Board Meeting Dates

Additional Details

District and Community Relations Committee Meeting

AGENDA

REVISED

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

5:00 PM

DeLayo-Martin Community Room, Alice and Bruce King Educational Complex, 6400 Uptown NE

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Minutes of the District and Community Relations Committee Meeting

Board of Education

Albuquerque Public Schools

A District and Community Relations Committee meeting of the Board of Education of Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) was held Tuesday, August 28, 2012, beginning at 5:00 p.m., in the DeLayo Martin Community Room, Alice and Bruce King Educational Complex, 6400 Uptown Blvd. NE.

I.          Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 5:01 p.m.

1. A. Roll Call

Present: Analee Maestas, Kathy Korte (by phone), Lorenzo Garcia, David Robbins (by phone), and David Peercy

Absent:  Paula Maes and Martin (Marty) Esquivel

1. B. Adoption of the August 28, 2012, District and Community Relations Agenda and the Approval of the July 24, 2012, District and Community Relations Minutes (Discussion/Action)

Chairman Lorenzo Garcia asked for a motion to adopt the agenda and approve the minutes. David Peercy made the motion; Kathy Korte seconded the motion.  Board members unanimously adopted the August 28, 2012, District and Community Relations agenda and approved the July 24, 2012, District and Community Relations minutes.

II.         Public Forum

There were no participants in the public forum.

III.        A is for Art! (Discussion)

Phill Casaus, executive director, APS Education Foundation, shared that the APS Education Foundation (APSEF) is in its third year of hosting the A is for Art! event, which draws about 600 attendees and has raised nearly $65,000 for fine arts in APS.  The event features live and silent auctions of high school student artwork from the annual APS Metro Youth Art Exhibit.  The next A is for Art! event is scheduled for 6 p.m., Friday, Sept. 28, at the Albuquerque Museum.  Singers, dancers, and musical performers will be part of the entertainment.  More than 200 pieces of art will be available for purchase.  Every piece will be sold, if only for the minimum bid.  Students will receive 40 percent of the sale price and the rest will be divided between the Fine Arts Department and the APSEF for future events.  Mr. Casaus introduced Janet Kahn, director of the Fine Arts Department and expressed his appreciation for her invaluable contribution over the years; she will be retiring October 1.  Ms. Khan stated that the work on display in the entry way of the Alice and Bruce King Educational Complex is also for sale.  Edward Gonzales will be the featured artist for the event.  A commercial for the event will air in September.  An invitation was extended to committee members to attend the event and greet students.  Committee members extended their appreciation to Ms. Khan as well.

IV.       Introduction of New Grant Manager/Writer Michelle Tigelaar (Discussion)

Joseph Escobedo introduced Michelle Tigelaar, APS’ new grant manager/writer.  Her arrival fulfills a long-time need for a grant writer.  Her goals are to be strategic in aligning with district schools; bring ideas/suggestions about policies; and seek money in hopes of saving some resources.  The Race to the Top grant could bring $31,000 in funding to APS; the letter of intent is due October 30, and plans are to have it done mid-October.  Committee members asked for an update on the Race to the Top grant as well as a list of priorities and timelines for the other grants.  Particular attention should be paid to those grants that have an end date coming up soon and to develop plans for handling those.

V.        Bullying Prevention Forum Update (Discussion)

Dr. Brad Winter announced two upcoming community meetings that will be held to gather input regarding bullying prevention in working on the district’s Goal IV.  The meetings are scheduled for 6-8 p.m., September 18, at Sandia High School, 7801 Candelaria NE, and 6‑8 p.m., September 20, at LBJ Middle School, 6811 Taylor Ranch Dr. NW.  The committees will work closely with Dr. Kristine Meurer and her staff, and Monica Armenta to communicate about the meetings to the public. Committee members are invited to attend; meetings will be structured, a definition and examples of bullying will be provided, and there will be three or four specific questions.  Results will be brought back to the District and Community Relations c`ommittee.

VI.       School-Based Health Center Visits Data (Discussion)

Dr. Meurer, executive director of Student, Family, and Community Supports, discussed how School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) have become a vital part of the health care delivery system in New Mexico.  The centers are comprehensive primary health care centers housed in elementary, middle, and high schools that provide developmentally and culturally appropriate physical, behavioral, and, in some cases, oral health care, to students who otherwise might not have access to care.  The schools currently served include Albuquerque High School, East San Jose Elementary School, Grant Middle School, Highland High School, Roosevelt Middle School, Van Buren Middle School, Washington Middle School, Wilson Middle School, and Rio Grande High School.

Data from the previous year was presented; of the nine school-based health centers in APS, most run through an agreement with the University of New Mexico (UNM), with the exception of Rio Grande High School.  Some 1,974 patient contacts were made during the 2011-12 school year.  A majority of the visits to the centers were for mental health (32 percent); family planning comprised 7 percent of the visits; Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program visits totaled 9 percent; sports visits were at 4 percent; immunizations were at 8 percent.  Discussions are underway with UNM on expanding to ensure all students are immunized.  Dental, where offered, is the most utilized service, making it a targeted area for expansion.  Primary care is 24 percent (colds, etc.).  National research shows that a major benefit of SBHCs is to prevent students from missing school—reducing absences from a day to only a class period.  A Department of Health survey reveals that most students would go to the centers instead of doctors because access is easier.  This would help urgent care centers from being overwhelmed.  A high percentage of students (55.9 percent) would have no other place to go, if there were no centers.

The district can recommend a plan for helping students to understand eligibility for Medicaid; however, many doctors do not take Medicaid due to the amount of insurance paperwork and billing issues.  The centers will take uninsured students.

Discussion clarified that Atrisco Heritage Academy High School is not on the list of schools that have SBHCs yet because it is in progress.  Dr. Winter will research and report on when it is expected to open.  School on Wheels also has a clinic; the committee would like to see that center’s data.

Yolanda Cordova, Department of Health, reported that the Department of Health provides money to the sponsoring entities and contracts with UNM to support services for needs not able to be met through the SBHCs.  They do billing through Medicaid.  Sports injuries are not usually seen in the centers because they are covered under insurance.  The centers are being recognized as an access point, and the Department of Health has set aside funding for building additional centers.

The committee inquired about the lack of high utilization; Ms. Cordova elaborated that the centers offer primary and mental health services daily, but some of the other services may not be available every day. High schools have a higher rate of certain services.  Some clinics may not have enough rooms.  The centers are also hampered by testing, etc. scheduled at the school; they are not available full time.  Further explanation revealed that the centers began later last year, so the data is lower.

Committee members requested that a report be run that shows that absences are lowered for schools that have centers; Dr. Meurer warned that it would be a skewed number.

Committee members expressed concern that some services will go away with the ending of grants.  Dr. Meurer shared that they are looking at ways to try to sustain the centers as grant funding goes away.  The greatest expense, however, is the start-up cost.  With the new Medicaid redesign, they are also looking to increase hours by expanding the centers into community centers that will partner with the school district to accomplish more.

VII.      Update on Legislative Committees (Discussion)

Carrie Robin Menapace, legislative liaison and policy analyst, presented recent legislative committee activities and issues tracked with potential impact on the district.

1. A. New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee (LFC)

The new revenue update from the state shows approximately $198 million in new money for public schools; APS would receive about 26 percent of that next year.  The LFC was not impressed with the New Mexico Association of Education Retirees proposal of increasing the eligible age to receive the annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) to 67.  The proposed employer contribution for APS in fiscal year 2014 (FY14) is 13.15 percent (a cost of $9.5 million), which would require APS to use operation money; this cost will continue to increase in the future.  Employee contributions will go down in FY14, but increase the following fiscal year.  The funding formula task force is looking at special education and charter schools, which are taking up a lot of the funds; the task force recommends examining double funding at charter schools for a student’s first year rather than putting a moratorium on charter schools.

1. B. New Mexico Legislative Education Study Committee (LESC)

The LESC is expected to make a presentation September 26-28 to the committee regarding how many students’ test scores are coming in just under being proficient on the Standards Based Assessment (SBA).  Suggested discussion points include how difficult it is to make policy on such data; how attendance and pre-k make a big difference; differences in quality of early childhood programs; finding new ways to help students advance; truancy; gaps between various subgroups; and grading of schools.  The LESC advises against moving to virtual schools; many are opposed to opening new charter schools.  There will be instructional audits in September.

VIII.     Albuquerque Public Schools Plan for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Discussion)

Carrie Robin Menapace, legislative liaison and policy analyst, addressed the Albuquerque Public Schools Plan for Deferred Action for Immigrant Children.

On June 15, 2012, Janet Napolitano, secretary for Homeland Security, issued a memorandum calling for use of the agency’s prosecutorial discretion to defer action against certain young people who were brought to this country as children, who know only the United States as home, and who, as a general matter, lack the intent to violate the law.  Requests for relief are to be decided on a case-by-case basis based on the appropriate satisfaction of a number or requirements, which are as follows:

1. came to the United States under the age of sixteen;

2. has continuously resided in the United States for at least five years preceding June 15, 2012 and was present in the United States on June 15, 2012;

3. is currently in school, has graduated from high school, has obtained a general education development certificate, or is an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States;

4. has not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise poses a threat to national security or public safety; and

5. is not above the age of 30.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) were directed to begin implementing this process within 60 days of June 15, 2012. Two requirements ask for ‘verifiable documentation’ from individuals to establish their eligibility for deferred action that will likely result in school district involvement. Specifically, individuals must have verifiable documentation that--

1. they have continuously resided in the United States for at least five years prior to June 15, 2012 and were present in the United States on June 15, 2012; and
2. They are currently in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, or are honorably discharged veterans of the U.S. Coast guard or the U.S. Armed Forces.

Ms. Menapace elaborated that an online request form was created and translated into five languages; the forms are filled out and given to Student Information Systems (SIS) who issues a report and then affixes an official APS Board of Education seal.  APS is reaching out to community organizations that are assistance groups to help communicate and direct families on how to obtain records and expedite the process.  The Council of the Great City Schools has disseminated the APS form as an example to the other council member schools.

The committee expressed concern about using the word “immigration” on the form and about collecting records that identify a student as an immigrant.  Discussion clarified that the form serves only to differentiate it from other types of record requests so SIS can know which report to run, and that the requestor is volunteering the information; we are not requesting it.

IX.       Next District and Community Relations Committee Meeting

Chairman Garcia announced that the next District and Community Relations Committee meeting would be held on Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012, at 5:00 p.m., at the Alice and Bruce King Educational Complex in the DeLayo Martin Community Room.

X.        Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 6:13 p.m.