Ann Arbor Public Schools Grade 5 Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) scores for reading (left) and math (right). The green trend lines indicated African American student achievement under the old cut scores. Brown trend lines indicate achievement of caucasians.  The gap between the achievement has been amplified by new cut scores, which are indicated by blue and purple trend lines for African American and caucasian students, respectively.

Deputy superintendent of instructional services Alesia Flye and director of student accounting and research services Jane Landefeld, presented a comprehensive report on student achievement. While the trustees were pleased and excited to have such a detailed report, and there were several positive points in the data, they also expressed significant frustration at the disparity between the achievement of various subgroups. African American students in the district showed significantly lower achievement on standardized tests than students in other ethnic groups. Trustee Simone Lightfoot described herself as “fire mad” about some of the results in the report.

The conversation ranged from results and highlights to the challenges the district faces. Flye and her team indicated that the district would continued to work with this data and to implement the district’s established plans to address the achievement gap. But the presentation was a point of information only. [.pdf of AAPS achievement slide presentation with graphs and tables]

Also at the meeting, a proposal for a technology upgrade to the network infrastructure prompted a conversation about labor contracts. The network upgrade was a first briefing item on which the board did not vote. But conversation about labor contracts continued as trustees heard a second briefing about outsourcing the noon hour supervisor positions. In a 4-3 decision, the board did not approve the a contract with PCMI, which had bid to provide noon hour supervisors at a 24.83% administrative cost.

Student Achievement Report: Overview

The AAPS administration brought a report to the board highlighting student achievement over the past five years. The “comprehensive, lengthy document” shows how progress was measured and what needs to be tweaked and improved, superintendent Patricia Green said. She stressed that it was not a curriculum report, but rather an outcomes report. An outcomes report will become a yearly tradition, as a way of benchmarking what they the district is doing.

Jane Landefeld, director of student accounting and research services, Alesia Flye, deputy superintendent for instructional services.

The student achievement document is a compilation of data that would ordinarily  reside in separate files. Green said she wanted to see all the data together – to have an opportunity to look at all the pieces at the same time. The report has taken a number of months to put together, as data from June 2011 is still being incorporated. According to Green, time is needed to organize that data in a meaningful way. The report was broken into highlights and results for standardized tests, increased rigor for high schools, discipline and suspension data, graduation and attendance rates, and areas of focus.

Flye noted a theme of excellence throughout the report. Several overall student performance highlights were included: The Ann Arbor Preschool was named Best Preschool with Special Needs Services” by Ann Arbor Family publication. AAPS was named a State Academic Champion for excelling in academics with MEAP and ACT scores. Pioneer and Huron high schools were named as among The Best High Schools in America by U.S. News and World Report in May 2012. And Ann Arbor Tech received a Program Award as an outstanding Michigan alternative school.

Flye said that it showed the spectrum of high levels of instruction throughout the district – from pre-kindergarten to high school programs.

The trustees, along with Green, thanked and congratulated the team that worked on compiling the data. Andy Thomas said that he had been looking forward to a report like this since he joined the board. Now that he has seen it, he looks forward to using the data to drive decisions. Glenn Nelson echoed the appreciation expressed by other board members, and said that he was glad they devoted so much time to talking about it. To him, it demonstrates the passion and the concern the staff and the board have for student achievement. Irene Patalan appreciated that the report was presented early enough in the school year to set the tone for the rest of the year.

Addressing the team that worked on the report, board president Deb Mexicotte said she hoped they felt the excitement that was around the table that evening to discuss the body of work they’d produced. Trustees don’t get to talk about student achievement in depth as often as they would like, because they spend so much of their time doing other business – like handling the budget and contracts. The trustees would much prefer to be doing the business of student achievement, she said. Despite the frustration they may feel at some of the results, the trustees are excited, energized, and ready to move forward to what comes next. Mexicotte said they knew “this is the springboard for greater achievement for our students.”

Student Achievement: Testing Results: MEAP

The first test discussed was the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP). The MEAP is administered to students in grades 3–9. Students in grades 3–8 take reading and mathematics; students in grades 4 and 7 are tested on writing; grades 5 and 8 are given a science test; and students in grades 6 and 9 are administered a social studies test. Students are graded as: advanced proficient; proficient; partially proficient; or not proficient. The results of the test are used to monitor individual student achievement, as well as the performance of individual schools and districts.

The 2011/2012 MEAP data for AAPS compared to the state shows Ann Arbor students performing at higher levels than state average in all areas, at all grades, in all subgroups except for English language learners (ELL). Director of student accounting and research services Jane Landefeld noted that AAPS tests those ELL students when they are not proficient in English. When they are proficient, they are no longer considered ELL students.

The state adopted new cut scores in the fall of 2011, which Flye said were more reflective of career- and college-ready standards. The new cut scores were applied retroactively to the prior years’ data so the results could be more accurately compared. Landefeld noted that the change in cut scores impacted the overall proficiency levels. While the test was of the same rigor, the scale was moved up. Scores that were previously judged as advanced proficient are no longer deemed proficient.

Student Achievement: Testing Results: MME

The Michigan Merit Examination (MME) is administered to 11th grade students. It consists of math, science, social studies, reading, and writing evaluations. The MME tests are college-ready assessments. The results of the test were also impacted by new cut scores within the past year. Across the board, reading and writing continue to be the district’s strong suit, with math and science lagging behind. Nearly every subgroup scored above the state average, except for economically disadvantaged, ELL, and Hispanic students.

Nelson hoped that the district computes how many students who don’t not score well on the MME  – which supposedly would indicate that they would not do well in college – go on to be outstanding citizens. He said that if students had “grit” and social and emotional learning, they can succeed. He didn’t want students to be discouraged by test results.

Student Achievement: Testing Results: NWEA

The Northwest Evaluation Association, Measures of Academic Progress (NWEA MAP) test is a computer-adaptive test designed to chart student growth over time, as well as to inform educational decision-making at the classroom level and to evaluate the efficacy of programs. In 2011-2012, the NWEA was administered in September, January, and May for students in grades K–5 and 6–8 at Ann Arbor Open and Scarlett Middle School. In 2012-2013, the kindergarten assessment will be administered only in January and May.

NWEA results on “slider charts” for grades K-5.

When Nelson asked why the September testing for kindergartners was dropped this year, Green explained that last year, the district saw kindergartners struggle with the stamina required to sit in front of a computer to determine readiness. While she maintained that they wanted as much initial data from students as possible, the experience of NWEA testing proved to be too much for entering kindergartners.

Flye said she has been working with Dawn Linden, assistant superintendent for elementary education, and the elementary principals to bring greater consistency to kindergarten round-up. Along with that consistency, they hope to bring assessment, which would allow teachers to have initial data before students even start school.

Similar to the other test results, AAPS students overall showed results that were roughly at the normative mean for reading. Mathematics saw a similar trend, except for students in 6th and 7th grade.

Thomas noted the students that were classified as “proficient but not growing,” may be an opportunity for differentiated learning. He saw that as a way of “biting off” the gifted-and-talented issue. If the district sees students at the top with no room to grow, then “why not let them go higher?” Green and Flye agreed, with Green saying it feeds right into the strategic plan to provide individualized learning plans. The district doesn’t want to limit students and will work to customize instruction for them.

Some trustees took issue with the way the data for the NWEA was presented – using “slider charts.” Several trustees said that was not a helpful tool, and Christine Stead suggested using bar charts to show results better.

Student Achievement: Gaps in Achievement

Simone Lightfoot said she wanted “to be so wrong” about looking at the data. Just barely half of the African American subgroup met state standards in reading on the MEAP at all grade levels. In math, scores centered around 20-30% of African American students meeting state standards. Data like this, she said, got her “fire mad.” She was less concerned about beating the state average and more concerned with how AAPS does when compared to similar districts. Flye noted that they have benchmarked the data with other high-performing districts in the tri-county area – and AAPS is a high-performing district on that comparison, she said.

Trustee Simone Lightfoot

Mexicotte shared Lightfoot’s dismay at the lingering disparities in student achievement. She said, however, that if the analysis had gone back more than five years, they would have seen the struggling students performing at an even lower level. The data also shows that for the 2011-2012 school year, while each grade in the district increased reading scores, African American students increased their scores more than the district overall.

Thomas tried to “pull some gestalt” from the data. His observation was that while there are very significant gaps between various subgroups, it appears that the gap is narrower in the reading section than in math. The data showed him that additional emphasis on efforts in math could yield better results.

Flye recognized that challenges remain. She said that Thomas was right in his characterization – that there is a narrower gap between reading scores than between math scores for African Americans. More interventions are in place for reading, and the district needs to develop interventions for math, she said.

Landefeld also described the impact of new cut scores that had been put in place. Using the new cut scores, many students who’d previously been analyzed as being on the edge of proficiency now showed up as being not proficient. While the new cut scores impacted all AAPS students, they impacted African American students more, she said. Flye echoed Landefeld’s characterization, saying it was worth repeating. Flye noted that the district is focused on its Achievement Gap Elimination Plan (AGEP), as well as the discipline gap plan.

Nelson said that it wasn’t rocket science to solve the issue. When students are in school, they learn. He would like to see a greater emphasis on early childhood education. If the district could work with students prior to kindergarten, significant gains could be made, and they could be brought up to the same level as other students entering the district in kindergarten.

Student Achievement: Comparisons

Thomas said the overall state data reinforces Lightfoot’s point about not comparing AAPS as a district to the state. At the state level, only 15% of students are proficient in science, which means that 85% of students in Michigan are not proficient. For a state that is trying to advance into the 21st century and become a “mecca of high tech industry,” those scores are not a good omen, he said.

Nelson described AAPS as “blowing away” the state standards “in a relative sense”, especially in reading and writing. The problem, as he sees it, is that high performing groups are really performing well, and but the district hasn’t succeeded in getting all groups to the same level as the high-performing groups. He said that if a student wants to learn math, then AAPS is the place to go. He saw the gap between groups as more a function of high-performing groups doing well, rather than the lower-performing groups not doing well.

Lightfoot just wanted to get through the data, in order to be able to talk about solutions. Countering  Nelson’s point about AAPS being the place to go to learn math, she said: “You come to AAPS unless you are African American, Hispanic, economically disadvantaged, or an English language learner.” There were no ways to look at the data to make it more palatable to her, she said.

Nelson agreed with Lightfoot’s feeling of distress around the data, but he said that if they looked at how underserved subgroups in other districts around the state performed, it would be a bad decision to attend school there. Ann Arbor is still outperforming many other districts, even in those subgroups, he said.

Stead also wanted to be able to compare the district’s results to global competition. While the MEAP is a Michigan-only test, the ACT and the SAT could be used to do a comparative analysis with other districts across the country. She was concerned about comparing the district to the rest of Michigan. According to Stead, Michigan has dropped from 18th in the nation to 38th in the nation in education since passage of Proposal A in 1994. She said that AAPS thinks of itself as a national-level district and needs to compare to other nationally-ranked districts.

Trying to offer some broader perspective on the report, Mexicotte said that the benefit of having all the data in one place, and being able to see growth year-to-year, is being to understand exactly what kind of work needs to be done over the next year. The data shows areas of great concern and great celebration, she said. She acknowledged, however, that each trustee would see the information through a different lens.

Student Achievement: Looking at Patterns

Green noted that patterns emerge in the data. In the sixth-grade MEAP data for the 2011-2012 school year, African American student scores dropped, while in other grades, scores have increased over the past five years. What happens between 5th and 6th grade for African American students? Green’s experience tells her there needs to be more attention paid to what happens to students in their sixth grade year.

MEAP Reading Grade 5. The red trend line reflects achievement of African American Students – an improvement in the last year.

MEAP Reading Grade 6. The red trend line reflects achievement of African American Students – an improving trend that dipped in the last year.

Because the MEAP testing is done in early October, Thomas said, the testing ultimately reflects what was learned the previous year. So for the example of the dip in 6th grade testing results, it is a reflection of the 5th grade level, he said.

Green said that it reflects something about how 5th and 6th grade were linked together for that subgroup of students. They need to look more closely at what kinds of interventions, if any, are taking place.

Nelson ventured that there was greater student turnover – students entering and leaving the district – at the 6th grade level. The change in student body composition could conceivably have an impact on test scores at that grade, he said. He wondered if there was some way to see if the data reflected that kind of change of student body.

Lightfoot asked if the same kind of transitional challenges were seen when 6th graders remained at the elementary school level, instead of transitioning to middle school. Green said there were many different theories on which method was the best. She said the key was making those students feel like they belong, whether they’re in elementary school or middle school. She did note that her recommendation would be for a K-8 model.

Student Achievement: Role of Testing

The trustees talked over the role of testing. They acknowledged they’d been hearing from the public about the amount of standardized testing done in school. [For example, a Facebook group has been established: Ann Arbor STOP – Stop Overtesting Our Pupils]

Thomas said that the board’s conversation and the report has been an excellent example of how the MEAP is looking in the “rearview mirror” at district performance. It highlights the need for current-year assessments, like the NWEA. Thomas acknowledged the pushback from the community over the NWEA, but he said the usefulness of the MEAP data is limited. NWEA provides data over the course of the year, he said.

Green described the MEAP as not an individual student test, but as a way to judge the school and the district as a whole. The NWEA is specific to each student and allows teachers to personalize and develop individualized learning plans, one of the district’s strategic goals. Green said that even if it was through the rearview mirror, the MEAP results helps the district to recognize trends. Mexicotte said it was akin to using the right tool for the job. Patalan noted that the MEAP allows the district to see patterns, which allows for correction to negative patterns.

Flye reported that teachers in the field have said they appreciate the immediate feedback from the NWEA. It helps inform instruction in the classroom.

When Lightfoot asked if there were any tests that could be eliminated because the district uses the NWEA, Flye responded that the issue was being examined. Currently, the state assessments [MEAP, MME] are required. She suggested that maybe the district didn’t need to administer as many cycles of the test, or administer it to so many grade levels. The district is still in the process of determining the correct route, Flye said.

Susan Baskett asked about the ramifications of having students opt out of the NWEA testing. She wondered if a student’s academic career could be jeopardized by not testing, especially if the NWEA is so instrumental in targeting individualized needs for students. Flye described the test as a tool for systemic planning, and they’ve seen more value from the NWEA than from the state assessments.

Student Achievement: Increase in Rigor

Thomas noted that at the same time the state is reducing funding for K-12 education, the state is showing three-quarters of students not proficient in science. He wondered if those who control the resources see this as a crisis. Or do they see it as “we need more ditch diggers,” he asked. Green characterized the state’s perspective as wanting to add more rigor – which is why the cut scores have been changed. Part of the issue for Green is that it’s not clear to her what benchmarks the state is using to measure the district. Several different methods are used to talk about gaps – from state averages to the Focus School designations.

When the state keeps changing the playing field, Green said, it is difficult to benchmark what is actually being done in schools. So the district has to stay focused on what the community values and make sure that all students have a rigorous curriculum. The district needs to identify what its expectations are of students, and work towards that.

Mexicotte said that when the state defines the crisis as “rigor,” then it becomes the fault of the district. But the real crisis is at the state funding level and an underfunding of public education, she said. When she hears “rigor,” she hears it as blame being laid at the feet of the school districts.

Stead made the point that the underfunding of public education was exacerbated under the current state administration. According to Stead, $1.7 billion in declining revenue was made up for by a $1.1 billion cut to public education. The lack of funding goes beyond Proposal A, and is unique to the current administration, she said.

Student Achievement: Suspension and Discipline

Flye said that since implementing the discipline gap plan, the focus has been on social and emotional learning of students. To do that, cooperative discipline has been implemented across the district with monthly monitoring. As a result, Landefeld said, the number of students suspended within the past year has been reduced. Progress has been made across the board – from the elementary to the high school levels.

AAPS high school suspensions by ethnic group by year.

When Lightfoot asked for an explanation in the decrease in suspensions, Flye said the key was examining the data on a regular basis. She said staff at the building level are having monthly conversations about the social and emotional growth of their students. Green mentioned that when the discipline gap plan was released in Dec. 2011, there was a significant conversation about subordination, what defiance means, and how the focus has changed. Social and emotional development was crucial, she asserted.  That’s why the district brought in James Comer, an expert in child development, the week of Oct. 15, to speak to various members of the district.

Thomas and Lightfoot asked if there was a correlation between attendance and the changes in transportation made last year. For the 2011-2012 school year, they noted, changes were made in bussing and walking distances for students, and the board would be debating more changes to transportation service in the future. Landefeld said that to be able to determine that correlation, more years of data would be needed. Lightfoot stressed the “need to talk to students,” because they’ll know best.

When students aren’t in school, Green pointed out, they can’t be taught. She said they were looking at what behaviors can be shifted, so students can be in school.

Student Achievement: Role of Truancy, Homelessness

Lightfoot asked that Derrick Padgett, the district’s sole truant officer, be part of the discussion about achievement. Noting that mental health is one of the top issues faced by chronically truant students, she asked about the correlation between single-parent households and mental health. Padgett explained that in his work, he sees a correlation between students having anxiety and single parent households. He noted that if busing were discontinued, students in subsidized housing could face problems getting to school.

Lightfoot asked Padgett if there was anything the board needed to know, to help support him in his job. Padgett responded by saying that it’s important to work as a community, using all resources for helping students. He asked that the district stay on top of changes to state law. He noted that if the children of welfare recipients are not attending school, welfare benefits could be cut off. It is important to make parents aware of this consequence, he said.

Baskett asked how serious an issue truancy is in the district. Padgett responded that two years ago, the district did not employ a truancy officer, and truancy was not considered to be an issue. Now the focus is on the possible connection between mental health and truancy.

Baskett requested that if Padgett identified any issues the board could control, to let trustees know – because they would like to make sure they are doing right by the students. She realized his job is evolving, she said, and new things come up.

Flye mentioned one of the action items implemented this year was creation of a curriculum senate. The senate’s main focus is to bring all the key leaders together around one table to have conversations about addressing the needs of the whole child. Both Padgett and Azibo Stevens, district homeless liaison, is part of the senate. She also noted that the counseling department is now part of the instructional division, which was a previously missing important part of the puzzle.

Stead expressed shock that there were over 200 students in the district in the 2011-2012 school year that were classified as homeless. Stevens said that while 246 students received services under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, they expected to see even more because the district is working to improve identification rates.

Asked for his advice on policy or support, Stevens suggested that the board work to galvanize the community. More volunteers to mentor unaccompanied youth were needed. He said the students have a commitment to being in school, but they don’t have the guidance they need.

Student Achievement: Moving Forward

As the district moves forward, Flye said there will be an increased focus on developing personal curriculum. District staff will continue to work with data teams. She noted that sometimes data is surprising when it contradicts what everyone already believes – so training on DataDirector will be important for providing immediate information for teachers. Flye also noted that the AGEP and the discipline gap action plans will be continue to be implemented.

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

Tech Infrastructure Replacement

The board heard a presentation on the first very large purchase using the tech bond money  – a district-wide replacement of the network and wireless infrastructure, costing $5,192,872. This work is an essential component to upgrading the district’s technology, according to Green.  It includes cabling work and projector installation. The work will be completed in the course of 2013 and 2014, with a target end date in fall 2014.

Bids for the work were advertised on the state bid website and in the local newspaper, in addition to contacting known interested bidders. Four bids were received. A project team of Barton Malow and Ann Arbor Public Schools ITD staff conducted post-bid interviews with multiple bidders. As a result of those interviews, Sentinel Technologies was recommended for the contract award.

Executive director of physical properties Randy Trent outlined the proposal. When Thomas asked for an overview of the upgrade, Trent explained it was for switches to increase bandwidth. He said some of the equipment currently in schools right now was as old as 15 years. The hardware that will replace it will be the newest equipment available.

Outcome: This was a first briefing. The board will vote after a second briefing at the next regular meeting.

Contract Process Conversation

The conversation turned from the actual technology equipment that would be installed to the bidding process. Baskett wanted to know why the recommendation was for a company that was based in Illinois, as opposed to the company with the lowest bid, based out of Grand Rapids. Trent explained that ISI, the Grand Rapids company, provided an incomplete bid. The district pursued getting a more complete bid from the company, without success, he said. Sentinel Technologies has a satellite office in Ann Arbor and employs workers who “live within an hour drive,” said Trent.

Baskett pressed further, asking why none of the companies indicated if they were a minority or women business enterprise. Lightfoot echoed Baskett’s question, saying she had trouble with the district’s professed commitment to certain things, but not reflecting that commitment in awarded contracts. She asked when the best time would be to have a conversation about the district’s commitment to minority-owned and locally-owned businesses. She indicated that might allay her own frustration and that of others.

Stead mentioned that just over a year ago, the planning committee spent about seven sessions talking over the topic. A reception had been held by a vendor to encourage minority-owned businesses to bid. She said that it might warrant a policy change, if the board wants to make it part of the requirement for contract bidding. Stead said the board needs to look at the law to see how it coincides with the lowest qualified bidder requirement – saying she wasn’t sure if anything else could be added on to that requirement.

However, Thomas questioned the necessity of continuing with a particular hiring initiative, saying it would take a lot to convince him to go with anything beyond lowest qualified bidder. To him, things have changed considerably since the days of the “good-old-boy network” of the ’60s and ’70s. He said the bid process is now much more transparent, because all bids must be submitted through the website. Anyone who wants to submit a bid can do that, he said. He said he wasn’t aware of anyone who felt they’d been prevented from bidding on a project.

Responding to Thomas, Lightfoot contended the good-old-boy network was alive and well. She was troubled that the district asks the community for support, then goes with the lowest bidder when it comes to awarding contracts, regardless of whether the bids are from local companies.

Baskett agreed with Lightfoot, and said she didn’t believe Thomas had all the information needed to make an informed decision. To her, it was “not a matter of the lowest anything, but the best qualified of everything.”  According to Baskett, 40–50% percent of local electrical workers are unemployed. Because part of the district’s educational program is career and tech ed, she believes that the district has a responsibility to allow those students to be gainfully employed. As resources become more constrained, she argued, they need every dollar at the table. If there is anything that could be done within the limites of the law and ethics, she believes it should be done.

Nelson weighed in, saying that for him, the district’s mission is to educate students to the best of its ability. They must get the biggest bang for their buck. He said people are most concerned that the board will be good stewards of their money – which he’d had reinforced from the tech bond millage campaign.

Patalan said she was willing to trust Trent and his professional team when it came to doing due diligence in getting the lowest qualified bid. She agreed with Thomas in his contention that there is more transparency in the process now. Ideally, she would like to be able to do both things: be fiscally responsible and use local workers when possible.

Both Baskett and Lightfoot argued for having the discussion. Baskett pointed out that the board hadn’t yet received a performance report on the contractors. The lowest qualified bid doesn’t preclude locally- or minority-owned businesses, she maintained. She would like to put the discussion on the table to better understand the complications, because the support of everyone in the community is needed. Lightfoot argued for getting clarity on the board’s commitment to fairness and equity. She said having the discussion would help clarify that. She pushed for honesty in the board’s words and deeds.

Mexicotte noted that in the past, the board has had conversations about contracting and consultancy. She specifically referred to the board’s work on the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) [in 2007]. She recalled that the trustees talked about how they defined items such as “local” versus “southeast Michigan.” That conversation, however, was held at a different time by a different board. Mexicotte ventured that now might be a good time to look at the district’s policies and procedures on contracting, especially since the topic arises often. Her suggestion was to have that conversation at a committee of the whole (COTW) meeting. She said she liked to put things to rest, and she recognized trustees have had this conversation several times, but no one “is getting any rest.” In consultation with Green, Mexicotte would look at the board’s calendar and determine when to schedule something.

Baskett appreciated Mexicotte’s desire to put the issue to rest. In her opinion, it would be best to have an hour or two conversation on the topic and come to an agreement. Stead indicated a preference to prioritize student achievement and semesters versus trimesters at the high school level – over contracting policy. Lightfoot asked that contracting policy not be pushed too far into the future. Because some large contracts are coming up, she doesn’t want it to be the case that  all the contracts are awarded before a contracting policy is established.

Noon Hour Supervision: Rejected

The board was asked to approve a contract with Professional Contract Management, Inc (PCMI) to provide noon hour supervisors to the district. The contract was recommended by deputy superintendent for operations Robert Allen as a cost savings measure. Contracting with PCMI is an alternative to having AAPS employees provide the supervision. The board had been briefed on the item at its Sept. 19, 2012 meeting. At the meeting, Green introduced the topic to the board as a second briefing item, saying it had its genesis in budget reductions this past year. PCMI’s bid was the only one was received by the district. Green acknowledged that the proposal did not come in at the percentage they had hoped for.

AAPS deputy superintendent for operations Robert Allen

PCMI’s original bid was to charge the district 25.83% of the gross wages to be paid to the supervisors themselves. When several trustees at the board’s first briefing expressed dismay at the high administrative charge, Allen negotiated for a one percentage point decrease – to 24.83%. That one percentage point drop would translate into an additional $6,000 to $7,000 per year savings, for a total of $61,000 to $62,000 in savings. Allen noted that PCMI’s rate includes 7.5% for FICA, so PCMI’s take-home administrative fee is closer to 17.33%.

Lightfoot asked if Allen had talked with any of the noon hour supervisors who would be impacted by the shift to PCMI. She encouraged him to have conversations with the employees going forward. Allen said that while the supervisors were not represented by any particular union or leadership, he had spoken to some groups of long-term employees. Their main concern was about possible impact to their wages. Allen verified with PCMI that there would be no change in wages. There was also an interest in current employees being given right-of-first-refusal – meaning they would be offered jobs with PCMI before any new hires were made. Allen reported that right-of-first-refusal would be incorporated into the proposal.

The savings to the district from contracting with PCMI would come from the elimination of payments into the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System (MPSERS) – for employees who would most likely not take advantage of the pension system. Because an employee must work 1,000 hours per year to qualify for the program,  noon hour supervisors do not typically work enough hours to be vested in the system. The district, however, still pays into MPSERS for those employees.

Mexicotte said she had been thinking a lot about this contract since the board’s last discussion on the topic. While she understood that the district was trying to save money, she was fundamentally opposed to taking on a multi-year contract with an exorbitant administrative fee. She would rather take the public’s money and give it to MPSERS, a system that at least supports public employees. It was also troubling to her that it was such a seller’s market – because  there were so many other districts looking to save in any way they could. Even though the board has cut budget items to achieve even less than this amount of savings, Mexicotte said she was “very reluctantly” not in support of outsourcing the noon hour supervisors.

Baskett and Stead were both concerned about the non-competitiveness of the bid – as there was only one response to the RFP. Stead said that without another competitive bid, the argument was not as compelling. She would prefer to consider these kinds of proposals in the context of putting the budget together. Without that context, Stead said, it didn’t translate into the same real help for students. Baskett wondered if PCMI would drop another percentage point, if pressed. Lightfoot said she always struggles with outsourcing or privatizing, as it goes against her principles. She asked Allen to “push harder and be meaner” in negotiations with PCMI.

AAPS trustee Andy Thomas

Thomas said that while he shared sympathy for the opinions expressed by Stead and Mexicotte, he believed they needed to “glom onto any opportunity” to save money. To him, it was a win-win situation:  The district pays less money, PCMI gets money, and employees and students are not disadvantaged in any way. Nelson noted that not only does the proposal not harm the students, but it helps them – to the tune of approximately $61,000. As Mexicotte noted, the board has made cuts for less savings than the district would see by contracting with PCMI. Thomas said he was “not willing to put hubris above economic realities.”

Patalan sided with Thomas and Nelson, saying that ultimately, it comes down to the budget. While the bid itself doesn’t feel right to her, $61,000 is a lot money to save, she said.

Mexicotte said she was willing to accept it was hubris, but also recognized that in the past, when the board had made cuts to save smaller amounts, 100% of the money flowed back into the district. That would not be the case, if the board were to accept PCMI’s proposal, she contended.

Outcome: After the noon hour supervision contract was moved from the consent agenda to a board action item, the proposal failed to be approved on a 3-4 vote. Voting for it were Thomas, Nelson and Patalan.

Sexual Health Program: Approved

The trustees were given a second briefing on two recommended sexual health programs. One is designed for preschool through 2nd graders. The other is a 15-minute video about puberty designed for 5th through 8th graders.

The program for younger children – preschool through 2nd grade – is called Body Safety Training. A sample lesson provided in the board packet highlights the concept of “Boss of Body” – e.g. “Who’s the boss of your body?” “Me!” The lesson focus on teaching children a “Body Safety Rule” which they apply to decide if certain touches of their private parts are okay.

The program for the slightly older children – 5th through 8th grade – was updated in 2011. According to the staff memo in the board’s information packet, that makes the video more recent than any puberty video that has been previously approved by the board. The district’s Sexual Health Education Advisory Committee (SHEAC) described the video in positive, but not entirely uncritical terms: “The video used relatable teens but the dialogue was a bit ‘cheesy’ and I think youth will pick up on that. … I appreciate how the video points out the positive side of puberty. … Information is clear. It’s presented well even if it is a little stilted at times. It’s much better than most I’ve seen.”

The trustees were appreciative of SHEAC’s work. Nelson said he was especially impressed with the quality of work. Patalan said that while she was not at the first briefing, she knows the students are in good hands with the committee. She acknowledged how important it was to teach young students because they absorb so much, and the sexual health curriculum is part of learning about life.

No member of the public spoke at either of the two required public hearings – the first held at the Sept. 19 board meeting and the second at the Oct. 10 meeting. Members of SHEAC were on hand to answer any questions asked.

Outcome: The board unanimously approved the SHEAC recommendations as part of the consent agenda.

Seat Time Waiver: Approved

The board was asked to approve the district’s seat time waiver application. While the district’s seat time waiver program has been operating since 2007 as the Options Magnet program, this is the first year board of education approval was required. The state has indicated that if the board approves, then the state has approved.

A seat time waiver allows schools to count and receive funding for students who take more than two non-traditional classes – online or community resource – if they follow the requirements set by the program. The program serves a range of students: from previously home-schooled students to students who are looking to develop their own individualized educational plans.

Outcome: The board approved the seat time waiver as part of the consent agenda – having already discussed the item when they were first briefed at the Sept. 19, 2012 meeting.

Communications and Comment

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

Comm/Comm: Calculus of a Principal Hire

During public commentary at the start of the meeting, Pioneer High School math teacher Michelle Macke noted she had addressed the board its previous meeting a few weeks ago. She’d been trying to get the hiring process moving along for the open position of principal at Pioneer High School. [Kevin Hudson, who was assistant principal at the school, has been serving as interim principal since July 2012, when Michael White left the district.] She noted that the job has now been reposted. AAPS director of communications Liz Margolis had sent a note to Pioneer staff on behalf of superintendent Patricia Green, saying she felt there was a need to widen the applicant pool. Candidates previously considered, she continued, were still in the pool, according to the note. On Oct. 16 the interview process would be re-started.

Because Kevin Hudson had been moved up to interim building principal, Macke reported, that had vacated an assistant principal position. And that position had been filled with a math teacher – Robert Klemmer. Because the math department believed the arrangement would be temporary, a substitute was hired. In order to provide adequate calculus instruction – which Klemmer had taught – on Sept 28, more than 300 Pioneer students got a new math teacher. The schedules needed to be shuffled, because none of the 30 substitute teachers felt they could step in and teach calculus. So other Pioneer teachers took on the calculus classes, but that meant that other math classes were transfered to the long-term substitute. students. Kids have have a lot of extra anxiety about math, she said, and the situation is unacceptable to her as a math teacher and as a parent. She hated to say it in front of teenagers, but they’re prone to making excuses for not doing well, and this is another excuse they’ll use. She wanted to speak up for the 300 kids whose math teacher was changed.

Comm/Comm: Trimesters versus Semesters

During public commentary at the start of the board meeting, Alice Morgan introduced herself as the parent of three students in the district – a junior and freshman at Skyline High School and a 6th-grader at Forsythe Elementary. She and her husband have lived in Ann Arbor for 20 years and own Satchell’s BBQ restaurant. She’s become increasingly concerned about the trimester system at Skyline. She wanted to focus on three main problems, two of which she called self-evident.

The first problem with trimesters is learning loss. Skyline students take courses in math, English and languages for just two out of three trimesters. That results a three and a half month gap in math or English during the year. And in extreme cases – from one year to the next, can result in nine-month gap. Such a nine-month gap could result from taking math in trimesters one and two of a school year, then taking math in trimesters two and three of the next year. As she’s talked with prospective Skyline parents, she’s found that this is seen as an impediment to enrolling children at Skyline. She herself sees a problem with her own daughter’s experience – because she’s is prepping for the ACT and she’s not taking math right now.

The second self-evident issue is that Skyline’s calendar is out of sync with the rest of the of district. That means that Skyline students can’t easily take classes at other high schools in the district, and vice versa. Other scheduling challenges arrise from the need to try out of spring sports in the middle of their exams. It doesn’t make sense that Skyline is different – and it results in a profoundly different educational experience with a trimester system.

The third and biggest problem, she said is that it’s a “scheduling nightmare.” It results in lots of student having to take core classes online, because it’s not offered in the right trimester. Students might not want to take the course online – and they want to be in class with teachers and with their peers – but they’re forced to take the classes online due to the scheduling constraints of the trimester system. Advanced placement (AP) classes are constrained by scheduling problems. “It just doesn’t work,” she said.

Comm/Comm: COTW Update

As an update to the Oct. 3, 2012 COTW meeting, at which the board discussed its financial goals, Mexicotte handed out a summary document to the trustees. Working to amend Proposal A, a countywide enhancement millage, and increasing and maintaining enrollment were several of the ideas discussed and given actionable steps by the board.

Mexicotte had organized the document into three sections – the questions trustees discussed, their commentary, and action steps – so they could remember what they were thinking as they work through these items over the next year. She thanked the trustees for starting to lay the groundwork, as some movement had already been made on many of the items they had talked about. Mexicotte said she wanted to call the public’s attention to the document [which will be made public after the board approves it].

Comm/Comm: Executive Session Approved

The trustees unanimously approved an executive session of the board to be held on Oct. 24, 2012 at 5:30 p.m, directly before the regular meeting at 7 p.m. At the executive session, they will receive and discuss with legal counsel a legal opinion protected by the attorney client privilege requested by the superintendent and provided by legal counsel.

Comm/Comm: Student Reinstatement Action

Following an earlier committee conversation, Student A was unanimously reinstated, eligible to return to school on Oct. 25. Lightfoot clarified the recommendation that was laid out during the committee process time had been adhered to.

Comm/Comm: MASB Delegates Selected

Four of the trustees – Baskett, Lightfoot, Patalan, and Stead – volunteered as delegates to the Michigan Association of School boards (MASB) Delegate Assembly. At the assembly, set to begin Thursday, Nov. 8, delegates selected by boards of education across the state will decide MASB’s positions on a wide variety of issues affecting education – including their position on proposed legislation being considered by the State board of Education. Nelson was identified as an alternate.

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, Oct. 24, 2012, at 7 p.m. at the fourth-floor boardroom of the Ann Arbor District Library’s downtown branch, 343 S. Fifth Ave. [Confirm time, date and location]

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Randy Trent, AAPS executive director of physical properties. (Photos by the writer.)

The Ann Arbor Public Schools technology bond professional team asked that the board of trustees appropriate $54,540 to purchase 30 MacBook Pro laptop computers, in order to train and test on the new Mac operating system, Mountain Lion. The point of the testing is to check compatibility with the district’s current software applications as the district moves to replace all of its computers.

A $76,463 contract with Sentinel Technologies, Inc. for purchase and installation of computer network equipment was presented to the trustees. The new network equipment is supposed to make the district’s network and firewall more secure and reliable. The upgrade is also supposed to provide more internal and external bandwidth, and allow for increases in the future. The network equipment would be funded from the district’s technology bond.

Before hearing the briefings, the trustees were asked to consider them as special briefings, which meant they would be voted on at that same meeting. The change was driven by a decision the board made to alter its September meeting schedule.

The board also heard extensive public commentary at the start of the meeting on the issue of class sizes as the school year opened. Parents of Haisley Elementary School students asked the board for help in rectifying a situation they described as not viable – 32 students per class in 3rd and 4th grade classrooms.

Matters of Procedure: Agenda, Schedule

The agenda is typically approved at the beginning of meetings without many additions or changes. For this meeting, however, AAPS board president Deb Mexicotte asked for some changes to the upcoming meeting schedule, which had an impact on the agenda.

AAPS board president Deb Mexicotte, reflected in her laptop computer screen.

Mexicotte said it had been her intention that the next Committee of the Whole (COTW) meeting, then scheduled for Sept. 12, be focused on financial goals – an area identified at the board’s August retreat. However, several trustees had said they could not attend that COTW meeting. Because Mexicotte felt it was important that all trustees attend, she had worked with Amy Osinski, executive secretary to the board of education, to amend the board meeting schedule. Part of the mix was the fourth annual harvest dinner to benefit the AAPS Educational Foundation, which fell on Wednesday, Oct. 17, a scheduled meeting date.

With those factors in mind, Mexicotte requested that the Sept. 12 COTW be cancelled and that any regular board items that were to be addressed at that meeting be moved to the next scheduled meeting on Sept. 19. Part of the rationale  offered by Mexicotte for the move was that those items should actually not be handled at a COTW meeting in any case – because board business should be conducted only at board meetings.

So Mexicotte suggested changing the scheduled regular meeting on Oct. 3, 2012 to a COTW meeting, – at which the board could address financial goals. She also proposed that the COTW meeting previously scheduled  for Oct. 17 be cancelled. All other October meetings would remain as previously scheduled. [The AAPS maintains the board's updated meeting schedule on the district's website.]

After all trustees said they were amenable to the changes, Mexicotte asked district superintendent Patricia Green if the first briefing items on that night’s agenda could wait until the Sept. 19 regular meeting to be voted on [instead of being handled at the previously scheduled Sept. 12 COTW meeting. ] Green indicated that her preference would be that they be voted on at that night’s meeting. So she requested that the two items that were originally to be heard at the evening’s meeting as first briefing items be considered instead as special briefing items – which would mean they’d get a vote at that evening’s meeting.

Trustee Susan Baskett indicated she did not feel comfortable moving the infrastructure contract straight to a special briefing. Trustee Glenn Nelson said that while he expected to be comfortable considering both the infrastructure contract and the laptop purchase as special briefing items, he wanted to respect Baskett’s perspective. So Nelson suggested hearing the items initially as first briefings, then moving them to special briefing status at that point, if the trustees agreed.

Mexicotte offered another possibility if trustees weren’t comfortable moving forward with the items that evening. She suggested a short formal board meeting on Sept. 12 or another date soon enough to hear the items as second briefing items, at which time they would be voted on.

Ultimately, both items were moved to special briefing status after being heard as first briefing items. Special briefing items are voted on with the consent agenda at the meeting at which they are heard. At the request of Baskett, the network infrastructure proposal was removed from the consent agenda and changed to a board action item. So votes on both items were taken by the board on Sept. 5.

Tech Improvement

The board was briefed on, and ultimately voted on, two proposals to improve the district’s technological capabilities – a network infrastructure equipment upgrade and the purchase of 30 MacBook laptops to test the new Mac operating system.

Tech Improvement: Network Infrastructure

The trustees heard from Randy Trent, executive director of physical properties, about a $76,463 contract with Sentinel Technologies, Inc. for purchase and installation of computer network equipment. The purchase would be made through a state consortium bid with MiDEAL. MiDEAL allows Michigan local units of government to benefit from the State’s negotiating and purchasing power by permitting them to purchase the state’s contracts on the same terms, conditions, and prices as state government. The money for the contract would come from the technology bond, approved by voters in May 2012.

As the district has increased its usage of the Internet, its technology infrastructure has declined and is need of an upgrade to improve the security and reliability of the network and firewall, Trent said. The purchase was recommended in order to provide greater internal and external bandwidth and scalability for future needs. Trent compared the upgrade to expanding from a two-lane highway to a six or eight lane highway in terms of traffic on the network. Green indicated that the infrastructure improvement was the first in a series of opportunities to implement the  technology bond program.

Trent mentioned that over the summer, the district had borrowed pieces of equipment to maintain the security to provide better bandwidth. In the past, he said, it was easy for the network to be brought down. Because the borrowed equipment had solved that problem, they were looking to purchase it as soon as possible.

Baskett expressed concern over the bidding process for the contract. She wanted to know if the state goes through the same process for bidding that the district does. She expressed concern that Sentinel was based in Illinois and was not a local company. Trent assured her there was a local office for Sentinel Technologies and the district worked with Sentinel “every day.”

Baskett asked if the use of the state consortium bidding process was preventing local contractors from going  through the bidding process. She wanted to know more about proposed contractor. Trent acknowledged that purchasing and installing the equipment was of an “emergency nature,” and the state bidding process would be more expedient. He added that the district had been doing business with Sentinel for several years and their workers made very good wages and lived in southeastern Michigan.

Mexicotte said she would support the infrastructure improvement because there have been issues with broadband and multimedia in the schools. She said it would be a prudent move and would help to alleviate the issue in a short amount of time.

Outcome: The board approved the contract for purchase and installation of computer network equipment, after moving the item to the consent agenda, then changing it to a board action item. Susan Baskett’s was the sole dissenting vote.

Tech Improvement: Laptop Purchase

The Technology Bond Professional team requested to purchase 30 MacBook Pro 15-inch laptop computers for training and testing on Mountain Lion, the new Mac Operating System (OS), at a cost of $54,540. Information Technology Department (ITD) staff will use the computers to test the new OS with the district’s current software applications to ensure a smooth transition as computers are replaced district-wide.

In addition to the standard education pricing, Apple offered a 10.3% discount on the machines and a 7.8% discount on the three-year service agreement. Apple also will provide an 11-inch MacBook Air and a 21.5 inch iMac, free of charge, service included. Trent said that when the district makes larger purchases in the coming years, the discount will be more like 30-33%. He also mentioned that an on-site technician to address any issues with the hardware came with the purchase of the machines.

In justifying the purchase, Trent explained that a large portion of existing software the district uses would not run on the new OS. The purchase would allow ITD staff to train on the OS with updated computers, so they can work through all the software and hardware bugs while they’re getting the technology infrastructure improved for the fall of 2013. He said that the change in OS was so big and had such an impact on the software, they wanted to make sure they had everything worked out before introducing it to staff and students.

Several trustees acknowledged their appreciation of the thoughtfulness of the tech bond implementation stages. Nelson said he appreciated the sequential planning that was “designed to get the most out of [the bond] money.” Trustee Simone Lightfoot also recognized the preparation that had gone into the technology bond implementation.

Trustee Andy Thomas got clarification that the 30 laptops would be used by ITD over the next year, and then the following year, a significantly larger number would be purchased for teachers and students. Responding to a question from Thomas, Trent indicated that the original 30 machines would continue to be used by ITD. Thomas then offered his support, saying he wanted ITD to be as familiar as possible with the new machines and the new OS.

Citing a concern about obsoleteness, Lightfoot asked if the 30 laptops to be purchased would still be up to par a year from now. Trent replied that the district will be in a good position to make the large purchase of machines when they are priced a little lower, since they will have spent a year training on the machines. He also acknowledged that changes come weekly in the field of technology.

Trustee Christine Stead noted the balance between price and functionality when purchasing computers at “end of life,” a reference to buying computers right before a new model comes out. She said that while “end of life” is cheaper, it is not always the best, especially since newer applications require more memory and disk space.

Agreeing with Stead, Trent said new computers will be rolled out in the district every year over the next nine years. He said that not just computers, but wireless devices and projectors will be treated in the same way. He mentioned tablets as being important technology devices in the future. He said that as the district determines how tablets might be used in schools and if it makes sense,  those purchases will be made.

Stead also asked if the trustees could be given periodic reports on the technology bond implementation plan so they can monitor how the district was tracking with it. Green responded by saying staff will be presenting the tech plan in October. At that time, she said, the implementation phases will be outlined.

Mexicotte said she believed that this “modest purchase” of laptops would help to improve rollout down the road.

Outcome: The purchase was unanimously approved after being changed from a first briefing item to a consent agenda item.

Financial Housekeeping

The board was asked to approve the designation of the auditor Plante & Moran to conduct the district’s financial audit for the previous fiscal year – 2011-12. The district’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. Auditors would begin their work in September 2012 and conclude by mid-October 2012. The board would receive the auditor’s report in early November.

The audit will cost about $53,800 plus reasonable expenses. Last year, the base fee was $58,100. Nelson specifically emphasized the district will be looking to bid out the auditing work again after this year’s audit is complete.

The board also voted to approve a list of a dozen different financial institutions compliant with the district’s investment policies for fiscal year 2012-13.

Those institutions are Bank of America (Troy), Bank of Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor), Citizens Bank (Ann Arbor), Comerica Bank (Ann Arbor), Fifth Third Bank (Southfield), Flagstar Bank (Troy), JP Morgan Chase (Ann Arbor), MBIA of Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor), Michigan Commerce Bank (Ann Arbor), Michigan Liquid Asset Fund (Ronkonkoma, New York) TCF Bank (Ann Arbor) United Bank & Trust (Ann Arbor).

Outcome: The board approved the contract for Plante & Moran and the list of financial institutions as part of the consent agenda, without further discussion – having already discussed the items when they were first briefed at the Aug. 15, 2012 board meeting.

First Days of School

Several people addressed the board based on negative experiences from the first two days of school. One category of concern was scheduling problems, while the bulk the frustration was specifically with class sizes.

First Days of School: Scheduling

Jim Schueler introduced himself to the board of trustees by telling them that he had three children who attend school in the district – at Slauson Middle School, Community High School and Pioneer High School. He reported that he’d had a couple of rough days getting his 9th-grader scheduled. He felt confident, however, that his 9th-grader would make it to all of his classes the following day. He told the board that he felt that there has been a bit of pain with the schedule cuts. If we are going to keep cutting the schedule until someone says, “Ouch,” he told the board, then on his own behalf, and his family, other parents and their children: “Ouch!”

Maddie Hagan introduced herself as a junior at Skyline High School. She reported that her German 3 class had been cut. She had to choose between taking a German class online or taking a class at another school in the district – Pioneer High School. Her parents would either need to buy her a car so that she could drive herself to Pioneer to take that class, or pay $400 each semester to take the online class. She and her parents are very upset, she said, because her parents had spent a lot of money to send her to Germany for two months over the summer to help her learn the language. She did not want to have to give up the German 3 class.

Kirsten Tuck She told the board that she is also a student at Skyline High School. The first two days of school had been very chaotic, she reported. Most of the kids have their schedules “screwed up.” She was not certain what the cause for that is, but said that the counselors have not been able to fix everything. Many of her classes have around 36 kids, she said – which makes it hard for teachers to learn everyone’s name, and it makes it hard for her to hear what’s going on due to the distractions. The school feels very chaotic and rushed, she reported. A lot of her friends had left Skyline High School this year to go to different schools. She felt that reflects poorly on the staff and students at Skyline High School. She asked the board to help with overcrowding, cuts to classes, and overcrowding.

First Days of School: Class Size

Julie Christofferson told the board that she is the parent of a Haisley Elementary School 4th-grader. Her child’s class has 32 children – which she does not feel is very conducive to a positive learning environment. She asked for some consideration to fund additional staff for the school. Having 32 children in a classroom does not facilitate effective teaching, she said. She respects teachers and what they have to deal with everyday, she continued, and it’s hard for teachers address a wide variety of abilities in a classroom with 32 children. She also noted that there are multi-grade splits at Haisley, and those classes are large as well. She wondered how the achievement gap could be addressed with class sizes that large.

Marcy Marshall told the board that she is also the parent of a 4th-grade Haisley student. She also has two children who attend school at Skyline High School. When her two high schoolers were in elementary school they lived in a different district, so she was not familiar with the history of Haisley, she allowed. She felt the principal at Haisley elementary school is doing the best job she can – so that if the school receives additional students those students can be absorbed. Having two 3rd-grade classes and two classes split between 3rd and 4th grade, and one purely 4th-grade class is a little too chaotic, she felt. So she asked that one more teacher to be added, so that the classroom structure could be returned to regular 3rd-grade classes and 4th-grade classes.

John Courtright introduced himself as the parent of four children who attend school in the district – three of them at Haisley. Over the first two days of school, he’d sensed an overwhelming feeling that class sizes have “exploded a little bit” – beyond what the principal and teachers had been expecting for the 2012-13 calendar year. On a macro level, he urged the board to think of Ann Arbor in the terms that it has always been considered – a “beacon” for the entire state. It’s considered a beacon in large part because of the school system, he said. The area’s growth in jobs and housing, he said, is predicated on the idea that people want to come to Ann Arbor because of the school district. They still feel that way. He hopes that can continue, not just selfishly on behalf of his kids, but for everybody going forward.

On a micro level, at Haisley Elementary School, Courtright’s understanding is that the student population is exactly at the limit of the maximum before another full time teacher could be added. He realizes that the district is experiencing some fiscal uncertainty, but it’s not the kids and the teachers who deserved bear the burden of that, he said. He urged the board to do whatever is possible – within the realm of fiscal prudence – to try to assist kids in the district to give them the best opportunity to grow, like all the other kids who have come through the district. He noted that Haisley has become a “Focus School,” as designated by the Michigan Department of Education. [These are schools that are in the bottom 10% of schools statewide measured by the achievement gap, according to recent data released by the Michigan Department of Education.] Assigning 31 or 32 kids to one teacher is really, really difficult, he said. He suggested fiscal curtailment in other areas, so that teachers and students are not affected.

Jennifer Lukela introduced herself as the parent of two children at Haisley Elementary school. Her older son is in one of the 4th-grade classes with 32 children. She also has a 1st-grader who attends school there. She is philosophically committed to public education – and she lives in Ann Arbor in part because of the great school system. She has a lot of friends who this year pulled their kids out of the Ann Arbor public school system to go to places like Emerson School – specifically because of concerns about class size. It has been eye-opening to have her son in a classroom of 32 children, she said.

Lukela told the board she’s not a teacher, but rather a physician – but she volunteers in the classroom when she can. And based on her observations, even in a classroom of 23 or 24 children, if you have one or two children who require a lot of extra attention or who have behavioral issues, it can really disrupt the learning for everyone. She could only imagine how in a group of 32 a teacher could contend with a class that size – especially in a school that has been identified as one that has significant achievement gap. Haisley has a wide diversity of learners and she thinks the teachers at Haisley are wonderful and the principal has made the best of a bad situation.

Lukela and others were there to ask the board for help, because she did not feel the current situation is viable. She ventured that this was probably a wake-up call for a lot of parents – that they need to get more involved in terms of what is happening with the state legislature in Lansing. But in terms of what is going to happen tomorrow and next week for her kid: “I guess I’m here to beg for you to find some way to get us some more teachers.”

Jean Song told the board that she is also a parent of a child attends Haisley. She expressed the same concerns that other parents had already expressed. She told the board that she was conflicted about possibly pulling her child out of the Ann Arbor Public Schools district.

Kathy Noble had a middle school child who attended Haisley elementary school for six years. She also had a child who is currently a 4th-grader. As a classroom volunteer, she did not understand how the current situation was felt to be a viable solution.

First Days of School: AAPS Response

Responding to the public commentary, district superintendent Patricia Green noted that it was the second day of the school year. She said the administration is monitoring all the class sizes for all the elementary schools, middle schools and high schools across the district. The numbers have shifted on a daily basis, she reported. Dawn Linden, assistant superintendent for elementary education, is in conversation with the Haisley principal about the enrollment numbers, Green said, and Linden is taking a broad look, not just at Haisley, but across the entire district. Robyne Thompson, assistant superintendent for secondary education and career and technical education, has been in conversation with middle school and high school principals, Green said.

As part of her superintendent’s report, Green assessed the first few days of the new school year, noting the impact made by changes to transportation. The new high school routes provided by the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) worked well, she said, because of “lots of planning and communication.” The combined Bryant/Pattengill routes were expected to improve as the school year continued.

Green stated the administration was looking holistically across the district at issues with class size, a concern brought up by a number of parents during public commentary. She also mentioned the success of the start of all-day kindergarten.

So before any adjustments will be made, the administration is looking not just a Haisley Elementary School and not just at Skyline High School, but across the entire district, Green said. She noted that the administration had not made a last-minute adjustment at Haisley – so she concluded that an enrollment shift had taken place there.

Responding to public commentary, Thomas told the parents that he felt their pain, and related his own experience – as his son has started attending Pioneer high school this year as a freshman. He described in some detail how his son had not been able to take an art class in which he had wanted to enroll. As a parent, this bothers him, Thomas said, but that is the financial reality that the district said. It’s a pinch on students and is restricting educational opportunities, but this is “kind to the way it is.”

Mexicotte summarized Thomas’ comments by venturing that the factual clarification he was making about the public commentary was: It’s a difficult financial time for the district.

First Days of School: “Focus Schools”

Trustee Christine Stead addressed the issue of “Focus Schools.” She pointed out that almost every school in the district is on the list – there may be two or three that are not. So there’s nothing unique about the appearance of Haisley on the list, she noted.

By way of background, “Focus Schools” are those in the bottom 10% of schools statewide, measured by the achievement gap between their highest- and lowest-performing students, according to recent data released by the Michigan Department of Education. The three AAPS schools not designated as “Focus Schools” are Scarlett Middle School, Skyline High School and Community High School. Community is designated as a “Reward School,” which means that it has met at least one of three criteria:

1. top 5% of schools on the Top-to-Bottom list
2. top 5% of schools making the greatest gains in achievement (improvement metric) or
3. “Beating the Odds.” Beating the Odds schools are those that are overcoming traditional barriers to student achievement and are outperforming schools with similar risk factors and demographic makeup.

Statewide, 358 schools were designated as “Focus Schools.” The “top-to-bottom” ranking of schools statewide is a weighted score, consisting of 50% achievement, 25% improvement and 25% achievement gap. So the Focus Schools show a full range of rankings on their top-to-bottom scores:

Distribution of Michigan Focus Schools on the Top-to-Bottom Ranking. (Chart by The Chronicle with data from Michigan Department of Education.)

First Days of School: More on  Focus Schools

Later in the meeting, Stead brought up her concern about the new Focus School designation given to all but three schools in the district.  [A Focus School is determined by the state to be a school with the largest achievement gaps, defined as the difference between the average scale score for the top 30% of students and the bottom 30% of students. Focus schools are in the bottom 10% of schools, based on the gap measure.]

Stead looked to the trustees for confirmation that the board would not take an approach to rectifying Focus School designations that reduces the achievement levels on the higher end. She wanted to make sure the district continues working for all students to achieve their best, and not to close the gap by bringing high achieving students down lower.

Simone Lightfoot

Saying she often heard her talk about that possibility, Lightfoot said she was concerned Stead continued to raise that issue. To her, the assertion was unfounded and they would never consider going down that path. Responding to Lightfoot, Stead contended she had heard that concern from families in the district, so she wanted to reassure people that they would never lower the achievement at the top to close the gap between the top and bottom percentage of students.

The public needs to understand, maintained Nelson, that the district will proudly raise the achievement of all students. The board is devoted to working on the achievement gap, which will mean the lower-achieving students will improve, but that will not come at the cost of the higher achieving students. Nelson concluded that because AAPS is a high performing district, as the schools work on pushing the top and the bottom, the numbers will work to widen the statewide achievement gap. He stated he did not believe it was a well thought-out policy.

Mexicotte emphasized the district would not change their focus – top achievement for all students. She said Ann Arbor’s engaged and intelligent community can fully understand how districts could gerrymander their achievement to make themselves look better in the “misguided” state reporting system, but not actually be better. “The integrity of the community, the board, and the administration will not let this happen,” she asserted, as she asked for [and received] verbal assent from the other trustees.

First Days of School: Cuts to Curriculum?

During “agenda planning” portion of the meeting,  Stead asked that the trustees be presented with a review of the breadth of the district’s curriculum. Acknowledging the concerns expressed during public commentary, Stead said that programs had been cut, but the board had worked to keep teachers’ jobs from being cut. She wanted to know how the curriculum offerings would have to change, as the district has had to make adjustments financially.

Mexicotte and Baskett both seconded the request, with Mexicotte asking for a summary of the changes made to curriculum and class offerings in the past 1-2 years.

Green said they were working to ascertain exactly why classes were cut – to determine if it was a function of enrollment or lack of interest. Demand tallies and staffing are done in the spring, and can differ from the number of students that actually show up in the fall, Green said. She said the administration will be investigating the issue further.

Communications and Comment

Board meetings include a number of agenda slots where trustees cans highlight issues they feel are important, including “items from the board” and “agenda planning.” Every meeting typically includes public commentary on subjects not necessarily on the formal agenda.

Comm/Comm: Dr. James Comer Visit

Green said she was pleased to note that Dr. James Comer, the founder of the Comer School Development Program, and the Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry at Yale University will be visiting the district in October. He has expressed interest in visiting because of the recent work towards eliminating both the achievement and the discipline gaps in the district. Green said she will be working with both Comer and UM on the gaps.

Comm/Comm: Report Bundling

During “agenda planning,” Stead asked that the trimester and semester structure in the high schools be examined at COTW meeting. Mexicotte said that would probably bundled and looked at with other high school issues.

When Lightfoot asked if suspension and truancy information would fall under high school issues, Green replied that the discipline report would be bundled with the student achievement report. That would be a good time to talk about those issues, Green asserted.

Comm/Comm: Police Presence

Baskett raised concern over the cuts to the police liaison positions. She noted that they had played roles in traffic control and counseling. So she wondered how those functions were being replaced. She wanted to know what schools have been doing to assure students’ safety, mentioning the limited police presence at the most recent Pioneer High School football game.

The police liaison positions had nothing to do with games after school hours, Green said. That was left up to schools individually. Money for a police presence at high school games has always been separate from the liaison positions. She also said that she and Robert Allen, deputy superintendent for operations, have been in meetings with city administrator Steve Powers and chief of police John Seto to discuss a community policing model. She said she can give a more detailed description of that model at another time.

Comm/Comm: Looking Through a Lens

Nelson saw the agenda planning taking place as an example of the concerns he had expressed at the retreat. To him, the highest priorities need to be: implementing the strategic plan; implementing the AGEP and the discipline gap elimination plan; and addressing the social and emotional learning of the students. The board periodically affirmed those were the top priorities, but often, in his opinion, drew away from the strategic plan. He was concerned that the board work hard to keep their focus on the central priorities of the mission.

Mexicotte responded that she saw it as a matter of triage – managing the flow of information to the trustees without full-blown presentations. She said it was good caution to think about the lens through which the trustees report on individual items. To her, the overarching lens should be student performance and meeting strategic goals.

Comm/Comm: Reasons to Celebrate

During “items from the board,” Thomas mentioned that AAPS had pulled off a “cultural coup,” as Pioneer High School was one of five schools selected by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) to host a free DSO community concert this fall. The sold-out performance is to be held on Sunday, Sept. 23.

Nelson noted that, over the summer, the UM Depression Center celebrated their fifth year of partnership with AAPS. He wanted to emphasize how seriously the district took mental health issues for students.

Baskett, Lightfoot, and Mexicotte all spoke about the start of the new year. Mexicotte noted that she was able to attend the school year kick off and could feel the palpable energy. She thanked all who contribute to the success of students every year.

Mexicotte also commended the trustees on the second sub-five hour meeting since the retreat. This was important in light of the board’s recent goal set to shorten meetings. Mexicotte said that the meetings have been shorter because of the discipline shown by the trustees and urged them to keep up the good work.

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

Absent: Treasurer Irene Patalan

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

Chronicle editor Dave Askins contributed to this report.

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Randy Trent, AAPS executive director of physical properties, gave the board an update on the technology bond millage and gave bid recommendations to the board. (Photos by the writer.)

Trustees approved moving the technology bond millage vote from February to May 2012, and passed a set of resolutions opposing pending state legislation.

A packed consent agenda passed unanimously.

Among other items on the consent agenda, one made official the board’s shift from maintaining two standing committees to meeting monthly as a committee of the whole.

Notable in light of the board’s organizational change was the increase in use of the agenda planning section of the Nov. 16 meeting.

The board’s meeting agenda is now set by the whole board – instead of by an executive committee consisting of the board chair and the committee chairs.

Budget Planning Update

AAPS superintendent Patricia Green and AAPS deputy superintendent of operations Robert Allen gave their perspectives on two recent community budget forums, and the board offered a few questions and comments. [Chronicle coverage of the forums: "AAPS Seeks Public Input on Budget" and "AAPS Budget Forum Feedback"]

Budget Planning: Community Forums

Green noted that a total of more than 220 people participated in two budget forums sponsored by the district – on one Nov. 10, and another on Nov. 14. Green said the district will continue to engage the community. Saying the richness of the community was obvious, she thanked everyone for coming out “to give input and give testimony and talk about what’s valued and what the needs are.”

Green reported that the AAPS website will incorporate a suggestion box to gather additional input on the budget. She also thanked Allen for spearheading the district’s efforts, and asked him to share his perspective.

Allen confirmed that attendance at the budget forums was high, and summarized their format.

He also concurred with Green that “many excellent ideas were brought forward,” and stressed that the district has not yet drafted a budget reduction plan. First, he said, the administration wanted to know what was important to the community, and what other information the community might want to see.

Allen said summaries of the table discussions, along with budget suggestions the district has received via email will be available on the AAPS website. The budget presentation made at the forums is also available, he said.  [.pdf of AAPS budget presentation]

As far as next steps, Allen said the administration will present a draft budget plan to the board in March or April, then hold additional forums to discuss the proposed reductions, projected to total $14 million. Based on forum input, the budget will likely be adjusted, and then formally presented to the board in April.

Budget Planning: Board Comments, Questions

Trustee Susan Baskett asked when the board will have an opportunity to suggest budget ideas in an open and transparent way, saying she would like to be a part of the feedback loop before the administration gets too deep into drafting a proposed budget.

Trustee Christine Stead suggested that the board should hold a study session to have a more focused discussion on the budget in March 2012, after the state revenue conference is held in January, and after the house and senate fiscal agencies issue their reports. She also noted that the former planning committee had vetted the budget thoroughly, and suggested that budget development should be a standing item at every meeting until the budget is passed.

Christine Stead, AAPS board of trustees

Board president Deb Mexicotte said trustees are welcome to give input at each meeting as individuals or as a whole board.

Trustee Glenn Nelson, who had attended both forums, said he had found the discussion useful, even when he did not agree with it. Nelson also asked whether best practices funding was included in the projected deficit, and Allen said it was not. Allen explained that AAPS does expect to receive $1.6 million in one-time funding, with the first installment coming this month.

Nelson also asked whether the MPSERS offset had been included, and Allen said the offset of approximately $146 per pupil had been included on the revenue side. The effect of the increased retirement rate on MPSERS contributions had also been included on the expenditures side.

Annual Financial Audit

The district’s auditors, from Plante and Moran, discussed the results of the 2010-11 financial audit of AAPS. Explaining that the goal of the audit is to form an opinion regarding the district’s financial processes to see if they are functioning properly, the auditors produced an “unqualified opinion.” This is like getting a “5” on an AP [advanced placement] test, they said. Praising AAPS for putting forth rigor and extensive preparation regarding the 2010-11 audit, the auditors also noted that AAPS has a history of scoring well on its audits.

The audit was reviewed in brief, highlighting future uncertainties such as: the state retirement rate increases; a decrease in federal funding; a decrease in state foundation allowances; the cost of capital improvements without a new bond issue; rising health care costs; and a variable pupil count. In summary, the auditors stated, “It’s a difficult time to be in school finance.”

Trustee Christine Stead produced a list of variances on which she had questions, and asked for feedback specifically on the variance the district experienced in transportation service. The auditors suggested that the fact that the district’s transportation service has the most “layers” of the districts in the WISD transportation consolidation. That made it hard to anticipate the savings that might be gained. Auditors also noted that it’s hard to get a concrete picture of how such a consolidation will look until it is up and running, and suggested, “it will take a while to settle in.”

Board chair Deb Mexicotte suggested that the board might like to explore all variances above or below a certain benchmark, such as 3% or 5%. Stead noted she was mostly interested in looking at large-dollar items.

Andy Thomas noted that in the past, the board had used the [now former] performance committee to review the audit more closely and that such an opportunity had been lost with the shift to the committee-of-the-whole model.

Allen noted that overall, the district is under budget. A number of adjustments will brought to the board as a first quarter budget amendment. He responded to the board’s questions by saying he would prepare answers to specific line item questions for the financial audit’s second briefing.

Glenn Nelson noted that the impact of the increasing retirement rate is huge, and reported that by his calculations, the district is netting $105 less per pupil than it was in FY 2002, if the retirement rate is factored in, and that’s not adjusted for the cost index. Mexicotte added that the amount represents over $1.6 million dollars.

Nelson also asked the auditors to respond to “allegations of ‘fat’ in the staffing of the district [administration],” to which they replied that AAPS administration is not overstaffed, and pointed out that “certainly at mid-management levels, they are working a lot harder to get everything done than they have in the past.”

Finally, the board revisited its ongoing discussion about appropriate fund balance levels, on which trustees have very divergent opinions. Nelson suggested that AAPS should not be cutting teachers or programs to add to its reserves, and Mexicotte responded that the board did not make cuts anticipating that the money would be added to savings, and it was unexpected that the district would come in under budget.  Stead agreed with Mexicotte, saying that it was hard not to take Nelson’s comment offensively. She reminded her colleagues that fund equity can swing significantly from quarter to quarter, and that if the district’s fund balance drops under the amount of cash on hand needed to operate over the summer, it would incur interest charges to borrow the additional funding.

Outcome: The 2010-11 financial audit was a first briefing item. It will return to the board for a second briefing and a vote, tentatively scheduled for the Dec 14 regular meeting.

Tech Bond Millage

For some months now, the board has been discussing the possibility of requesting voter approval of an additional millage to fund a technology bond. At the board’s Nov. 16 meeting, superintendent Patricia Green reviewed the millage strategy being developed by the administration in concert with the board.

Green said she had asked the administration to develop a document to explain how each one of the eight strategies of the AAPS strategic plan is linked to the technology plan and incorporated into the technology bond proposal. Green said the administration is developing a list of FAQs, and asked Randy Trent, AAPS executive director of physical properties, to give a brief overview of what had been developed so far.

Tech Bond Millage: Strategy

Trent reported that the administration has developed an initial set of FAQs and their answers, and said that the FAQs will become a living document on the district’s website, with new questions and their answers getting posted as they come in from the public.

He briefly reviewed the timeline for the millage strategy as the board had discussed at their November committee meeting, and turned the presentation over to Liz Margolis, the district’s director of communications.

Margolis recommended that the board consider moving the vote on the technology millage to the May 2012 election date instead of holding it in concert with the Republican primary in February 2012, and briefly reiterated the reasoning as had been discussed by the committee.

She explained that holding a vote on the tech bond in February would be complicated since the Republican presidential primary is a closed primary. This would mean, Margolis explained, that citizens who declare themselves as a Republican would need to complete two ballots in order to vote in the primary and on the tech bond. Voters in the city of Ann Arbor who do not declare as Republicans would only have one ballot (the tech bond), and voters from precincts in other municipalities who attend AAPS could require up to three ballots – one for the Republican presidential primary, one for the AAPS tech bond, and one from their local municipality. Taken together, these possible permutations could cause significant voter confusion, Margolis said, and urged the board to reconsider the election date.

Margolis also noted that for many years AAPS used the May election date for school board elections and other votes, and said that might help achieve a favorable turnout. She added that there are community members lined up to help in an advisory capacity with a May millage, but said that she cannot reveal their names until the board commits to an election date.

Tech Bond Millage: Board Questions, Discussion

Andy Thomas asked Green whether the district was losing an opportunity to improve technology in a timely manner if the millage vote were to be delayed. Green said there would be no impact on purchasing. This point had been discussed by the district’s bond counsel during a previous regular meeting of the board, along with other details about what the tech bond would buy and how it would work. For details, see: “AAPS to Float February Tech Millage.”

Simone Lightfoot was not present at the Nov. 16 meeting, but sent questions to be discussed in her absence, which were read aloud by Mexicotte.

Lightfoot (via Mexicotte) asked how Barton Malow had been selected as the contractor for the tech bond work, whether their $1.5 million project management fee is standard, whether the bond includes money for training and warranties on equipment purchased, and what the connection is between planning for the tech bond and planning for the possibility of moving to all-day kindergarten.

Trent explained that Barton Malow and Granger had both submitted bids for the technology upgrades if the millage is approved, and that both have done technology work for AAPS before. Barton Malow was selected based on their proposal, he said, and their management fee is not standard. It does include warranties, but the allowable training is limited since the bonds would be issued only for capital improvements.

Trent explained that the research for the tech bond and the research for the possible kindergarten expansion were being done separately, but at the same time. Barton Malow, he said, was “going through server rooms and dusty attics” in all buildings to prepare for the technology work, and Trent himself was walking all the buildings with the principals to assess space for all-day kindergarten.

Green added that the question of whether to ask voters for a millage to support a tech bond was originally coupled with the question of whether the district would need to raise funds for capital improvements related to all-day kindergarten. She said though the board was not actively discussing all-day kindergarten, she did not want to lose sight of the possibility that the district might still want to move in that direction.

Nelson said he really appreciated the follow-up Trent had begun on space considerations for all-day kindergarten. Saying he was “amongst the group that let it slip out of my mind,” he acknowledged that “it could come up suddenly.”

The impetus for possibly moving to all-day kindergarten is a signal from the Michigan legislature that they intend to cut kindergarten per-pupil funding by half for all students enrolled in a half-day kindergarten program, though such legislation has not yet been passed. For more on the discussion to proceed with a tech bond only, see previous Chronicle coverage: “AAPS Board Hands Off Athletic Cuts”

Outcome: As part of the consent agenda, the board unanimously approved moving the technology bond millage vote to May 2012 from February 2012. 

AAPS Response to State Actions

With little discussion, the board passed three resolutions in response to pending state legislation. One resolution was to express opposition to the elimination of personal property tax – Senate Bill 34, which would lead to an additional loss of revenue for AAPS of $5.3 million, while increasing homeowner taxes by .48 mills.

The second was to oppose Senate Bill 618, which would lift the cap on the number of charter schools in Michigan, including those owned by private, for-profit companies.

The third was a resolution to oppose Senate Bill 137, which was amended to allow bullying if it is “a statement of a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction of a school employee, school volunteer, pupil, or a pupil’s parent or guardian.” Mexicotte noted that Green had written a strongly-worded statement about the legislation that was sent to parents district-wide. She also noted that after great uproar, the State House of Representatives had removed that language from the bill, but that the bill as amended had been passed by the State Senate.

All three resolutions will be forwarded to school and government officials across the state.

Outcome: All three of the resolutions opposing state legislation were passed unanimously as part of the consent agenda.

Consent Agenda: Miscellaneous

In addition to items described above, the consent agenda for the Nov. 16 meeting contained two items that were open for second briefing, but on which the board had little or no discussion: (1) the addition of a link to an Arab-American parent support group from the district’s website; and (2) an extensive set of policy amendments to formalize the board’s new committee structure.

The consent agenda also included two items that were entertained as special briefing items by the board at the Nov. 16 meeting, meaning they would be voted on the same day as first presented: (1) a revision of board policy 1250 to add wording for the use of the “call the question” parliamentary procedure; and (2) a resolution to waive intellectual property rights for an addition to the FASTT (Fluency and Automaticity through Systematic Teaching with Technology) Math program created by AAPS.

Calling the question is a parliamentary procedure used during a meeting, essentially to end debate and bring the matter to a vote. Mexicotte highlighted the fact that only someone who had not just spoken on the issue at hand could move to close discussion on that issue, and that any votes to call-the-question [or, put the question to a vote] would need to have a supermajority of at least five trustees to pass.

Regarding the waiver of intellectual property rights, AAPS assistant superintendent for human resources and legal services Dave Comsa reported that the board had held a closed session on Oct. 12 to discuss this issue, and noted only that “the royalties cannot be paid because it’s not a revenue-producer for Scholastic [the maker of FASTT Math].” He added briefly that the addition to FASTT Math created by AAPS is a small part of the program, and that Scholastic only pays royalties to long-time employees.

Noting that there will be no further modifications to the program, Comsa recommended that the board waive their intellectual property rights to the addition, and asked that the resolution be considered as a special briefing item. Trustees expressed skepticism about Scholastic’s claims, but supported Comsa’s recommendation.

Outcome: The consent agenda, which also included the approval of draft minutes, was approved unanimously.

Bid Award Recommendations

Randy Trent, AAPS executive director of physical properties, presented two bid award recommendations to the board. One was to approve a one-year contract with The D. M. Burr Group from Flint, MI for HVAC journeyman services totaling $93,025 per year. The other was to approve a one-year contract with Johnson Controls, an international corporation headquartered in Glendale, WI, for control service for $333,281 per year.

Trent noted that in the past, AAPS had combined these services in to one bid, but that it had separated them this time around in an attempt to save money.

Bid Award Recommendations: Public Comment

Two local skilled trades union representatives spoke at public commentary, both against the awarding of physical properties bids to non-local, non-unionized workers.

Tom Yax, representing local plumbers and pipefitters, asked, “Why can’t we use our people?” He said that out-of-town contractors pay sub-par wages, and that out-of-town workers don’t give back to the community. Yax pointed out that his union members support many school causes, including orchestra and athletics, and also train many AAPS students through an apprenticeship program. Urging the board to think about these contributions when they consider bids, Yax contrasted local workers with out-of-towners, saying, “These people take the money and leave – that’s not a savings, that’s a loss!”

Ron Motsinger, a representative of Washtenaw County skilled trades workers, added that in addition to offering training and apprenticeship programs, local building trades union members have endorsed AAPS bond projects and millages. Saying that local building unions believe in partnering with the school district, Matsinger noted that local union leaders had done mailings to their members, encouraged people to vote, and gone door-to-door to build support for the last bond [that built Skyline high school, among other projects.] He admonished the board for “shopping that bid all over,” and choosing a contractor who doesn’t pay its workers the prevailing wage.

Bid Award Recommendations: Bid Process Clarification

Though the board did not employ its new “clarification” agenda option after public commentary, Green did request that Trent go over the process for bidding as part of his presentation.

Trent reviewed that all bids are advertised on the AAPS and State of Michigan websites. In brief, he explained that the district puts out specifications its looking for, takes bid results, determines which are “well-qualified” bidders, and checks their references. As purchasing requirements specify, Trent said, he is recommending the lowest qualified bidder.

Baskett questioned how D. M. Burr Group was able to come in $65,000 lower than the next qualified bidder, and Trent confirmed it was because they likely “use a non-union type of pay scale, and are able to select people who maybe don’t need benefits.”

The board had some discussion over the state requirement to honor the lowest qualified bidder with the contract in lieu of awarding bids based on local commitment to community. Susan Baskett asked if the board was monitoring locality, along with other metrics the board had deemed important, such as whether the bidders represented historically underutilized businesses (HUBs).

Trent said that companies’ commitment to using local workers was not part of the bid, and that HUB status was requested, but is optional. Comsa added that, in his view, “it might be problematic” to request additional information from contractors (such as HUB status) that is not specified in the bid.

Christine Stead suggested that there might be a way to “math out” the economic contribution that one vendor might be able to make to the community, and wondered if there was a legal way to award bids that also honored local workers. As a counter to that line of thought, Nelson said that while he is very much in favor of programs that extend bidding opportunities to firms that represent underrepresented groups, he is apprehensive of trying to use models of economic impact. He argued that such models are difficult to apply in a careful way, and would “chew up” staff resources.

Andy Thomas also pointed out that the $65,000 difference between D.M.Burr and the next lowest bidder for HVAC journeyman services is roughly the cost of a salary for one teacher, minus benefits. So, he continued, “in an era of budget consciousness, we can either go with lowest qualified bidder, or we can reduce our teaching staff by one position.”

Susan Baskett argued that when the district undercuts local contractors, it takes away their trust. She noted that community trust will be necessary to gain support for the upcoming technology bond and any other future millages. She reminded the board that the union members who spoke during public commentary have supported the community, and that contractors from outside the community will not be paid a prevailing wage.

Outcome: These bid recommendations were presented at first briefing, and will come before the board for a second briefing and a vote at the next regular board meeting.

Grant Awards

Linda Doernte, AAPS Director of Purchasing, Grants & Business Support Services reviewed changes to 2011-12 grant funding totaling $4.8 million. She highlighted that amounts of federal grants are somewhat variable, and that the district cannot control exactly the amount it receives.

Trustees asked whether local students would lose Head Start completely if Washtenaw County no longer manages the program. Green noted that the local superintendents all agree it’s a valuable program, but that no definitive action has been taken to retain it, such as transferring it to the Washtenaw Intermediate School District.

Glenn Nelson thanked the PTO Thrift Shop and AAPS educational foundation for their continued support of the district.

Deb Mexicotte added a question from Simone Lightfoot, who was unable to be at the meeting. She asked if the district’s new grant writer was helping to coordinate grant requests to ensure consistency and that buildings most in need are participating and benefiting. Liz Margolis, the district’s communications director, explained that requests were being coordinated, and that the grant writer has held workshops at the Balas administration building. The grant writer has been working closely with the AAPS educational foundation, she said.

Outcome: These grant awards were presented at first briefing, and will come before the board for a second briefing and vote at the next regular board meeting.

EASE Team Update

Randy Trent reported on the Energy Awareness Sustainability Education (EASE) program at work in AAPS, which he said has produced steady savings in the area of utilities. The EASE program works with changing human behavior, and is coordinated by Johnson Controls.

Trent noted that the EASE program includes a booth for use in individual schools, an email campaign, and meetings with custodians. He said it created $671,000 in savings, which was $347 beyond the target of $324,000, and that every building saved energy with the exception of Skyline, which added 400 new energy users.

The program also includes a “plug survey,” that is, an annual survey of what is plugged in to every plug in every room across the district in order to have a clear idea of where energy is being used, complete with pictures. “What we’re not spending on energy, we can spend on the classroom,” Trent asserted, noting that an energy policy would be coming the board in the future.

Patricia Green noted that she was very impressed by the savings generated by the EASE program, and that she had directed Trent to explore the possibility of returning a percentage of the savings to the source of the savings – such as specific buildings.

Christine Stead thanked Johnson Controls for the program, praising the company for being a “great community partner.”

Andy Thomas asked about the information included in a recent EASE email that explained how plugging appliances into power strips and then turning the strip off could save money. Trent referred Thomas to the district website, which he said provides more detail on this phenomenon, known as “phantom load.” The Johnson Controls representative added that controlling the phantom load on the district’s electric devices would save the district an additional $7,000 per year.

Susan Baskett said she sees this program as an addition to the current district curriculum, and asked how much it costs. Trent answered that it costs $320,000 per year for four years.

Nelson invited an AAPS graduate, who works for Johnson Controls on the EASE progam in the district, to describe how she attained the position. She said she graduated from Pioneer in 2005, completed a bachelors and masters in environmental engineering at Cornell, and then became connected to Johnson Controls through work on a solar home. Nelson said that AAPS is very proud of its graduates.

Association Reports – AAPAC

Though the board invites reports from six associations at its board meetings, the Ann Arbor Parent Advisory Committee (AAPAC) was the only association present to report at the Nov. 16 board meeting.

The AAPAC representative applauded the administration’s foresight in embracing positive behavioral support, and said it can succeed in the district, despite difficulties. She also said the AAPAC is pleased to hear about peer-to-peer mentoring taking place in many of the district elementary schools, noting that these programs teach social skills, and are a win-win for special needs and general education students alike.

She said that the PAC was encouraged to hear from superintendent Patricia Green that the district is committeed to finding actionable ways to close the achievement gap among all students, including the 2,200 students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and several hundred more with Section 504 plans. [Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires federally-funded schools to create a written plan to meet the needs of students who require extra accommodations, but who do not qualify for a special education IEP.]

The AAPAC representative noted that the Disability Awareness Workshops held this fall have been very successful, and invited trustees to attend and experience any part of the two upcoming workshops.

She acknowledged that “this year will be very challenging” in terms of the budget reality, and asserted that parents of children with special needs are used to “thinking outside of the box” and are ready to help keep AAPS strong for all children.

Agenda Planning

The board suggested work to be done on: revenue enhancement, superintendent evaluation, AATA, equity, math support, legislative action, and board functioning.

Agenda Planning: Revenue Enhancement

Christine Stead suggested a renewed focus on revenue enhancement, specifically on increasing AAPS enrollment. She noted that the former planning committee had studied ways to increase enrollment, as well as other revenue enhancement strategies including increased philanthropy, business partnerships, and grants.

Agenda Planning: Superintendent Evaluation

Susan Baskett suggested that AAPS partner with other local districts to study approaches to meeting state-mandated changes in superintendent evaluation. She noted that Scott Morrell, vice-president of the Centerline Public Schools Educational Foundation would be available in January to provide professional development on this issue.

Stead questioned how Morrell developed expertise in this area, since the legal changes to employee evaluation were new to all Michigan school districts this year. Baskett said it was a fair concern, but that Morrell has worked closely with the Michigan Association of School Boards on this issue, and that MASB in working on a suggested model for superintendent evaluation, because the new law requires that student growth be included as a factor.

Deb Mexicotte noted that the superintendent would be informally evaluated in February, and formally evaluated in May or June. She suggested enlisting the WISD to convene a professional development session for all local districts on this topic. She said doing that would be a good opportunity to consolidate efforts.

Green added that she had asked the district’s legal counsel, Dave Comsa, to research how the law affects current contracts. She noted that there is no consensus among superintendents across the county about which takes precedence in an evaluation – the new law, or a superintendent’s employment contract.

Agenda Planning: AATA, Equity, Math Support

Baskett asked about the status of possible meetings with the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority to develop ways the AATA could be of more assistance to the district. Green said that she had requested that the district’s next meeting with Ann Arbor city administrator Steve Powers and his top staff include the AATA.

Baskett also requested a status report on current or future work on equity, and math support, saying she was hearing a lot of concern from the community about math support at the middle school level as all students prepare to take algebra in the 8th grade.

Agenda Planning: Legislative Action

Baskett reviewed the board’s recent actions surrounding legislative advocacy, and suggested the board should consider what else it can do to lobby and raise awareness.

Mexicotte said that the board should consider forming a task force or auxiliary committee on legislative matters. Nelson said there is a group forming through the Washtenaw Association of School Boards that could complement any AAPS board committee.

Stead asserted that the legislative work that lies ahead will require a state-wide ballot initiative, and suggested that the board needs to “put that on the radar.”

Agenda Planning: Board Functioning

Mexicotte reminded the board that part of the service they had received from the superintendent search firm last year was to take the board through an evaluation tool to determine how well it was functioning. She suggested the board may want to revisit that tool to compare its current functioning with how it was working before. She said she is thinking about how to propose that work formally.

Awards and Accolades

Various individuals, entities, and events were highlighted by the board and administration.

School Board Election

Nelson, Mexicotte, and the AAPAC representative congratulated Thomas and Lightfoot on being re-elected to the board. Mexicotte also commended the other four candidates who had run for bringing constructive discussion to the campaign. She encouraged the former candidates to bring their passion to the district in other ways, saying, “Your service didn’t end to the students in this district if you didn’t want it to.”

NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner

Green reported that on Nov. 5 the local NAACP held its annual Freedom Fund dinner, which honored over 100 students earning a 3.2 GPA or higher – the largest number of students ever. Green added that it had been an honor for her to participate. It was noted throughout the meeting that Baskett, Mexicotte, Nelson, Lightfoot, and Thomas also attended.

During items from the board, Nelson commented that the event was “really impressive in terms of honoring the young people,” and that the stories of the Raymond Randolph Jr., the keynote speaker, were courageous and moving.

Phantom of the Opera

Green also congratulated Pioneer on their recent production on Phantom of the Opera, saying it was “phenomenal.” Thomas added as an “item from the board” that this production “didn’t just happen,” but that it developed as a result of sustained support of the visual and performing arts throughout the district’s K-12 experience.

Superintendent’s Report

In addition to some items noted above, Green also commented on a wide array of honors and awards received by schools, programs, students, student-athletes, staff, and teachers throughout the district.

The district's newly hired assistant superintendent of elementary education, Dawn Linden.

Green also welcomed the newest member of her executive cabinet – assistant superintendent of elementary education Dawn Linden.

Green noted that she had been a guest narrator for the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra’s opening of a family musical series.

Items from the Board

Andy Thomas noted that AAPS has been given an A- rating by the Sunshine Review, a non-profit that evaluates the openness and transparency of public organizations, whereas Michigan as a whole received a C.  Thomas said he “just wanted to point this out because we continually hear that we need to improve our transparency, but at least one unbiased group is of the opinion that we are doing a pretty good job.” Thomas thanked Patricia Green and Robert Allen for their work in making this happen.

Thomas also pointed out how he had been surprised to discover that his recently-won 4-year-board term had just been extended to include a fifth year. He explained that there is another piece of legislation coming out of the state that will move all school board elections to Novembers of even-numbered years. Thomas stated, “I find this just an incredibly bad idea. The amount of money that it will take to run for school board will quadruple as a result of this – it’s going to make it much harder for people to run … What this will inevitably do will force people who want to run for school board to run in slates.” He noted that in the 2011 election, an odd-numbered year, six candidates ran for two seats. The year before, in an even-numbered year election with five open seats, there were only five candidates.

Glenn Nelson reported that the spirit shown at the 50th anniversary of Allen School was wonderful, and gave kudos to all schools that create community in their neighborhoods. He also noted that the recent Challenge Day at Huron High School was a bug success, and that in decision-making, everyone should follow the mantra from that day: “notice, choose, act.”

Baskett thanked state Sen. Rebekah Warren (D-18) for holding a town hall on charter schools, which was valuable and efficient. She also congratulated AAPS sports teams, including the team on which board secretary Amy Osinski’s son plays. “It was hard work,” Baskett said, “and there’s always next year for bringing home the trophy.”

Noting “marked improvement,” Mexicotte expressed her appreciation for the Ann Arbor District Library and Community Television Network staff who had done some “awesome work and fine-tuning” on the microphones and audio quality at the board table.

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

Absent: Treasurer Irene Patalan, and trustee Simone Lightfoot.

Next regular meeting: Dec. 14, 2011, 7 p.m., at the fourth-floor conference room of the downtown Ann Arbor District Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave.

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