report on the high school's Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI²) program. RTI²is a problem-solving model that addresses individual student needs in reading and math.

RTI²is a tiered intervention model, individualized to student need and based on student data such as classroom performance, TVAAS and lexile scores, and nationally-normed screeners.
Key components of the RTI²framework are high quality curriculum and instruction, an early warning system, and progress monitoring. Progress monitoring provides a snapshot of student progress to help determine whether an intervention has been successful or needs to be changed.

2-2 RtI Presentation to BOE - 2-2-17

RECOGNITIONS

On behalf of the Board and Kingsport City Schools students and staff, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lyle Ailshie presented the KCS Champion of Education Award to Mrs. CeeGee McCord and Mr. Miles Burdine.

The Champion of Education award serves as the keystone honor presented by KCS to a community stakeholder who has shown exemplary commitment to and support for the district, its children, and its mission.
As the first recipients of the award, Mrs. McCord and Mr. Burdine were recognized for their longstanding support of KCS and for their ongoing efforts and leadership in helping KCS transform teaching and learning through new programming, facilities, and academic opportunities.

BUSINESS ITEMS

Dr. Ailshie presented a formal agreement regarding the sale of facility bonds to fund projects in Sullivan County's three school systems, Bristol City Schools, Kingsport City Schools, and Sullivan County Schools.

The agreement is based on the previously approved and non-binding Memorandum of Understanding between KCS, Kingsport, Sullivan County, and Sullivan County Schools. It will provide the bonding agent information required to conduct the sale of bonds.
After review and consideration, the Board voted 5-0 in favor of approving this formal agreement.

2-2 KptSCBE Agreement

Mr. Andy True presented a resolution of the KCS Board of Education related to the weighting of high school Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, and Honors courses in the calculation of final grade point averages.

Current TCA requires Tennessee high schools to equally weight Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Credit courses in the calculation of a student's Grade Point Average (GPA)
The resolution request a modification to current code, recommending AP courses to continue with a 1.0 Quality Point to a student's final GPA, with State Dual Enrollment, Dual Enrollment, and Honors courses adding a 0.5 Quality Point to the GPA.
After review and consideration, the Board voted 5-0 to approve the resolution pertaining to calculation of a high school student's final grade point average.

2-2 Resolution to Stop Equally Weighting AP and Dual Enrollment Courses Feb 2 2017

Mr. Andy True presented a second resolution to the KCS Board of Education proposing legislation related to State ACT/SAT accountability measures.

Beginning with the 2017-18 school year, all students in Tennessee will be required to take the ACT or SAT exam in order to receive a graduation diploma.
As part of accountability reporting, all Tennessee high schools will have participation rates published.
The resolution recommends that instead of reporting ACT/SAT participation rates based on a total cumulative participation rate, that ACT and SAT participation rates be reported based on individual test type. In addition, the resolution recommends only publicly reporting participation rates for schools and districts that have met the minimum accountability threshold.
After review and consideration, the Board voted 5-0 to approve the resolution pertaining to State ACT/SAT accountability measures.

2-2 Resolution to Include ACT and SAT in State Accountability Measures Feb 2 2017

Board member Mr. Todd Golden and Mr. True reviewed four revised policies and six new policies for Board consideration.

3.208 - Facilities Planning (new)
- A new policy to comply with State law. It includes provisions regarding asbestos management for school-owned facilities.
3.600 - Insurance Management (new)
- A new policy required by law for school systems that offer group health plans.
4.207 - English Learners (new)
- A new policy to align with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and to ensure that parental notification requirements are met for EL students.
4.700 - Assessment Programs (revised)
- An existing policy that has been revised to comply with State BOE rules with respect to final grade calculations in courses which have an EOC exam and weighting of grades 3-8 TCAP scores.
6.203 - School Admissions (new)
- A new policy requiring a physical examination for each student before they may be enrolled in school for the first time.
6.300 - Code of Conduct (revised)
- An existing policy, revised to align with Policy 6.314 - Corporal Punishment. It removes the term "corporal punishment" from the range of possible consequences for behavioral infractions.
6.314 - Corporal Punishment (new)
- A new policy required by TCA 19-6-4104. Prohibits the use of corporal punishment in KCS schools.
6.503 - Homeless Students (revised)
- An existing policy that has been revised to include provisions regarding enrollment, placement, records, and services.
6.505 - Students in Foster Care (new)
- A new policy developed in response to ESSA's amendment of the McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Assistance Act. This policy specifies processes governing the placement and transportation of students in foster care or awaiting placement into foster care.
6.600 - Student Records (revised)
- An existing policy that has been updated to be more comprehensive.
After review and consideration, the Board voted to approve the four revised policies by a vote of 5-0 and the six new polices by a vote of 5-0. The new policies will be placed on the agenda for second reading at the March Board meeting.

Mr. David Frye, Chief Finance Officer, presented the financial update for the 2nd quarter of FY 2016-17.

BEP funds received to-date are exactly 50% of the final allocation amount estimates. The revised January allocation is $72,000 more than expected based on revised estimates from the January Board meeting.
Revenue from county property sales taxes is expected to meet or exceed 2nd quarter estimates.
Expenditures to pay self-insured insurance claims from the 1st quarter are expected to drop significantly as 2016 claims are nearing closure.

2-2 Financial Update 2nd Quarter FY 2017

The next meeting of the Board of Education will be a Work Session on Thursday, February 23, 2017 at 6 p.m. The meeting will take place in the Tennessee Room of the Administrative Support Center (400 Clinchfield Street).

Read and follow our blog, "We Are KCS" to learn more about the great people and programs of Kingsport City Schools. Check it out at www.WeAreKCS.com.