Board Meeting Dates

Additional Details

Board of Education Meeting

AGENDA

 

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

5:00 PM

John Milne Community Board Room, Alice and Bruce King Educational Complex, 6400 Uptown Blvd. NE

Albuquerque, New Mexico

 

I.	Call to Order
A.		Pledge of Allegiance / Moment of Silence
B.		Roll Call
C.		Adoption of the October 16, 2013, Board of Education Meeting Agenda and Approval of the October 11, 2013, Special Board of Education Meeting Minutes (Discussion/Action)
II.	Recognition of Students, Staff and Community
A.		Konnor Davis for winning second place in the 2013 SkillsUSA High School Automotive Technology Championships
B.		Lorraine Blakely, a teacher at Eisenhower Middle School, for being named “My Favorite Teacher” by Barnes and Noble, and Ruth Clark, a student at Eisenhower Middle School, for nominating Ms. Blakely
C.		New Futures Child Care Center for receiving a Four Star rating from New Mexico Child Care Licensing Department
III.	Public Forum
IV.	Matters of Information
A.		Superintendent's Report
B.		Board Member Comments
C.		President's Report
V.	Special Issues
A.		ACT Report (Discussion) Presenter: Shelly Green, Chief Academic Officer and RoseAnn McKernan, Executive Director of Instructional Accountability
B.		Educator Discussion on Teacher Evaluation (Discussion) Presenter: Joseph Escobedo, Chief of Staff
VI.	Approval of Consent Calendar Items (Discussion/Action)
A.		Consideration for Approval of Capital Outlay, Property and Technology Matters (Discussion/Action)
I.			Approval of the Qualifications Based Proposal and Bid for Robert F. Kennedy Charter School, Phase 1A: Assembly Area and Physical Education Support Space
II.			Approval of the Qualifications Based Proposal and Bid for Sandia Base Elementary Kitchen Addition & Renovation
III.			Approval of the Qualifications Based Proposal and Bid for Food & Nutrition Services Renovation
B.		Consideration for Approval of Finance Matters (Discussion/Action)
I.			Approval of Budget Adjustments for Grant Management
II.			Approval of Grant Management Inter-Function Transfers for September 2013
III.			Approval of Grant Management Intra-Function Transfers for September 2013
IV.			Approval of Title VIII Impact Aid Application (PL 81-874)
V.			Approval of Amendment of IDEA-B Basic Entitlement Grant Application for 2013-14 School Year
VI.			Approval of Delivered Fast Foods for DECA Bid #14-019MS-AM
VII.			Approval of Custodial Supplies on Demand Bid #14-011RR-SL
VIII.			Approval of Psychological Services for Special Education Bid #14-005SC-SL
IX.			Approval of Signed Language/Music Therapy/Diagnostic Services RFP #14-008SC-AM
X.			Approval of Cash Disbursements for September 2013
XI.			Approval of Operational Inter-Function Transfers for September
XII.			Approval of Operational Intra-Function Transfers for September
XIII.			Approval of 21st Century Public Academy Cash Disbursements for August 2013
C.		Consideration for Approval of Policy and Instruction Matters (Discussion/Action)
I.			Approval of the 2014-15 Alternative Calendar Process
VII.	Announcement of Upcoming Board Meetings
A.		The next Special Board of Education meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2013, at 5:00 p.m., in the DeLayo Martin Community Room.
B.		The next Board of Education meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 6, 2013, at 5:00 p.m., in the John Milne Community Board Room.
VIII.	Adjournment

 

Minutes of Board of Education Meeting

Albuquerque Public Schools

 

A Board of Education meeting of Albuquerque Public Schools was held Wednesday, October 16, 2013, beginning at 5:00 p.m., in the John Milne Community Board Room, at the Alice and Bruce King Educational Complex, located at 6400 Uptown Blvd. NE.

 

I.        Call to Order

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

A.       Pledge of Allegiance / Moment of Silence

B.       Roll Call

Present: Kathy Korte, Lorenzo Garcia, Martin Esquivel, Steven Michael Quezada, Dr. Don Duran, Dr. David Peercy

Absent: Dr. Analee Maestas

C.       Adoption of the October 16, 2013, Board of Education Meeting Agenda and Approval of the October 11, 2013, Special Board of Education Meeting Minutes (Discussion/Action)

Kathy Korte motioned for the adoption of the agenda and approval of the minutes. Dr. Peercy seconded the motion. Board members who were present unanimously adopted the October 16, 2013, Board of Education meeting agenda and approved the October 11, 2013, Special Board of Education meeting minutes.

 

II.       Recognition of Students, Staff and Community

Konnor Davis was recognized for winning second place in the 2013 SkillsUSA High School Automotive Technology Championships. Lorraine Blakely, a teacher at Eisenhower Middle School, was recognized for being named “My Favorite Teacher” by Barnes and Noble, and Ruth Clark, a student at Eisenhower Middle School, for nominating Ms. Blakely. New Futures Child Care Center was recognized for receiving a Four Star rating from New Mexico Child Care Licensing Department.

 

III.      Public Forum

Participants of public forum shared information about Stand4KidsNM, a non-partisan group of students, teachers, administrators and advocates for education to fight against new graduation requirements, unnecessary and expensive state-mandated testing, and unfair teacher evaluations; concern that legislature is creating reform policies that don’t include constituent input; information about Keep the Promise, a campaign sponsored by Early Educators United that is a statewide early childhood educator organization building a real voice for early education and childcare; importance of removing damaging legislative policies; gratitude for APS board members’ support; concern that the teacher evaluations do not improve the  achievement of students; concern that Governor Martinez and Secretary Designate Skandera have forced their agenda with no input from constituents or appropriate professional expertise; concern that the teacher evaluations incentivize segregation because teachers will want to have the best students so they will be able to fiscally take care of their own families; concern that students are very stressed about performance due to all the testing required by the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED); support for legislators, who provided excellent legislation, which was then vetoed by the governor; the most important factor of improving student achievement is developing the student teacher relationship and connecting with their lives, and concern that people are avoiding becoming teachers because of the high stakes testing and evaluations, and lack of respect.

 

IV.      Matters of Information

1. A. Superintendent's Report

Superintendent Brooks reported on the following:

• Lavaland Elementary visit to read “Otis” by New York Times bestselling author, Loren Long, to preschool students as part of hundreds of schools around the country that read “Otis” on the same day as part of a Read for the Record campaign
• Copies of “Otis” from the Pearson Foundation were given to school libraries, and each of the preschoolers at Lavaland  Elementary School
• Importance of spending time reading to children
• APS’ new 30-minute GOV TV channel 16 program airing on Fridays at 7:15 p.m. featuring APS news and events
• Town hall meetings continuing through the first week of November to provide the chance for teachers and parents to learn more about tests and other requirements for students, teachers and schools
• Appreciation for board members support at the town hall meetings, especially so they can witness teacher and parent testimony first hand

1. B. Board Member Comments

Board members commented on the following:

• Gratitude for the expertise of Shelly Green and Carrie Robin Menapace at the town hall meetings to help overcome confusion and misinformation
• Gratitude for teachers’ service and leadership
• Importance that those eligible should be registered to vote and make an educated decision
• Importance of spreading the information
• Importance of civil interactions, especially as role models for students
• Necessity for fair and productive accountability processes
• Education professionals don’t join this field of work to allow students to be “left behind”
• Punitive evaluation process will not improve student achievement
• Recommend that people reach out to legislators to inform them of the evaluation process and effects and hold them accountable for their legislative decisions
• Encouragement for continued focus on student achievement and spreading the true information
• Success is not measured by tests
• Recognition that each individual contributes to the success of the whole
• Faulty distribution theory in relation to labeling a percentage of educational professionals as ineffective, marginally ineffective, etc., which is not research based and not effecting change to increase student achievement
• Public education is the foundation of the country and we need to join forces to improve the educational experiences and outcomes for all students
• Excitement for the upcoming Council of Great City Schools conference, especially the opportunity to share best practices with educational professionals from around the nation
• Importance of using the most current and accurate information
• Concern regarding the instability of all the changes and resolution issues of the evaluation tracking computer system
• Encouragement for the community to show up for the town hall meetings
• Support for teachers because they truly impact the achievement of students
• Support for the movements such as Mission Graduate, the Citizens United for Real Education (C.U.R.E.), and Keep the Promise, because they are spearheaded by people working in the educational field
• Importance of participation to support the issues at the upcoming meeting on October 22, at Del Norte High School
• Encouragement to access social media for more educational and solidarity opportunities to band together and create the best educational experiences for students

 

1. C. President's Report

President Esquivel reported on the following:

• Gratitude for fellow board members and participation of the community at the board meeting and the recent town hall meetings
• Importance of modeling appropriate behavior for students when resolving disagreements
• Frustration over reasonable efforts, based on research, educational experience and expertise of APS staff, which were created to work collaboratively with the NMPED’s plans, but were summarily dismissed
• Recognition of the progress made, due to the excellent work done by APS educational professionals
• Reaching critical mass will involve educating and empowering as many people as possible and they in turn then need to spread the information about the evaluation, testing process and requirements as well as share how teachers and students are affected
• Challenge to everyone to reach out to students, neighbors, parents, teachers, legislators, the governor and secretary designate of education

 

Dr. Duran motioned to change the order of the agenda items from V.A. and V.B. to V.B. followed by V.A. Kathy Korte seconded the motion.  Board members unanimously approved the change in the agenda.

 

V.       Special Issues

A.       ACT Report (Discussion)

Shelly Green, chief academic officer, reviewed the results of the ACT tests taken by APS students.  She explained that students elect to take the ACT college entrance exam. Scores for the seniors in the class of 2013 are provided to the district allowing a summary and comparison of scores from year to year. Information regarding the scores from the last three years was presented and compared with state and national results.

 

Issues discussed regarding this agenda item:

• 65 percent of the 2013 senior class took the ACT at some time during high school compared with 11 percent who took the SAT
• APS outscores the state and scores slightly below national average for the ACT test
• APS outscores the nation and closely follows the state average for the SAT test
• Scores illustrate the need to create effective teachers and promote student achievement
• Both tests are accepted by colleges throughout the nation
• CNM only requires that students take CNM Accuplacer test to be placed in the appropriate level of education
• Benefits and disadvantages for students taking both ACT and SAT tests
• College and career counselors help to support choices of interest and school with test recommendations
• Cost of taking the tests
• ACT’s PLAN test is an educational assessment that students usually take in tenth grade
• How many students are taking the PLAN?
• Request for statistics of students’ results taking the PLAN compared to the same student’s results for the ACT
• APS sophomores currently take the PSAT, but in the future, all sophomores will take PLAN because NMPED will cover the cost
• Concern over the disparity of scores for lower performing schools
• Gap of scores among schools is being addressed in the APS goals for improving student achievement

 

B.       Educator Discussion on Teacher Evaluation (Discussion)

Superintendent Winston Brooks met with the Science Department at La Cueva High School to discuss the new teacher evaluation system and what teachers can do to give awareness of the teachers affected by the new system. The group brought forward positive ideas on how to improve the system that would benefit their professional development and growth.  Since that time the group has worked with teachers from other schools on a professional plan that supports the continued growth and development of all teachers.

These teachers explained the premise of developing C.U.R.E. as dedicated to supporting professional educators in delivering the highest-level education to all New Mexico students.  They presented their ideas to the board as a replacement of the current punitive evaluation system with credible professional peer review designed to improve professional practice beyond the in-place expected competencies.

The C.U.R.E. plan is based on the following three pronged evaluation:

• Content peer review, observation and evaluation from educational professionals in the same field
• Pedagogy peer review, observation and evaluation from educational professionals of other content fields
• Administrator observation and evaluation

• Peer review:
• Instrument to assist in the support and growth of all teachers
• System to identify and support good teachers.
• Growth and improvement for ineffective teachers, and if necessary, as part of the administrative process for removal.

 

Issues discussed regarding this agenda item:

• Effective evaluations don’t need to be punitive to improve the quality
• Concern for negative morale because everyone is stressed by this situation
• Power of social media
• Concern that teachers most affected are new struggling teachers
• Concern about losing teachers due to their frustration with the process and lack of respect for their years of experience and successful moving students to higher levels of academic achievement
• Request to teachers and community to take on the challenge to change the system
• Questioning the fairness and validity of the NMPED’s testing, evaluation and grading system
• Concern for the quality of the learning experience when tests take 15 percent of in class learning time
• Reminder of Arne Duncan’s statement that the best ideas don’t come from him, but they come from local teachers
• Gratitude for the efforts and expertise of the educational professionals
• Importance of educational professionals to be respected and involved in the success of their students
• Accountability is the chance to improve as educational professionals
• Importance of inspiring and consistently energizing people to reach the objective
• Support for cross-disciplined and cross-functionality evaluations
• What does it mean for board members to be a part of C.U.R.E.?

 

VI.      Approval of Consent Calendar Items (Discussion/Action)

Kathy Korte motioned for approval of the consent calendar items.  Lorenzo Garcia seconded the motion.  Board members who were present unanimously approved the capital outlay, property and technology, finance, and policy and instruction matters of the consent calendar.

A.       Consideration for Approval of Capital Outlay, Property and Technology Matters (Discussion/Action)

I.          Approval of the Qualifications Based Proposal and Bid for Robert F. Kennedy Charter School, Phase 1A: Assembly Area and Physical Education Support Space

II.         Approval of the Qualifications Based Proposal and Bid for Sandia Base Elementary Kitchen Addition & Renovation

III.        Approval of the Qualifications Based Proposal and Bid for Food & Nutrition Services Renovation

B.       Consideration for Approval of Finance Matters (Discussion/Action)

I.          Approval of Budget Adjustments for Grant Management

a.         Alliance for Leading & Learning-ALL, $775,765

b.         Secondary School Counseling, $364,138

c.         International Baccalaureate, $75,000

d.         New Teacher & School Leader Evaluation, $57,334

e.         APS Homeless Project, $31,700

f.          Robotics, $19,360

g.         Bandelier Box Tops, $514

h.         ABC Partnership, ($50,000)

i.          Schwab Charitable Fund-Atrisco Heritage, ($9,800)

j.          Regional Quality Centers-SQS, ($3,306)

k.         Fish & Wildlife Grant-School on Wheels, ($1,650)

II.         Approval of Grant Management Inter-Function Transfers for September 2013

III.        Approval of Grant Management Intra-Function Transfers for September 2013

IV.        Approval of Title VIII Impact Aid Application (PL 81-874)

V.         Approval of Amendment of IDEA-B Basic Entitlement Grant Application for 2013-14 School Year

VI.        Approval of Delivered Fast Foods for DECA Bid #14-019MS-AM

VII.       Approval of Custodial Supplies on Demand Bid #14-011RR-SL

VIII.      Approval of Psychological Services for Special Education Bid #14-005SC-SL

IX.        Approval of Signed Language/Music Therapy/Diagnostic Services RFP #14-008SC-AM

X.         Approval of Cash Disbursements for September 2013

XI.        Approval of Operational Inter-Function Transfers for September

XII.       Approval of Operational Intra-Function Transfers for September

XIII.      Approval of 21st Century Public Academy Cash Disbursements for August 2013

C.       Consideration for Approval of Policy and Instruction Matters (Discussion/Action)

I.          Approval of the 2014-15 Alternative Calendar Process

 

VII.     Announcement of Upcoming Board Meetings

President Esquivel announced that the next Special Board of Education meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2013, at 5:00 p.m., in the DeLayo Martin Community Room and the next Board of Education meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 6, 2013, at 5:00 p.m., in the John Milne Community Board Room.

 

VIII.    Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

APPROVED: ____________________________

Martin Esquivel, President

 

 

 

 

 

ATTEST: __________________________________

Steven Michael Quezada, Secretary