SCHOOL BOARD OF THE CITY OF NORFOLK

Minutes of the Monthly School Board Meeting
December 19, 2007

Closed Executive Session (Superintendent's Conference Room/1200) - 4:00pm

The meeting was called to order at 4:05 p.m. by Mr. Bishop in the Superintendent’s Conference Room of the School Administration Building, 800 E. City Hall Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia.  Present were:  Mr. Bishop, Mr. Driggers, and Dr. Tonelson.  Dr. McCluney arrived at 4:30 and Mr. Cook arrived at 5:03.  Mrs. Rhodes and Dr. Wright were absent.  Others in attendance were Superintendent Jones, Chief of Staff Young, Chief Academic Officer Boone, Chief of Operations Spencer, and Clerk Rhodes along with Mr. Cloud and Mr. Mungo from the City Attorney’s office. 

A roll call vote was taken on the motion and it was approved unanimously.

Open Informal Session (Superintendent's Conference Room/1200) - 5:00pm

Mr. Bishop called the informal session of the meeting to order at 5:08 p.m. in Room 1200 of the School Administration Building.   Present were Chair Bishop, Mr. Cook, Mr. Driggers, Dr. McCluney, and Dr. Tonelson.  Mrs. Rhodes and Dr. Wright were absent.  

RESOLUTION CERTIFYING AN EXECUTIVE CLOSED SESSION

It was MOVED and seconded that whereas, the School Board of the City of Norfolk convened a closed meeting on this date pursuant to an affirmative recorded vote and in accordance with the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act; and whereas, Section 2.2-3712 of the Code of Virginia requires a certification by the School Board of the City of Norfolk that such closed meeting was conducted in conformity with Virginia law; now, therefore, be it resolved by the School Board of the City of Norfolk:

That the School Board of the City of Norfolk hereby certifies that, to the best of each member’s knowledge, (i) only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which this certification resolution applies, and (ii) only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed meeting were heard, discussed, or considered by the Board.

A roll call vote was taken on the motion and it was approved unanimously.

Topics discussed during the informal session included:

1. External Audit Report, a report to receive information
2. The 2006-07 District Stakeholder Survey, an information report, was presented by Karren Bailey and Dennis Futty.  The surveys are administered to parents, students, and teachers annually.  The results were illustrated in chart and graph, grouped by school level, to provide more detailed information.
3. The Board discussed the January 18 and 19 School Board Retreat.

The School Board came out of closed session at 6:43 p.m.

RESOLUTION CERTIFYING AN EXECUTIVE CLOSED SESSION

It was MOVED and seconded that whereas, the School Board of the City of Norfolk convened a closed meeting on this date pursuant to an affirmative recorded vote and in accordance with the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act; and whereas, Section 2.2-3712 of the Code of Virginia requires a certification by the School Board of the City of Norfolk that such closed meeting was conducted in conformity with Virginia law; now, therefore, be it resolved by the School Board of the City of Norfolk:

That the School Board of the City of Norfolk hereby certifies that, to the best of each member’s knowledge, (i) only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which this certification resolution applies, and (ii) only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed meeting were heard, discussed, or considered by the Board.

A roll call vote was taken on the motion and it was approved unanimously.

The School Board took a short dinner break.

Open Formal Session (Room 1202) - 7:00pm

Mr. Bishop called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. in Room 1200 of the School Administration Building.   Present were Chair Bishop, Mr. Cook, Mr. Driggers, Dr. McCluney, and Dr. Tonelson.  Mrs. Rhodes and Dr. Wright were absent.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Mr. Bishop led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

1. The Superintendent reminded the board that Norfolk Public Schools will be closed Dec. 24-26th and 31st and January 1st.  The Central Administration Building will be open Dec. 27th-28th, however, staff may be on leave.



2. The Superintendent sat in on the Shared Governance committee meeting recently at Lake Taylor Middle School.  The shared governance committee consists of school administrators (principal and assistant principal); the school math and special education department chairs; a math professor from William and Mary; the state auditor assigned to Lake Taylor Middle; Sarah McKown who is serving as the principal’s mentor; and central administrators including the Chief Academic Officer, the Executive Director for Middle Schools, and Senior Coordinators for Special Education and Math.  The Superintendent will be sharing quarterly reports from the governance team with the Board.



3. The winter Administrators Conference will be held on January 10, 2008 at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.  The Superintendent invited all Board members to join him at 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 10 to greet our Administrators as they arrive and to thank them for their service.
   
   During the Administrators Conference, the Superintendent will recognize Taylor Elementary School for its designation as a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education and Norview High School for winning a bronze model as one of U.S. News & World Report’s top high schools.  He invited the Board to join him for that recognition.



4. The Superintendent reminded those present the School Board would hold a retreat on Friday, January 18 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Saturday, January 19 from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. The location will be the Murray Center, 455 E. Brambleton Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia.  A joint meeting with City Council will be held during the retreat from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m.



5. The administration held its first public hearing regarding the proposed closure of Oakwood Elementary on Dec. 17 at 6 p.m.  Approximately 60 people attended with 10 people providing comments.
   
   The second public hearing will be held Jan. 10 at 6 p.m. at Oakwood Elementary. During this hearing, the administration will brief the public on its recommendations for closure and collect feedback on that proposal.
   The formal recommendation to close Oakwood Elementary will be presented to the Board at its Jan. 16 meeting. The School Board will vote on the recommendation at its Feb. 20 meeting. The public will have opportunities to address the Board on this topic at both meetings.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

1. Phil Dabney, Earth Science teacher from Lake Taylor High School and Valerie Tuck, Earth Science teacher from Azalea Gardens Middle School, were 2 of the 250 teachers from across the nation chosen to take part in the Northrup Grumman Foundation’s Weightless Flights of Discovery Program.  The program is designed to help current and future science educators motivate their students to pursue careers in technology and science.
   
   
2. Aaliyah Earvin a 7th grade student at Norview Middle School is the newest member of Ms. Natalie Murray’s Orchestra program.  Although Aaliyah had only been playing the violin a few weeks, she showed potential and commitment to learn her new art.  She entered a statewide writing contest to win her own Violin outfit, case, and bow.  With a letter of recommendation from her teacher, Aaliyah’s essay was chosen from hundreds of other applicants.  The contest and the donation of the violin outfit is sponsored  by The Virginia Music Education Association & the Virginia American String Teachers’ Association.


3. Motivating children to become fit and gain appreciation of running as a lifetime exercise is an easy task at Ghent School.  Every Tuesday & Thursday for an hour after school students run, play games & have relays.  After each session, they write in journals tallying up their mileage, how they felt & whether or not they met their goals.  The children may be having fun but they are also learning to set personal goals, making them more self-confident & giving them a more positive outlook on life.


4. Keeping the arts alive in any school system can be a tremendous undertaking.  Getting students interested in the arts is another story.   Samuel Roundtree, Department Chair for the Academy of the Arts at Booker T. Washington High School, has taken on that task.  The academy covers all aspects of the arts and also teaches students the historical and cultural influences within the arts.  Booker T. hosted a night of “A Taste of the Arts” to showcase what they had learned and what they had accomplished.  With their motto “tapping hidden talent and exposing unlimited potential”, the evening was a huge success.  To learn more about the Academy of the Arts, visit the NPS website and then click on Booker T. Washington High School.

For other stories, visit the Media Production web page at www.npsk12.com.

These were the Items of Interest for December 2007.

INTRODUCTION OF NEW ADMINISTRATORS

Mr. Spencer, Chief Operations Officer, introduced:

1. Dr. Reuthenia C. Clark, promoted from Assistant Principal, Lake Taylor High to Principal, Azalea Gardens

CITIZEN COMMENT ON AGENDA/NON-AGENDA ITEMS

Millicent Riddick spoke regarding the need for a new building for Dreamkeepers Academy. 

OPEN FORMAL SESSION - CONSENT AGENDA

The Consent Agenda was presented for approval and contained the items listed below:

1. The Personnel Docket for December 19, 2007
2. The Pupil Personnel Report containing
   
   
   1. The Suggested Long Term Suspensions with Special Conditions report
   2. The Long-term Suspension Report for the month of November, 2007
   3. The Out-of-district Report for the month of November, 2007
      
      
3. The School Board minutes for the November 20, 2007, School Board meeting, the December 5, 2007, Recognition Ceremony, and the December 5, 2007, Public Hearing on the Capital Improvement Budget.
4. The November 2007, Bills and Payroll Report;
5. The November Use of School Facilities Report;
6. A request to approve home schooling based on the Religious Exemption Act.

The motion was made by Dr. Tonelson and seconded by Mr. Cook to approve the consent agenda with the exception of Case #5 from the pupil personnel docket to be considered separately.  The motion was approved unanimously.  

OPEN FORMAL SESSION - DISCUSSION/DECISION AGENDA

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS AND STATEMENT

Mr. Schmitt presented the Financial Highlights for November and the Financial Statement (Month End Report Period 5, 2008).  Mr. Schmitt reported that revenue currently received is $145,860,146 or 46.0%.  This compares with 36.4% for the same time period last year and 38.7% in 2006.  As of November 30, 2007, we have encumbered or expenses $118,964,036 or 37.5%.  This compares with 34.1% in 2007 and 33.5% in 2006.  The motion was made by Mr. Cook to receive and file the financial statement for October and seconded by Mr. Driggers.  The motion was approved unanimously.

SCHOOL BOARD MATTERS

1. Dr. Tonelson reported that the Special Education Advisory Council met recently.  They discussed the various types of diplomas and information needed to present to elementary parents regarding the special education process.
   
   
2. Mr. Driggers reported that the Audit Committee did meet, but there was nothing to report.
   
   
3. Mr. Cook stated he had met with the Construction Committee and that Blair is continuing to make progress in construction clean-up.  The Legislative Committee is getting ready for the opening of the General Assembly in January.  He noted encouraged all to do what they can to promote safety and doing what is right in our community.


4. Mr. Bishop and Dr. Jones extended best wishes for a wonderful holiday season

The meeting adjourned at 7:30p.m.

Minutes approved by the School Board: January 16, 2008