8-23-10 Committee Meetings of the Whole

Click on the post to see the agenda for the August 23, 5:30 pm Committee Meetings of the Whole located in the High School Media Room. Board Development, Finance, Policy and Curriculum are all on the agenda for tomorrow.

Board Development will describe the outcome from the Vision Meeting, craft 2010-2011 Board Goals and discuss agenda for Sept 13 special meeting and the annual meeting Sept. 27. I don't know what the special meeting covers on Sept 13, but should find out tomorrow.

Curriculum will discuss the High School Senior Projects Graduation requirement and the professional collaboration (late start) days scheduled to begin in September at the High School. Check the schedule on the School website for details. It appears to be the 2nd and 4th Mondays of most months (some months have only one day):

http://www.ecsdnet.org/ehs/cal/month.php?cid=&catid=&d=&w=1&m=9&y=2010&s=

Finance will likely be a long discussion of several controversial topics. The Fund 80 establishment comes back for an encore tomorrow with "approval of placing Fund 80 on Annual Meeting Agenda" as a later action item. There's approval of another staff resignation (?), the third from my count, unless it's one of the previous two from last month. There's an update on the Building and Trades house, hopefully including the sale of this year's house. There's a discussion of how to spend $304,617 in round two of stimulus funds for retention, removing from lay-off and hiring of teachers. Click on the link below for the article in the Gazette. There's an important caveat in spending of this money: it can't be used for administrative costs, which should make some people happy since many seem to think the bosses get overpaid. Another warning I read somewhere, perhaps the State Journal, is that schools may simply be buying themselves increased unemployment costs in two years when the funds run dry. So great care needs to be used in deciding how to use this boon to the district.

http://gazettextra.com/news/2010/aug/21/janesville-schools-get-18-million-stimulus-money-h/

Finally, Policy will have four policies to review, with "Graduation Exercises" on its third reading before formal implementation.

If any of these topics tickle your fancy, come on down to the media room at the high school on Monday August 23 at 5:30 p.m. for more complete information.