Performance art by Lawton Elementary teacher Susan Bailey’s 2nd grade class at the AAPS March 13, 2013 board meeting. (Photos by the writer.)

The trustees seemed to be unimpressed with the SISS report – because not enough quantifiable data was presented. They asked the SISS team to come back with a more data-rich report at a future meeting.

Alesia Flye, deputy superintendent for instruction, presented the review of Roberto Clemente. The administration’s ultimate recommendation was to relocate the Clemente program to Pioneer High School beginning the fall of 2013 – for an estimated savings between $127,379 and $348,677. This was presented to the board as an information report. No action will be taken until the budget is finalized later on this year.

The board also discussed and unanimously approved a resolution to support three students who are currently facing criminal charges for their alleged roles in the Huron Pioneer football brawl.

Also at the meeting, the trustees also approved 2013-14 School of Choice (SOC) openings, which will be opened up on April 8 until May 8, 2013. Despite recommendations from the administration against it, the trustees approved 25 spots to be opened at Skyline High School for incoming ninth graders.

The board also formally approved a $2.5 million budget adjustment to cover lower-than-projected revenues and greater-than-projected expenses through the first half of the current budget year.

Upcoming budget decisions and anticipated cuts were also a prominent theme of the meeting. The board set a schedule for public forums to take place over the next month. And students who participate in the theater program addressed the board asking trustees not to cut support to that program.

Student Intervention and Support Services Review

As part of superintendent Patricia Green’s effort to have each department present an annual report to the board, the team – led by Elaine Brown, assistant superintendent for SISS – presented a review of the program.

Brown emphasized the committee was made up of a wide range of stakeholders, including SISS administration, teachers, and parents. The report itself touched on a literature review of recent special education mandates and strategies, the data collection tools used for the report [which were primarily site visits and interviews], trends and patterns, major findings, and recommendations. Committee concerns were also noted. The review culminated in a summary of the areas that should be addressed in the 2012-2013 school year and subsequent years.

SISS Review: Overview

After noting that there seemed to be a discrepancy of services from school to school, the team identified several areas that needed improvement.

Elaine Brown, assistant superintendent for student intervention and support services.

The Achievement Team Process (ATP) was described as not being well understood by staff and not consistently implemented. Curriculum and instruction, as well as need for more collaborative planning time, were also noted as focus areas. While communication between staff and parents was an area staff felt they were doing well, they felt communication between levels was lacking, which affected student transition between elementary, middle, and high schools.

Some of the 22 recommendations included training on the ATP, working to create more collaborative time for teachers, and a review of leveled classrooms. Christia Butler-Ketchum, SISS assistant director, argued that leveling students in general was not necessary. Tracking students leads to confusing a student’s pace of learning with their capacity for learning, she said. She contended that leveling created different expectations for those students.

Summarizing the recommendations, Green said a common understanding is needed of the ATP and services available, because when people don’t have the correct understanding of what is needed, “there can be a quick referral to special ed services without understanding the full need.” She wanted to make sure the appropriate services are being provided for the appropriate reasons.

SISS Review: Board Response

While trustees were appreciative of the report, their feelings were best summed up by trustee Andy Thomas’s concerns: Trustees were “struck by the complete absence of any metrics” in the report and were disappointed by the absence of clearly defined goals and next steps.

Brown said her team felt they should not repeat information already given to the board in the district achievement report. She reiterated that action plans will be developed and implemented on a yearly basis to address the recommendations put forth by the report. She also noted the report only examined how services were provided and did not take into account the financial implication of the services.

AAPS trustee Glenn Nelson

In a program review, trustee Glenn Nelson said, it would be helpful to have a broader picture of how special ed fits into the district program. He noted that while other districts in Washtenaw County have experienced growth in the general education population, AAPS has seen an increasing “market share” of special ed students. He said that must mean the special ed services are part of what people find attractive about AAPS.

Nelson also highlighted the financial consequences of special education enrollment. In 2012, $34 million was spent by the district on special education. About $23.7 million of that will be reimbursed by the state [roughly $6.3 million] and by the Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD) special education tax millage [about $17.4 million]. Even factoring in the state’s foundation allowance that the 390 FTE special education students bring to the district, the district still has to cover about $6.8 million of the cost out of the general education fund.

If that $6.8 million is divided by the 390 students, the district pays over $17,000 per special ed student, Nelson said. Nelson wanted to draw attention to the costs of special education as it currently is structured and how that impacts the budget. Trustee Christine Stead also pointed out that the district is really spending $87,000 per special ed student, but that they are currently being reimbursed for all but $17,000 of it.

Trustee Simone Lightfoot noted the reimbursement from WISD will be diminished in upcoming years. For the 2012-13 school year, WISD will reimburse 67% of special education costs. In 2013-14, that number drops to 56%. In 2014-2015, it drops further to 49%, and in 2015-2016, that number bottoms out at 46%. As reimbursement declines, Lightfoot asked, how can the district be expected to maintain the same mandated level of services.

Brown said that was why they looked at the structure of how services were being provided. The district wants to move towards more inclusive environments that are the least restrictive for students. And while appropriate services for each student would still be provided, not as many special education dollars would be spent if the services were more inclusive.

In an educational system that offers more choice, Nelson said, there are going to be providers who search out the low-cost elements of the educational mission, which are typically K-8 general ed students. Charter schools do not have to accept the higher-cost students. That leaves special education and high school students the responsibility of the public schools, he concluded. Nelson argued that the dynamics over time are going to mean that the high-cost providers will find it unsustainable to deliver that kind of education. There needs to be a partnership between general ed and special ed to have strong, viable programs for both, or else, “we’re in trouble,” he concluded.

Responding to a question from trustee Susan Baskett, SISS assistant director Erik Thompson clarified that a targeted resource room was not a federal or state term, but one developed by AAPS. He explained that the program began as a kindergarten transition for students who had problems with social communication and who required more time and services than could be allotted in a half-day kindergarten program. The rooms were housed at Angell and Lawton elementary schools. Now that the district offers all-day kindergarten, he said, services can be provided at neighborhood schools, because all schools have resource rooms and speech and language pathologists. That push for inclusion, Butler-Ketchum added, will help set the bar higher for students.

Stead said the board would be interested in a more data driven presentation. While a lot of the information already exists, having it coalesced would help the board. She said the Ann Arbor Parent Advisory Committee (AAPAC) did a fine job of identifying some of the areas where data is needed. She also said that as the district is already spending close to $90,000 per student, she would hope the whole SISS team would think about cost effective ways of implementing services for students.

Outcome: The board asked for a data-driven component of the report to be presented at a future meeting. If the meeting turns out to be a committee of the whole meeting, AAPAC would be specifically invited.

SISS Review: AAPAC Response

During the Ann Arbor Parent Advisory Committee (AAPAC) association report, Heather Eckner, AAPAC representative, addressed the SISS review. She thanked Brown and the SISS team for including AAPAC members in some data collection. She followed that by saying the committee was troubled by the lack of data on student achievement or student outcomes from the program review that had been designed and conducted by SISS.

In the absence of such data, AAPAC believed it would be premature to make significant changes to the services or programs serving special education students. They urged the board to maintain the current practices of using separate, leveled classrooms for students with mild and moderate cognitive impairments, and to maintain or expand targeted resource rooms for early elementary students with developmental delays.

Eckner also highlighted current special education law, and pointed to a conversation board had at its Feb. 27, 2013 meeting about teacher assistants being written into individualized education plans (IEPs). AAPAC’s position is that that the district is reimbursed for a significant portion of the costs for special education, and the trustees should keep that in mind when talking about the budget.

SISS Review: Public Commentary

Several parents addressed changes in special education during public commentary.

Karen Underwood thanked the district for the support her daughter had received in a targeted resource room at Angell. She questioned why the SISS review didn’t come until mid-March, as it gives special education families little time to consider other options. She also asked how special education services were going to be expanded throughout the district, given the budget constraints.

Patricia Memmet said she was dismayed to hear the board looking into pressuring the IEP teams to reduce support for special education students, and she thanked the trustee [Mexicotte] who had previously suggested that would not be compliant with the law. Memmet asked why a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) hasn’t yet been hired. This was a gaping hole in the staff, she contended, and could be contributing to increased costs for additional teacher assistants.

Marie Kreger argued for the continued need for targeted resource rooms. She said that early on, AAPS had been a model for intervention for high functioning students. It was a testament to the program that out-of-district families work hard to get their students into AAPS schools. She said that as far as developing a robust special education program, “If you want to grow a forest, you don’t cut down the trees. You plant more.”

Paula Goforth was also concerned about the elimination of the targeted resource rooms. The targeted rooms, she said, provided the social and emotional components that kids need and they have really helped her son blossom. She was concerned that parents don’t know what other viable options might be, if the resource rooms were removed.

Roberto Clemente Student Development Center Review

As part of the budget reduction process last year, in 2011-2012, relocating the Roberto Clemente alternative program was discussed as a potential reduction of approximately $400,000. The administration’s recommendation was to relocate Clemente to Pioneer High School as a cost-saving measure. At the time, the trustees decided to leave the program intact, but charged the administration with doing a review of the program.

When the board had originally heard the review, at its May 16, 2012 meeting, AAPS administration presented a set of information for board review, including a large amount of data on achievement, student make up, attendance, graduation rates, staffing, course offerings, and cost comparisons between the six district high schools. The administration used a similar approach this year at the board’s March 13, 2013 meeting.

Clemente: Options

After conducting its review, the administration’s recommendation remains unchanged: Relocate the Clemente program to Pioneer High School. While there would be a change in location, Flye said, the service model would stay the same. The program would be intact, and the same number of instructional FTEs would be in place.

Deputy superintendent of instruction Alesia Flye

The administration proposed two different options. Option A would yield a total potential savings of $348,677. The savings in Option A are realized by eliminating the principal and the office professional, as well as yielding savings in the areas of transportation, energy, maintenance, custodial, and ITD tech support. Option B offers a total potential savings of $127,379 – by leaving the principal and office professional positions in place for the initial year of transition. In either option, any sinking funds or bond money currently allocated for the Clemente building would be redirected to improving the program site at Pioneer.

The next steps, according to Flye, would be to collaborate with the Clemente and Pioneer principals to develop an action plan. Flye acknowledged that Pioneer principal Cindy Leaman has begun to brainstorm considerations to keep in mind to help ensure a smooth transition, if the program is relocated to Pioneer. Pioneer administration is “confident” the building has the capacity to house Clemente. While Pioneer currently is technically over capacity, there is some flexibility with room configuration in the building, according to Trent. One of the benefits to moving Clemente students to Pioneer, according to AAPS administration, would be that the Clemente students would have greater access to more opportunities.

Flye reported that Clemente’s current principal, Ben Edmondson, would prefer to keep to keep the program at its current location. Issues such as uniforms and a dedicated space were some of the concerns he expressed. [Clemente students wear uniforms.] He also said he would welcome the opportunity to talk to the principal at Ann Arbor Tech High School about housing the program at A2 Tech.

Retired Clemente principal Joe Dulin weighed in during public commentary, saying that if the proposed move of Clemente to Pioneer goes forward, “we are headed for some serious problems.” He recalled the time that Clemente was housed at Forsythe Middle School – which lasted less than two weeks – as a negative experience.

The cost per pupil (CPP) at Clemente based on 2011-2012 enrollment is $18,941. That compares with CPPs of $14,804 at A2 Tech and $8,253 at Community High School. Flye noted that in this financial climate, “it is becoming more challenging to operate a program with that high a cost per pupil.”

Clemente: Board Reaction

Several of the trustees were appreciative of the work that went into the report. Lightfoot, however, was troubled to have the “same suggestions we had last year.” Thomas said he had hoped the board would receive an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Clemente program. That qualitative aspect was something Baskett had asked for at the May 16, 2012 meeting. Flye responded that they found that the strengths of the program included its smaller learning environment and the relationships developed between teachers and students.

It was not surprising that Clemente scores would be lower when compared to the comprehensive high schools, Thomas said, given the fact that the students at Clemente were struggling already. The 88.24% graduation rate at Clemente, however, was striking to him. If the end result, Thomas allowed, is to graduate a student, then Clemente seems to be effective. But he added, “If the result is to attain a certain measurable standard of learning, the outcomes are not good.” He wondered if the end results were any better or worse than if those students had attended a comprehensive high school.

Responding to a question from Thomas about how the culture of Clemente would be maintained if moved to Pioneer, Flye felt the culture of Clemente could be preserved. The same number of classrooms would be provided at Pioneer, and there would be room for Clemente staff to work together. To address issues of mixing between Clemente and Pioneer students, there was some brief discussion on a separate entrance to the D-wing of Pioneer where the Clemente program would be housed.

The trustees did have some concerns about the future leadership of Clemente. Forty percent of the projected savings, Thomas noted, came from the elimination of the principal position. He was skeptical of Flye’s assertion that the real value of Clemente had more to do with individual teachers and what goes on in the classroom than with the leadership of the school. He said he thought the leadership mattered and eliminating the position should be thought through “quite thoroughly.”

Flye responded by saying that the relationship component of student and teacher is a strength, and will remain the same. The 15:1 ratio of student to teacher will be maintained at Pioneer. She also noted that the principal of Clemente would have the opportunity to be part of the summer school experience.

Trustee Irene Patalan also emphasized the importance of leadership. She wondered who would be in charge of the Clemente program at Pioneer, who “would be the glue to hold them together” if there were no principal or office administrator. She shared some of her own family’s experience with the Middle Years Alternative (MYA) program, which was housed at Forsythe. She emphasized that having some leadership was an important component to the success of a school within a school, but ultimately, she could see the relocation working.

MYA was not a good example of a “school within a school” because it was ultimately closed, Baskett contended. The administration had not convinced her that they would be able to sustain at Pioneer the qualities that makes Clemente successful. She was concerned the district was not thinking through all the details of the day-to-day operations. If a Clemente student gets into an altercation with a Pioneer student, she asked, who would be in charge?

Baskett also pressed the administration on how student success would be ensured if Clemente students were moved to Pioneer. The students there would not have the same kind of “TLC” from all staff that they are able to have at Clemente. Lightfoot also noted the irony of sending students back to Pioneer – the school from which the majority of Clemente students are referred.

No one was pleased with the achievement scores at Clemente, said Flye. She mentioned the instructional team had been exploring distance learning components at the comprehensive high schools, which could be additional resources for Clemente students. Baskett disagreed, saying the metaphorical and physical arms that Clemente teachers wrap around their students are key. She didn’t think distance learning would work for Clemente students.

The question for Nelson was: Where could the least amount of harm be done when viewing the budget as a whole? They were looking at this option because “we’re forced to cut money from the budget.” Green assured him that they were not bringing forward any item separately. She recognized, however, that they were making plans for each of the potential reductions being considered.

Lightfoot wondered when the administration’s recommendation switched from housing Clemente at A2 Tech to housing it at Pioneer. Flye answered by saying that they had conversations with all the high school principals last year to discuss several options. It was ultimately decided then that there was not enough physical space to combine both programs at A2 Tech – and both principals at A2 Tech and Clemente were opposed to the combination.

Lightfoot also encouraged the administration to solicit ideas from Clemente students, families, and faculty. She asserted that “too many decisions are being made in Balas [the central administrative office]” without the input of the people most impacted by those decisions. Flye said they know parents appreciated the experience students have at Clemente. That was one of the reasons that they are looking to keep classrooms together if the program does end up moving to Pioneer.

As a possible revenue generator, Lightfoot suggested looking into recruiting more students to Clemente. She also asked that they be more creative than just eliminating programs. If the district is going to be committed to the program, Lightfoot maintained, it shouldn’t be sent “hobbling along.” Students had limited other options for alternative education, Lightfoot said, especially since the Center for Occupational & Personalized Education (COPE) closed its doors in 2012.

On a different topic, both Lightfoot and Baskett questioned the admissions process to Clemente. Lightfoot said that previously students could opt to go directly from middle school to Clemente – but now were required to spend at least one semester at one of the comprehensive high schools before being able to transfer. That seemed to be a punitive approach, Lightfoot contended.

Some of the issues that would have to be addressed if Clemente were to be housed at Pioneer would be the possible wearing of uniforms by Clemente students. Clemente students would potentially switch to semester scheduling as opposed to the trimester scheduling currently used at Clemente. Baskett argued that trimester scheduling was used at Clemente for a reason – credit recovery. The connectivity provided by the longer classes are important to the success of Clemente students, she concluded.

Clemente: Summer School Update

Some of the trustees asked about the impact of combining summer school programs. Before 2012, Clemente offered its own summer school program. Because of budget cutbacks, the trustees voted to have all the secondary summer school programs at one site – Pioneer High School.

Flye told the board it was a smooth transition to one site. Because it was so successful, she said, the district will be continuing it for the 2013 summer school program. She said they had initially received lots of feedback from parents who had reservations about transitioning the summer program, but once the program started, they did not hear any more concerns. When pressed by Baskett for some written documentation of that feedback, Flye said they are putting in place a complete review of the summer school program. Baskett maintained that summer school would have been “a nice pilot to measure the social interactions” between Clemente and non-Clemente students.

Outcome: This was a review requested by the board. There will be more discussion on Clemente as the board considers the budget as a whole. No action was taken at the meeting.

2013-14 Budget

The upcoming budget decision for FY 2013-14 emerged as a topic throughout the meeting.

2013-14 Budget: Dialogue Meetings

Led by trustee Glenn Nelson, the board discussed and approved a process for engaging citizens in their budget development. The proposed process and timeline is:

• Late March & Early April: Community dialogue meetings sponsored by BOE
• April 10, 2013: Administration presents projected revenues for FY 2014
• April 24, 2013: Administration presents recommended expenditure budget for FY 2014
• Early May: Community forums led by the administration on the proposed budget
• May 8, 2013: First briefing of the Budget Resolution for FY 2014
• May 22, 2013: Second briefing and action on the Budget Resolution for FY 2014

The meetings would need to be sub-quorum [only three or fewer trustees], and Nelson said it would be “something of an experiment.” Since they have heard criticism that the traditional forums were not informational enough, the smaller gatherings would allow for more input from the community. With projected action on the budget coming before Memorial Day, the hope would be that members of the community would have enough time to adjust to whatever changes will be coming.

Nelson envisioned that the trustees present at each meeting would describe what it is they are facing and a list of the various options. Attendees would be encouraged to do three things: (1) address ideas for additional revenues; (2) identify the core areas that must be protected; (3) and find the areas where $17 million (almost 10% of the district budget) can be cut.

Stead noted that the costed-out information was going to be important for trustees to have – to give the public a sense of scale.

Lightfoot also noted that as trustees look at the budget, they keep in mind and suggest to the public the importance of restructuring and amending rather than ending. She said they were looking to the public to come to the meetings with ideas that could possibly be implemented. She also highlighted this point when talking about the proposed relocation of Clemente.

2013-14 Budget: Items from the Board

Thomas said he has received a number of emails over the past week about possible cuts to the funding for the district arts programs. “We get it,” he said. But the problem, he argued, was that nobody wants to cut anything, and the district is still faced with a $20 million deficit. He suggested that as a district and as a community, they need to get behind some charitable contributions in support of the arts. He suggested donations to the AAPS Educational Foundation as a way to support the arts so they can save some of the programs that are so clearly valued by the community.

Board vice president Christine Stead presided over the meeting, as president Deb Mexicotte was absent.

Lightfoot mentioned she had attended a Education Achievement Authority (EAA) board meeting at EMU and was struck by the “egregiousness” of the legislation. The workings of the EAA have siphoned off some of the district’s students, without incurring the kinds of costs the public schools have. She said that while residents’ frustrations are directed at the board, they should instead be directed at the governor and state legislature. Stead noted that it was districts like AAPS that had been giving the most since funding from proposition A was started [in 1996].

Nelson thanked Stead and the others who organized the Michigan board of education forum on state legislation that could impact public education, which was held on March 11, 2013. It was a forum “we could all be proud of.” Stead said she is following up with the panelists to pursue the possibility that they would remotely answer some of the questions from the community.

2013-14 Budget: Public Commentary

Two people spoke during public commentary about the budget and issues with the administration. Barbara Malcolm said she was “outraged at what seems to be back alley deals” when it comes to the budget. She said the board should be distrusted and ashamed for bringing in “outsiders who have no connection to the community.” She asked for more transparency when it comes to the budget.

David Malcolm addressed the failings of the board to keep Green’s pay in check, and said Green should have taken a pay cut a year ago given the current financial environment. He directed some of his remarks directly towards Patalan because of her previous statement at the May 9, 2012 meeting, when she said she was “a little troubled by what seems like … like a lack of sticking to the rules of public commentary.” Addressing Patalan, he said, “We are coming for that seat in 2014.”

School of Choice Openings

As they have for the past three years, the trustees approved limited school of choice (SOC) openings for the 2013-2014 year. Under the limited option, a school district must identify the number of openings and can open an application window for only 30 days.

The district is offering the following SOC openings: 40 seats in kindergarten; 40 seats in grade 1; 10 seats each in grades 2 through 5; and 50 seats in grade 6 for the 2013-14 school year. These numbers are consistent with what was offered last school year.

New for the 2013-14 school year, the board also decided to add 25 seats in grade 9 at Skyline High School. This was not consistent with the administration’s recommendation. Because the district could not accommodate all the requests for in-district transfers at the high school level, the administration did not want to open up any high school for SOC.

The trustees were in agreement that it made sense to open Skyline up for SOC – because enrollment at the school was down. While there are 100 open enrollment seats for students who reside in the district but live outside the Skyline boundaries, not all seats went filled for the 2012-2013 school year. In a time where “we are talking about eliminating all these programs, it seems unwise to leave an opportunity untapped,” said Thomas.

Nelson noted that because Skyline has smaller class sizes than either Huron or Pioneer, it was likely that an addition of 25 students could be absorbed with no increase to FTEs. Each SOC student brings in the corresponding foundation allowance from his or her own school district. Thomas also mentioned that if they did not open up the seats, the district would possibly be looking at a reduction of teachers at Skyline – to bring staffing levels more in line with the other comprehensive high schools.

The administration’s recommendation is to give it some time to see how in-district transfers between high schools works, before opening up a high school to SOC, Green said. But if the board wants to try opening up Skyline for SOC, and the board and the administration is “all on the same page that this is an experiment,” she would not delay doing it. Flye said the administration will still be monitoring in-district transfers.

Second Quarter Financial Report Update

After receiving a sobering second quarter financial report at their Feb. 27, 2013 meeting, which showed a $2.5 million gap, the trustees amended the general appropriations in the current year’s budget and approved the second quarter disbursements. The formal amendment to the budget was made as part of the board’s approval of the consent agenda.

The second quarter financial report shows the projected revenue will be approximately $1,088,000 lower than expected. The decrease is due to adjustments of the number of budgeted general fund FTEs to the audited student account, along with other reductions.

The expenditure budget will be approximately $1,394,758 higher than originally projected. The increase is due to an $894,758 increase for an additional 24 teacher assistant FTEs and a $500,000 adjustment to basic programs for projected substitute teacher costs.

While acknowledging that it wasn’t going to close the $2.5 million gap, Green said they have implemented a limited budget freeze. For a purchase or a requisition to be approved, it first must be approved by the appropriate executive cabinet member, then by Green herself. This was met by approval from the trustees. Patalan said she appreciated the initiative. Stead said that since the public didn’t always understand the estimations that go into the budgeting process, she wanted people to become more aware of the work being done by Green and her team to address the current financial situation.

Green also noted that the move to a zero-based budget and line-by-line accountability will allow the administration to look more closely at the budget so “when we are offering service, we are doing so appropriately.” Right now, for example, she described funding for substitute teachers as the responsibility of the HR department, while the bills for substitutes are paid from finance, and requests are made at the building level – who have no idea of the costs. If you don’t know the costs, Green asserted, you can’t control the costs. She acknowledged that as the district moves to line-by-line accounting, there will be “some growing pains.”

Lightfoot asked how there could be a job fair if there was a budget freeze – referring to the job fair AAPS held on Feb. 28, 2013. Green explained that the freeze is related to purchases and acquisitions. The current openings for principal will be kept open until filled. [Skyline High School principal Selura Jackson is leaving at the end of the school year to take a new principalship in North Carolina.]

Green acknowledged they were trying to “level out the organization” at the administrative level. That means the administration is not going to be filling Robert Allen’s deputy superintendent for operations position. But Linda Doernte’s director of purchasing and business services position will be filled when she retires.

Green also said they would be looking at some more creative ways of cutting expenses. She noted a proposal had come forward to cut down on graduation costs, as had a proposal addressing table rentals.

Outcome: The board approved the second quarter financial report as it was presented.

Purchases

The board was asked to give final approval to two purchases.

Purchases: Copiers

After receiving an initial briefing on the item at its Feb. 27, 2013 meeting, the board voted to approve a purchase of 103 Lexmark copiers at a cost of $360,000, funded through the technology bond. It has been verified with the district’s bond counsel that this would be an allowable expense for the bond.

The purchase represents a one-time savings of approximately $25,000 over the lease option. Because the lease was a budgeted expense in the general fund for the next three fiscal years, a savings of approximately $130,000 annually will be realized in the general fund. The savings from the copiers will most likely be used to offset the costs of a software upgrade, which cannot be funded through the technology bond.

Outcome: The board unanimously approved the purchase.

Purchases: Classroom Projectors, Amplifiers

The trustees approved a district-wide replacement of classroom projectors, approximately 200 sound amplification systems, and supporting electrical equipment.

A request for bids on the project went out on Jan. 10, 2013. Bids were received and publicly opened on Feb. 5, 2013. After various companies were interviewed by the district’s technology bond professional team, the team recommended the following contract awards: Great Lakes Power and Lighting ($393,000 for electrical work); The Professional Group ($1,879,619 for audiovisual equipment); and to AVI-SPL ($183,168 for the sound amplification systems).

Brief discussion centered around the business practices of Great Lakes Power and Lighting after some complaints were brought up during public commentary at the Feb. 27, 2013 meeting. Trent said that after internal discussion, none of the complaints changed their recommendation of the companies.

Lightfoot made clear she would not be supporting the contract because of letters from the state’s Department of Labor and Economic Growth from 2008 that state that Great Lakes Power and Lighting was not in compliance for pay.

Outcome: The board approved the purchase on a 4-2 vote. Baskett and Lightfoot dissented.

Financials and Insurance

With limited discussion, the board approved both Plante Moran as the financial auditor and renewed the district’s liability insurance. The trustees were initially briefed about both topics at the Feb. 27, 2013 meeting.

Plante Moran, the district’s previous auditor, was awarded the district’s financial audit contract for a cost of $161,000 over three years, with the potential for two one-year renewals. Nelson was pleased to hear that there would be some change in the team from Plante Moran. He was initially concerned that there could be too much familiarity – if an auditor had been with the district for an extended period of time.

The trustees also voted to approve the district’s liability insurance renewal. The district’s final liability insurance premium will be $716,476. The renewal premium reflects an overall increase of 5.9%, which is less than current market conditions.

A National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy was purchased this year because Affiliated FM identified eight buildings located in a low hazard flood zone as locations that are “at risk.” Affiliated FM would insure those buildings only with a $5 million limit and a $1 million deductible. Because this was a large deductible that could potentially put the district at financial risk, the additional NFIP from Selective Insurance was purchased to cover the gap, which would insure the buildings up to $1 million with a $1,000 deductible. The NFIP coverage goes into effect March 6, 2013 and costs an additional $30,732.

All policies except the NFIP coverage went into effect Feb. 1, 2013 and will expire on Feb. 1, 2014.

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: Huron/Pioneer Football Brawl

The trustees weighed in to support three district students who face criminal charges as a result of a “brawl” that took place at the conclusion of a football game last year. The game took place on Oct. 12, 2012 between Huron and Pioneer high schools, both schools in the AAPS district. A hearing for one of the students had been scheduled for March 15, 2013.

During public commentary, five members of the public spoke in support of the three young men. Joe Dulin, retired Clemente principal, speaking on behalf of Ann Arbor Concerned Citizens for Justice, said that while no one in the group applauds that someone was injured during the brawl, they felt there was injustice done by “overcharging” the students. He asked that the board remedy the situation. Ruth Zweifler asked the board to “stop criminalizing our students” because it just creates more problems than it solves. Leslie Hollingsworth noted there was an overrepresentation of African American students who face expulsions and suspensions in AAPS. She asked that board call for the dismissal of charges against the three students. Sioban Harlow encouraged the board to support the students and bring the issue back to a dialogue rather than a criminal proceeding. Lefiest Galimore also expressed his support for the young men.

The board’s resolution, which was put forward by trustee Susan Baskett, asks Washtenaw County prosecutor Brian Mackie to reconsider the charges his office has brought against the young men. Included as “resolved clauses” in the resolution were the following:

Therefore, we ask that our students, when required to be accountable through the judicial system and thereby learn from their mistakes, be treated with compassion, fairness, equity, efficacy, and respect for their ability to learn, and

We therefore further recommend that the Prosecuting Attorney, Brian Mackie, consider the best interests of the injured student, the students criminally charged and the community by re-evaluating the degree of criminalization of adolescent behaviors that would be better resolved through a greater emphasis on educational and developmentally appropriate measures relative to harsh charges and convictions.

Both Thomas and Patalan had initially expressed concerns about the board becoming involved in a matter that has progressed into the criminal justice arena. After some small changes made to the proposed resolution and after having listened to the concerns expressed by the community, Thomas said he was able to support such a resolution.

Patalan said she read the resolution with an eye for an affirmation for all of the district’s students. Feeling satisfied that the resolution could be true for every student, she was content to support the resolution.

After some discussion by the trustees, it was decided to change the word “resolve” to “recommend” in the last paragraph. This decision was made because the resolution was supposed to be suggesting an action for Mackie.

When Green said the district did not initiate any of the criminal proceedings, Lightfoot said that while the district did not initiate the proceedings, “we did not make it clear to the penal system where we stood.”

Outcome: The board unanimously approved the resolution, with the understanding it will be sent directly to Washtenaw County prosecutor Brian Mackie.

Comm/Comm: AAAA Budget Recommendations

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 March 13, 2013 meeting, the board heard from AAAA and AAPAC. The AAPAC report is included in the write-up of the SISS review.

Mike Madison, co-president of AAAA, recognized several administrators who were leaving their jobs in the near future. He commended Robert Allen as someone who “you could always get a straight answer from.” He also congratulated Selura Jackson on her new job assignment in North Carolina. He encouraged the administration to fill the vacancies from the ranks of AAAA.

And acknowledging there were “tough times ahead,” Madison read off 31 suggestions from the members of AAAA on ways to reduce the budget. The suggestions ranged from selling buildings off, to cutting central administration jobs and pay, to adding five to ten minutes to each day with the end goal of ending school two to three weeks earlier. Madison stressed that the suggestions were not his ideas but were the consensus of AAAA’s collective thinking. He noted that over 75% of their members supported the recommendations.

Comm/Comm: WISD Board Elections

During agenda planning, Nelson pointed out that one of the board’s duties was to elect members to the Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD) board. Terms for two of the members will be coming to an end in June of 2013. Members of WISD’s school board are elected by a body of electors composed of one member from each WISD member district’s board of education. So AAPS has a vote in the WISD elections.

Nelson proposed the board be more systematic in its approach to voting on WISD elections – having the two incumbents who were up for re-election this year to come speak to the board. He suggested inviting Diane Hockett and Mary Jane Tramontin to the March 27 meeting to explain their platforms and why they were running.

By having the incumbents present, Nelson suggested, the board would be in a better position either to support the candidates or encourage someone else to run. He also noted that one of the reasons he wanted to draw attention to this was the low barrier to candidacy: Running for a position on the WISD board requires only submitting a nominating petition with the required number of signatures.

Outcome: The board will invite the two incumbents to the March 27, 2013 meeting.

Comm/Comm: Accolades

In her superintendent’s report, Green highlighted many student and teacher achievements across the district. She noted three groups of Pioneer High School students who were among the winners of C-SPAN’s StudentCam documentary film contest. Art students, art teachers, orchestra teachers, music students, and students of Japanese were among those recognized for their accomplishments.

Comm/Comm: Lawton Elementary Musical Performance

The board meeting was started off by two songs from Susan Bailey’s second grade classroom at Lawton Elementary. They were led by Cynthia Pagebogen, who had taught several of the trustees’ children when they were younger. The songs blended science, dance, and music. The trustees were effusive in their praise. Baskett said she had never seen such enthusiasm at a board meeting.

Comm/Comm: High School Drama

Seven members of the public spoke to express their support for the drama programs at the high schools. Eliminating district funding of theater for a savings of $200,000 is one of the items being discussed in as a possible cost cutting measure.

Sena Adjei, surrounded by other high school theater students, spoke against cuts to the theater program.

Several students spoke about how theater has been an integral part of their high school experience. Sena Adjei said he became more of a man in the first ten minutes of theater than he ever did playing football. Gabrielle Vuylsteke offered some examples of students who had had their lives changed by theater. Pioneer student Kate Summers shared her own story of how her theater experiences helped grow her confidence. Eleanor Howell-Shryock, a member of the Huron Players, said that “no matter how much money we might be save [by cutting theater], we can’t afford it.” Having the theater budget at Huron cut would be the death of them, she said.

Several parents spoke in favor of maintaining theater funding. Margie Morris, a district parent, asked that the board keep in mind how many students would be affected by the cuts. Brice O’Neal credited theater at AAPS for saving his life as a high school student. He asked that the board consider what the impact of these cuts will mean to the students. Jeff Crause pointed out that all other proposed budget cuts were a percentage of the programs, while theater would sustain a 100% cut in its budget. He also noted the high caliber of theater in the district. Any additional fundraising the students would have to take on would be a subtle tax increase, he argued.

Isaac Scobey, Community High School student, argued for block scheduling at Community to be maintained. He asserted it was part of what makes Community unique and it gives students time to reach deeper into subjects.

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

Absent: President Deb Mexicotte

Next regular meeting: Wednesday, March 27, 2013, 7 p.m., at the downtown branch of the Ann Arbor District Library, 343 South Fifth Ave.

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AAPS trustee Simone Lightfoot at the March 7 meeting. She was not alone in expressing her dissatisfaction with the transportation services being provided by Washtenaw Intermediate School District. (Photo by the writer.)

Under Michigan’s schools-of-choice legislation, local school districts can enroll these nonresident students without having to obtain approval from the district in which students reside.

So schools-of-choice students bring their state per-pupil allocation with them to AAPS. If all 170 seats are filled, the district will gain approximately $1.19 million in additional revenue.

The March 7 board meeting included discussions of the district’s transportation options, staffing process, and fund balance as trustees brace for budget recommendations to be brought to them by AAPS administration by the end of March.

Trustees expressed dissatisfaction with its transportation services, which it receives from the Washtenaw Intermediate School District as part of a consortium of other districts.

Schools of Choice

AAPS director of student accounting Jane Landefeld briefly reviewed the policy and procedures the district uses to administer the Schools of Choice program, which the district has offered for the past two years. She reviewed how the district will again offer a limited number of seats – 170 in total, split primarily among kindergarten (40 seats), first grade (40 seats), and sixth grade (50 seats). Ten seats will be also be offered at each grade level between second and fifth grades – mostly to accommodate the older siblings of incoming kindergarten or first-grade students.

Landefeld reported that AAPS gained 72 students through SOC in 2010-11, and another 95 this school year (2011-12). When students are admitted to AAPS, they can stay in the system through graduation.

Landefeld noted that AAPS is required by the state to open a 30-day window, give parents a 15-day notice before opening the window, and announce the number of slots available per grade level, but not per school. If the district receives more than 170 applicants, it is required to admit at least 170 of them, because that is the number of seats AAPS is declaring are open. Siblings of admitted students are given priority, after which a random draw is done by grade level.

Finally, Landefeld explained, AAPS is required to accept all students who apply, unless they have had a suspension in the past two years. Special education status or academic history cannot be a factor in admission. Trustee Susan Baskett asked if AAPS could choose to admit a student who had been suspended, if the district believed the reason for suspension was not serious. Landefeld said the district could do that.

Schools of Choice: Feeder Patterns

Baskett asked if parents who enroll their children in AAPS via the schools of choice program have the opportunity to ensure their children’s admittance to a desired high school by choosing to enroll them in an elementary or middle school that feeds to that high school.

Landefeld explained that while every SOC student is guaranteed a space in the district through graduation, it is not guaranteed that SOC students will follow the same feeder pattern as their elementary or middle school peers.

Basket asked, “Would we really make someone switch feeder patterns?” She asked whether in-district transfer students are guaranteed to follow the feeder pattern of the schools to which they transfer, and Landefeld said no. Neither SOC nor in-district transfer students are guaranteed to follow feeder patterns, but are assured that they will have a space through graduation.

Trustee Simone Lightfoot suggested that the district needs to overhaul the in-district transfer policy, noting that it has “had some challenges.” She questioned whether the policy covers every instance of a parent requesting a new school for his or her student.

Schools of Choice: High School Level

Trustee Andy Thomas suggested that AAPS open up SOC at the high school level as well, and asked if this has been considered. He noted that prior practice was not sufficient reason to restrict SOC to middle and elementary levels when SOC can significantly enhance revenue. Thomas ventured that the district’s decision on this issue had been made during a time of overcrowding at Pioneer and Huron high schools. Now, with a full complement of students now transitioned to the newly-constructed Skyline High School, the district should take another look at this, Thomas said.

AAPS deputy superintendent of instruction Alesia Flye said that superintendent Patricia Green has asked administration to look in to offering high school SOC slots, but that there are myriad challenges. Landefeld noted that one issue is that the high schools have not historically been open for in-district transfers, and said that if high schools were opened to students outside the district, the district should first consider opening them to in-district transfers. She added that the intent of the SOC program is not to add staff. So she pointed out that staffing levels of additional students need to be considered, in addition to physical space in buildings.

Trustee Glenn Nelson argued that the district should rethink the premise that admitting SOC students should not require the hiring of additional staff. He pointed out that a classroom of 30 SOC students would generate approximately $210,000 in revenue, with the average foundation allowance of the other Washtenaw County districts being $7,000. Because the cost of adding an additional staff member is less than $210,000, Nelson argued, the district needs to take another look at this premise.

Landefeld pointed out that the math is not as straightforward as Nelson had characterized it – because a high school student could take up to seven classes, each taught by a different teacher.

Lightfoot noted that she was concerned about SOC causing class sizes to increase, but Nelson argued that it happens both ways. Last year, he pointed out, there was a school that lost a teacher for a grade – but if an additional four or five students from SOC were attending, the school would have had three sections of that grade instead of two, with smaller class sizes in each.

Board president Deb Mexicotte suggested that if trustees felt that due diligence had been done, the opening of these SOC slots could be moved from first briefing to a special briefing, allowing for a vote at the March 7 meeting. Seeing general assent around the board table, Mexicotte directed board secretary Amy Osinski to add SOC to the consent agenda.

The Schools of Choice proposal was approved unanimously as part of the consent agenda, along with minutes, gift offers, and a resolution to thank school social workers in recognition of school social worker week.

Budget Update

AAPS deputy superintendent of operations Robert Allen gave an update on development of the fiscal year 2012-13 budget. The bulk of trustees’ discussion on the budget update focused on transportation, discussed in detail below.

The only other topic Allen covered was the special education reimbursement rate, or the percentage of total special education costs that AAPS is reimbursed by the Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD). Allen noted that the rate is projected to decrease from its current level of 73%, but not by as much as initially anticipated. Nelson thanked the community for approving the recent special education millage, which he said would have caused a much larger drop in the reimbursement rate, had it not passed.

Budget Update: Timing of Budget Recommendations

Trustee Christine Stead expressed concern that looking at any one issue, such as transportation, in isolation does not put the district in a good position in terms of “activating the community” around the budgetary tradeoffs the board ultimately needs to make. Trustee Irene Patalan agreed, saying that she was “anxiously awaiting the hard decisions we have to make,” and that she was looking forward to seeing the “whole picture.”

Allen said that the administration is planning to bring a set of budget recommendations to the board by the end of the month, and to the community via forums in the first few weeks of April.

Budget Update: Transportation Review

By way of background, two years ago the AAPS joined with Ypsilanti and Willow Run school districts to form a transportation consortium, administered by the WISD. At the board’s committee of the whole meeting on Jan. 25, 2012, the board discussed their collective surprise that Ypsilanti and Willow Run had just decided to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for transportation services, effectively signaling they were considering leaving the consortium. The AAPS board directed Allen to see if Ypsilanti and Willow Run would let AAPS join the RFP, which the district did. At the March 7 meeting, Allen reported on the RFP process.

Allen reported that Ypsilanti and Willow Run had decided in the end not to issue an RFP for transportation services, based on a consultant’s analysis that the potential savings “would not be worth it.” Therefore, Allen clarified, Ypsilanti and Willow Run are “leaning toward just staying in the [WISD] consortium.” He said the district’s options now were to remain in the WISD consortium or to issue an RFP on its own.

Multiple trustees expressed concern that the district’s transportation would continue to be managed by the WISD without ever having had a thorough review of the first two years of service. “I don’t want the WISD to be able to exhale … Service has been terrible,” said Baskett. She said AAPS should consider looking at another vendor for transportation services, but noted that it’s not likely anything new could be implemented “in a timely and respectful manner” for fall 2012. Thomas agreed, saying “this has been a rocky time for students and drivers … It would be a bad idea to upset the apple cart once again [by leaving the consortium].”

Mexicotte noted that the WISD would be making a presentation to the AAPS board in May. Lightfoot said she was concerned about waiting until May to decide whether to stay in the WISD transportation consortium. “I want us to be able to renegotiate this contract,” she said. “I’m looking forward to getting this update so we can move forward.”

Trustees asked Allen about the savings AAPS has gleaned by being part of the consortium. Allen said that while AAPS did not reach its savings target, “We have spent significantly less in transportation under the consortium.” The first year’s savings came from significantly lowering transportation staff salaries, and the second year’s savings came from operational changes, he said. Allen also noted that projected transportation costs have been adjusted in the budget, as reflected in the second quarter financial report.

Budget Update: Transportation Suggestions from the Board

Lightfoot asked if the other six Washtenaw county districts that had not initially joined the consortium would be willing to join now. Allen responded by saying he has not had any conversations regarding expanding the consortium at this time. Lightfoot also suggested forming a board-level transportation committee, and said she was willing to lead it or be a part of it. “This transportation piece is a real passion of mine because of the students who need it,” she said.

Stead suggested that AAPS should lead a more overt effort to get more districts on board, at least in terms of consolidating special education transportation services, which are mandated by law. She asked if there was a way AAPS could help the WISD coordinate with more districts.

Mexicotte’s suggestion was the most strongly worded. She began by saying she found the WISD’s leadership surrounding transportation “troubling,” and noted that the savings gleaned from routing efficiencies came from work by AAPS, not WISD. “I am not certain any more that we can rely on the best thinking of this consortium … I wonder if we shouldn’t look at taking back the leadership around our transportation.”

Second Quarter Financial Report

Allen and AAPS director of finance Nancy Hoover reviewed the district’s financial report for the second quarter of the fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30. The budget amendments proposed by the Allen and Hoover noted revenue increases of $1.2 million, but expenditure increases of $2.2 million.

Hoover explained that the revenue increases were due primarily to Medicaid funding previously held by the WISD being returned to AAPS, the district’s receipt of one-time best practices funding from the state, and WISD’s reimbursement of special education transportation costs. Expenditures, she said, increased primarily due to an adjustment of $800,000 in the transportation budget, and a $1.2 million increase in instructional salaries due to an inability to meet the targeted staff reductions.

In terms of the disbursements being presented for approval, Hoover noted that the district is now writing very few payroll checks, as substitute teachers and coaches now are both also paid via electronic transfer.

Trustees had a few clarifying questions. However, the discussion on budget amendments centered mostly on staffing issues and the district’s fund balance, as the board approaches the task of setting the FY 2012-13 budget.

Second Quarter Financial Report: Staffing

Nelson opened up a discussion on staffing by sharing his concern about the district’s failure to meet its targeted staff reductions. The 2011-12 budget had planned for a reduction of 66 FTEs (full-time equivalent positions) in instructional services. Allen explained that the qualifications and certifications of the teachers who retired still overlapped with the district’s continuing instructional needs. So the district had not been able to achieve the full number of staff reductions that had been targeted. Allen also noted that the district had a “no layoffs” agreement with the teachers’ union as part of the current contract.

Nelson pointed out that recent e-mails he had seen made it look like staffing decisions were being made in the schools before the budget is set. He said he would like to understand the district’s hiring policy and procedures better. He noted that in addition to the budgetary aspect of the district’s hiring process, he had concerns about its timing. “We in Ann Arbor wait, wait, wait in deciding how many people we can hire, but … we are not hiring when the whole pool is available.” Nelson noted that he and Baskett had attended a meeting of the minority affairs committee of the teachers’ union. Based on that meeting, he reported that there is the perception among members of that committee that AAPS is not getting the best teachers from underrepresented groups, because it is not hiring at the right time.

Stead and Baskett each supported Nelson’s request for a review of the district’s hiring process. Baskett also wondered whether the board needed to have a conversation about approaching the teachers’ union to lift the “no-layoffs” constraint. AAPS superintendent Patricia Green said the district has not gone to the unions to reopen contract issues, but acknowledged that “staffing is done very differently here than in other places,” and said internal discussions about the district’s hiring process have been ongoing.

Second Quarter Financial Report: Fund Balance

Stead asked Allen what the district is expecting fund equity to look like in the third quarter. She pointed out that there was a big change in the fund balance between the second and third quarters last year. Allen said he was not expecting any major changes to fund equity, and that there may be a slight savings in health care costs.

Stead requested that Allen provide the board with a history of what the third and fourth quarters have done to fund equity the past few years – in order to increase the board’s confidence as it sets the fiscal year 2012-13 budget. She asserted that the more Allen can help the board understand the kinds of swings expected in fund equity, the better the board can decide how to weather the next round of budget reductions.

Nelson noted that the $2.2 million in increased expenditures means that the fund balance for this year will be lower than anticipated. Thomas added that the majority of the negative expenditures variance is due to retaining 14 more FTEs than anticipated, and asked whether the district will attempt to reduce these FTEs next year.

Allen answered that those 14 FTEs become part of the new base expenditures. He noted that depending on the district retirements this year, the positions could be absorbed. But he also pointed out that the district will need to add roughly 24 teachers in order to offer all-day kindergarten.

Outcome: The second quarter financial report will return to the board for a second briefing and vote at the next regular meeting.

Public Commentary

Three people addressed the board at the March 7 meeting.

Public Comment: Disciplinary Action

Ruth Zweifler of the Student Advocacy Center spoke on the issue of disproportionality in suspensions and expulsions, and requested that the board declare a moratorium on all disciplinary exclusions. She argued that school exclusions are meant to be a last resort and that the message of exclusion for already marginalized children affirms their sense they are not welcome and they don’t belong. “Racial disproportionality is shameful and hurts everyone,” Zweifler asserted. Noting her length of service to students in this area, Zweifler noted that the data do not look any different than they did years ago.

Public Comment: Student School Board

Ray Batra, a University of Michigan student and AAPS alumnus addressed the board as a member of rEDesign, an education reform group formed by UM undergraduates. He said rEDesign had studied AAPS, and noted a lack of student perspective at the board level. He urged the board to consider creating a “student school board,” which would be general representative of AAPS and enjoy students’ respect in a way the Youth Senate has not. The student school board, Batra said, would have two goals: (1) to address some of the smaller problems at certain schools—such as the use of security cameras and lunch concerns; and (2) to be a student voice for some of the bigger issues, such as budget cuts, or curriculum revisions.

With an advisor, Batra suggested, this student school board could be led to develop and present resolutions to the board. Finally, he noted that in addition to providing students with a respected, legitimate voice, having a student school board would provide a civic education opportunity, with board members actively developing student leadership.

During clarification on public commentary, Mexicotte said that members of rEDesign had met with her as well as Stead and Green, and presented a comprehensive proposal, which she would be sending on to the full board for review. Green added that her executive cabinet would be discussing the proposal as well, and that she saw the student school board as an opportunity to develop student leadership and voice, and prevent students from being excluded.

Mexicotte said this was an opportune time for rEDesign to approach the board, because the board has been discussing student voice. She expressed interest in her fellow trustees’ review of the rEDesign proposal, as well as administrative recommendations about how to increase student voice, and said she was interested in finding ways for board members to mentor students.

Public Comment: Huron versus Skyline

Finally, Kaveh Esmael addressed the board on behalf of his daughter, who will be attending high school next year. He described an issue he has been having regarding getting his daughter assigned to Huron instead of Skyline. Esmael owns a home in each attendance area. He expressed concern with how he had been treated by AAPS administration regarding his daughter’s school assignment, as well as how boundary lines have been drawn for the high schools in general. Finally, Esmael asserted that the education at Skyline is not “on par” with the other two comprehensive high schools, and that the environment there is not safe for girls, especially Muslim girls. “I don’t want my daughter to be part of this experience,” he said. “We should not kid ourselves.”

During clarification on public commentary, Lightfoot asked how follow up would be done with parents who brought concerns to public commentary, and Green said administration would follow up personally. [During the meeting break, The Chronicle observed two members of AAPS administration meeting with Esmael at a table in the hallway.]

At the end of the meeting, during “items from the board,” Mexicotte responded to Esmael’s assertions. She said she was confident that the three AAPS comprehensive high schools are all equally excellent in terms of rigor and student opportunities. She asked if the board would be amenable to having Green look into the perception or reality expressed by Esmael that there are diversity and tolerance issues relating to Muslim students at Skyline. “I don’t really think this is the case, but I am concerned that there is this perception,” Mexicotte said. The board agreed to having Green look into Esmael’s claims.

All-Day Kindergarten

Mexicotte noted that all-day kindergarten was on the March 7 board agenda not because there was any more work to be done on the issue, but to affirm the presentation the board had been given at the Feb. 15 committee of the whole, to acknowledge that the board had been well-briefed on the issue before its vote at a special meeting on Feb. 18, and to give board members an opportunity to speak to the issue.

Green said she has received a lot of positive feedback on the board’s decision to approve all-day kindergarten in all schools. She noted that she had been approached in downtown Ann Arbor and asked to thank the board, and called the move “a step in a new direction as a district.” Nelson agreed, saying he was “happy and proud of this step.”

Stead pointed out that while moving to all-day kindergarten will be best for students from an instructional perspective, and will cost less than maintaining half-day kindergarten, it will still cost the district $1.5 million. She said it is important to be aware of the tradeoffs the district has to continue to make due to state funding changes.

Lightfoot assured the public that the board did have a conversation about keeping half-day kindergarten, but ultimately decided it was more feasible to make the kindergarten program uniform across the board.

Two trustees had questions regarding all-day kindergarten. Patalan asked Green if she could give some reassurance that all day kindergarten would support young children’s capacity for imagination and play and not always focus on academics and testing. Green acknowledged that there is a balance, and that all-day kindergarten will allow teachers better to develop students’ creativity and unleash their imagination and sense of play. “This is a tremendous opportunity,” she said. “When it’s done right, the potential is exponential … to develop well-rounded youngsters.”

Baskett asked what the district’s practice was regarding “redshirting,” or “holding a child back until age six for kindergarten.” Calling the practice a “growing trend,” AAPS director of student accounting Jane Landefeld acknowledged, “We do have parents who choose to redshirt … It tends to be more males. Parents want them to be older and stronger to participate in high school sports.”

Mexicotte said moving to all-day kindergarten will be better for the district educationally and financially. Green thanked deputy superintendent of instruction Alesia Flye for spearheading this effort and deputy superintendent of operations Robert Allen and his staff for being sure the district could move this forward as quickly as possible.

Student Reinstatement Action

Mexicotte noted that trustees had received a copy of a motion regarding a student reinstatement. She moved that the board deny reinstatement of Student A based on the reinstatement panel recommendation.

Outcome: The motion to deny reinstatement to Student A passed unanimously.

Student Engagement

The board invites student voices to the board table in two direct ways – for one of the two regular meetings per month, the Youth Senate is invited to make a presentation, and for the other meeting that month, a slot is reserved to hear from representatives of one of the six AAPS high schools on a rotating basis. At the Feb. 8 meeting, representatives of Community High School addressed the board.

Student Engagement: Community High School

Hind Omar and Emma Share reported for Community high school. They expressed enthusiasm for their school, and noted opportunities for students to be involved there. They noted their involvement with the School Improvement Team, and credited SIT with increasing the diversity in the admissions lottery for Community, starting program between upperclassmen to mentor and lowerclassmen, and increasing the membership of a variety of student groups.

Omar and Share also mentioned they were two of the chairs on the forum council. Community’s students are organized into 20 forums, which include students from each grade. They explained that the forums are used to help coordinate “not school as usual” days, such as going to see Sweet Honey in the Rock, or pulling garlic mustard weeds throughout the city. Forum council is also planning a fundraiser this spring to address local hunger issues, they reported, and visits middle schools to help recruit students.

Patalan asked the Community students about the strategies they used to increase diversity in their admissions lottery.

Hind explained that there is a mandatory information meeting for parents and students to attend before they can apply for a spot, and those meetings have historically been held on weekdays. Last year, she said, Community began offering an information session on Sunday to allow for parents to attend who could not make it during the week. Share added that she was part of the team of students who did outreach at the district’s middle schools. The goal of that outreach was to show middle school students that Community is for all types of people. She noted that next year’s incoming class is more diverse, and credited the outreach strategies with increasing the diversity in the lottery pool.

Patalan said that she had heard this was the largest group of applicants, and suggested that the outreach that had been done increased interest in Community in general as well as among students of color.

Association 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 BPSSG, AAPAC, and AAAA addressed the board at the March 7 meeting.

Association Reports: BPSSG

Bryan Johnson reported for the BPSSG. He noted that the BPSSG is working with the University of Michigan school of education on student achievement, and is planning for a roll-out of their efforts in 2012-13. He also noted that the BPSSG had attended “National African-American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) at Night”, and that he looks forward to AAPS hosting the county-wide event next year. Johnson said that the BPSSG had discussed the racial disparities in the newly released discipline data, as well as Green’s plan for addressing these disparities.

Association Reports: AAPAC

Maria Huffman reported for the AAPAC. She thanked AAPS special education staff members for their recent updates, and expressed appreciation for the developments they shared regarding the Kurzweil assistive technology system, peer-to-peer mentoring, and a transition guide for students with IEPs transitioning from high school to beyond. Huffman reported that adaptive physical education classes at some of the middle schools are being offered at a time that conflicts with academic classes, and argued that this was an unacceptable arrangement. Finally, Huffman invited trustees to attend upcoming Disability Awareness Workshops in the district, and encouraged parents to participate as well.

Association Reports: AAAA

Dicken elementary principal Michael Madison reported for the AAAA, beginning by congratulating the UM men’s basketball team on their first conference title in 26 years. He pointed out two fellow principals in attendance at the meeting – Jennifer Hein from Community High, and Kit Flynn from Ann Arbor Open, and said that several administrators would be attending all future board meetings so that the board can put faces to names.

Madison thanked the board for its recognition of principals’ week, and Green for the plaques that she had made up for each principal. He also thanked the trustees for their leadership, and invited them to visit school buildings during the day and for evening events as well. Finally, he reported that the AAAA is “150% behind the tech bond initiative,” and has even given a very small donation to the citizen’s millage committee as a sign of support. Madison said the principals will work with the community to help them know why they need to support the tech bond.

Superintendent’s Report

Green began by recognizing school social workers, national merit scholars, Skyline High School’s theater troupe, and AAPS students who recently won competitions in art, chess, business, and journalism. She also thanked students for recent service projects they have completed in the community.

Green noted that trustee Susan Baskett had been awarded a “master board member” award from the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB), and congratulated her on the accomplishment. Among other accolades of individual students, Green noted the tremendous commitment and dedication of band and orchestra members throughout the district, along with vocal and instrumental solo and ensemble winners. She invited everyone to notice the AAPS student artwork on display downtown in honor of youth art month, and, finally, noted that she was recently inducted into the Ann Arbor Rotary Club, and was excited to “dig [her] roots deeper into the Ann Arbor community.”

Thomas added that the music programs in AAPS are “phenomenal,” and singled out Skyline in particular for the program growth they have shown. “It’s incredibly difficult to start an orchestra from scratch … I really think that Andrea Cowper and her staff and all the student musicians deserve a lot of recognition for the dedication they have shown.”

Agenda Planning

Baskett requested a review of the district’s alternative programs, including enrollment numbers and accomplishments of the WAY program, the International Baccalaureate, Clemente, and A2 Tech. She also requested a set of action steps for the discipline plan Green revealed in December, 2011. Green responded that the discipline plan is part of her overarching student achievement plan, and will be discussed as part of the overall plan being presented at the board’s next committee-of-the-whole meeting on March 14.

Items from the Board

Stead reported that the Forsythe Middle School science fair was a great event, and complimented all the students who participated. She also complimented Pioneer High School athletic director Lorin Cartwright for bringing students and teachers together for Pioneer basketball team’s teacher appreciation night, saying it was a great opportunity for students to honor their teachers.

Lightfoot also appreciated the Pioneer event she said, noting that the “young men were very articulate in their writing … Their penmanship was amazing.” [Each student athlete selected one teacher to honor.] Lightfoot also reported that she had visited a Rising Scholars event at Huron High School, and expressed support for the program. She said she had been honored to be selected as a “living leader” during Black History Month.

Nelson congratulated Baskett for a presentation on privatization during a recent forum during a recent forum sponsored by the local League of Women Voters. He agreed that orchestra night was a tremendous testimony to students, staff, and parents. And, he thanked the citizens helping out with the upcoming tech bond, saying that the kickoff was wonderful and inspiring.

Baskett emphasized the wonderful work of AAPS students, and asserted that “orchestra night was a great recruiting tool.” She reported that she was impressed with the commitment of teachers she saw during National African-American Parent Involvement Day at Carpenter Elementary, Bryant Elementary, and Slauson. Middle School. And, Baskett said she met with parents from southeastern Ann Arbor’s PTOs who were analyzing the potential impact of the district’s budget cuts to their buildings.

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 March 21, 2012, at 7 p.m. at the downtown branch of the Ann Arbor District Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave.

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Patricia Green, incoming superintendent of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, spoke during the AAPS board's March 30 meeting. She starts her job in July. (Photo by the writer.)

Green was in town for a brief visit to meet with members of the administration and will start her tenure here in July. Noting that she hopes to make one more visit before then, Green stated her commitment to connecting with the district and encouraging members of the community to reach out.

Wednesday’s meeting was highlighted by talk of how to deal with looming budget issues. The board discussed – then unanimously approved – a resolution opposing the transfer of some state School Aid Fund money, which has traditionally financed K-12 schools, to fund higher education instead. Trustee Andy Thomas called the proposed transfer “a rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul scenario, done in a very underhanded manner.”

Budget issues were also a key part of a report to the board by Brit Satchwell, president of the Ann Arbor Education Association, the teacher’s union. He said the union’s efforts are focused on educating the public about sacrifices the district would have to make to accommodate proposed cuts, keeping in mind concessions that have already been made.

Also during Wednesday’s meeting, the board voted to expand the district’s schools of choice program. They got an update about a partnership with the University of Michigan involving Mitchell Elementary and Scarlett Middle schools, and heard a report on efforts to reduce energy costs throughout the district.

Four people spoke during the time set aside for public commentary. Speakers expressed concern over the district’s scheduling of events in conflict with religious holidays, and objected to a proposed expansion of the parking lot at Haisley Elementary School.

Board Opposes Transfer of School Aid Fund

Trustees unanimously supported a resolution opposing the transfer of state School Aid Fund (SAF) money to institutions of higher education. A proposal being considered by the state legislature would divert some of the SAF funds, which are traditionally used to finance K-12 public schools.

The issue had been a rallying point at previous meetings, with trustees expressing their disbelief that the district’s surplus in SAF money could be lost due to the transfer of some of that money to community colleges and other higher education institutions.

The resolution, which has been circulating among public school boards in Michigan, was introduced and read by trustee Irene Patalan. [.pdf file of a draft resolution distributed by the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) and used by the AAPS board] The resolution cited several arguments against the transfer of funds. It noted that funding for public education has failed to keep up with rising costs, and pointed out that institutions of higher education can earn revenue through tuition increases, while K-12 districts can not.

The resolution also touched on how Proposal A, a 1994 statewide ballot initiative that shifted responsibility for K-12 funding to the state, was coupled with the understanding that these funds would be used solely for K-12 education.

Board members hoped that passing this resolution would help serve as a call to action.

“We recognize the need for (higher education) funding, but this is a rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul scenario, done in a very underhanded manner,” trustee Andy Thomas said.

Board president Deb Mexicotte agreed, adding that this transfer of funds would run contrary to what the public wanted the SAF to be used for.

“While we’re arguing the facts that the SAF was set aside and promised to K-12, this is also contrary to the will of the people as to how this money should be used, and how this is being used as an argument for an erosion of public education,” Mexicotte said. “I am in support of passing this resolution. We should speak out on this at every opportunity we get.”

Outcome: The board unanimously approved the resolution that opposes transferring state School Aid Fund money to fund higher education.

[For background on budget issues, see Chronicle coverage of the board's March 16, 2011 meeting, when interim superintendent Robert Allen gave the board an update on the district's budget.]

Association Reports

At each meeting, the board invites reports from six associations: the Youth Senate, the Ann Arbor Parent Advisory Committee on Special Education (AAPAC), the Parent-Teacher-Organization Council (PTOC), the Black Parents Student Support Group (BPSSG), the Ann Arbor Administrators Association (AAAA), and the Ann Arbor Education Association (AAEA), the teacher’s union.

On March 30, the board heard from the teacher’s union and the BPSSG.

Association Reports: Ann Arbor Education Association

Brit Satchwell, president of the Ann Arbor teacher’s union, echoed the same themes that the board expressed in opposing Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposals for reduced education funding. He updated the board on the AAEA’s efforts to fight those funding cuts.

Satchwell said the main thrust of the effort is to educate the public about the sacrifices the district would have to make to accommodate these cuts, keeping in mind the concessions that have already been made.

“We entered this year projecting a $7 million deficit, which was then upped to $15 million after the cuts from Snyder, and if the special education millage fails it will be $22 million,” Satchwell said, referring to a renewal of the 0.985-mill tax that is on the May 3, 2011 ballot. “The worse-case scenario for this year, plus the [$35 million] cuts of the last five years, would total to about one-third of an annual [city of] Ann Arbor budget, which is astounding.”

Satchwell closed by saying that the district would not be able to continue to cope with these cuts, adding that changes at the state level would be necessary for survival.

He argued that if the Michigan Association of School Administrators and the Michigan Association of School Boards could do at the state level what the local districts are doing, “we’d have a much better state and a brighter future,” Satchwell said. “If there is no success at that level, all our efforts here will be for naught.”

Association Reports: Black Parent Student Support Group

Brian Johnson delivered a report on behalf of the Black Parent Student Support Group. Johnson, a Pioneer High School graduate, told the board that the BPSSG would be making the closing of the achievement gap a top priority.

“We were battling the same issue when I graduated too many years ago,” he said. Johnson added that the organization appreciated the ongoing support of the board.

Schools of Choice Expansion

Jane Landefeld, the AAPS director of student accounting and administrative support, was on hand to discuss a schools of choice (SOC) proposal – board members had raised some questions about it at the previous board meeting, on March 16. Compared to the current school year, the proposal would open up 40 additional spaces for students outside the district – for a total of 190 openings – as a way of increasing enrollment and revenue. Trustees had questions about how the district would consider siblings of SOC students looking to enter the district in different grades or at a later time. [.pdf of schools of choice memorandum]

A year ago, AAPS opened 150 slots for its SOC program, but they were only able to attract 79 students. Administrators attributed this to the district’s limited number of slots in certain grades, which restricted the ability to bring in siblings of children who applied for the schools of choice program.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Landefeld said that state regulations allow siblings of a child enrolled in an SOC program to receive priority for admission. This extra consideration makes it easier for families who want to move all their children into the district, rather than just one child.

The window for applying for the SOC program is April 15 to May 15, with the district opening 60 seats in kindergarten, 60 seats in first grade and 50 seats in sixth grade classrooms. Twenty slots for grades 2-5 will also be opened, with each grade getting five openings.

Outcome: Board members unanimously approved additional schools of choice openings, as part of their action consent agenda, which also included a $5,000 gift from the Pioneer High School Booster Club for a fence near Holloway field, the minutes for the board’s March 16 regular meeting, and minor policy changes discussed at the board’s previous meeting.

Public Commentary: Scheduling, Haisley Parking Lot

Four people spoke during the March 30 meeting’s public commentary session, addressing two areas of concern: (1) scheduling events that conflict with religious holidays; and (2) the expansion of the parking lot at Haisley Elementary School.

Public Commentary: Scheduling Policy

Seth Goldstein, a junior at Skyline High School, and James Toy of Ann Arbor spoke about the district’s scheduling policy. Goldstein began by asking the board for help changing the date of an athletic event that conflicts with Yom Kippur, a Jewish holiday that this year begins at sunset on Friday, Oct. 7.

The district’s scheduling policy mandates that significant events such as athletic contests or major exams cannot coincide with holidays such as Yom Kippur. Goldstein said his family has been pursuing this since November.

“We should show an awareness of the importance of these policies to foster feelings of inclusion, not discrimination,” he said.

Toy, a well-known community activist, also spoke on the issue of discrimination, taking a broader view of the board’s efforts. He shared a story of his experience as a Chinese-American during World War II. Toy said he had to wear a sign around his neck every day that read “I am not a Jap” to avoid harassment. He went on to commend the board for their efforts to combat harassment and bullying, adding that he hoped they would continue to protect minorities in situations such as Goldstein’s.

“We need to work with each other as we labor for the human worth and dignity of all,” Toy said.

Public Commentary: Haisley Parking Lot

Theresa Schneider and Scott Sproat – two parents with children at Haisley Elementary School – spoke out against a proposal to expand the school’s parking lot. The expansion is intended to alleviate traffic problems.

Schneider and Sprote said that people such as Mary Anne Jaeger, Haisley’s principal, are framing this expansion as necessary in order to meet state requirements, when that is not the case, they said.

“Parking expansion is not a requirement. It is a convenient solution,” Schneider said. “We need to engage people about alternatives.”

Sprote added that Jaeger omitted items from the minutes of a March 21 meeting on the issue, such as not including a student who spoke in support of alternatives to expansion. Because of this, Sprote felt that someone else should take minutes at future meetings.

Both parents expressed their desire for a fact sheet detailing the situation, and their worry that there would be no vote on the issue.

Board Committee Reports

The board has two standing committees. The planning committee consists of Christine Stead (chair), Susan Baskett, and Irene Patalan. The performance committee consists of Glenn Nelson (chair), Simone Lightfoot, and Andy Thomas. Board president Deb Mexicotte is not a member of either committee.

Committee Reports: Performance Committee

All three of the trustees from the performance committee updated the board on items that they had discussed, including the district’s partnership with the University of Michigan, efforts to combat bullying and harassment, and updated policies for facility use.

Trustee Andy Thomas opened by discussing how the district is looking to grow the UM partnership, formerly known as the lab school, which involves Mitchell Elementary School and Scarlett Middle School. Thomas and the performance committee had been briefed on the project by Lee Anne Dickinson-Kelley, interim deputy superintendent for instructional services, and Mitchell Elementary School principle Kathy Scarnecchia.

Thomas reported that the district’s vision for the partnership would include a combined K-8 campus consisting of teachers, interns (the term for students from UM), AAPS students, parents and community members. There will be a continuation of some previously held initiatives, such as the Mighty Mustang math program and the Scarlett Math Assessment project. The partnership would be launched for the 2011-12 school year.

Teachers in both schools will be given the option of transferring if they are not interested in the partnership. Teachers who choose to stay will be asked to affirm that they are committed to the new approach, which includes employing culturally relevant teaching methods, partnering with families, and examining their own practices. Thomas said that an overwhelming majority had expressed interest in being a part of the new set-up, with a large pool of teachers in other schools eager to participate as well.

In addition, Thomas said that a balanced schedule is being considered for use during the 2012-13 school year. The specifics of a balanced schedule are yet to be determined, but the general structure would consist of an extended school year that includes intersessions, which are additional opportunities to take elective courses. A cost analysis will also be done, as well as a report on how the experience of a student at Scarlett or Mitchell will differ from students at other schools. [For additional background on this project, see Chronicle coverage of the AAPS board's Dec. 8, 2010 meeting.]

Thomas closed his portion of the presentation by stating the performance committee’s excitement for growing the UM partnership, giving it their endorsement.

Trustee Glenn Nelson was the next to present from the performance committee, talking about its focus on school climate – bullying and harassment. Some of the efforts he mentioned included district principals traveling to an anti-bullying conference to bring back effective techniques to address this problem, and an update on the progress of surveys being given to AAPS students regarding school climate.

Nelson added that Danny Brown, a youth coordinator from the Neutral Zone, was on hand at the performance committee meeting to give his input on effective ways to combat bullying through methods such as including elements of diversity in a student’s everyday curriculum.

Nelson concluded his update by praising the discussion they had, adding that they would continue to work on improving school climate. “We can look forward to more progress from surveys and our efforts,” he said.

Trustee Simone Lightfoot was the last member of the performance committee to make comments, giving a brief update on changes made to the district’s policy on facility use. Lightfoot said all the changes were being finalized and will be made public when that process is complete.

Committee Reports: Planning Committee

Trustee Christine Stead gave a brief report on behalf of the planning committee, which had also received a presentation on the UM partnership at Mitchell and Scarlett schools. Stead said she and other planning committee members were excited about the partnership and were looking to schedule community meetings to discuss a balanced schedule.

The planning committee was also visited by members of the community who are concerned about the Haisley parking lot expansion, she said. Stead reported that committee members – along with Randy Trent, AAPS executive director of physical properties – had discussed the issue at their meeting.

Interim Superintendent’s Report

Interim superintendent Robert Allen gave a report that focused on accomplishments by AAPS students. The update was highlighted by comments about the Bands in Review event, which had taken place on March 25-26. Allen said the performances were “wonderful as usual,” and he thanked the volunteers who helped make the event possible.

Allen also wished everyone a peaceful and restful spring break, which runs from the end of the school day on Friday, April 1 through Sunday, April 10.

Facilities Report: Energy, Forsythe Easement

Randy Trent, AAPS executive director of physical properties, delivered two reports to the board at Wednesday’s meeting: An update on the district’s energy and sustainability efforts, and a briefing on an easement request for property at Forsythe Middle School.

Facilities Reports: EASE Program

Trent began by updating the board on the district’s energy and sustainability efforts. The update centered on the Environmental Awareness and Sustainability Education (EASE) program.

The EASE program was approved in 2010 and will be slightly expanded this year. The goal is to reduce energy consumption at AAPS facilities by 4% per year over a four-year period. Reducing energy at that level would cut the district’s energy expenses by $324,000 per year.

Trent – assisted by Johnson Controls, which partnered with the district on this initiative – will be continuing to gather information about the district’s utilities usage. This information will be displayed on a soon-to-be-launched website and used to look for areas where costs can be reduced.

“We know every fan heater and fish tank – everything that’s plugged in,” Trent said.

To expand on these efforts, Trent said the district will now look to educate AAPS students about energy-conscious behaviors through a number of initiatives.

The new website, which will be available through the AAPS main website, will contain information collected by the EASE program. An educational booth will also be used, moving from school to school teaching students about the EASE program and a number of other sustainability measures.

Trustee Simone Lightfoot felt that educating students was a good idea, adding that students themselves could be consulted for insight about where costs could be cut.

Trent agreed, saying that there will be a phone number for people to call if they want to make suggestions, as well as a way to submit ideas online. Surveys will be provided to measure utility usage and awareness of the EASE program.

Trent said the efforts will not focus only on education. There will also be a report on how much money the district is saving thanks to these initiatives. Trent estimated the amount to be at least $324,000, continuing efforts of maintaining cost-effective utility service.

“To give you a perspective of where we are, when I started in 1984 we had a budget of $5.4 million,” he said. “We still have that today [despite increases in utility costs] and we’re looking to reduce it.”

Trent concluded by talking about how the many energy-friendly measures they could adopt would save the district money.

“The best energy is energy you don’t use,” he said. And that results in “more dollars to put toward the education of students.”

Facilities Reports: Forsythe Easement Request

Following his presentation on sustainability efforts, Trent – along with trustee Andy Thomas – gave a brief report on an easement request from a resident near Forsythe Middle School.

Mark and Elizabeth Perry live on Hillridge Boulevard, a property next to Forsythe, which is located at 1655 Newport Road. The Perrys are requesting that AAPS grant a temporary easement so that they can install and connect a drain line to an existing storm drain on the school’s property. An easement gives an individual or entity the right to use property that they don’t own.

In addition, the Perrys are asking for a permanent easement that would allow them to operate, maintain, repair or replace the drain line, if necessary. [.pdf file of easement request]

Trent and Thomas reported that the storm sewer near Forsythe occasionally has drainage difficulties, due to its surrounding topography.

The request will be back for more discussion and a vote at the next regular board meeting, on April 20.

Misc. Communications

Trustee Christine Stead had one update during the board’s agenda planning section, providing information on the work being done to organize a roundtable for state legislators. Stead said that some good ideas for how to combat the budget cuts proposed by Gov. Rick Snyder had been brainstormed, and the next step would be to find a date that would work for legislators to meet with school officials.

Wednesday’s meeting concluded with board members sharing their experiences at recent district events. Trustees lauded the performances at Bands in Review. They also expressed praise for the Neutral Zone‘s Wine, Word and Song event, Tappan Middle School’s performance of “Grease,” and the FIRST robotics district competition held at Skyline High School.

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

Absent: Vice president Susan Baskett.

Next regular meeting: Wednesday, April 20, 2011, at 7 p.m. in the fourth-floor conference room of the downtown Ann Arbor District Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. [confirm date]

About the writer: Eric Anderson is an intern for The Ann Arbor Chronicle. Jennifer Coffman, who usually covers AAPS board meetings for The Chronicle, is taking a maternity break.

Christine Stead is sworn in after being appointed to fill the opening on the Ann Arbor Public Schools board of trustees left by Adam Hollier's resignation. (Photos by the writer.)

Her first vote as a board member was to support the meeting’s consent agenda, including a bid to outsource $135,000 in low-voltage electrical work to a local company.

Also at the meeting, the board heard a recommendation from AAPS superintendent Todd Roberts to open the district to students from all of Washtenaw County. If approved at the next board meeting, this “Schools of Choice” program could result in 170 new students being added to AAPS kindergarten, first, and sixth grade classes, bringing with them an additional $1.1 million in revenue for the upcoming school year.

Bus drivers and custodial/maintenance workers again held signs outside the meeting at the downtown Ann Arbor library, as they have for the last few months. They collected signatures to petition the board not to privatize any AAPS services. They were joined during public commentary by a University of Michigan research scientist, who likened the district’s contention that outsourcing has saved AAPS money to “a rooster getting credit for the sunrise.” Public commentary also included representatives of opposing positions in the local debate over school funding, and both sides called on the board to make fully transparent the decision-making process used to set the upcoming budget.

And, as numerous educators were commended for their service to public education at the meeting, both the board and PTO Council took steps to increase their advocacy efforts at the state level to ensure that funding that level of service can continue.

Selection of New Board of Education Trustee

In the wake of trustee Adam Hollier’s resignation, which he announced at the board’s Feb. 3, 2010 meeting, the board set in motion a process to fill the vacancy. The board’s Wednesday decision to appoint Christine Stead began with a review of the process, was followed by presentations from all eight candidates, and wound up with the board’s vote.

Selection and Voting Process

Board president Deb Mexicotte reviewed the selection process for filling the board seat vacated by Adam Hollier. She described how all candidates had already sent letters of interest, resumes, and recommendations to the board, and that they had each been interviewed on Monday evening, March 8.

AAPS board candidates from left to right: Christine Stead, Andy Thomas, Victoria Haviland, Jack Panitch, Margy Long, Jeff Sabatini, James Corey, and Susan Collet.

At that night’s meeting, she said, each candidate would have an opportunity to make a presentation to the board and public in which they shared their perception of the district’s strengths and weaknesses in student achievement.

Mexicotte then spoke briefly to the voting process, saying the board had changed it a bit since the recent appointment of another board member – Simone Lightfoot – last December. [Chronicle coverage "AAPS Board Interviews Go Back and Forth"] However, she clarified that the new process  would have resulted in the same outcome during Lightfoot’s selection to the board last December. She explained, with clarification added by board secretary Glenn Nelson, that the board would vote without eliminating any candidates in the first two rounds [.pdf of the AAPS summary of the voting process].

If trustees became deadlocked, Mexicotte said, there might be a short recess during which trustees’ behavior would conform to Open Meeting Act rules. If necessary, Mexicotte would break the deadlock as board president. Lastly, Mexicotte reminded everyone that the voting would end at any point when a candidate received four votes, and at that time, the new trustee would be sworn in, seated at the table, and have full voting privileges for the remainder of the meeting.

Candidate Presentations

Candidates made their presentations in the same randomly selected order in which they had been interviewed – Victoria Haviland, Jeff Sabatini, James Corey, Susan Collet, Andy Thomas, Jack Panitch, Christine Stead, and Margy Long. The assigned presentation prompt was this:

Although the board spends a great deal of time on financial, policy, and other business issues, the center of our work is focused on student achievement. Could you split your presentation evenly between speaking about what, in your opinion, we do well in the district from the standpoint of student achievement, and what areas we need to work toward improving.

Victoria Haviland began by saying that she was glad to have a chance to talk about student achievement, as it was a daily focus for her in her professional life. She praised AAPS for maintaining its vast array of flexible and innovative academic programs despite pressure from the state, meeting the needs of students with all learning styles, and supporting outstanding teachers and support staff at every level with a strong curriculum. Haviland credited these successes as resulting in high graduation and college enrollment rates for AAPS students.

She named the acknowledgment of the achievement gap among students as a strength, and the gap’s existence as an opportunity for improvement. Haviland suggested that to eliminate the achievement gap, “we need to move this work into the classroom.” She gave the example of Dicken Elementary providing mini-grants to its teachers to address the achievement gap at the classroom level.  Then, Haviland suggested, AAPS should redistribute funds it spends on outside vendors to teachers, and document the success of such a move in order to inspire and enable other districts to do the same.

A second improvement Haviland suggested was for AAPS to focus its communication and public message. In particular, she said, the district could do a better job of helping concerned parents know the full range of options available to help their students who are struggling or unchallenged.

Jeff Sabatini began by referring to a comment made earlier in the meeting by Rob Lillie – who was being honored at the meeting with the naming of Tappan Middle School gym after him. Lillie had likened his anxiety about speaking to the board to feeling like “the tin man, scarecrow, and lion combined.” Sabatini said, “If Rob Lillie felt like [those characters in The Wizard of Oz], I feel like Toto right now – in the tornado.”

Sabatini allowed, “I don’t really know what [the board] does well,” saying he had not yet joined the PTO or volunteered in the classroom. He offered, “I’m not going to pretend I have solutions or miraculous fixes … Many other candidates are better qualified … I wish whichever one gets picked tonight the best of luck.”

However, Sabatini stated, “I do think I’m representative of your typical taxpayer,” and described his vision for the future of AAPS as not just weathering this budget crisis, but seeing it as an opportunity to make the district even better. Sabatini argued for even more alternative education programs, and pointed out that current programs such as Ann Arbor Open @ Mack and Community High School are “oversubscribed.” He suggested that the board encourage the development of pilot programs in areas such as year-round schooling, “theme schools,” and multi-age programs, and evaluate them according to two metrics: (i) Do the students do as well? and (ii) Does the program cost less than traditional education programs?

Sabatini closed with a call to reexamine public education at its core: “Let’s get together and figure out how to do this.”

James Corey named elementary school teachers, a community that is involved in the education of its children, and diversity of programs as strengths of AAPS. On the flip side, he focused mainly on communication in the district, saying teacher-to-teacher, teacher-to-parent and parent-to-board communication could all be improved. Also, regarding the speed of communication in the district, Corey contended that the district should “adapt before we need to adapt.”

Corey then presented a humorous, analogy-laden, slideshow highlighting key political and cultural events over the last 18 years as a way of characterizing today’s student body. As students of days past are to today’s students, Corey argued, mixed tapes are to iTunes, photo albums are to Picasa, and Christmas cards are to Twitter, “because if you can’t say it in 140 characters, is it really worth saying?”

Therefore, Corey continued, this is the time to invest in technology, and to use technology to increase communication within all subsets of AAPS. He quoted Rupurt Murdoch, who said, “Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow.” Corey then closed with, “I am part of the information age, and I hope this is why you’ll allow me to serve on the school board.”

Susan Collet listed principal leadership, motivating teachers, extracurricular offerings, incredible parent involvement, safety, discipline, and the diversity in types of classes offered as “what the district does well.” She also mentioned the 2008 graduation rate of 88%, and that Huron and Pioneer high schools were rated in the top 6% of schools in the nation.

In terms of what the district could improve, Collet said it should deal better with struggling kids, and suggested that perhaps creating individualized learning plans, as outlined in the district’s strategic plan, could help. She pointed out the achievement gap in Michigan Merit Exam scores, called for more guidance counselors, and advocated for “restoring excitement” for studying math and science, saying that students needed to be shown how science and math can be used to solve human problems and create a better world.

Andy Thomas listed four areas in which AAPS is excellent and four clear challenges. He named high student achievement, the many electives available at every level, the rejection of a “one size fits all” program of education, and teachers – especially those at the elementary level – as areas in which AAPS excels. In addition, Thomas credited superintendent Todd Roberts with fostering parent involvement, and pointed out that it’s the tremendous dedication of the elementary level teachers that makes achievement at the secondary level possible.

As challenges, Thomas began by naming the “serious gap” in achievement between whites and African-Americans in the district. He argued that too many interventions are evaluated by what Carolyn Hoxby, a Stanford economics professor, calls “the cardiac test.” That refers to well-meaning reformers who “just know in their hearts” that an intervention will work. Thomas called instead for data-driven solutions to the achievement gap.

Next, he joked that his middle-school-aged son may hate him for saying so, but that AAPS needs to “insist on greater rigor at the middle school level,” including meeting the needs of struggling students, those who are proficient and bored, and those in the middle who meet only the minimum requirements. Thomas also pushed for the development of individualized learning plans for each student, and acknowledged that, while this idea was already in the district’s strategic plan, “we need to move this to the fast track.”

Lastly, Thomas mentioned his support for alignment with the standards of the International Baccalaureate (which he noted is also part of the district’s strategic plan), sharper math and science curricula, and additional world languages. He argued that AAPS needs to “do a better job of preparing for the future.”

Jack Panitch stated that student achievement throughout AAPS was “awesome,” beginning in early childhood and continuing though high school. Panitch praised the district’s website, pointed out that achievement data were “all there on the [AAPS] website for all to see.” He cited several district achievements from the district’s in-house newspaper, AAPS News. Panitch showed articles about the Tappan law club, the homebuilding program, and the Community High School journalism award as examples of high achievement in the district. He concluded, “No one can say there is no transparency. All the data anyone could need is in the [AAPS] annual report.”

Panitch then listed three issues to focus on: the achievement gap among AAPS students; what he called the “global achievement gap;” and the current attempts to link student achievement to teacher evaluation stemming from the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) initiative.

He did not elaborate on the achievement gap issues, pointing to the district’s website for information on those issues. He stated: “We need to graduate kids capable of critical thinking.” Regarding the RTTT legislation, Panitch supported recent comments made by Brit Satchwell, president of the district’s teachers’ union. Panitch noted Satchwell’s concern for the idea of annual teacher evaluations that are part of as-yet unfunded new state legislation – passed to support Michigan’s RTTT application – saying that it was not a good use of principals’ time. Instead, Panitch suggested, AAPS should institute a peer review system of evaluation, though he acknowledged there would be costs involved in hiring substitutes to cover for teachers while they were evaluating their colleagues.

Panitch closed with a few personal slides of himself, and asked that the board consider him based on his sensitivity, courage, and willingness to deal with the equity issue.

Christine Stead began her presentation with a Powerpoint slide containing two images: a red apple and a globe with data swirling around it. She pointed out how both images speak to how AAPS is operating right now: Even while the positive image and day-to-day work of educators (represented by the apple) continues, the district is caught up in the chaos of the larger funding issues beyond its control (represented by the swirling globe).

Christine Stead, newly appointed member of the AAPS board.

Stead noted four categories in which the district is doing well. First, she praised AAPS administrative leadership – citing superintendent Roberts and deputy superintendent Robert Allen as particularly responsive to the community. Stead also pointed out Roberts’ large role in developing the district’s strategic plan, which she called “ambitious” and “inspiring.”

Like other candidates, Stead then argued that the district’s strength in part came from its incredible number of varied program offerings, as well as the systemic diversity in types of schools. Naming Ann Arbor Open @ Mack as an example, she noted, “It’s profound to be able to offer that when our resources are challenged.”

And, Stead pointed out, AAPS is still outperforming the state in terms of achievement, “even at a time when we are constantly doing more with less.” She showed charts of MEAP data, percentage of students taking the ACT, and graduation rates, expressing her interest in keeping data in the forefront: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”

Lastly, Stead mentioned that AAPS could improve by decreasing achievement disparities among ethnic groups, and by following through on what she named as two key elements of the district’s strategic plan: aligning AAPS curriculum with international standards, and creating personalized learning plans for all students, including those who are high-achieving.

Margy Long gave the final candidate presentation, and she began by saying she felt “somewhat inadequate” and “unqualified” to evaluate student achievement, and that what she was about to say was just her opinion as one parent.

She pointed out that the achievement gap has “been on the radar” for a while, and noted that in her work on school improvement teams (SITs), she has seen a shift. That shift was from each building having its own goals to the district taking a lead in coordinating among building-level SITs to create a district-wide plan – within which each building then develops specific strategies.

Long also expressed pride at the district’s commitment to improving education for all students through an evidence-based Equity Initiative, and at the continuous expansion of program offerings. She listed the preschool, the inclusion of World Languages, and Project Healthy Schools as excellent programs that have been expanded since her kids began school.

Long then cited a recent New York Times feature entitled “How to Build a Better Teacher” in arguing for investment in the professional development of teachers. She said that teaching is a highly specialized skill, and that it needs to be supported as such.

In closing, Long warned that in the midst of the budget cuts that will come, AAPS needs to remain focused on leadership, equity, and increasing teacher effectiveness.

Break Following Candidate Presentations

After the candidate presentations, Deb Mexicotte called for a brief break, and reminded trustees “not to discuss in groups” what was an open issue on the table. The eight candidates, who had been sitting front and center in a row behind the speaker’s podium, began talking among themselves. A few of them gestured to the camera pointed at them – the meeting was broadcast live on Community Television Network (CTN) – and then the eight of them moved to the side of the room, off-camera. Meanwhile, individual trustees milled in and out of the room, mingling with each other and with AAPS administrative staff attending the meeting.

Trustees Remarks to Candidates

After the break, there was no public discussion regarding specific candidates, but before voting, all six trustees offered encouraging comments to the candidates as a group.

Susan Baskett said, “You are all wonderful – truly … Please do not take it personally if you do not rise to the top.” Baskett thanked them all for coming and appealed to the candidates who would not be selected to stay involved: “Don’t hate us.”

Irene Patalan offered that she hoped the candidates had felt welcomed by the board and that the process was “not too frightening.” She said she absolutely appreciated the eight candidates and that they proved to her once again that there is a lot of talent in this community.

Glenn Nelson said that the work of the next 18-24 months was not just the work of the board, but of the whole community: “You are all extremely capable people – try to figure out how to make the best use of your talents in the district.”

Randy Friedman appreciated the efforts of the candidates, and asserted that “the enormous contribution [they] had already made by coming forward at this difficult time … is a message to the community that the best days still lie ahead … It’s a call to action to the whole community.”

Simone Lightfoot pointed out to the candidates that she had sat where they were less than 90 days ago: “We need you … Please be sure your perspective stays in the mix.”

Mexicotte closed with, “We are embarking on Phase II of our strategic planning process … [which] is where we’d like to see you.”

Voting and Trustee Assignments

Board secretary Amy Osinski passed out lavender-colored ballots for the first round of voting. Mexicotte instructed the trustees to write their names on the ballot as well as the name of the candidate for whom they were voting. Osinski collected the ballots, and read them aloud.

Stead received four votes – from the four board officers: president Deb Mexicotte, vice-president Irene Patalan, secretary Glenn Nelson, and treasurer Randy Friedman.

Haviland received a vote from Simone Lightfoot. Corey received a vote from Susan Baskett.

Mexicotte announced, “Trustees, we are about to welcome trustee Christine Stead.” Stead hugged her fellow candidates, moved to the board table, and was sworn in by Osinski. The board took another brief recess, during which many of the trustees said goodbye to the other candidates, Stead’s husband congratulated her, and the many friends and family of the candidates filed out. When the board reconvened to a much emptier room, Mexicotte quipped, “The lateness of the hour will give our new trustee a true taste of boardsmanship.”

Later, Mexicotte requested that Stead join the planning committee, and she accepted. Mexicotte also requested that Lightfoot take over former trustee Hollier’s role as parliamentarian, saying that her attention to detail and interest in process made her an excellent candidate for the role. Lightfoot accepted.

Schools of Choice Proposal Introduced

A proposal to open up AAPS to 170 out-of-district students was presented to the board as a first briefing item by superintendent Todd Roberts and Jane Landefeld, director of student accounting.

Schools of Choice Program Description

Roberts began by reminding the board that one of the areas being considered as a potential revenue generator for the upcoming year was implementing a targeted Schools of Choice program in the district. The 170 seats he proposed opening to students from Washtenaw County would bring the district an additional $1.1 million in revenue. This, Roberts pointed out, was a conservative estimate, based on the lowest per-pupil foundation allowance in the county. If an out-of-district student transferred to AAPS, he explained, AAPS would receive the state per-pupil allotment of that student’s home district, not the amount an AAPS student receives.

Roberts noted that the reason he was bringing this recommendation to the board ahead of the rest of the draft budget plan was because of the tight timeline the district would have in order to set staffing levels for next school year. [The draft budget will come before the board at the next meeting on March 24.]

In order for the Schools of Choice program to be possible, Roberts said, the board would need to approve it this month, so that applications could be received in April, and students could be notified of their admission to AAPS by mid-May.

Landefeld then spoke, giving a brief overview of how the Schools of Choice program would be implemented in AAPS [.pdf of AAPS Schools of Choice description]. Landefeld explained that the State School Aid Act allows for this type of program. The part of the act pertaining to the district’s plan is Section 105, which permits local school districts to enroll students who reside in the same intermediate school district.

The proposed district plan would open 60 kindergarten seats, 60 1st grade seats, and 50 middle school seats, explained Landefeld. Other program characteristics are set by state requirements, Landefeld said, such as: the enrollment period must be between 15 and 30 days long; the district is required to notify students of admission decisions within 15 days of the closing window; and the district must accept all students who apply (unless they’ve been suspended or expelled), up to the number of students that was published.

If the district receives more applications than it has seats available, seats will be assigned by random drawing, and a wait list will be started. Once a student has been accepted, they can stay within AAPS for the remainder of their K-12 education, even if the district decides not to continue to enroll new students through Schools of Choice in the future.

Ten elementary schools, each with 4-8 anticipated available seats, are: Abbot, Bryant, Carpenter, Dicken, Eberwhite, Lakewood, Logan, Northside, Pittsfield, and Wines. Roberts clarified that these schools were chosen based on enrollment projections, and stressed that no additional staff would need to be hired. Each of the five middle schools would be expected to take 10 students.

Questions from the Board on Schools of Choice

Susan Baskett asked about the priority of placing Schools of Choice students over in-district transfers, and about wait list procedures. Roberts mentioned that there will be a second round of in-district transfer applications accepted during the same window as the Schools of Choice applications, and clarified, “We will seat in-district students first.”

Landefeld confirmed that the original wait list would expire one week into the start of the school year, parents with children who were selected could not defer admission, and any students who were not selected initially could reapply for the second semester.

Randy Friedman asked what happened if the seats in the schools mentioned are filled with in-district transfer students, leaving spaces in other buildings that are not listed on the Schools of Choice application. Roberts explained that the administration’s projections lead them to anticipate that these schools will have spaces available even after the in-district transfers. Later, Roberts clarified further that AAPS legal obligations would be met once it had seated 170 students as advertised; it would not be legally bound to seat Schools of Choice students in particular schools, even if they were listed on the application.

Many of the trustees asked for confirmation of their understanding of the foundation allowance AAPS would receive from out-of-district transfer students. Roberts confirmed that state per-pupil funding is different for each district, and that Schools of Choice students would come to AAPS with their districts’ allocations. As long as students attend AAPS, Roberts continued, they would continue to bring whatever per-pupil funding they would have brought to their home districts, even if it goes up or down. He also acknowledged that the gap between the AAPS foundation allowance and that of other nearby districts is narrowing.

Friedman questioned whether there were long-term risks: “In all fairness, those metrics could change on us and be to our disadvantage. Isn’t it fair to say this is intended to address an immediate concern, but [that there could be] long-term risks?” Roberts responded that it was possible the program would not make financial sense in future years, but that AAPS can decide how many students to take each year. He stressed that even if the district eventually had to hire an additional teacher to cover the increase in student enrollment, there would still be savings overall: “It’s all revenue-generating.”

Irene Patalan questioned a provision in the State School Aid Act giving admission priority to siblings of School of Choice students in future years: “So, if we decide not to do it next year, the door to siblings would not open?” Landefeld confirmed that the provision for siblings would only apply if the district continues to offer the School of Choice program in general.

Simone Lightfoot asked why the number of proposed Schools of Choice students had increased since the budget forums, from 150 up to 170. Roberts explained that the 170 number came directly from revised enrollment projections. Christine Stead asked what the impact on student-teacher ratio would be in the participating schools, and Roberts answered that the ratio would be the same as across the district. As an example, he noted that the current districtwide student-teacher ratio for kindergarten was 22:1, and that would be the same in Schools of Choice schools. Roberts added that, overall, AAPS student-teacher ratios may need to increase, but that that they would remain standardized throughout the district.

Patalan asked which other districts in the county have Schools of Choice programs. Roberts listed six districts as having some version of Schools of Choice: Milan, Lincoln, Willow Run, Ypsilanti, Saline, and Whitmore Lake. Earlier in the meeting, Landefeld had noted that roughly 150 students living within AAPS boundaries attend a public school in a surrounding district.

Patalan asked whether the administration thought AAPS would receive enough applications to fill the seats. Landefeld confirmed that the district gets many calls seeking admission, and has received even more since the community budget forums – when the idea of instituting a Schools of Choice program was first mentioned as a possible revenue-builder. When Baskett asked how the program would be advertised, Nelson suggested getting the news to the AAPS parent network. Landefeld suggested only the AAPS website and regular media outlets, noting, “Schools in other districts will probably not put up our flyers.”

The board had a few questions about the program’s timetable. Baskett asked if a date had been set when parents would need to accept their children’s offer of admission. Landefeld said no, but that administration could get that for the board. Roberts suggested that the response window would be similar to the one used in the Skyline High School admission process, in which parents would have “about a week” to decide whether or not to accept, if their child was offered admission. There is urgency, Landefeld reiterated, because buildings are beginning to look at fall staffing.

Nelson asked if there were any concerns about the way the Schools of Choice timetable and the budget timetable did or didn’t “mesh.” Roberts replied that the Schools of Choice timeline had been set with the budget process in mind. Mexicotte followed up, asking, “If we take action at the next meeting, is that sufficient time?” Roberts confirmed that everything was “ready to go,” and pointed out that AAPS administration has already prepared the application paperwork, as well as a resolution for the board to approve, should it decide to move forward.

Outcome: The board does not vote on first briefing items. The first briefing is a mechanism for alerting the public that the matter will be coming before the board for a vote – at the second briefing.

Public Commentary

In the hours leading up to Wednesday’s board meeting, bus drivers and custodial/maintenance workers again lined Fifth Avenue as they have before previous board meetings. [The AAPS board holds its meetings on the fourth floor of the Ann Arbor District Library building.] In addition, two longtime bus drivers were collecting signatures on a petition urging the board not to privatize any of its employees.

Demonstrators against privatizing services outside the AAPS board meeting on March 10, 2010.

Four speakers at Wednesday’s meeting spoke directly against privatization – a labor researcher at the University of Michigan and three bus drivers.

In addition, there were calls for transparency in the budget process.

Public Commentary: Privatization of AAPS Food Service

Rolland Zullo spoke first, introducing himself as a researcher at the University of Michigan, and a parent of two kids at Ann Arbor Open School @ Mack. Zullo explained that he has studied the district’s privatization of food service to Chartwells, and has drafted a report which he has sent to AAPS administration for review before sending to the board. He stated that his report contains three major findings.

First, the food service expenditures have decreased, but not because of outsourcing workers. Zullo said that AAPS is spending less on food service because of increased revenue being sent from the federal government via the school lunch program. He likened the district’s claim that the privatization has saved money to “a rooster getting credit for the sunrise.”

Next, Zullo said, his study showed that the sales of food are in decline because people are not finding value in the food offered. He listed food service offerings as including corndogs, hamburgers, and chicken nuggets, “essentially fast food fare,” and contended that when districts privatize, they lose control over the quality of service.

Finally, Zullo stressed that it is “important to disabuse the board of the notion that the … workers were not harmed” by contracting with Chartwells. He said the jobs had been “seriously degraded,” that new hires were paid at $9 per hour, and that none of the workers could afford to use the health care offered to them – due to an increase in co-pays to $3,000 annually.

Zullo closed by saying that he was happy to be hearing the board use the word “community,” and argued that the community would be damaged if pieces of it were “peeled away” and given to people without a stake in it.

Public Commentary: Privatization of AAPS Transportation

The next speaker was Richard Miller, an AAPS bus driver with 18 years of service to district. He used his four minutes to discuss problems with each of the two companies being considered to take over district transportation services – First Student and Durham. Quoting from headlines and other news sources, Miller said that the board had not “done its homework” regarding these companies, and listed the following infractions, all of which have occurred, he said, since January 2007.

Regarding First Student and its drivers, Miller listed the following incidents of concern:

• cocaine-filled syringes were found on a school bus;
• a bus driver stopped at a liquor store and tried to encourage a student to help her cover it up;
• a drunk bus driver hit a student at a crosswalk;
• a bus driver was charged with first degree sexual harassment;
• a bus driver hit and killed a young girl;
• a driver was charged with possession of child pornography on the internet;
• First Student was put on probation for failing to do background checks on its employees;
• a student was dragged by a bus;
• a 13-year-old was lost, got frostbitten, and required hospitalization after a driver dropped her off at the wrong stop;
• and a driver with alcohol on his breath was allowed to transport a student before being arrested later that day for driving while intoxicated.

About Durham and its drivers, Miller contended:

• a bus driver was charged with three counts of raping a teenager;
• a bus driver rolled over the legs of a 7-year-old after failing to engage the parking brake;
• and a driver showed children sexually-explicit video clips on a cell phone.

Miller asserted that the things he shared were not by any means an exhaustive list, and closed telling the board, “If you want to save money, find another way. Here’s a clue: try justifying the salaries paid to the management of transportation.”

Public Commentary: Lack of Community Support for Privatization

Two other bus drivers spoke, each citing a handful of online comments they described as “blog posts” to show that many community members are opposed to privatization.

Thomas Wesoloski summarized comments he had collected: there is no way of getting around the cost of excellent employees; kids spend a lot of time with bus drivers; people would pay more in taxes to support schools; the services AAPS already has are excellent – why not keep them; and parents want to know who takes their kids to school. Wesoloski stated that, other than reducing overhead and cutting frivolous expenses, the only real solution to these budget problems is increased state funding.

Then, John Riedisser, a 21-year veteran of AAPS and an Ann Arbor homeowner, picked up on the string of “blog posts,” citing the following comments: in the long run, privatization sends the wrong message to our community; we need reputable and consistent service employees; privatization in other districts still causes divisions within the community 10 years later.

Riedisser also mentioned that he was 51 years old, and would like to continue working until he can retire.

Public Commentary: Demand for Transparency in Budget Process

Representatives from both ends of the school spending spectrum spoke during public commentary – Harold Miller from Ann Arbor Citizens for Responsible School Spending (A2CRSS), and Steven Norton, executive director of Michigan Parents for Schools. Though the two men offered different lines of rationale, their comments led to the same demand – that the board ensure complete transparency as it sets the budget for the upcoming school year.

Miller contended that at best the board was ill-informed, and at worst, it was actively hiding information from the public. He began with, “Here is the information schools are not presenting to the public,” and gestured to a chart on a poster held by Kathy Griswold, also of A2CRSS, who stood next to him.

The information on the poster was taken, Miller said, from a Michigan Department of Education finance survey, and showed the amount of per-pupil spending in Ann Arbor, compared to other local districts. Miller said that when A2CRSS began to ask questions about school spending, it was not looking for predetermined answers. It began by choosing to compare Ann Arbor’s school district to those in Plymouth-Canton, which is roughly the same size, and East Lansing, which is also situated near a large university. Then, they added 11 districts geographically close to Ann Arbor to the comparison.

Miller said his research showed that the other districts’ per-pupil spending averaged about $10,000, while Ann Arbor spends over $13,000 per student, and he questioned why that is. He encouraged the board and the public to verify the data he presented and requested that the board provide more of such background data to the public, so that it is clear what data was used in decision-making.

Steven Norton described himself as a parent, a voter, and someone who is dedicating his time to finding answers. He said the board meeting up to that point had showed him what can be achieved when the community commits the needed resources, and how this is threatened by the consequences of decisions which are “mostly not made locally.”

Norton urged the board to be as transparent as possible in explaining to the community how it makes the hard choices ahead in the 2011 budget: “The choices must be made openly, and in an environment of goodwill.” He stressed the importance of being sure the community understands both the rationale behind the choices made, and the reasons other options were passed over.

Norton warned that the legitimacy of the school leadership was in the balance, and said it would be “extremely dangerous” if people in the community were left with the notion that all the options were not considered. He warned the board against moving too quickly, and cautioned that “the process must not be short-circuited.”

Electrical Maintenance Contract, Consent Agenda

One second briefing item came to the board for action at Wednesday’s meeting. That was the approval of a bid for outsourcing the maintenance of low-voltage control systems. Examples of such systems, given by executive director of physical properties Randy Trent, are fire alarms and heating and cooling systems. Maintenance of these systems, Trent said, required “a specific type of work that no one on staff can address.”

Trent reviewed how the recommended contractor, Wiltec Technologies, did not submit the lowest bid. However, Trent said, the two lowest bidders either did not respond to the district’s follow-up questions, or were not able to have their experience with low-voltage systems confirmed. Trustee Irene Patalan mentioned that she had just found a letter from Wiltec in her old board files, in which it introduced itself to the board as a local company.

Susan Baskett commented that she loved the two-stage process the board used – a first and second briefing – as it allows for public comment on all issues before they are voted on. On this issue, she said, she had received questions from the community about whether AAPS really needs this service, and why these electricians cost so much more than the district’s in-house electricians. [The contracted electricians would be paid $67.50 per hour, compared to the highest paid in-house electrician, who is paid $21.90 an hour.]

Trent answered that the pay difference was justified because the contractor rate includes their own tools and trucks, and a true comparison would need to take into account the benefits paid to district electricians. He also confirmed that AAPS does need this service, reiterating, “Our folks are not trained to do low-voltage work.”

When questioned by Simone Lightfoot, Trent confirmed that the total amount of the contract would be the hourly rate of $67.50 multiplied by the 2,000 hours listed in the bid. Lightfoot also asked whether in-house electricians could be trained to do this work, and Trent replied, “We would need to work that out with the union, and we have not been able to do that.”

Outcome: The electrical maintenance bid – along with meeting minutes, trustee conference reimbursements, and gift offers – was approved unanimously as part of the meeting’s consent agenda.

Race to the Top Legislation = Unfunded Mandates?

The Michigan legislature passed a flurry of legislation to reform education in December, in order to increase its competitive edge in competing for the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) dollars. [See previous Chronicle coverage: "Revenue Bump in School Budget Draft"] Forty states applied for the first round of funding, and Michigan was not among the 16 states announced as finalists this month.

Now, Michigan is in the position of re-applying for the funding in the second round, which begins in June. The federal Department of Education will be making the scores and comments of all grant reviewers public, with the expressed intention of helping states who did not win to strengthen their applications for the second go-around.

During the “items from the board” part of Wednesday’s agenda, Simone Lightfoot shared “troubling feelings” about the federal RTTT initiative. She stated that “Race to the Top is not in the long-term best interest of public education,” and said that it was the opt-out language that had allowed her to vote in support of the district’s signing onto the application submitted by the state of Michigan.

Lightfoot listed “unfunded and underfunded mandates” as her main concern with the RTTT legislation, but also took issue with its emphasis on testing and its support of charter schools. The memo that superintendent Todd Roberts included in the board’s information packet for Wednesday’s meeting also expressed concern about these mandates: “Although the state was not selected, the legislation passed related to the application will still be in effect for districts.”

Lightfoot continued, saying that after spending all day in Lansing on Wednesday, she believed that the Michigan legislature was planning to enact additional laws regarding Michigan’s languishing RTTT application. “The legislators were talking about how much more they can add into the laws,” with no additional funding being considered, Lightfoot said.

She added that, while some of the vision and goals of RTTT are admirable, the process feels rushed. [The Lansing conference attended by Lightfoot, as well as by Susan Baskett, was the Michigan Association of School Administrators/Michigan Association of School Boards legislative conference.]

AAPS Board and PTO Council Increase Pressure on State

There was a notably political overtone to Wednesday’s meeting as speakers, administration, and board members alike all expressed frustration directed at Michigan legislators for failing to ensure sustainable funding for education statewide. The board’s planning committee, as well as the PTO council, reported out on their activities to increase the pressure on state elected officials to address funding problems. The planning committee’s proposed resolution was passed by the board, and the PTO’s newly-formed advocacy committee called on parents and staff to contact their legislators.

Resolution to Expand Allowable Sinking Fund Expenditures

Irene Patalan’s report on activities of the planning committee included a review of graduation requirements of foreign exchange students, and examination of the inclement weather policy in more detail. But the main focus of the committee’s last meeting, she said, was to brainstorm ways to build revenue. Patalan explained that, in addition to considering how the board could better support the work of the AAPS Educational Foundation to increase private giving, her committee asked, “How can we better partner with our representatives from this county who are in Lansing?”

This question led the planning committee to draft a resolution in support of funding for education, which was unanimously supported by the board. The resolution “encourages the Michigan Senate to approve Senate Bill #1059 which expands the use of sinking fund dollars to include all currently allowable bond expenditures.” Patalan explained that the Michigan House of Representatives had passed a bill approving this more generous allowable spending of the sinking fund, but that the Senate needed to pass its “sister bill” in order for it to be enacted into law.

Glenn Nelson and Deb Mexicotte both thanked the planning committee for its initiative and leadership in drafting the resolution. Mexicotte added, “The Senate has been sitting on this bill for far too long.”

Outcome: The resolution in support of SB #1059 was passed unanimously.

PTO Council Establishes Advocacy Committee

Martine Perreault, chair of the AAPS PTO Council, an umbrella organization representing the parent-teacher and parent-teacher-student organizations from all AAPS schools, began by reporting that Anne Brod was stepping down as the PTOC’s board representative, and that the seat would be filled on a rotating basis by other PTOC council members until a new representative was assigned.

After giving a brief recap of current PTOC activities, including offering training to PTO officers and reviewing their own bylaws, Perreault announced that the PTOC had established an advocacy committee to voice the concerns of AAPS parents on state-level school financing issues.

She described the work of the new committee as “active advocacy with Washtenaw County elected representatives … to express our desire for stable school funding and the high priority of education funding in the face of difficult budget decisions.” Perreault noted that the committee would not support specific bills or candidates, but that its goal was to ensure an adequate funding stream. She invited all parents and staff to join the committee.

To join, Perreault said, the contact person is Donna Lasinski, who can be reached at lasinski@mac.com or 734-997-7265. She also asked the community to email legislators about the importance of stable school funding. She showed the board a slide with instructions on how to “find your legislator,” and suggested a simple script.

Mexicotte thanked the PTOC, saying the board “appreciate[d] the work of the PTOC to educate the community” about funding issues faced by the schools.

MASA/MASB Legislative Conference

Susan Baskett reported on the Michigan Association of School Administrators/Michigan Association of School Boards legislative conference that she and Simone Lightfoot had attended earlier that day. In addition to an RTTT funding session, Baskett said she had attended a session on communication, which walked participants through how to get more politically active.

The session on communication, Baskett said, led her to question how well the board has done on this front, and how it could do better. She then reflected on advice given to her by state Sen. Liz Brater, who suggested that school boards would be stronger if they joined together in advocacy. Baskett suggested that the board might want to move in this direction, by talking to fellow school board members from other Michigan districts: “Perhaps we can motivate ourselves to encourage people to see how they can reach out to each other.”

Performance Committee, Association Reports

Susan Baskett, the chair of the board’s performance committee, announced that in all of the hub-bub surrounding that night’s meeting, she had left her notes at home, and had no report. She invited the public to attend the committee’s meeting the next day, which she described as being focused on “policy review.”

Noting that the Youth Senate and Ann Arbor Education Association representatives had left the meeting – which Deb Mexicotte surmised was likely due to the length of the meeting up to that point – she invited the remaining associations to give their reports. A Youth Senate report was submitted in writing, and is available on the board’s website.

The report of the Ann Arbor Parent Advisory Committee for Special Education (AAPAC) was given as follows: AAPAC reported that it had met with Yolanda Bell, AAPS transition coordinator, who had explained how students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) – and plans developed under Section 504 – transition into high school. They also thanked administrator Larry Simpson and superintendent Todd Roberts, who met with them to discuss the current budget issues and how they might affect student intervention and support services. They also said that AAPAC is advocating for a special education millage in 2011. Lastly, the group invited everyone to its upcoming disability awareness workshops, and mentioned that the goal of this work was to “spread the message that disability is a natural part of the diversity of all communities.”

Awards and Accolades

There has not been a regular board meeting in a month, and there were many special awards, honors, and recognitions included on Wednesday’s agenda.

Riot Youth

Glenn Nelson and Susan Baskett presented a plaque they received from the Neutral Zone Riot Youth program. Nelson described Riot Youth as “encouraging people to celebrate diversity of sexual orientation and increasing respect for different lifestyles.” The award – received by the board on behalf of AAPS –  thanked AAPS for its “dedication to improving the school climate for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer, and Questioning (LGBTQQ) students.”

Nelson said he was honored and touched to be part of the awards program, and Baskett added that the students were “very smart” to include action items in the event: “They put us to work and challenged us to think about how we could make things better.” Nelson added that in addition to the entertainment, the event included “… painful, sorrowful stories about what still happens in our schools.” He then vowed, “For all those listening, we’re proud of what we’ve done, but we realize there is still a lot to do. We’ll look forward to [the work], and we’ll do it with enthusiasm.”

At the podium is trustee Susan Baskett, right, who presented Beth Bernacki, left, with a celebration of excellence award.

Celebration of Excellence

Beth Bernacki, a history teacher at Skyline High School, was awarded a celebration of excellence award for outstanding customer service.

She was nominated by Katie LaCroix, her sister and 4th grade teacher at Logan, who said she has witnessed firsthand Bernacki’s commitment to her work, and her desire to engage and challenge her students to their utmost potential.

Bernacki thanked her sister, and said it meant a lot to be honored by someone who she respects as a professional, too.

Also given an outstanding customer service award through the celebration of excellence program was Pat Dombroski, a para-educator at Forsythe Middle School.

Pat Dombroski, "Mr. D," right, received a celebration of excellence award.

He was nominated by his co-workers, who stated that he “gives all of his heart and his energy to his job,” and that they had “yet to encounter a student who has not felt that ‘Mr. D’ made a difference in their lives.”

Kennedy Center Award Nomination and Burns Park Award

Robin Bailey, the district’s fine arts coordinator, shared that AAPS had been selected by ArtServe Alliance of Michigan to be considered for a Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network Award, an annual award recognizing a local school board “for outstanding support in the arts in education.” Bailey had sought the nomination from the state Alliance organization, and used the opportunity to thank the board for supporting the AAPS partnership with the University Musical Society, resulting in an “absolutely impressive fine arts experience in this district.”

If selected by the Kennedy Center as the award recipient, AAPS would receive $10,000 for use in its fine arts program. The application submitted by Bailey was included in the information packet for Wednesday’s meeting, and included a list of the district’s fine arts achievements, as well as superlative letters of recommendations, from the AAPS board and administration, current and past Ann Arbor mayors, and local and state music associations.

Omari Rush, education manager for the University Musical Society (UMS), then spoke, announcing that Burns Park was being awarded its 2010 School of the Year. Burns Park’s principal, Kathy Morhous, as well as its art and music teachers were invited to a gala to accept the award. Morhous thanked UMS for being a wonderful resource, and gave examples of how her fine arts staff had integrated the society’s recent focus on Arabic music and culture into their curricula.

Nelson asked the board to take a moment to reflect on the leadership shown by Bailey and Rush. Patalan added that being appreciated for the arts experiences that AAPS provides is “something you have to burst with pride about,” adding, “We have a wonderful history and a future also of the arts being important in this community – I am proud.”

Rob Lillie Recognition

Superintendent Todd Roberts pointed out the Rob Lillie had been out of town when the Tappan Middle School gym was named in his honor. Tappan assistant principal Rick Weiler, who nominated Lillie, said he had “finally talked him into coming” to the board meeting to be honored, and called him a role model for many students, staff, and parents.

Rob Lillie was recognized at the board meeting for an earlier renaming of the Tappan Middle School gym in his honor.

Lillie came to the podium, recalling the time he had to come before the board 30 years ago to explain how it would work to have a co-ed gym class, and saying that he felt like the Wizard of Oz’s lion, tin man, and scarecrow all at once. He thanked the board for the “awesome” award they had given him, and joked that after 40 years of teaching over 30,000 students, all he asked from his former students was “don’t play the name game with me – just tell me who you are.”

Susan Kielb, a math and science teacher at Tappan, then spoke on behalf of her colleague, describing how Lillie had started a program called “Division I” to help students who wanted to someday play in Division I sports, but whose academic standing and attitude challenged that dream. Kielb described Lillie as “firm, loving, and serious,” and said that if students were confused about an assignment, Lillie would sit down and figure it out with them. “Many people grew up with this steady guidance from [Lillie],” she said. Even now that he is retired, Kielb said you can’t help but feel Lillie’s influence on Tappan, making it a place where “kids are championed and honored.”

Lillie thanked his wife, who he said, “was only jealous of one thing in all her years and that’s Tappan.” Simone Lightfoot congratulated Lillie, who had been her teacher as well as her daughter’s, as looking “phenomenal. Where’s the gray?” she asked. Lillie quipped, “That’s why I had to leave Florida (where he had been when the gym was named in his honor) – I wasn’t old enough.”

Glenn Nelson added that it was wonderful to have this moment of recognition. Nelson said that, though the emphasis was on Rob Lillie tonight, this is really a community of excellence.

Deb Mexicotte led all present in a round of applause in honor of Lillie.

Other Items from the Board

Susan Baskett reported that she attended National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) Night at Roberto Clemente Student Development Center, and praised the school for significantly increasing some students’ GPAs over the course of 12 weeks. She mentioned she was excited to attend the upcoming Robotics competition at Skyline High School.

Glenn Nelson recognized the contributions of the Dispute Resolution Center, which he said does a very good job helping to mediate conflict over a broad array of issues, including periodic conflicts within AAPS involving parents or students. He also mentioned participating once again in a great book club discussion co-hosted by the AAPS, the Ann Arbor District Library, and the UMS, in which the role of the arts in education was discussed. Nelson then pointed out that a recent gala and silent auction at Pioneer High School was an example of the very important private support the district possesses.

Nelson shared his enjoyment of the recent Orchestra Night and Choral Cavalcade events. Of Orchestra Night, he said, “you get this sense of growth over time … Those larger instruments are an investment of our community, and these kids are enabled to develop their talent. Hurray to the community for paying for this!” He went on to describe the choral concerts as “an emotional experience that really touches your heart,” and said he “felt really thrilled and blessed to be able to be there.”

Irene Patalan mentioned that she was proud of Forsythe Middle School, having attended its recent science fair: “There’s nothing like middle schoolers – they’re not quite little and they’re not quite big … The work is honest.” Patalan also gave a “shout out” to the young artists at Haisley Elementary, and mentioned that some of their work would be on display as part of youth art month.

Superintendent’s Report

Wednesday’s report from AAPS superintendent Todd Roberts was a cavalcade of achievements, outreach, and improvements made by AAPS students and staff.

At the high school level, Roberts congratulated the district’s national merit scholars; U.S. Physics Team nominees; Community High School (CHS) for receipt of the Perfect 36 award; Pioneer students who received awards in the arts; a CHS counselor; Skyline’s forensics team; homebuilding students who competed at Washtenaw Community College; members of the U.S. Olympic ice hockey team who had attended AAPS; and a class at Huron High School, which participated in and won awards at the Michigan Special Olympics winter games.

Roberts praised the Clague Middle School student who was awarded Middle School Student of the Year, as well as the district’s middle schools that placed in the Michigan Chess Association competition, and the recent Mathcounts competition. He also congratulated Forsythe for participating in Project Healthy Schools, a wellness program to create a healthier school environment, and named numerous band awards, as well as awards received by teachers from the National Council of Teachers of English.

Many students at several schools have continued to support relief efforts in Haiti, raising thousands of dollars in aid, Roberts said. He thanked the students and staff for all of their great work, particularly those who “care for others and do community service in addition to the academic stuff.”

The meeting was adjourned by president Deb Mexicotte.

Present: President Deb Mexicotte, vice-president Irene Patalan, secretary Glenn Nelson, treasurer Randy Friedman, trustee Susan Baskett, trustee Simone Lightfoot, and newly-seated trustee Christine Stead. Also present as a non-voting member was Todd Roberts, superintendent of AAPS.

Next regular meeting: March 24, 2010, 7 p.m., at the downtown Ann Arbor District Library’s fourth floor meeting room, 343 S. Fifth Ave. [confirm date]