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Q&A for School Board Members (Pg. 1 - Index) (Pg. 2 - Q&A for Board Members) (Pg. 3 - Governance) Introduction (7/15/10) - This page will be used to share some of the more frequently asked questions by Indiana school board members. Responses to those questions will come from a variety of sources.
Unique Authorities Of A School Board President (7/15/10) Russ Phillips recently asked the following of Dave Emmert, General Counsel, of the Indiana School Boards Association: I believe I have had the following discussion sometime in the past with you or one of the members of the legal staff. However, I need a refresher. Is it correct that Indiana Code gives the Board President two, and only two, unique authorities relative to the other Board members, these being the authority to call a special meeting and in tandem with the Board Secretary to sign contracts on behalf of the Board? What are the IC cites for this? Is it correct that Board Policy may give other unique authorities to the Board President? Lastly, is it correct that past Board practice, even though not reflected in Indiana Code or Board Policy, may be cited as a basis for Board President authority? What else might bear upon the unique authority of a Board
President? Your memory is quite accurate on the statutorily stated powers of the school board president. I have pasted the relevant statutes below. (I have substituted the link instead of including the statutes here. IC 20-26-4-3 and IC 20-26-4-8 - Webmaster) Also, as you correctly state, the board itself via an adopted policy, bylaws, or meeting procedures (or other document by whatever referenced name), may grant additional express authority as long as it does not conflict with the Indiana Education Code, federal statute, and the state and federal constitutions. Lastly, courts recognize that a long-standing custom or practice that is known and accepted by other board members will have the force of local “law” until such time as the board majority adopts an amendment or repeal of said custom/practice. At this point, nothing else comes to mind in this regard. Can A Superintendent Deny A Student In His District From Attending A Public School Elsewhere? (7/15/10) Russ Phillips recently asked the following of Dave Emmert, General Counsel, of the Indiana School Boards Association: Students living outside your district - Must the Superintendent where they live "okay" their attending in some other school district? I realize that as a courtesy you might want to inform the superintendent of their resident district that you are enrolling them. I also realize the importance of having local policy and criteria that must be met to accept them as well as the prudence of checking with the previous school regarding behavior, etc. Again, my question is does the resident superintendent have to give his "okay" for them to be "released"? Dave Emmert responded: Under SEA 252 (2010 Legislature) there is no requirement for the board or superintendent of the school system where the transferring students’ parents live to approve or agree to the transfer. It is each local school board’s choice as to whether or not the school will charge transfer tuition to children from other systems. Viewpoint - The Superintendent's Evaluation: Does The Board President Or The Entire Board Discuss The Final Evaluation With The Superintendent? (7/27/10) This topic came up at a recent meeting of the School Board of Caston School Corporation. Last year the Board approved the Board President to present the Board's evaluation of the Superintendent to him in a one-on-one setting. Although uncertain how many years it is believed this has been the practice for at least several. However, Phillips feels there are reasons why the entire Board should present the evaluation. An audio recording (8 min., 25 sec.) of the Board discussion on this topic will be found here. The sequence of the Board members speaking is as follows: Phillips, Herd, Ayers, Zartman, Cress, Phillips, Herd, Zartman, Foster (Superintendent), Zartman, Cress, Zartman, Phillips, Ayers and Zartman. When May A School Board Meet In Executive Session (i.e. Public Is Excluded)? (7/30/10) A school board, as per Indiana Code, may meet in executive session (i.e. the public is excluded) only for a limited number of reasons. These thirteen reasons will be found in IC 5-14-1.5-6 (scroll down to this number). Indiana School Board Members Invited To Join IDOE “Community” For Sharing (9/25/10, revised 10/20/10) Fellow Board Member, As a Board Member in north central Indiana I extend to you an invitation to be part of a “community” of Indiana School Board members. This online community, “Indiana School Board Members,” has been created on the Indiana Department of Education’s “The Learning Connection.” The community, created August 25, 2010, is open only to school board members and upon verification of board membership, approval is granted.. The purpose of this community is to connect current school board members from across Indiana so that on a variety of topics they might share questions, opinions and experiences as well as practices of their respective Boards in a very time-sensitive manner. This sharing is done through a “forum.” Any community member may start a new topic just as any member may reply to a post. However, you may also choose to just read and not post. To
register for The Learning Connection follow this: Once in the community it is suggested you select “Forums” near the top. You will then see some of the discussion that is going on. If you have difficulty with any of this I'll be happy to help. Just email me at rbpjrfulton@yahoo.com or call 574/857-4875. I hope to see you soon as a member of this community. Best
regards, State Superintendent Bennett Meets With The Learning Connection Community "Indiana School Board Members" (6/10/11) The community "Indiana School Board Members" (see previous article) on IDOEs "The Learning Connection" was created in August 2010. State Superintendent Tony Bennett provided an opportunity for this community to meet with him on May 31, 2011 for about one hour (48 minutes recorded) on topics of the community's choosing. Below is a link to an audio of the conversation. Listed below are those board members who participated as
well as Dale Chu, IDOE Ass't. Supt. for Policy, Legal and Communications. Indiana school board members are still invited to register with The Learning Connection and the community "Indiana School Board Members." (details) Consent was given by all for the conversation to be recorded with the understanding that it would be "paused" if requested. This was requested once by one of the board members (NOT Dr. Bennett or Mr. Chu) for a period of about ten minutes due to the sensitive nature of the comments being made. There is a "hum" noise in the background due to room ventilation and Mr. Chu is the most difficult to hear due to being seated at the end of a long table. Below are some of the major topics that were submitted by the community. Unfortunately time ran out before all could be discussed. In parentheses is the elapsed time for the beginning of the topic in the event you want to skip around. However, as you might expect other topics emerged during the discussion and were at least briefly commented upon such as: school consolidation; health insurance for board members; unused school buildings; SEA 1, "Operational Efficiency Reviews," Cummins, no charge for assistance (see note below for video); "starting with a blank sheet of paper...change business practices"; local school board members being better informed directly by IDOE; accountability for home schools; school boards giving their superintendent the necessary cover to make changes; and "fickle school boards." (00:00) Introductory Remarks including "the sleeper" in educational reform. (02:22) Principals, Staff Evaluation and Time - The
new legal requirement for annual teachers evaluations is, I think, a good one,
and fundamental to serious reform. I'd like to hear Dr. Bennett's ideas for how
we stretch administrators who currently evaluate one-third of their staff each
year to effectively evaluate all their staff. Will DOE object if school
corporations hire more administrators to complete this vital function? In many
districts there is a public perception that schools are "top heavy"
with admins already and DOE sometimes seems to be critical of hiring staff who
don't have direct student impact. (09:05) Reports Sent To and From
DOE (ready and direct access to data by board members) - What reports are due and when are reports due to the
IDOE? What reports are released and when are reports released from
the IDOE to the districts, for example ISTEP, ECA etc...? When and how
often is data released from the IDOE and reported on individual district
websites? Lastly, how can districts access reports sent to the IDOE
and sent from the IDOE? (15:49) Pay for Performance. - While the state is taking credit for offering pay for performance, the fact is that most school corps don't have the money to give increases and the grant offered isn't much of a long-term solution. The state told us how we are supposed to pay our teachers... however... the state isn't willing to do the same for school corporations. The onus is left on the Superintendents to follow the new guidelines and it's no longer their choice. (I'm not necessarily against it, it's more that rules were created that are in contrast to what the state does). (21:36)
Restoration Grant – What was its purpose? (31:00) Technology. - There are great strides in technology and it's great to hear of the schools taking advantage of the grants. However, with ALECS and other online courses becoming the "norm", what's the plan to ensure all schools are properly funded to keep up? THere are plenty of grants out there, but most apply to Title 1 schools and other specific situations. Oftentimes, these schools have more programs, more funding, and better technology than the rural schools (36:58) Recording paused for about 10 minutes at board
member request. (37:02) Vouchers, Charters and Suburban & Rural Districts - I'd like to hear some conversation about the expected impact of vouchers and charter schools on suburban and rural districts. These innovations have been shown to have at least limited effectiveness in poor, urban districts, but since this is now state law, what does DOE envision happening in the suburbs and rural areas? (47:49) End of recording and session. Schools in Yr. 5 of Probation (not directly
discussed) 2012 Legislative Session - What are the key plans for next year's legislative agenda? (not directly discussed) School Boards
and Their Focus - One topic
that interests and even perplexes me is the role of a school board. I’m very
familiar with “to establish policy” and “not to administer” or
“micro-manage.” Even though boards have similar purposes, each
is unique regarding those who are serving as well as its practices, history,
etc. Tony, I heard you once refer to boards and their meetings being perfunctory
and not really focused on improving the opportunities and accomplishments of
students. I’m interested on how boards can be encouraged to become more
engaged in this manner while still respecting the role of “administration.” (not
directly discussed) Full Day Kindergarten, Funding – Philosophically should a FDK student receive the same funding from the State as a student in grades1-12? (not directly discussed)
Temporary superintendent license – May the same individual serve as a building level administrator and the superintendent? Example: Argos Community Schools…Superintendent & Jr.-Sr. High School Principal? Other systems doing this? (not directly discussed)
Appreciation is extended to Dr. Bennett and Mr. Chu for their time and the group felt the time was beneficial as did Dr. Bennett and he offered to do this again in the future.
(SEA 1, "Operational Efficiency Reviews," Cummins, no charge for assistance - Below you will find the link to the House Education Committee testimony that was given by a representative of Cummins and Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation. This took place on Mon., Apr.11, 2011. The presentation begins at about 01:09:55 and goes to about 01:44:50 (35 minutes). At about 01:24:35 the comment is made, "Cummins would charge nothing." Several places in the recording the audio goes silent for a bit (about 15-45 seconds). http://media.ihets.org/vod/house/2011_04_11_ED.wmv)
Indiana School Superintendent Says Small District Can't Afford His Salary
(retitled, TribTown,
6/15/11) MEDORA — This community’s school corporation may likely survive state funding cutbacks, but it will have to do so without Superintendent John Reed. “You can save $50,000 right now,” Reed told trustees during their meeting Monday night in the school media center. Reed was referring to his recommendation that the board accept his resignation effective Wednesday. The Indianapolis native said if trustees opted to fill his position by hiring a part-time superintendent, it would save the corporation $50,000. If they could find a way to cope without a superintendent, they could save $123,000. Reed said it was with a lot of regret that he made the recommendation to accept his resignation, but the move is one the board needs to do right now to ensure that the school will continue to survive for years to come. “I’m asking you to do this in the best interest of Medora and the kids (263 students),” said Reed, who was hired as superintendent in May of 2008. He said the state is not planning to increase the $1.9 million allotted to the school for the general fund in 2012 or 2013. Reed said trustees and others have taken a lot of steps in recent months to ensure the school’s survival in the wake of state cuts. The moves include teachers accepting a 5 percent pay cut. He said they could do more by accepting his resignation because the state funding formula simply does not allow for a full-time superintendent. Trustee Larry Osborn made the motion to accept Reed’s recommendation. “Reluctantly,” Osborn said. Trustee Joe Campbell said he understood the reasons behind Reed’s recommendation. “I appreciate your input, expertise and involvement in this community,” Campbell said. “A thank you or super thank you is not enough. We wish you the best.” Reed said he will miss the hugs he received from the younger children each day. “Medora is a great place,” Reed said. “You hold a special place in God’s heart.” After the meeting, board President Darrell Kidd said the board had talked to a few people about the possibility of serving as a part-time superintendent. And Campbell said he still holds a superintendent’s license himself. Reed will continue to work until the end of June without pay to finish up some issues that need addressed. In a related matter, the board also approved the resignation of Nancy Loriaux, a world language/social studies teacher at the high school. Reed said high school students will now receive Spanish language instruction online and will be helped by an aide who is fluent in Spanish.
Superintendent Resigns To Cut Cash-Strapped District's Cost (Education Week,
6/16/11)
By The Associated Press
Indianapolis An Indiana school superintendent's decision to help his cash-strapped district's bottom line by stepping down, saving it up to $123,000 a year, illustrates the tough financial pressures the state's smallest school districts are facing, education officials say. Medora Community Schools Corp. Superintendent John Reed resigned Wednesday as the southern Indiana district's leader, two days after the school board accepted his resignation. He will continue working unpaid for two more weeks. Reed, who had headed the 270-student district since 2008, said Wednesday he felt there was no other choice but to resign in advance of "the cruncher" the district will face under the new state school funding formula lawmakers approved in April. "I told the board that to maintain your programs—all that you offer the kids—the only thing that's logical is that you do something at the administrative level. And that's when I gave them my resignation," he said. The two-year state budget that Indiana lawmakers approved in April included a slight overall funding increase for the state's public schools. But it also made changes to the school funding formula that will cut funding to smaller, mostly rural districts with declining enrollments starting in 2012, said John Ellis, director of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents. The budget also eliminated two grant programs, one of them geared toward rural schools. "Losing two funds that helped them, that's put a lot of them in the position where they're going to have to take some drastic steps," Ellis said. He expects the state's 15 to 20 smallest districts will be hard-hit by the funding changes under the budget plan, which also will provide $150 per student to districts with at least 500 students. That amount is capped at $150,000 per district. According to Indiana Department of Education figures, about 10 Indiana districts have enrollment under 500 students, Medora Community Schools Corp. among them. Two of those districts, Dewey Prairie Consolidated School Corp. and Cass Township School, merged earlier this month. Ellis said it "certainly appears" the latest state budget is in part aimed at forcing smaller districts to consolidate through financial inducements. Stephanie Sample, a spokeswoman for the Indiana Department of Education, said that isn't the case. Instead, she said the state is just trying to shift funding from "bricks and mortar" toward "actually funding students." "If we're talking about a push for consolidation, I think our primary concern is not the number of students in the schools—that's not our focus," Sample said. "The department's focus has always been on the services that the districts are able to provide the students." She said Reed's decision to resign was commendable and a "selfless act for the sake of the kids in his district." Reed said it's heart-wrenching for him to leave the district, but he's glad his departure could free up between $50,000 and $123,000 a year for the district, depending on whether it hires a part-time superintendent or asks another administrator to handle those duties. He said the district won't be getting any increases in state funding over the next two years and the district's teachers have already taken a 5 percent pay cut. Reed said he's lined up a non-superintendent job for himself at another district. Denny Costerison, executive director of the Indiana Association of School Business Officials, said the new funding formula is poised to "put some real hurt into the smallest school corporations." "It definitely was not in favor of small school districts—and definitely was not in favor of school districts with declining enrollments," he said. Indiana's smallest remaining district is the 160-student New Harmony Town & Township Consolidated Schools, which operates a single K-12 school in far southwestern Indiana's Posey County, according to state records. Superintendent Fran Thoele said the district is one of the state's most financially sound smaller districts. She worries the funding changes will hurt the corporation, although it's too early to know the full impact. "We've got no debts, we've got money in the bank, but the new funding formula is going to hurt us," Thoele said.
School System Where Superintendent Resigns To Cut Costs, Shores Up Funds (IED, 7/2/11) MEDORA — Medora Community School Corp. Board of Trustees put the finishing touches on a program to ensure funding is in place to keep the school open in the coming years. Those actions occurred during special meetings Monday and Tuesday evenings in the school media center. Superintendent John Reed, who resigned June 15 but continued to work through Thursday, said the board made cuts and reductions to ensure funding is in place for the remainder of this year and 2012. “And for the most part 2013,” Reed said. Trustees opted to reduce the hours of three full-time teachers, two by one hour, and the third by two hours, Reed said. They also decided not to replace a Spanish teacher who recently resigned and plan to replace her with an online language program. “For a savings of $50,000,” Reed said. He said trustees also decided to readjust the administration, making junior-senior high school Principal Brad McCammon principal of the elementary school as well, and making guidance counselor and language arts teacher Dan Johnson assistant to the principal of the elementary school. Reed had been serving as principal of the elementary school. He said trustees also plan to hire a part-time superintendent to work a couple of days a week, which will save an estimated $50,000. Reed said the school’s enrollment is the only other issue that can affect the budget in the next few years.
South Henry
Schools Hires Part-Time Superintendent To Save Money (IED, 7/20/11)
LEWISVILLE - A new part-time superintendent was hired Monday to help South Henry climb out of money troubles. Wesley Hammond is coming out of retirement to help oversee the district's curriculum and budget. The former assistant superintendent at Mill Creek Community School Corp. will be paid $67,500 to work 3 1/2 days in the central office. The district has always had a full-time leader, but the school board looked for someone to work on a part-time basis because of cash flow problems, interim Supt. Philip Wray said. South Henry is spending more money than it takes in and is on track to face a $193,000 deficit at the end of the year. By hiring Hammond, the board won't have to pay retirement benefits, and they'll pay him a lower salary than they would a full-time superintendent. His contract means an annual savings of $25,000 to $30,000, Wray said. No other Henry County schools have part-time superintendents, but Wray recently led Union schools working 2 1/2 days a week. He said the situation worked well, and staff could always contact him if he was out of the office. The change is a way to save money without affecting classrooms, Wray said. "We're asking other people to work with what they can do," he said. "Now we're showing that the administrators are doing something." One year of retirement was enough for Hammond. After 33 years in education, he was bored sitting at home on his small farm in Greencastle and wanted a new challenge. The opening at South Henry seemed like a perfect fit for both parties, Hammond said. He wanted a school job where he wouldn't have to work every day, and South Henry wanted someone to work part-time. He's also spent most of his career working at small, rural school districts. Hammond will commute to South Henry from Greencastle and stay in town overnight on the days he's working.
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