A regular meeting of the Board of Education was held at the Board of Education Offices, One Valley View Drive, Cortland, New York, on May 9, 2000.

Also Present: Mr. Donald Parks, Superintendent of Schools; Mr. Paul Goodwin, Director of Curriculum & Instruction; Ms. Kathleen Tavarone, Director of Pupil Personnel; Mr. Stephen Pearsall, Director of Business Services; Mr. Mark Mondanaro, Exec. Principal, High School; Mr. Mike Doughty, Principal 11-12; Ms. Lori Megivern, C.U.T. President; Ms. Lynn New, Principal, Virgil; Mr. William Lee, English, High School; and Carolyn Dorn, Clerk of the Board of Education.

Mr. Guido called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Mr. Parks explained that Benjamin Sills, a student at Cortland Junior-Senior High School, was being recognized tonight for the $500 scholarship he was awarded by American Movie Classics in conjunction with Time Warner for a video he submitted. In addition, the school district will be receiving a VCR. Mr. Parks presented Ben with a distinguished achievement certificate, and Mr. Parks and the Board congratulated him on his accomplishment.

Mr. Guido noted that an invitation to the Senior Banquet on June 2, 2000 at 6:00 PM had been included in the Board packet.

Mr. William Lee, an English teacher at the High School, then addressed the Board to appeal a decision made by the Administrative Team to drop the elective course, Readers' Theater. He explained that he and his Dept. Chairman, Brian Bosch, were not aware of the recruitment process. He found out from Mr. Bosch on Wednesday afternoon before the supposedly Friday deadline, 3/31. He then told some of the students, who went out and got the signatures of 23 students. When he took this to Mr. Mondanaro on Friday, he was advised this couldn't be done and that the students had probably just signed to save the class. He then checked with the 23 students and 21 of them said that they had not signed up just to save the class. Mr. Lee stated that he feels the course should be reinstated, as there are 21 students really interested, some of whom are 11^th graders whose only chance to take the course would be next year. Mr. Lee thanked the Board for considering his request.

Emily Card spoke in favor of the Readers' Theater Class and gave the Board a written copy of her statement. Patty Levine and Sarah Marks, 11^th grade students, also read a statement in support of the class.

Ms. Megivern spoke on behalf of the students in her class that would have taken some of the other classes that were cut, such as Environmental Science, stating they also would like the opportunity to have their classes open back up. She stated that a reevaluation of the system would be to the benefit of all of the students.

Ben Sills, a senior, also spoke in favor of the Readers' Theater. Laura Troy, a junior, explained how she had helped to recruit students after they were told they could do this by the Friday deadline.

Mr. Lee asked when a decision would be made on this matter and Mr. Guido explained that no actin would be taken at this time as this part of the Agenda is for Oral and Written Communication to the Board. Any action would have to be taken under New Business. Ms. Wyatt asked if it would be a big problem administratively to reschedule this class. Mr. Parks advised that there were 14 other classes that were cut due to low enrollment. If this class is reinstated, the others should also be given the chance. Mr. Mondanaro is well into the master scheduling, and to add a course at this time would be very difficult if not impossible. Mr. Guido stated that this matter should be brought up under New Business for a decision. Dr. Papalia asked for clarification of the timeframe, asking if the deadline was Friday and they had the students by Friday? Mr. Lee replied that he was correct, and that he feels they met the deadline. Mr. Guido stated he believed this needed to be discussed between the Board and the Administration before a decision could be made.

Mr. William Sills then voiced his support of the program, stating that the award received by his son, Ben, tonight was a direct result of Mr. Lee's efforts and, specifically, the Readers' Theater class. Ben Sills spoke again, stating that at his NYU interview he was asked about theater education, and was proud to tell them he was able to take a formal class in theater through his high school. NYU said that that was a rarity. Mr. Guido thanked all of the students and parents who came to support the program. One addition parent, who did not state her name, gave the last statement to the Board in support of this program, stating the importance of creating an environment that engages all of the students. Mr. Guido answered that the Board and Administration have provided quality programs and that they have been very supportive of all areas. He stated that they needed an opportunity to reflect on all of the things discussed regarding this topic before a decision could be made.

NYS Association of Small City School Districts - Annual Conference this summer, August 13-14. This is a change as it is usually held in the fall, but changed to the summer to try to generate greater interest. Need to know if anyone is interested, let him know so reservations can be made.

Rural School Program Conference - July 9-11, 2000 - again, need to know if anyone is interested in attending so reservations can be made.

Reminder of Grammy Award Presentation - Thursday, May 11, 2000 at 6:30 PM.

OLD BUSINESS (ACTION ITEMS):

Information Technology Updates: Mr. Guido explained that the update on the Board's request for comparative data from schools with a similar number of PCs as to how they are operating their systems and with how many people would not be made tonight as the study is not yet complete.

Printers: Mr. Parks explained that in the Board packet had been an update from Kieran O'Connor on information requested by the Board on printers. This included a memo from Mr. O'Connor and copies of 7 responses returned from the survey sent to all JSHS employees. Dr. Peagler asked if a printer would be provided for Ms. Beck per a recommendation by Mr. Gambitta. Mr. Goodwin explained that when Dr. Peagler had toured the high school with him, Ms. Beck's room was one where a non-network printer had been put in. The closest network printer was down the hall in room 260, and there are no plans

to change that at this time. He further explained that there are only two areas in the works at present: a printer for the nurses area, which should be installed within the week, and the large group instruction area, which is being looked at for the next group of printers purchased. Every year, requests are taken and reviewed from staff for equipment for the next year.

Asynchronous Learning, AP Statistics Course: Mr. Guido noted the information provided in Mr. Parks Superintendent's Report of similar courses offered previously at Cortland Junior-Senior High School, such as French and Spanish #305 through SUNY Cortland, where the student and/or family pays the tuition cost of $400 and the district receives reimbursement of $240 per student, or a max of $2400; AP American History and English at $76 per course payable by the student/family; and Dual Credit Courses at TC3 at no cost to the student. He asked Mr. Parks to explain the Asynchronous Learning course further. He explained that there were two gifted students who would be taking the course on-line. A teacher would be assigned to work with them. This is an experimental program and they would like to run it for one year on a pilot basis. This would be an extension of the courses that are offered through the AP Program. The parents would be required to pay $450, and the district would be paying the other $450, which is congruent with what is done with courses through SUNY Cortland. Students pay the tuition up front and then are refunded a portion of it based upon the number of students in the course. Dr. Papalia moved approval of the Asynchronous Learning, AP Statistics course, Mr. Brown seconded the motion, motion carried, all members voting aye.

Consent Agenda: Mr. Guido asked for a motion to adopt the Consent Agenda.

• Betty Henry, Food Service Helper, Barry, effective Friday May 12, 2000.
• Karla Mathews, 1^st Grade, Randall, effective June 30, 2000.

• 703 & 704 - Non-Instructional Personnel 1999-2000
• 1562 & 1564 - Instructional Personnel 1999-2000
• 1563-1 through 1563-9 Instruction Personal 1999-2000 - Tenure

• General Officie & Desk Supplies (S-1, S-2, S-4)
• Art Supplies (S-3)

On behalf of the Board of Education, Mr. Guido congratulated all of the above who received tenure at the Cortland City School District.

Universal Pre-K Program Update - Lynn New. Ms. New explained that in the Board packet was an update of the history of the program this past year provided by Mr. Goodwin. This information listed the members of the committee, and the recommendations made by the sub-committee for dispersal of the numbers from the State, which were received today. She referred to page 2. The program last year ran with 5 sites and 33 children. The sites are CAPCO Head Start at Barry, Cortland Child Development Center, Franziska Rackers Center, YMCA Pre-School Plus and YWCA Nursery & Day School. The committee met to determine what to do when the allotment was received of students for this year and it was decided to save those five sites with 33 slots. If we got more than 33 seats, there were a total of 64 requested, then we would fund one new site. If we could fund the one new site, after that we would hand out all of the remaining seats we received equally. It was found out today that we have 86 spots, which means that we are able to award all of the centers the numbers of children that they wanted, for a total of 64 children, and open up two new sites. The two new sites are the Huntington Avenue site which is run by the YWCA and the Here We Grow site across from the Cortland Memorial Hospital, also run by the YWCA. This past year, on visitations to the sites, she found a very well run program with hands-on activities and choices for the children. The sites are all staffed with certified people, which is a key component, as within the next couple of years they will all have to have certified people.

She then passed out copies of the evaluation device worked on by another sub-committee. Most of the sites presently do this evaluation process and they need to have it on board for the visiting State officials. She will be reviewing the results of the program with each of the center directors. She referred to the very last sheet, which is a profile that sums up all of the different areas evaluated. In closing she referred to a breakdown supplied to the board by Mr. Goodwin of the number of dollars in the program. With 86 children next year, the allocation would be $266,256. Dr. Peagler asked what the response had been from parents and Ms. New replied that only one complaint was received this entire year, which was resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

Professional Development Plan - Paul Goodwin. Mr. Goodwin stated that as the Board will recall, back in October the Board of Regents approved new Commissioners' Regulations that require every district in the state to develop a Professional Development Plan. A Committee was developed and charged with developing a plan and bringing it to the Board prior to June 1. The committee will be reviewing the plan tonight, and the plan must be

approved by the Board by June 30^th. The committee composition had to be a majority of teachers, along with a parent representative. Regulations call for development of the plan in 180 days, a full school year; however, our committee was not formed until January. The committee has worked extremely hard and been very dedicated. He then introduced the committee members who were present: Marti Dumas, Barry, Samantha Ehlers, Parker, Janet Griffin, Randall, and Jacquie Stegeland, Special Ed and Administration, and Mike Doughty, Barb Kline, Smith School, and Mariangela Changler, parent representative, who would be presenting this evening.

Mr. Doughty explained that in the past the Professional Development process was primarily driven by budget deadlines. In the late fall, members of the Curriculum and Instruction Council received information and forms from Mr. Goodwin and Mr. Parks. Members of the committee communicated with the teachers about guidelines and deadlines. The guidelines were from the Curriculum and Instruction Planning Guide developed each year and the State Education Dept. initiatives. A sub-committee from the Curriculum and Instruction Council was formed to review the proposals. The entire process began in January and ended in early February with the sub-committee reporting to the Curriculum and Instruction Council, explaining the reasons proposals were changed or not recommended. The recommended proposals were forwarded to Mr. Parks for approval.

Ms. Kline then explained the changes made in the process. A proposal can be submitted at any time during the year, but must satisfy at least one of the criteria identified. They will then be rated according to the degree the criteria are met. She referred to the definition of Staff Development at the top of the proposal form - Staff Development is an ongoing process, guided by the district's Professional Development Plan that improves employee performance and student learning. The applicant will need to fill out three sections on this form: Description of staff development offering; Rationale, including alignment with NYSED Learning Standards; and Correlation to improvement of student learning and/.or enhancement of employee performance. The second change is in the composition of the Committee that will be reviewing these proposals. There will be 12 representatives, 5 elementary teachers, one per building, one junior high teacher, one senior high teacher, one junior-senior high principal, one elementary principal, the Director of Curriculum & Instruction, a Special Ed administration, one parent representative. Another change is in the area of developing better communications, which Ms. Chandler will explain.

Ms. Chandler explained that for the upcoming year they are going to increase staff awareness and participation in the process. The process has already begun with all elementary and secondary schools having representation. Their plan is to increase involvement and communication by allowing staff to present to the Cabinet all year long, which will broaden communication and allow them the opportunity to present additional staff development ideas when they become necessary. They are also going to be analyzing the current needs assessment that exist and developing new assessments for areas that lack. Finally, there will be one, two or three year appointments, which will mean there should always someone on the committee who knows the history of what has gone on before.

Mr. Goodwin asked that the Board review the plan and come back to the Committee with any suggestions for improvement at the next meeting. Mr. Parks commended the Committee for the amount of work they have accomplished in a short period of time. Mr. Parks also wanted to commend Mr. Goodwin, who is chairing this committee, the AIS Committee, and the Professional Growth and Assessment Plan. He has worked extremely hard on short notice and deserves a special kudos. Mr. Parks also thanked Ms. New and her committee for their efforts and hard work on the Pre-K Program.

Curriculum & Instruction Report:

P. Goodwin - Nothing further to report.

Business Report:

Mr. Pearsall referred to correspondence included in the Board packet between him and the attorney for St. Mary's church relative to the assessment and taxation of some property they have purchased on North Main St.

Mr. Pearsall also referred to a draft copy of the selection process for the Transportation Supervisor. Applications are currently being taken for that position vacated by Scott Gablenz. The Board has the option of including a Board member on the committee. There have been Board members on various committees of this type in the past.

The Readers' Theater Course previously brought up under Oral or Written Communications to the Board was further discussed. Dr. Papalia moved that the Administration meet with the appropriate representatives from English to work towards the feasibility of including that course in next year's schedule. Ms. Wyatt seconded the motion.

In discussion, Mr. Dye asked if the 21 students' names were submitted before the cut-off date, stating that in the letter received by the Board it sounded like they had been. Mr. Mondanaro replied that the selection process was a 4-6 week process, and that the tally for that course at the end of the process was 8. The students that signed up and Mr. Lee were erroneously told that they could still get students for the course. Mr. Goodwin explained that the deadline this year for him to receive a course list printout from Mr. Mondanaro was March 29. The 15 courses that were cut were the ones that did not meet the enrollment figures as of this March 29 printout. As of that date, there were 8 students enrolled in this course. Dr. Peagler and Mr. Dye asked about recruiting. Mr. Parks clarified that this has been a practice in the district that has been going on for too long. He stated that he finds it hard to believe that the English Dept. did not know that there was recruiting taking place at the high school. Recruiting is a long-established practice, one that will be changed after this situation so that every dept. has equal access to try to recruit students for their courses. Mr. Parks further explained that the English Dept., under Mr. Musci, chose not to recruit, but they certainly knew it took place. Mr. Dye asked how many of the other cancelled classes ended up with 21 students as was the case of the Readers' Theatre. Mr. Goodwin replied that none had. Mr. Goodwin stated that recruitment is done before, not after, the deadline - in January, February, and early March. Dr. Papalia stated that it needed to be verified if the chair was aware of the policy or not. Dr. Peagler stated that the number of students and parents here tonight giving statements in favor of the class should certainly be taken into consideration. Mr. Guido also stated that as there is a genuine desire to have this course, it should be looked at carefully. Tom Brown asked if there wouldn't be difficulties in trying to reinstate this class with students dropping other classes, etc. He stated that the Board would all like to see this class reinstated, but not at the risk of creating a bigger problem by doing so. Mr. Guido stated that he hoped this process would be made clearer in the future to prevent this situation. Mr. Parks assured him that it would be. Dr. Papalia stated that he believed this was a meaningful and educational course and an important outlet for the students who participate. Dr. Papalia explained that he is asking that the matter be referred back to administration to study with those involved to see if something could be worked out to reinstate this class. If it is not possible, then it's not possible. Mr. Guido called for a final

vote that Administration meet with the appropriate representatives from English to work towards the feasibility of including the course in next year's schedule, motion carried, all members voting aye. It was requested that a recommendation be made at the next Board meeting on May 23, 2000.

Ms. Megivern stated that she hoped the above situation was looked at with vision as to whether it would be beneficial to the students. All of the teachers at the high school are aware that seniors especially have way too many study halls. Although difficult on administration, courses are added. She would like to see it become a more open process. Teachers should be made more aware of how courses are shaking out. If students are recruited rather than sitting in study halls, that's good.

Student, Dan Stevens, then spoke to the Board, stating that the recruitment had not been done by Mr. Lee, but by the students. What caught his attention was that they had the numbers so close to the deadline, but it wasn't considered, and that is why so many students attended the meeting tonight.

Mr. Guido requested an Executive Session to deal with some potential litigation and negotiations. It was moved by Mr. Dye and seconded by Mr. Brown, carried, all members voting aye. The Board recessed into Executive Session at 8:30 PM, after a 5 minute recess.