REORGANIZATION PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING
Mount Desert Island High School Library
Wednesday, 17 October 2007
DRAFT Minutes
Attendance: Facilitator, Bill Ferm; Chair, Gail Marshall; Vice-Chair, Brian Hubbell;
Bar Harbor: Paul Murphy, Bob Garland; Mt. Desert: Jeff Smith; Frenchboro: Rebecca Lenfestey, Bob Roxby; Southwest Harbor: Amy Young, Anne Napier, Skip Strong; Tremont: Phil Worden, Scott Grierson; Swan’s Island: Tammy Tripler; Trenton: Judy Sproule
Others in attendance: Rob Liebow, Nancy Thurlow, Selena Dunbar, Patrick Barter, and Rick Mooers
Commencement of Meeting and Review of Agenda
Gail Marshall called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. and reviewed the topics on this meeting’s agenda.
Review and Approval of Minutes from October 3rd
Amy Young pointed out that on page four the word “Gail” is the only word on a specific line on that page.
MOVED by Amy Young, seconded by Tammy Tripler, and unanimously voted to approve the minutes of
3 October 2007 with the deletion of the word “Gail” on the specific line on page four.
Composition of RSU Board
Bill Ferm reviewed the discussion from the last meeting regarding the powers and duties of the RSU board and local boards. Mr. Liebow reviewed the options for selecting board members as discussed at the last meeting. Mr. Liebow then presented a chart that showed the distribution of powers and duties between the RSU board and the local school boards. The chart was a compilation of recommendations from an administrative perspective. Mr. Liebow reminded the committee that whatever system we set up should have the flexibility built in to allow for changes to occur with respect to the distribution of the powers delegated below (in reference to the chart) to include possible consideration of moving towards a Model 5 approach to running our schools in the future.
Election of Members
Phil Worden stated that he feels a weighted vote should be the method the RSU board uses.
Regarding local boards, the committee asked that Mr. Liebow change the wording in the chart to include “and only members of the RSU board” to the section reading “All elected RSU board of directors (*and only members of the RSU board) will also serve as the members of the local school committee.” The consensus of the committee is that weighted votes are the method we are used to at the Union level and although it does not always seem like a fair way to handle it, this has worked well to date. Tammy Tripler mentioned that even as an outer island member with less vote weight at the Union level she has not felt that this method was unfair. Brian Hubbell said that we might decide that this method of voting would not work once we discuss funding. Rob Liebow asked the committee to remember that if we use this method it will require that ½ of the board of directors must be present and ½ of the total voting weights will be required for a vote to pass.
MOVED by Phil Worden, seconded by Paul Murphy and unanimously voted to accept weighted votes as the method for the RSU board to use.
Gail Marshall reminded the committee to keep the number of board members manageable.
Before continuing, Phil Worden asked how flexible this model would be and if it could be modified down the road.
Gail Marshall said that at the Mt. Desert Selectmen’s meeting on Monday they were very clear that any changes would not happen unless the voters were able to make the decisions, not the RSU board.
Mr. Liebow said that the mechanism for change will be the same for all issues and this will be covered later in the chart.
Overall School Responsibilities
Mr. Liebow proposed that the RSU board be responsible for the operation of MDI High School as well as the operation of the central office since the MDIHS Trustees will no longer exist. The committee will need to delegate specific powers to the local boards to oversee the local K-8 schools. Gail Marshall reminded the committee that if we don’t delegate a power or duty to a local board, they will not get it.
Budgeting
Mr. Liebow’s proposal shows the local boards being responsible for developing the K-8 budget for the local school and submitting this budget to the town meeting for approval and then reporting the approved budget to the RSU board for State Department of Education reporting. The RSU board would be responsible for developing the central office budget, the MDIHS budget, and the transportation budget for all RSU schools as well as reporting the combined RSU K-8 budget of all schools to the State Department of Education as one K-12 budget for the entire RSU.
Gail Marshall suggested that transportation be listed as a possibility. Concerns were raised regarding unequal opportunities amongst the towns. Some members felt that the opportunities for each town were the same and others felt that the wealth of the town makes a difference in the opportunities afforded to the students. Bill Ferm reminded the committee to keep flexibility in mind when considering all of these concerns.
Referendum Procedures
Mr. Liebow suggested that the local boards be responsible for holding a referendum in their town to validate their K-8 portion of the RSU budget according to the established timelines in the law and reporting the results to the RSU board. The RSU board would be responsible for holding an annual RSU meeting dealing with MDIHS, RSU transportation and central office budgets and holding the required referendum on that portion of the overall RSU budget according to the established timelines in the law.
Gail Marshall asked that transportation be taken out of the RSU responsibilities.
Local Assessments
Mr. Liebow’s chart proposes that local towns that make up the RSU will assess their citizens for their K-8 school’s portion of the RSU budget and direct those funds to the RSU board for operating purposes. The members of the RSU would assess local communities who are members of the RSU for central office and RSU transportation costs by enrollment share and high school costs by the established formula.
Jeff Smith said that transportation should remain with the local boards. Brian Hubbell agreed and said that we could always give it back to the RSU later.
Overall Budget Reporting and Record Keeping
The local boards would receive monthly reports from the RSU board through the central office on the status of their K-8 budget funds. The RSU board would be responsible for all record keeping for the entire RSU combined K-12 budget and for filing all required state reports related to the K-12 budget. This responsibility includes deposit, withdrawal and investing of all RSU funds.
Balances and Carryover Funds
Local boards would receive an annual report from the central office to be used in the budget development process at the K-8 school level. The RSU board would control the funds for the MDIHS and central office accounts and provide record keeping for all K-8 school balances and carryover funds.
Building and Equipment Ownership and Maintenance
Individual towns would maintain ownership of their schools and equipment, unless required to transfer control to the RSU by the law, which they shall do through a lease arrangement thereby maintaining permanent ownership. The RSU would maintain ownership of the high school building and equipment, and if required by law, shall lease the K-8 buildings from each member town for as long as the RSU remains in existence since the MDIHS Trustees would cease to exist. The committee wants to make sure the school buildings remain with the towns. There should be no ambiguity about this. It was agreed that this would be important to voters.
Construction and Major Renovation Projects
Local boards would be responsible for major renovation and construction projects at their individual K-8 schools while the RSU would be responsible for the high school only.
General Reserves
Local boards would establish general reserves for their K-8 school as allowed by the law which will be overseen by the central office. The RSU would establish general reserves for the high school as allowed by law and provide bookkeeping and investing of the reserves established by each K-8 school. This is currently the way the reserves work for Union 98.
Special Education Reserves
The local school committee would transfer its present special education reserve to the RSU board. There would be one RSU combined special education reserve to cover unanticipated staffing and programming needs as well as out of district placements for all K-12 RSU schools. The discussion centered on how pooling the special education reserves would benefit each school. The pooled reserve would be treated like insurance so if a town needed it five years in a row they would not deplete their K-8 budget. Rob Liebow said that this would just be for out of district placement. Paul Murphy mentioned that the special education reserve is sometimes used for other necessary expenses and would not want to lose the opportunity to use those funds for other purposes if needed. Skip Strong said that currently, 10% of the Southwest Harbor budget is their goal for special education reserve funds. With special education costs on the rise, even 10% of the total budget might not be enough to cover in-district costs. Tammy Tripler said that tremendous costs can accumulate quickly. Swan’s Island had three large expenses in the last three years which means that other programs did not receive any funds because the special education costs had to be covered. Brian Hubbell said the committee may want to look into having two special education reserves. Gail Marshall thought it would be a good idea to think about this further and bring Kelley Sanborn into the discussion.
Transportation Reserves
Rob Liebow suggested this item be saved for the end of the meeting.
Scholarship Funds /
Special Funds
Local boards would maintain control over any specific K-8 scholarship and special funds while the RSU would maintain the high school scholarship and special funds and oversee any K-8 non-specified scholarship funds.
Federal and State Grants
These would remain the same as they are now – local boards would have no responsibility in this area and the RSU would maintain and control all of these funds.
Filing of Required State Reports, etc.
The local boards would be responsible for submission of all data required for state reporting to the RSU central office for filing purposes. The RSU would be responsible for filing all the state reports.
Negotiated Contracts
Local boards would have no responsibility in this area. There would only be one RSU contract with the RSU teachers. The RSU board would be responsible for negotiating successor agreements with the new RSU teacher’s association. Gail Marshall mentioned that there are some serious issues regarding salaries and making them al the same with one teacher’s association. She has participated in contract negotiations and having five separate ones is very time consuming for all involved. The common contract provides an equal opportunity for all schools since all teachers are paid the same. Tammy Tripler said that a common contract would provide protection for teachers and show them that they are valuable. Paul Murphy echoed what everyone said. He pointed out that the contract and pay scale are not interchangeable and felt that teachers and school boards would agree.
Employment Practices (Hiring/Rehiring, etc.)
Local boards would be responsible for establishing procedures for interviewing all of their K-8 employees and recommending the top candidates for hiring by the RSU board. All staff will become RSU employees. The RSU board would be responsible for hiring and firing all RSU personnel and for establishing appropriate supervision and evaluation criteria for all RSU employees. Many committee members felt that local schools should hire their own employees without going through the RSU board. Local boards would know the best fit for their school and wouldn’t want the RSU to decide for them. Phil Worden said that teachers he has spoken to are very concerned about being transferred to another school. Rob Liebow said that looking at this from a strictly administrative viewpoint it would make the most sense the leave these decisions up to the Superintendent since this person should have the best idea for placement and would handle it judiciously and cautiously. Concerns were raised that this arrangement might not be in the best interest of kids. Others thought that shuffling teachers could be beneficial to both students and teachers by giving them a fresh perspective and the ability to observe other teachers. Bob Roxby mentioned that this would not be so easy for Frenchboro or other outer island teachers.
Rick Mooers observed that while creating this structure the committee might want to use a broader brush. When collective bargaining begins, it may not be so easy. Mr. Liebow reminded the committee that what can be covered in contract negotiations is determined by law. Staff assignments would be educational policy which is not negotiable.
The committee generally did not want to give the authority to the Superintendent to make these decisions. Jeff Smith felt that this would be a deal breaker and could lead to very sticky and demoralizing situations.
Paul Murphy reminded the committee that the subject is hiring and firing, not placement.
Other concerns were raised regarding whether a teacher would lose seniority or continuing contract status if they were fired from one school and hired at another. Mr. Liebow said that firing of teachers is very rare and that the basis for seniority status will need to be addressed.
Nancy Thurlow said that as a practical matter she did not see how there could be two different employers. The teacher would be an employee of the RSU and hired by the RSU, not the schools.
The committee agreed to continue working through this list at the next meeting and hopefully get prepared to present this to the public and ask for their input in the near future.
Next Meeting Date
Wednesday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m. in the MDIHS Library
Future Agenda Items
Continuation of discussion regarding powers and duties of RSU board and local boards
Adjournment
MOVED by Paul Murphy, seconded by Amy Young, and unanimously voted to adjourn the meeting
at 9:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Selena Dunbar, Recording Secretary