Mon May 23 2016, 5:30pm
Yale School
Regular Meeting

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Minutes Regular Meeting May 9, 2016

WOODLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 404
DIRECTOR'S MEETING
MINUTES

May 9, 2016, 5:30 p.m.
Regular Meeting-District Meeting Room

MEMBERS
PRESENT

 

Janice Watts, Sarah Stuart, Lesa Beucher, Matt Donald, Steve Madsen, Taylor Vossen-Student Representative , Michael Green-Board Secretary and Vicky Barnes-Recording Secretary

OTHERS PRESENT

 

Taylor Melius, Dan Uhlenkott, Asha Riley, Juliann McCarthy, Sarah Gray, Jim Bays, Stacy Brown, John Shoup

CALL TO ORDER

 

President Janice Watts called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.

CITIZEN’S COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS

 

There were no citizen’s requests to comment on non-agenda items.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

 

Director Lesa Beucher moved to approve the minutes from April 25, 2016.

Director Watts – yes
Director Stuart – yes
Director Beucher – yes
Director Donald – yes
Director Madsen - yes

REPORTS TO THE BOARD

 

Taylor Vossen, Student Representative, reported that the class is selecting new ASB officers and that the student representative for next year will be Jamie Gonzalez. She also talked about the Every 15 Minutes Program held last

week to raise student awareness of the dangers of drunk driving. Director Watts asked how many students participated. Dan Uhlenkott, Assistant Principal of Woodland High School, said it was approximately 28 students, which is a good turnout.

Director Donald said he had attended the plant sale and was very impressed with how much was available. Director Watts asked if the old greenhouse had been used to grow plants for the plant sale. Superintendent Green said that it was used and Shar Brown at Woodland Middle School had worked with students.  It was a collaborative effort of Woodland Middle School and Woodland High School.

Director Stuart asked about the new summer strength and conditioning program referenced in the athletics report. Superintendent Green said in past years, they had used an outside provider to offer the Apex program.  This was costly for students, over $100.00.   Because of the cost, some students were excluded from participating.  In an effort to reduce costs and offer the program to more students, the school is going to offer a fitness program staffed by a skilled staff member.  The reduced cost of the program will be $65.00.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

 

TEAM High School Principal, Dan Uhlenkott, gave a presentation about TEAM, which is an alternative high school whose mission is to provide an alternative learning environment for students who are unable to be successful in a traditional high school setting. He said students have different reasons to attend the school.  Typically, students who attend are at a high risk of dropping out.   It is an excellent program for students who like the freedom to work at their own pace and students who like the flexibility of the schedule. Students sometimes come from WHS or are boundary exceptions from other districts. Special Education students can also enroll in TEAM and continue to access some curriculum at WHS.

Principal Uhlenkott explained that TEAM High School is a full diploma program, not a GED program and that a small number of students finish the program in three years through hard work and dedication. Students are expected to spend two hours or more in the TEAM classroom four days per week.  Most of the curriculum is offered using APEX, an online curriculum.   This curriculum is paired with strong academic support of two highly qualified and skilled teachers. The Apex curriculum allows students to work at their own pace and monitors their progress on quizzes and tests. Teachers work closely with students to promote success as they master the curriculum.

TEAM students are able to participate in athletic and extracurricular programs in the district in which they reside.  For the majority of students, the home school is Woodland High School.  TEAM students also have the opportunity to participate in the Clark County Skills Center.  Principal Uhlenkott thanked his dedicated staff as well as support staff including Stacy Brown, Business Director; Sarah Gray, WHS Counselor; Jody Flanagan, who meets with special education students once a week, Mary Burnett, TEAM para-educator who runs reports, talks with parents and works with students and Mary Ann Sturdivan, Culminating Project Supervisor who works closely with TEAM students. He explained all high school seniors are required to complete the culminating project no matter what school they attend.  Principal Uhlenkott also spoke highly of the schools two teachers: Elizabeth Vallaire, who teaches math, and Jillian Jacobs, who teaches English, and is working on her social studies credentials.

Principal Uhlenkott said parents are encouraged to track their students’ progress and attendance, as well as spend time with the student in the classroom. He gave statistics about TEAM including how long students typically attend and the graduation rate. He ended the presentation saying each student that graduates is a student that may not have graduated without TEAM and some are the first in their family to graduate from High School.

Director Donald asked if they used video-conferencing, Principal Uhlenkott said no, it was not used at this time. He mentioned students do have access to other programs like Khan Academy, which helps with their schoolwork. Director Watts asked if many students went into the military after graduation. Principal Uhlenkott said he did not have statistics but there were not many. Superintendent Green said under the sanctions of No Child Left Behind many alternative schools closed.  He said it was through the hard work and passion for kids that Principal Uhlenkott kept TEAM open and each year it is wonderful to participate in the graduation of the students.

 

Assistant Superintendent Asha Riley gave a presentation about the Lewis River Academy (LRA).  She discussed the mission for the school, saying the school recognizes and supports family choice education where parents are the first and most important educators for their children. Through Lewis River Academy, families can enjoy the benefits of being highly involved in their child's learning while accessing the expertise of certificated teachers and resources made available to all public school students in Washington State.

As the principal of LRA she meets with each family who signs up for LRA to help them see how it fits within the other options for education. She explained that LRA falls between an alternative setting and a home setting— giving support to students including curriculum materials.  It is flexible and individualized and allows families to be highly involved with their children’s education. Students must check in with their teachers at least once a week either in-person or via email, telephone, or other method of communication. Many families take advantage of Science Wednesdays where science experiments are done in the classroom. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the school has Learning Lab Days, which allows students to come and work on areas they may be struggling with academically. Mondays and Fridays are set aside for one on one time where parents come in with their child and work with the teacher on individual learning strategies.

Riley said LRA is really a school community, where families often plan field trips together. Students are able to co-enroll in a traditional school if they want to attend a specific class offered at the school. They offer a Mastery Based Curriculum: K-8 uses Odysseyware, and “K-12”.   APEX is used in the high school.  Apex allows for a seamless transition to TEAM if the student desires to transfer. She also explained that this year LRA was divided, with K-8 being housed on the same campus as the Woodland Middle School and District Office, while the LRA High School had been housed at the high school with high school teachers giving support during their prep time or before or after school. Beginning next year, both schools will be back together where LRA K-8 is currently and the teachers at TEAM will be giving support to the high school students. Director Watts asked if parents were happy with the move. LRA High School Principal John Shoup said overall parents were very supportive and that the students would still have access to lab time at WHS but would have tests proctored at the new location. Director Donald asked about technology access for the students at home. Assistant Superintendent Riley said one family who did not have internet at home had used the library and that it worked but was a challenge; most families have internet at home. Director Madsen asked how the alternative schools compared financially. Business Director Stacy Brown said the schools are revenue generators, in most years they generate slightly more revenue than is spent to support the programs.

CORRESPONDENCE

 

There was no correspondence.

BOARD REPORTS, REQUESTS, AND COMMENTS

 

Director Donald asked about the landscape at the new high school. Superintendent Green said they continue to have ongoing conversations with the contractor and have not accepted it as complete yet. He expects more work will be done this summer.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

 

The board discussed Chapter 4 of Effective School Boards-Strategies for Improving Board Performance by Eugene Smoley, Jr. This chapter focused on connecting to the community. Director Stuart said the chapter has good question for a new board member, such as what structures are in place currently to help with communication to the community. Director Donald talked about the work that had been done at the policy level and published on the district website to help get information out about how the public can give input to the board. Director Madsen said it is also good for the board of directors to be a presence in community meetings such as the Rotary or Chamber. Director Beucher said she attends the rotary meetings regularly (where she currently serves as President). Director Donald asked if Superintendent Green could bring a list of local meetings and their times to the board so they could see what is currently available. Director Stuart said she hopes to attend PTSA meetings soon. Director Watts said in the past Ad Hoc teams and public meetings have been used to engage the community and get their input. Director Madsen said in the next few weeks he hopes to propose the board form a graduation readiness committee and hopes the board with be supportive. Director Donald said the board has done well in listening to the community, and referred to the change in time of the meeting so patrons could attend the meeting after work. President Watts referred to the new survey results sent out in the Friday notes to the board as a way that encouraged internal communication. The board talked about the possibility of either videotaping and posting the board meetings or having audio available to increase communication with the community. The board will skip discussion on the book at the next board meeting but will resume on June 13, 2016.

CONSENT AGENDA

 

Director Madsen moved to approve the consent agenda.

Director Watts – yes
Director Stuart – yes
Director Beucher – yes
Director Donald – yes
Director Madsen - yes

ACTION ITEMS

 

Student Meal Prices for 2016-2017 school year - Business Manager Stacy Brown explained the reason for the increase on meal prices for the 2016-2017 school year is due to the requirement of the United States Department of Agriculture to calculate the weighted average paid lunch price. If the weighted average paid lunch price is less than $2.75, there are three options. Woodland opted to increase the price charged for paid lunches by 10 cents, much lower than others. Superintendent Green said with the increase, the district is still not making a surplus (profit) on lunches.

Director Madsen moved to approve 2016-2017 student meal prices as presented.

Director Watts – yes
Director Stuart – yes
Director Beuscher – yes
Director Donald – yes
Director Madsen – yes

 

Creation of Cowlitz County Therapeutic School Program Interlocal Agreement - Superintendent Green said the request was to formalize the relationship between ESD 112, Castle Rock School District, Longview School District and Kelso School District. He explained the purpose of this is to request ESD 112 to develop and operate a day treatment therapeutic school program, Quest Academy, to provide special education and related services to students in the Cowlitz Districts. Director Stuart asked if this was the same as TEAM. Superintendent Green explained the student population is impacted more behaviorally and only serves special education students and has a very high adult to child ratio. The goals is for the students to develop a skill set that will allow them to re-enter school.

Director Madsen moved to approve the Interlocal Agreement between ESD 112 and Woodland Public Schools.

Director Watts – yes
Director Stuart – yes
Director Beucher – yes
Director Donald – yes
Director Madsen – yes

 

Resolution 16-04 – Acceptance of Summer Remodel Projects

Superintendent Green said this will be the final payment for security, safety and transition work that was done in WPS, WIS and WMS during the summer of 2015.  Director Donald asked if there was going to be any additional work at the Middle School entrance. Superintendent Green said there was nothing else to be done. Director Madsen commented that it was nice to see the police in front of the Middle School drop off to encourage safety. Superintendent Green said WMS Principal Jake Hall has been working with Police Chief Phil Crochet to look at ways to increase safety around the school. Director Beucher asked if the remodel included fencing around the middle school greenhouse. Superintendent Green said this was a different project.

Director Stuart moved to adopt Resolution 16-04 as presented.

Director Watts – yes
Director Stuart – yes
Director Beucher – yes
Director Donald – yes
Director Madsen – yes

ADJOURNMENT

 

Meeting was adjourned at 7:08 p.m.

 

 

ATTEST:

_______________________________
Secretary to the Board

WOODLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT #404
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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President

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Director

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Director

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Director

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Director

 

 

Attached Files:
Consent Agenda 16-5-9.pdf application/pdf 110K