From left: AAPS superintendent Patricia Green, board chair Deb Mexicotte, vice chair Christine Stead and trustee Irene Patalan.

The resolution was written by trustee Christine Stead, and targets a handful of state senate and house bills, as well as the governor’s proposed rewrite of the School Aid Act.

On a long list of statements objecting to various pieces of legislation is one opposing ”the lack of local funding control so that communities might be able to break free from the state’s efforts to demolish public education …”

At the meeting, the board also approved an upgrade to the Argus/IMRA planetarium theater system, the appointment of Cameron Frost to the Recreation Advisory Commission (RAC), two sets of grants, and a set of financial reports brought as second briefing items.

As part of a comprehensive schedule of regular reports to the board, AAPS superintendent Patricia Green also asked three top members of her staff to report on enrollment, facilities, and all-day kindergarten.

The board held brief discussions on each topic following the presentations.

Resolution on Education Legislation and School Funding

Board president Deb Mexicotte introduced this topic by saying that during the state’s current lame duck legislative session,  bills have been put forward with many negative and long-range implications. She said AAPS trustees have been working with the Washtenaw Alliance for Education (WAE) to advocate for the best possible outcomes for AAPS as well as for all districts throughout the state. Mexicotte said that Christine Stead had drafted a resolution for trustees to consider to show the board’s opposition to the set of state education bills as well as to advocate for stable funding for public schools. She then asked Stead to outline the resolution. [.pdf of resolution text]

Stead explained that the state legislature has been trying to catch people off-guard, but that WAE and other advocacy groups have been able to respond strongly. She commended the leaders of WAE for organizing so quickly, including getting a letter signed by leaders across the state and sent to President Obama.

Stead said the resolution speaks against a set of bills, including one that is trying to codify the powers of the Education Achievement Authority (EAA), an entity which began managing 15 schools that were formerly part of the Detroit Public Schools just this fall. She noted that the EAA’s approach had failed completely in Kansas City, where it caused a sharp decrease in student performance. [For an op/ed on the EAA, see "In it for the Money: Letters and Wish Lists"]

The other anticipated bills addressed by the resolution, Stead said, essentially create a “super-voucher” system by allowing any entity to become a school – a municipality, an employer, or a for-profit company, and allow student funding to follow students fluidly through the system. She argued that the GOP plan is meant to encourage for-profit companies to run these new educational enterprises, and said the resolution outlines many layers of concern with the structure and funding models being considered.

Each of the other trustees then weighed in on the resolution.

Trustee Andy Thomas noted that Green had provided testimony to the state against the proposals – and that in his role as board secretary, he has been responding to communications he’s received questioning the appropriateness of Green responding to the legislation. He said he has been replying to those communications by saying that as the chief administrator of the district, Green has the responsibility to share with the public her view of threats to the AAPS, and has been sharing her opinion that this legislation would have a harmful effect on students. The board supports Green in sharing her opinion and offering testimony, Thomas said.

Trustee Irene Patalan reported that she went to a meeting in Lansing on Monday, which highlighted how this approach was a rushed plan, and that it was experimenting on Michigan’s children. She said it typically takes five years to see substantive change if it’s done correctly, and argued that the state should be working through the state board of education if it wants to implement changes.

Trustees Simone Lightfoot and Glenn Nelson added that they strongly supported the resolution. Lightfoot said she is glad AAPS has “join[ed] the political table,” and that, “We like to be polite, but the fight in Lansing really requires a war mentality.”

Mexicotte said that when the state legislature started trying to “squeak past” a flurry of legislation despite the electorate’s input, she was struck by the fact that the legislative activity was unfolding happening at the time time a popular parenting magazine had listed AAPS has one of the top ten districts in the country. She stated that she was still very optimistic that AAPS would get past this, but then pointed out that the current dismantling of public education started with the passage of Proposal A, then unfunded mandates, then “blowing the cap off of untested cyberschools and charters.” Finally, she asked, “Are we going to let them destroy public education in Michigan?”

Regarding the “super-voucher” program, Mexicotte pointed out that the citizens of Michigan have rejected a voucher system multiple times. She called the current legislation “the most sinister way of approaching a voucher system,” saying that “they have made the student the voucher … not only can anyone be a school now, but the entity that transports [funding] is the actual student.”

Stead acknowledged the leadership of John Austin, president of the state board of education, for fighting hard for students, and read the resolution in its entirety. Trustee Susan Baskett said she had expected more from the state board of education, “They should be leading us.”

Trustees suggested a few small changes, including: adding a “whereas” section about how duly elected boards of education and their constituents have been entirely marginalized in the creation of these bills; removing the word “reform” from the title of the resolution (originally, a resolution on “education reform legislation”), because the board in no way sees this legislation as reformative; and adding a clause that sends the resolution to newly elected school board members and state representatives.

Outcome: The resolution was unanimously approved as an action item during the Dec. 5 board meeting.

Argus/IMRA Planetarium Theater System Upgrade

AAPS director of communications Liz Margolis introduced a proposal to fund a new theater system for the district’s newly renamed Argus/IMRA planetarium at Pioneer High School. She explained that the upgrade to the Digistar 5 theater system would cost $65,000 and would be fully funded by the recent donation by IMRA to the AAPS Educational Foundation. Margolis also noted that IMRA is eager to see the upgrades.

Basket asked if the upgrades would require additional purchases in future years, and Margolis explained the new system may require new lighting in the second year. Additional grant funds could also be used to increase the planetarium’s hours, she said.

Lightfoot asked what IMRA stands for, and Margolis explained that it is a Japanese company that does laser research, and is dedicated to public school funding. Lightfoot said that this donation is a good example of AAPS reaching out to businesses that might be willing to provide funding for specific projects. Margolis noted that the AAPS business partnership coordinator had worked with the AAPSEF to secure the IMRA funding. Lightfoot suggested IMRA might also be open to providing internships for students.

Outcome: The Argus/IMRA planetarium theater upgrade was approved as a special briefing item as part of the Dec. 5 consent agenda.

AAPS Educational Foundation 2012-13 Grant Awards

Helen Starman represented the AAPS Educational Foundation (AAPSEF) in putting a series of grants before the board totaling $271,323. She noted that the grants affect students at all levels – elementary, middle school, and high school. Some grants are district-wide, and others are classroom-specific. Starman highlighted the pass-through grant made this year by IMRA corporation to sustain the district’s planetarium, as well as the middle school 4 p.m. bus grant, which was a collaboration between the AAPSEF and the AAPS PTO Thrift Shop.

Trustee Glenn Nelson praised the AAPSEF, saying that there is no question of the usefulness of the foundation, particular its matchmaking ability. Starman said the foundation is just beginning to realize its full potential.

Outcome: The AAPSEF 2012-13 grant awards were converted to a special briefing item and approved as part of the Dec. 5, 2012 consent agenda.

Recreation Advisory Commission Appointment

Jenna Bacolor, AAPS director of community education and recreation (Rec & Ed), presented her recommendation to the board for an appointment to the recreation advisory commission (RAC). The 12-member RAC, Bacolor explained, provides a forum for formal communication between the school board and the city council about recreation, with six appointments made by each entity. The RAC meets quarterly at the Rec & Ed offices. Bacolor noted that Nelson’s role as an ex-officio member is greatly valued, and that his opinions are very useful.

She then explained that the current RAC opening is for a spot appointed by the school district. She recommended Cameron Frost, currently a Rec & Ed field hockey coach, for the position. She noted that a RAC subcommittee had reveiwed four applications for the opening, and the committee felt that Frost will make a significant contribution to the RAC.

Nelson thanked Bacolor for the kind words, and said he takes great pleasure in being the board liaison to the RAC. He added that the RAC is “a really useful institution to all of us.”

Mexicotte thanked Bacolor for her recommendation, and suggested that the board waive a second briefing on this issue, as there is no controversy about it or additional things to be learned. The board supported her suggestion.

Outcome: The board waived a second briefing on this issue, and approved the appointment of Cameron Frost to a three-year term on the RAC as part of the Dec. 5 consent agenda.

Reports to the Board

The board received three major reports – on enrollment, facilities and all-day kindergarten.

Reports to the Board: Enrollment

AAPS director of student accounting Jane Landefeld and AAPS executive director of physical properties Randy Trent presented a two-part report on enrollment and facilities. [.pdf of enrollment and facilities report]

Landfeld began by stating that the district’s total headcount has stayed constant (16,637 in the fall of 2011, and 16634 in the fall of 2012). She then shared counts by school over time, highlighting that some of the elementary populations have shifted due to offering full-day kindergarten, or shifts in the population in some neighborhoods. Middle school enrollment has decreased slightly, and high school enrollment has increased slightly.

Landefeld noted that high school enrollment is slightly uneven, with Huron and Pioneer at 1,611 and 1,651 students, respectively, and Skyline at 1,501 students. She said the lower Skyline number was likely due to the transportation time required to get there – which limits some students’ abilities to participate in the lottery. She noted Skyline’s capacity is 1,600 students. Finally, she noted that another 127 AAPS students participate via the Early College Alliance (44 students), Widening Advancement for Youth (51 students), and Washtenaw International High School (32 students) programs.

Regarding the ethnic makeup of the district, Landefeld noted that there have been some shifts since fall 2001. At that time, the student population was 61% Caucasian, 16% African-American, and 3% multi-ethnic, with other ethnicities making up the rest of it. This year, the Caucasian and African-American student populations have dropped to 51% and 14%, respectively, and the multi-ethnic designation has risen to 11%.

Higher grade levels have larger numbers of students receiving special education services, Landefeld pointed out, but overall, the total percentage of special education student has decreased. Currently, 9.7% of students (1,618) have an individualized education plan (IEP). Overall, 24.6% of students (4,068) qualify for free and reduced lunch (FRL), for a total for 4,068 students. This has increased by 5% in the past five years, though there are still fewer high school students receiving FRL than the number who qualify, as they are less likely to apply.

802 students are English Language Learners (ELL), and speak 49 different languages. Of these, 29.8% speak Spanish, 14.5% speak Japanese, 13.7 speak Chinese, 11.1% speak Korean, and 10% speak Arabic, with all other languages groups having fewer speakers.

Landefeld then reported numbers on Schools of Choice students, highlighting that about the same number of students leave the district each year as enter it. She noted that students come and go from charter schools, private schools, other public schools, and homeschooling situations – and that the numbers are generally similar in both directions. She noted that Honey Creek is one charter school that is growing at a faster rate, but that overall AAPS is doing well maintaining its student population compared to other districts across the state.

The board thanked Landefeld for her report. Thomas asked whether AAPS had lost students whose parents did not want all-day kindergarten. But AAPS assistant superintendent for elementary education Dawn Linden said she had heard only of a handful of cases in which parents had made that choice. Nelson noted that recent data from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) projects lowering school-age populations, and that enrollment will continue to be challenging, as school districts compete for a shrinking number of students.

Reports to the Board: Facilities

Trent then segued into his facilities report, saying that it had been nice to work with Landefeld pulling the reports together: “I like numbers,” Trent quipped, “She loves numbers!”

Trent then showed a slide on elementary room capacity, and pointed out that the district has some flexibility with capacity because so-called “reserved rooms” can help AAPS shift rooms around the district depending on enrollment in different neighborhoods. Reserved rooms include rooms used for special education, Title I services, childcare, music, computer labs, occupation and physical therapy, and other special uses. He also noted that the preschool building has about 20 rooms, but about half of that building is allocated to specific outside programs. The state expects a utilization rate of 85% in middle and high schools, because not every classroom is used every hour.

Trent reviewed the replacement costs for all buildings in the district. Elementary buildings are worth $164 million, and all other buildings in total are worth $353.8 million, for a grand total of $0.5 billion in property value. He noted that AAPS is renting one elementary building in Superior township, Freeman Elementary, to Go Like the Wind Montessori. Trent said that AAPS is keeping the 40-acre property as a potential future building site, and noted that with only 12 classrooms, Freeman Elementary would not fit any of the district’s current programs.

Finally, Trent pointed out that that district also owns 165 acres of property in Missaukee County, Michigan, in the center of the lower peninsula. He said the district took field trips there in the past, but that the distance has become prohibitive, so such trips have stopped years ago. The Missaukee County property has been for sale for several years, Trent noted. It’s the last of many properties the district previously held up north and in Canada.

Nelson commented that at the current class sizes, there is some excess capacity in the elementary buildings, but not much. “If we closed a building, we would be right up against the edge of capacity in the remaining buildings,” he noted. Trent responded that such a statement would be true if you looked strictly at the numbers, but reiterated that reserved rooms can be realigned with necessary use.

Reports to the Board: All-Day Kindergarten

Green introduced the all-day kindergarten report to the board, saying she thought it would be a good time to update the board on how the newly-expanded program is going. Linden began by saying that the project has been “near and dear to our elementary hearts” and is going really well. [.pdf of all-day kindergarten report]

She outlined the work of the five subcommittees led by central office staff that managed the transition to all-day kindergarten district-wide.

The curriculum committee, Linden said, revamped the pacing guide for monthly lesson design, building in a four-week assessment cycle. She noted that developing a model daily schedule was exciting. It includes: morning meeting and calendar, literacy (phonics mini-lesson, literacy centers, writing workshop), snack, math (mini lesson, followed by math centers and games), lunch/recess, science, free choice centers, read aloud/snack, specials, social studies, and clean-up.

The instructional materials committee was charged with figuring out how classrooms should be outfitted. The committee thought through what was needed for choice time, transitions, and social and emotional developmental needs. The committee recommended $30,000 worth of purchases, including leveled readers, phonics lesson guides, benchmarks assessments, Everyday Math kits, teacher resources, classroom calculators, social studies digital subscriptions, science early explorations modules, and health teacher resources. They also recommended spending $10,000 on classroom tools such as listening centers, headphones, blocks, and whiteboards, and $38,000 on furniture.

Linden reported that in rolling out the program, consistency across the district was a big concern. So the professional development committee worked to create staff learning opportunities that would achieve consistency without costing any money. They used a Professional Learning Community (PLC) model which allows kindergarten teachers to share with each other in smaller group-learning teams, with the focus on curriculum implementation, data-driven instruction, and the sharing of effective practices, creating a year-long support system to keep teachers connected all year.

The technology committee assessed current software and hardware needs, and found significant inconsistencies in the number of classroom computers, which was remedied. Math and literacy support software was purchased, which is used as a learning center.

As the final note on the implementation committee work, Linden noted that the communication committee created a brochure and a short video, which she shared with the board.

Linden reported that she had also worked with elementary principals to standardize kindergarten round-ups. All round ups now need to take place in February, Linden said, and should showcase the district’s world-class program and the typical kindergarten experience. They are now all required to welcome children, engage families in kindergarten-style activities, and offer a tour of the building. The biggest change from before is that some buildings had not invited children to kindergarten round-up. “We wanted to send a message that we are child-centered and that your children are welcomed,” Linden said. “We wanted kids to come of the kindergarten round-up being excited to come to school.”

The kindergarten pre-assessment process is still being reveiwed, Linden continued. Some buildings are pre-screening students, and the district is looking at providing a standard tool for that purpose, which would connect readiness measures to elements of the district’s kindergarten curriculum. That way, she said, gaps could be addressed quickly, and parents could help students prepare over the summer.

Linden also noted that a new bill passed in June 2012 progressively alters the age that children must be in order to enter kindergarten in the state of Michigan. Currently, the requirement is that students must be five years old by Dec. 1 to enter kindergarten in that year. Next year, the date will be Nov. 1, then Oct 1 in 2014-15, and Sept 1 in 2015-16. This is the traditional cut-off in many other states, Linden noted. She said that AAPS will continue to examine the impact on enrollment. Some trustees questioned the state’s motivation, and Stead pointed out that this is a cost-saving measure at the state level.

Linden closed by summarizing that total implementation costs for all-day kindergarten were $750,000, including the supplies, curriculum, and furniture outlined above, along with the increased staffing costs.

Trustees commended Linden on her first solo report to the board since being hired last year.

Communication and Comment

Board meetings include a number of agenda slots when trustees can highlight issues they feel are important. Every meeting also invites public commentary on subjects not necessarily on the formal agenda or that are not covered elsewhere in The Chronicle’s meeting report.

Comm/Comm: Association and Student Reports

Five associations are invited to make regular reports to the school board: the Black Parents Student Support Group (BPSSG), the Ann Arbor Parent Advisory Committee for Special Education (AAPAC), the Parent Teacher Organization Council (PTOC), the Ann Arbor Administrators Association (AAAA), and the Ann Arbor Education Association (AAEA). The Youth Senate is also invited to speak once a month, as are representatives from each of the high schools.

At the Dec. 5, 2012 meeting, the board heard from Skyline High School representatives, the Youth Senate, the AAPAC, and the AAEA.

Skyline students Jeremy Glick and Emilie Weisberg described the function and organization of Skyline’s Student Action Senate (SAS), of which they are members. Their report highlighted the work of the four SAS committees – rights, voice, and responsibilities; teaching and learning; school spirit; and activism. Trustees asked clarifying questions about the organization of Skyline into Smaller Learning Communities (SLCs). Students explained that SLCs are multi-year groupings within the school, and have a set of adult advisers. Lightfoot asked why students do not make use of lockers, and Glick and Wiesberg said there was not enough time to do that between classes. Mexicotte asked about the location of a possible Skyline school garden, which had been mentioned as part of the SAS committee work, and Weisberg described it as by the front sign.

Youth senator Nicholas Liu suggested that the board allocate ongoing funding to support the Argus/IMRA planetarium instead of relying on grant funding. He argued that the district should cover maintenance costs, as well as adding public viewing hours and new classes. Public events could also charge admission, Liu said, which would defray the costs, and new high school astronomy classes would also make better use of this resource. Liu closed with a plea that the board ensures the planetarium gets the ongoing attention it deserves.

AAPAC’s representative to the board argued that Michigan is undergoing “turbulent times,” and that the district needs to protect its children from businesses who would like to profit off education. “We arefirst and foremost, our brothers’ keepers,” she said.  She said it was exciting to open up a report card that had such high expectations, and look forward to continuing to be invited to give feedback on academics for special needs students. She also highlighted the success of the disability awareness workshops held recently at a number of AAPS elementary schools this fall.

The AAEA’s representative, Linda Carter, reported on a long and active day spent at the state capital lobbying against Right to Work legislation. She noted that 70% of Michiganders support collective bargaining, including more than half of those who voted against Proposal 2. She quoted several studies that expressed concern about Right to Work legislation and its negative effect on children in the state.

Comm/Comm: Public Commentary

One person offered public comment at the Dec. 5 board meeting. Karen Baker, a parent of two AAPS students, spoke on behalf of her 10th grade daughter, who she said was being continually bullied by another student at Huron High School. Baker gave several examples of the bullying, saying her daughter was being followed home, and being threatened in the hallways, in the cafeteria, and on the bus. Baker argued that although AAPS policy on bullying is very clear, the district has not responded appropriately to the situation. She requested that her daughter be transferred to another school.

Comm/Comm: Board President’s Report

Mexicotte summarized the board’s November committee of the whole (COTW) meeting, saying there were three major items on the agenda. First, she said, the board was updated on the hiring of athletic coaches, and how the systems that govern athletics and employee discipline intersect. Then, the board held its first round of discussion on the budget process, and expects to follow up on this item at the next COTW meeting. Finally, the board checked its progress on board goals, but ran out of time to complete that agenda item, Mexicotte said.

Comm/Comm: New Pioneer Principal

Green introduced new Pioneer high school principal Cindy Leaman, who stood and was recognized by the board. Green reviewed Leaman’s career history, and noted that she has been involved in numerous district-level efforts, including training other administrators in response to intervention (RTI) strategies, chairing a committee on teacher evaluations, and participating as a member of the district’s strategic planning committee. Leaman is currently the principal of Clague middle school, and will transition to Pioneer after winter break.

Baskett welcomed Leaman in to her new position, noting that she will be Pioneer’s first female principal. The board also recognized the AAEA’s Linda Carter to speak on behalf of Leaman. Carter said that Leaman is “fun, fair, and a lot of energy. Pioneer is getting the best!”

On behalf of the board, Mexicotte also welcomed Leaman to her new position saying, “We know it will be a very successful tenure.”

Comm/Comm: Superintendent’s Report

AAPS superintendent Patricia Green highlighted major activities and accolades received by staff and students, including a major win by the Huron High School chess team, student musicians selected to perform the upcoming Michigan Music Conference, and a student who appeared on TV in Korea. She also noted that Clague Middle School had celebrated 40 years of excellence. Green said there are many students and staff members who give to families in our community, noting among others the “service squads” of various schools. Green also recognized deputy superintendent for human resources and legal services Dave Comsa, who was recently elected to an executive council of school attorneys.

Green also took the opportunity during her report to highlight the new community builders program she initiated in the district. The program brings together student leaders at the elementary level around the theme of creating caring communities. Schools will be given a flag to fly whenever they have a caring and respectful day without incident, and schools with the most caring days will be recognized. Green said she has been “thrilled and delighted” to see the program come to life, and thanked deputy superintendent for instruction Alesia Flye and Linden for their roles in the program.

Comm/Comm: Thurston 5th Grade Choir

At the opening of its Dec. 5 meeting, the board entertained a performance of three selections by the 5th grade choir of Thurston elementary, directed by Yael Rothfeld. Rothfeld said the choir gives interested students a chance to participate in formal choir. She explained that it is a non-audition, volunteer choir, and that students meet once a week during lunch to learn and rehearse the music. The board expressed support and appreciation for the students and their families for the performance.

Comm/Comm: Consent Agenda

The board passed a consent agenda containing three second briefing items on which there was no additional discussion at the Dec. 5 meeting – the financial audit report, the first quarter financial report, and the AAPS grant award. Minutes approvals and gift offers were also included on the Dec. 5 consent agenda and approved.

Comm/Comm: Agenda Planning

Lightfoot suggested the board hear an update on the process followed during and after the fight at an AAPS football game this fall – now that the formal investigation of the incident has concluded. She suggested that the board may need to review its policies and procedures to be sure they will fit any similar situation in the future. She also said she would like the board to discuss both the student and adult roles in the incident.

Mexicotte responded to Lightfoot’s remarks by saying that superintendent Patricia Green and the district’s legal counsel Dave Comsa have already invited any trustees who are interested to meet with them to review the videos of the incident. Andy Thomas suggested that perhaps requesting that administration provide the board with a written update would be sufficient. He also noted that the board had already discussed the incident at a previous committee of the whole meeting, and made suggestions to administration regarding policy regulations. Patalan also supported a written report.

Lightfoot said she was “disheartened” by the board’s response to her agenda suggestions. Mexicotte suggested perhaps holding a discussion about the student discipline policy during the board’s January committee of the whole meeting.

Present: President Deb Mexicotte, vice president Christine Stead, secretary Andy Thomas, treasurer Irene Patalan, and trustees Susan Baskett, Simone Lightfoot, and Glenn Nelson.

Next regular meeting: Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, at 7 p.m. at the fourth-floor boardroom of the Ann Arbor District Library’s downtown branch, 343 S. Fifth Ave. [confirm date]

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Deputy superintendent for human resources and general counsel for the district David Comsa, and assistant director of human resource services Stephani Field. A report from HR was delivered to the board at its Oct. 24 meeting. (Photos by the writer.)

And in keeping with superintendent Patricia Green’s desire to give annual updates to the board on a variety of topics, the AAPS board of trustees heard presentations from the human resources (HR) and informational technology (IT) departments.

Highlights from the human resources report were statistics showing that percentage-wise, more cuts have been made in the last few years to administrative positions than to teaching positions. Trustees also focused on recruitment of teachers that would reflect the same demographic profile as the student population.

Trustees were also given a report on the 2013-2015 technology plan.

In addition to the informational reports, the board was briefed on a partnership between AAPS and Toyota International. The district has been selected by Toyota as the sole participant in a pilot teaching program that will focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. The partnership will bring the methods of Singapore, described as a leading country in STEM innovation, to AAPS.

Also at the meeting, a recommendation to rename the Argus Planetarium – to acknowledge the $100,000 donation to the facility made by IMRA America – was met with enthusiasm by trustees. They also welcomed another naming proposal – to name the Pioneer High School tennis courts after long-time tennis coach Tom “Brick” Pullen. Votes on the naming proposals will come at the next meeting of the board.

Technology Presentations

Several reports on the state of technology in the district were presented to the board. Alesia Flye, deputy superintendent for instructional services, Carlos Soto, lead tech specialist in the information technology department (ITD), and Chuck Hatt, coordinator for literacy and social studies instruction, presented the 2013-2015 technology plan.

Chuck Hatt, AAPS coordinator for literacy and social studies instruction.

Deputy superintendent for operations Robert Allen, along with director of information and technology John VanRiper, gave a presentation about the IT department. The presentations reflected superintendent Patricia Green’s initiative to have the administrative departments make annual reports to the board.

Technology: 2013-2015 Plan

Green led into Flye’s presentation saying that at the end of last school year, a new technology plan – replacing one that had been in place for many years – had been finalized. This new plan was developed with input from many stakeholders in the community, Green said. The district had made sure to do that, especially in light of the commitment the district was asking the community to make with its approval of the technology bond. The plan itself has been submitted to the state and is available on the district website.

Flye reported that the plan, spearheaded by Anne Reader, former director of instructional technology, was completed last school year. The plan focuses on updating the district’s approach to technology, while acknowledging the challenges of the digital divide, the cost of equipment and infrastructure, the need for ongoing professional development, and the complexity of guiding students to become ethical digital citizens. Flye also mentioned that there will be an annual compilation and review of the progress toward the plan’s measurable goals.

The plan is a vision for how technology will be used in the district. Curriculum connections, technology delivery, parental communications and community relations, collaboration, and professional development are all parts of the plan. Soto noted that a large part of the backbone for the plan will be using the money from the 2012 technology bond to replace and build on existing technology in the schools. Improving network infrastructure is a top priority.

Technology: 2013-2015 Plan: Board Reaction

The board was generally receptive to and appreciative of the report. Trustee Glenn Nelson called the plan a significant factor in showing the public that the district would spend the resources wisely if the technology bond were passed. Board president Deb Mexicotte noted that the report shows the breadth of instruction the district is considering. She added that they had been working hard under the current administration to bring all systems together and think more holistically about education, and the plan was a product of that approach.

Several trustees asked about the future of technology in the classroom. Christine Stead drew out the fact that “about 250″ online courses are available to AAPS students. Andy Thomas wondered about the capabilities of remote classroom transmissions, especially related to some of the class offerings that may attract only a few students from each school. He imagined that with remote transmissions, there could be a “class in one school, and the opportunity for students [in other schools within the district] to participate remotely via cameras.”

Flye was receptive to Thomas’ suggestion, indicating that the topic had been discussed at a recent meeting of administrators. Not only would something like Thomas’s scenario help with budget efficiencies, but it would also maintain the quality of educational offerings for students, she said. The instructional services department and ITD were currently having those conversations. Right now, Flye cautioned, the focus is on improving the infrastructure. Once that was done, the district will be able to implement those kinds of remote learning situations.

Susan Baskett asked if there were any policy changes that might need to be made in order to work toward the plan. Flye replied to Baskett saying that eventually, policies will need to be put in place about when students will be able to check out various devices. Green mentioned the difficulty of managing content for students – to make sure that inappropriate material is filtered in an appropriate way. She also cited the challenge of teaching students how to be responsible digital citizens, by teaching them digital literacy.

Recognizing that technology in the classroom has come a long way in the past five or six years, Irene Patalan asked how the district will address the ethics of digital citizenship with students. In response, Green mentioned a community policing model, which would involve the police department taking an active role in educating students about appropriate uses of the Internet. She also brought up partnering with the community to form community connection seminars, because it wasn’t just “ethics in the school house,” but connected to the broader community.

Baskett was also concerned with teacher proficiency in technology. Flye noted that some components of teacher evaluation deal with technology proficiency, but she also pointed out that training and professional development is a key part of the technology plan. Hatt pointed out that because so much instruction was rooted in using technology, teachers “can’t deliver instruction without proficiency.”

Nelson contended that the district was approaching implementation of technology in the classroom in a way that wasn’t “pushing the edge” as far as it should. He believes technology is going to change education more fundamentally than the plan accommodates. He imagines a future where more classes are going to be akin to seminars, and the teacher may not necessarily be the most knowledgeable person in the room. This will happen, Nelson maintained, because of the instant and easy access to information the Internet can provide.

Acknowledging Nelson’s point, Flye allowed that this kind of evolution in the classroom must happen and is happening. Teachers are adopting the roles of facilitators in the classroom. She noted collaboration is one of the key tenets of the technology plan and encompasses the entire learning community of students and teachers.

Building on the point of changing education paradigms, Green gave the example of a “school of one” pilot in New York City. In that pilot program, everything centers around personalized learning for students, as each student receives a “playlist” of skills that he or she needs to master. The playlist varies across students, so they’ll be mastering skills at different levels in the classroom. The organization of the classroom is completely changed, because everything is related back to a student’s individualized learning plan. Green said the concept could be worth considering, as the district works to personalize student learning.

While Mexicotte was generally pleased with the report, she noted that assistive technology was not mentioned. She said its absence struck her because the assistive technology that works to integrate across the curriculum is just as relevant to mainstream education. Instead, it is “siloed” in student intervention and support services (SISS), Mexicotte said. She would like more integration of technology across the spectrum of students that the district serves. Hatt noted that one of the curriculum connections defined in the report is to support all students with alternative curriculum resources. Flye agreed with Mexicotte, saying that the plan does not explicitly highlight that, but it should. She said the district has been working to have stronger alignment between the two departments.

Technology: ITD Report

The ITD report dovetailed with the technology plan. Patricia Green said this reflected a collaborative approach between ITD and instruction.

The presentation outlined the structure of ITD, along with the scope of the department. Robert Allen reported that since the original technology rollout in 1996, the district has increased available technology by 400%. The original “cluster-based” support structure has currently been modified to a district-based structure, which means ITD is more responsive to needs across the district.

John VanRiper asserted that ITD will be collaborating with the instruction department to assure anticipated needs are proactively addressed. He lamented the vacant position for director of instructional technology, saying he would like a counterpart in that department. Without the close relationship between the two departments, the implementation of the NWEA [Northwest Evaluation Association] test couldn’t have happened, he said.

About ITD costs, VanRiper said he anticipates a reduction in repair costs because of the tech bond implementation. That’s because when new equipment is purchased and installed, fewer repair costs are incurred. He also said he was not repairing equipment if it didn’t make financial sense [because it would soon be replaced].

Scalability and security were two of the main focuses of the department, according to VanRiper. Both of these issues are being addressed through the implementation of the tech bond. Last year, the wireless network became so overloaded, public access had to be shut down during instructional hours. This school year, the district has been able to bring public access back.

VanRiper also noted the need for mobile device support. ITD will need to develop the infrastructure for all technology being introduced into the district – such as phones and tablets. VanRiper anticipates a BYO [bring-your-own] device system, one for which the district needs to establish best practices.

About a possible BYO device program, Glenn Nelson asked if the district envisions a program similar to the graphing calculator program, where students could check out expensive devices. He wanted to know if ITD had a plan or was just going to muddle through the implementation. Allen responded that the first thing they needed to do was to have the infrastructure in place to support the devices. To address equity issues, he foresees a system for checking out devices, but that will be in the future. Green said the district might institute a pilot program at the middle school level to test it out, as best practices haven’t been established yet.

Both Nelson and Irene Patalan remarked on the ease and helpfulness of the help desk. Christine Stead thanked Allen and VanRiper for the presentation and said their work doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated.

Outcome: Both reports were informational and will be updated yearly. No board action was required.

Tech Infrastructure Replacement

Superintendent Patricia Green noted that it was fitting the second briefing on the technology infrastructure replacement came immediately after the reports on the technology plan and ITD.

AAPS trustee Susan Baskett.

The trustees were first briefed on the request at the Oct. 10, 2012 regular meeting. Randy Trent, executive director of physical properties, was on hand to answer any additional questions from trustees.

The $5,192,872 purchase will be for a district-wide replacement of the network and wireless infrastructure. Trent emphasized that the work will be completed by the end of summer in 2014. Sentinel Technologies, an Illinois-based company that has a satellite office in Ann Arbor, was recommended for the contract award. Susan Baskett, who had reservations about awarding the contract to an out-of-state company, asked if the workers will be paid the prevailing wage. Trent indicated that the prevailing wage does not apply.

Outcome: After being moved from the consent agenda to a board action item, the board approved the contract. Baskett cast the sole dissenting vote.

Human Resources Report

David Comsa, deputy superintendent for human resources and general counsel for the district, and his team of Cynthia Ryan and Stephani Field, presented the inaugural annual report on the HR department. This is the second in a series of reports commissioned by superintendent Patricia Green to be make the administration’s departments more transparent.

Several of the trustees commended Comsa and his team on the presentation. Christine Stead said the “desegregation of information” was important for the board, especially the data points of administrative cuts versus teacher cuts. Irene Patalan said the information will make her job easier to do, because it “helps answer questions.” While pleased to have the report, Glenn Nelson was dismayed at the difficulty of broadening the district’s teacher demographics.

The report detailed the function and organization of the HR department. It also itemized staffing numbers, as well as teacher demographics and education. Full-time equivalent (FTE) positions in the district for the 2012-2013 school year were compared with data from the 2011-2012 school year. A loss of one FTE in the professional certified staff was the only difference between the two years.

Human Resources: Admin vs. Teacher Cuts

The trustees were most interested in the data regarding the five-year trend in administrator FTEs versus the five-year trend in teacher FTEs. The overall change in administrative FTEs [including both central administration and principals/directors] from 2005-2006 to 2011-2012 was a net loss of 8.0 positions. The overall change in teacher FTEs over the same five-year period was a loss of 67.6 positions.

Saying they continue to hear the clamor of comments from the media and the public who say the board has greatly reduced the number of teachers in the district and has done little to reduce administration, Andy Thomas broke down the math. The data shows that there has been a 27.3% reduction of central administration and an 8.9% reduction of principals and directors, for a net reduction of 11.9% over the five-year period. During the same period, there was a 5.6% reduction in teaching staff.

Thomas stressed the point that the reduction in central administrators (27.3%) was more than four times the reduction in the teaching staff (5.6%). More principals were not added, despite the opening of Skyline High School. Each administrator is now responsible for a greater number of teachers, he said. His impression is that the duties of principals and administrators have not remained static, but that there were more required reviews and increases in responsibilities over that time. His point was that a substantially increased workload was being taken on by the administrators. Comsa confirmed Thomas’ impression, saying the amount of student data collection has increased.

Deb Mexicotte said that during a time when the district has been asking more and more of the staff, the board has continued to see achievement and improvements in a wide range of areas. Green agreed, saying there is a trend of accomplishment by both principals and students.

Human Resources: Teacher Demographics

The board spent a significant amount of time talking about the demographics of teachers within the district. David Comsa remarked that progress had been made in the hiring and retaining of African American, Asian American, and Hispanic teachers. Teachers of color make up 16.6% of the overall teaching staff at AAPS for the 2012-2013 school year. People of color account for 19.5% of new hires this school year, he reported.

Both Susan Baskett and Glenn Nelson asked that the “other” category be clarified. Comsa said “other” encompassed people who did not self-identify a race or ethnicity. Responding to a question from Nelson, Comsa indicated that Arab American teachers were categorized as Caucasian. Comsa acknowledged that the district was looking at ways to break out information better.

Nelson made note of the difference between the student and teacher populations. District demographics in the fall of 2010 showed a 14.4% Asian American student population, but only a 1.7% Asian American teaching population. He wondered if hiring strategies needed to be rethought in order to have the teacher makeup more accurately reflect the student population.

Human Resources: Minority Hiring

On the topic of minority recruiting, director of human resource services Cynthia Ryan acknowledged that the district might need to rethink some of its strategies. She also noted that a significant role in the networking, supporting, mentoring, and recruiting of teachers is played by the Ann Arbor Education Association‘s minority affairs committee. The AAEA committee has been active for at least the past 10 years, according to Ryan. HR also reaches out to current teachers who may have connections to other potential teacher candidates.

Baskett mentioned that she and Nelson have talked in depth about teacher recruiting. She asked why it seems the list of schools where AAPS recruits has remained static – the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Eastern Michigan University – and has not expanded to include universities such as Wayne State. Ryan replied that in the past, the district has recruited at job fairs at Central Michigan University, Wayne State, and Saginaw Valley, but this past year, they only attended the recruiting events at the local universities.

Baskett stressed the importance of reaching out to applicants of color because “we are such a good school district.” She asked that some of that evening’s conversation translate into more action for recruiting for the 2013-2014 school year. Her concern is that the hiring timeline in AAPS was not in sync with other districts, which meant that lots of good candidates of color have offers from other districts before they graduate.

Human Resources: Hiring Process

While the district attends job fairs typically held in the spring, Ryan said, AAPS sometimes must wait until August before it can make final decisions on hiring. The district may know about its personnel needs early on, but until the budget is finalized, the district is not able to make formal hires. When Baskett asked if the problem was that budget discussions did not happen early enough this past year, Ryan indicated that was not the case. To Baskett’s question of how the board can help the HR department get better recruits, Ryan said having the district’s budget settled sooner would be most helpful.

Comsa also recognized that retirements play a part in anticipating staffing needs. He said  the district can’t make “hard offers” until the hard data is known. And Ryan noted that the retirement openings don’t always translate into the same positions hired.

Baskett asked if the hiring process should be changed. If a hire needs to be made mid-year, Baskett asked, is the district able to go back to the pile of applicants already screened? Ryan indicated that’s possible and is sometimes done.

Mexicotte wondered if there was another time to have the conversation about recruitment. She said the board needs to discuss how to maintain a pool of qualified candidates with whom the district has built relationships. Baskett suggested the many student teachers AAPS has each year as a potential candidate pool. Ryan indicated the district currently works to recruit excellent teachers from the pool of student teachers, and has been successful doing so.

Outcome: This was an informational report, which will be given yearly. No board action was required.

Partnership with Toyota

Superintendent Patricia Green, along with Cynthia Mahalak, Toyota assistant manager of media and community relations, introduced a business partnership with Toyota International, working with the Institute of International Education (IIE). Toyota has asked AAPS to join a pilot program to advance Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education at the secondary level. Toyota selected AAPS as the sole school district nationwide – due to its commitment to international standards and best practices of teaching, according to Green.

The district will work Toyota and IIE to redesign the international teacher program with an emphasis on STEM. The pilot program with AAPS will work to connect AAPS educators to educators in Singapore – a country noted for its innovation in STEM education. Green said that teams of educators from the district will begin traveling to Singapore as early as the spring of 2013.

Mahalak said that when Toyota Motor Sales contacted her to select a district in the state of Michigan for the program, there was little discussion. Ann Arbor was identified quickly as the district Toyota wanted to partner with. Toyota is growing its presence in the Ann Arbor and Saline area, having just celebrated its 35th anniversary in Ann Arbor. [The Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor does research and development work for the company.]

Many of the trustees thanked Mahalak and Toyota for partnering with AAPS. Irene Patalan was honored Toyota chose the district. Christine Stead said she was looking forward to seeing the partnership grow. Glenn Nelson noted it will provide the district with the interesting opportunity to see firsthand international standards in a top-rated country.

Outcome: This was an information briefing. No board action was needed on this item.

Naming of Facilities

Two facilities at Pioneer High School are likely to be named to honor service to the school district and monetary contributions, both of which are possible reasons for naming under the district’s naming policy.

Naming: The Argus IMRA Planetarium

The board welcomed the recommendation to rename the current Argus Planetarium as the Argus IMRA Planetarium – in recognition of the $100,000 in private financial support from IMRA America. The IMRA funding allows for the purchase of a new Digistar 5 system. New cove lighting, as well as new signage, will also be covered by the donation. Funds will be set aside to cover costs for opening the planetarium to the community after school hours. AAPS director of communications Liz Margolis also noted that the projector had recently failed.

The Argus Planetarium first opened in 1956 with a financial donation from the Argus Camera Company in Ann Arbor. It was the first high school planetarium in the country. The IMRA funding will ensure that the Argus Planetarium will remain the longest continually running planetarium in any school or college in the Western hemisphere.

IMRA America, which makes ultrafast fiber lasers, has made large donations to the district in the past. In 2011, the company donated $50,000 toward physics equipment, and in 2010 it donated $50,000 for science and math education.

Many of the trustees expressed their appreciation for IMRA’s donation. Glenn Nelson and Andy Thomas noted that it was an example of how the district could work successfully with the greater community. Thomas said it pointed them in the direction of where they need to be going – to look at partnerships with individuals, businesses, and other sources of private funding, as traditional sources of income decrease. Nelson said that when there was a synergy between the district, nonprofits and businesses, it works for everyone.

Christine Stead said she was very impressed with IMRA and was hopeful that other businesses also had ideas of how they could support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. Deb Mexicotte said the donation “speaks volumes” about how the community supports its students. She imagined the recommendation would be  wholeheartedly approved the board’s next regular meeting.

Naming: Pioneer High School Tennis Courts

The board also heard a recommendation to name Pioneer’s tennis courts after long-time boys’ and girls’ tennis coach, Tom “Brick” Pullen, based on his extraordinary service. Over his 23 years of coaching, all but one of the teams have finished in the top six in the state. He has been named Coach of the Year numerous times, as well as National Coach of the Year twice. In following the district’s naming policy, the first four steps of the process have been completed. Board approval is the next step.

Superintendent Patricia Green noted that many people in the community have asked that Coach Pullen be honored in this way. She gave the recommendation her strong support. Representing some of the 173 people who have written to the district to nominate Pullen, Dan and Sandy Lymburner, parents of four Pioneer High graduates, were on hand to speak about Pullen’s “unparalleled commitment to the tennis team.” Sandy Lymburner confirmed that Pullen met expectations, exceeded them, and was well deserving.

The trustees expressed their appreciation for Coach Pullen. Glenn Nelson said that because the district is focusing on the education of the entire student, including social and emotional needs, he was pleased to recognize individuals like Pullen. Irene Patalan was impressed by the outpouring of community support for Pullen’s nomination. Deb Mexicotte said Pullen’s work was typical of the dedication of the teaching staff at AAPS. Susan Baskett asked whether Pullen was agreeable to having the courts named after him – and Lymburner indicated he was.

Outcome: Both naming recommendations were first briefings. They will come up for a second briefing and vote at the next regular board meeting.

Communications and Comment

Board meetings include a number of agenda slots when trustees can highlight issues they feel are important, including “items from the board” and “agenda planning.” Every meeting typically includes public commentary on subjects not necessarily on the formal agenda or that are not covered elsewhere in The Chronicle’s meeting report.

Comm/Comm: Michigan Legislation

During “Items from the Board,” Christine Stead spoke about several legislative issues she felt were important to highlight. The Oxford Foundation-Michigan is engaged in rewriting the Michigan School Aid Act in its entirety to reflect the Any Time, Any Place, Any Way, Any Pace public school learning model Gov. Rick Snyder supports. Under this learning model, funding follows the student, and is not exclusively tied to the school district that a student attends. The School Aid Act could be rewritten and executed through the budget for fiscal year 2014, Stead reported. Stead highlighted problems with Snyder’s approach – related to anticipating staffing needs and tracking student performance. David Comsa, deputy superintendent for human resources and general counsel for the district, supported Stead’s position. He said there had to be better ways to address student needs than to “turn state education on its head.”

Stead also drew attention to HB 5923, legislation through which almost any entity could become a school, she said. She contended that “we could have any company in town become a school” without any accountability for student performance. Both of these pieces of legislation, Stead said, could substantively change education in the state. She said  legislators she has met with have not been aware of these changes and “didn’t think it was a big deal.” But, she asserted, these education models do not protect against conflict of interest and do not protect students.

Comm/Comm: Election Pleas

Stead continued her thought, saying that “people need to know who they are voting for in this November election.” She urged people to take action now, as legislators need to understand what Michigan needs to be a better place to live. At the state level, investments are not being made in education, which means the state is not positioned to be a knowledge-based education state, Stead contended. She noted that Michigan has dropped in ranking and is now ranked 46 out of the 50 states for education.

Tongue in cheek, Andy Thomas called Stead’s attention to a recent article in the Detroit Free Press and said she was worrying too much. He summarized the article, saying the Republican leadership in Lansing is opposing the Common Core State Standards because it takes away control from the local districts. Thomas’s perception had been that there were many other intrusive pieces of legislation that have been passed, but now he “understands the real motivation is to protect the autonomy and local independence of school boards.” He indicated that if that were true, the legislature should embrace the idea of reinstating local control over funding. In closing, Thomas urged everyone to vote.

The leaders of the state, said Deb Mexicotte, cannot race fast enough to the bottom of the pile when it comes to education. She challenged anyone at the state level to show that they have qualitatively done “a single thing to help education” in the state. She asserted that despite the lack of support from the state level, the students of AAPS are achieving. The board is committed to supporting the students, she concluded.

Comm/Comm: Huron/Pioneer Football Fight

Two people addressed the topic of the fight earlier this month following a football game between Pioneer and Huron high schools.

Dale Leslie told the board that he wanted to revisit the recent incident at the Huron and Pioneer football game. As an interested citizen, he said, he wanted to know more about what happened. [Leslie is also a candidate for the school board, running against incumbent board president Deb Mexicotte.] He said he had talked to parents and the police – one officer told him that the act of violence could have been anticipated, because there are very few violent acts that occur without a foundation of antagonism. But the officer had told him that AAPS had removed police from the district’s three large high schools because of budget cuts, Leslie said. These are officers who had gotten to know the students and faculty well, he said, and who are trained to anticipate situations like the one that took place. Leslie said it distressed him to know that the district “threw away the baby with the bathwater.”

He would have hoped that someone from the school district would have approached the Ann Arbor Downtown Kiwanis Club, where he’s a member, to ask for support for these police positions. He noted that the club already provides $30,000 in scholarships to the schools, and perhaps they could have provided funding for part of the police staffing too. It might have been a limited program, but it would have been better than no program at all, he said. This is not your mother’s or father’s high school, Leslie said. There’s a need for law enforcement to be present, and he hoped the board would rethink what’s been done and whether it was a wise decision. He concluded by saying he’d heard from another source that six police officers had been requested for the Huron/Pioneer game, but that the request had been denied.

Sarah Clark identified herself as the mother of two students at Skyline High School who were football players. Even though Skyline wasn’t directly involved, the situation affects everyone, she said. When it’s the lead story on Channel 4 News, she said, that’s not good for anyone in the district.

Sarah Clark.

This has left a negative mark on the district’s overall athletic program. She hoped that as the board reviewed the incident, they’d look at the process and outcomes. Kids need to understand how they’ll be judged, she said. It would be helpful to have a framework for how actions will be evaluated and punishments determined. Was the AAPS fighting policy applied in this case? Would the consequences have been the same if spectators had been involved, rather than football coaches and players? Was the process for evaluating the situation applied in the same way at both high schools? Who evaluated if that was the case?

Kids need to understand what the expectations are for them, she said. Had AAPS set up a system in which the punishment for swearing at a coach was the same as participating in a brawl? They might be setting themselves up for a potential conflict in the future, she said. It’s time to review how the district responded. Clark said she appreciated the risks involved with disclosing information, but there are also risks associated with not disclosing information. There were some inaccurate statements made about who was involved, and also the perception that an uneven number of suspensions had been made at one school compared to the other. She urged the board to disclose more information.

Later in the meeting, superintendent Patricia Green responded to some of the statements made about this incident during public commentary. She clarified that the police liaison officers – positions that Dale Leslie mentioned had been cut – had previously been employed by schools during the day. She noted that for after-school games, each school principal has the authority to engage as many police officers as they need. That process hadn’t been affected by budget cuts, she said. On the night of the Huron/Pioneer game, four officers were on duty – that’s the number that the principal had requested, Green said.

Comm/Comm: Nov. 6 Election

The third speaker during public commentary was Thomas Partridge. He noted that he had been elected student body president during the same year that John F. Kennedy was nominated for U.S. president. He recalled that it’s the near the anniversary of Kennedy’s announcement creating the Peace Corps, which Kennedy made while visiting the University of Michigan. It’s in that same spirit that Partridge said he’s calling for the re-election of Barack Obama, the first African American president in U.S. history. He urged the board to help provide transportation to the polls on Nov. 6 for the most vulnerable residents.

Partridge reported that he was running as a write-in candidate for the state House of Representatives in the 53rd District. [Partridge had been defeated in the Aug. 7 Democratic primary by incumbent Jeff Irwin, with Partridge getting 11.53% of the vote.] It was an important seat, he told trustees. Partridge also suggested that a male and female student should have a seat on the board, perhaps rotating representation among the high schools and even middle schools, he said. We need more participatory democracy, he said. He noted that it was an issue addressed in a free book he had picked up on his way to the meeting from a rack on the first floor of the library building. [The AAPS board holds its meetings in the fourth floor conference room of that building.] Partridge concluded by saying that people should unite to support expanded public transit, making it affordable and accessible to the most vulnerable residents.

Association and Student Reports

Five associations are invited to make regular reports to the school board: the Black Parents Student Support Group (BPSSG), the Ann Arbor Parent Advisory Committee for Special Education, the Parent Teacher Organization Council (PTOC), the Ann Arbor Administrators Association (AAAA), and the Ann Arbor Education Association (AAEA). The Youth Senate is also invited to speak once a month, as are representatives from each of the high schools.

At the Oct. 24 meeting, the board only heard from the Ann Arbor Parent Advisory Committee for Special Education (AAPAC). Carli Hildebrand, one of AAPAC’s executive officers, gave a brief report on the group’s September retreat and other activities. She invited the public to attend AAPAC’s monthly meetings – the next one will be held on Monday, Nov. 5 from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Washtenaw Intermediate School District’s Teaching and Learning Center at 1819 S. Wagner Road in Ann Arbor.

Comm/Comm: Visit from Dr. James Comer

James Comer – founder of the Comer School Development Program, and the Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry at Yale University – visited the district on Oct. 15-16. A mentor of superintendent Patricia Green, Comer visited Ann Arbor because of the district’s work toward eliminating the achievement gap. While here, he attended functions that allowed him to speak on his focus on social and emotional learning for students. Deb Mexicotte noted that “anyone who had the opportunity to engage with him felt his expertise and caring.”

Comm/Comm: Rec & Ed Grant

During her superintendent’s report, Patricia Green noted that community education and recreation director Jenna Bacolor applied for and received a $100,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH). The grant was awarded as part of MDCH’s Physical Activity and Healthy Eating Before and After School and Summer pilot program. Four elementary schools – Bryant, Carpenter, Mitchell, and Pattengill – as well as Ann Arbor Open’s Summer Learning Institute, will benefit from the grant.

Comm/Comm: Executive Session

Before the regular meeting at 7 p.m., the trustees met for an executive session [which is closed to the public] to receive and discuss with legal counsel a legal opinion protected by the attorney-client privilege requested by the superintendent and provided by legal counsel.

Present: President Deb Mexicotte, vice president Christine Stead, secretary Andy Thomas, Treasurer Irene Patalan, and trustees Susan Baskett and Glenn Nelson.

Absent: Trustee Simone Lightfoot.

Next regular meeting: Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012, at 7 p.m. at the fourth-floor boardroom of the Ann Arbor District Library’s downtown branch, 343 S. Fifth Ave. [Check Chronicle event listings to confirm date.]

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