Left to right: AAPS trustee Glenn Nelson; John Young (athletic coordinator at Skyline High School); Dottie Davis (AD at Huron High School). (Photos by the writer.)

After sharing divergent opinions over many hours of candid discussion, trustees directed AAPS administration to use their “best judgment” in making $475,000 worth of cuts to athletics district-wide.

They also informally requested that the administration create a “dashboard” of district statistics, as required to qualify for additional “best practices” funding from the state.

Finally, through a formal resolution, the board directed the AAPS administration to work toward placing a technology bond on the November ballot. The bond, if passed, would levy a new millage to upgrade computers and other technological devices throughout the district.

The direction given by the board on those three issues came as a result of an unusual combination of meetings on Wednesday.

First, during a planning committee meeting lasting from 3-5:30 p.m., a revised set of athletics cuts was discussed by that committee and relevant members of the administration. Then, at 5:40 p.m., the remaining trustees arrived and board president Deb Mexicotte called a regular board meeting to order, which was recessed immediately into a study session.

During the study session discussion, which lasted over four and a half hours, the board discussed four items – the athletics cuts, the “dashboard,” a technology bond, and the possibility of offering all-day kindergarten district-wide. At the conclusion of the study session, the board resumed its regular meeting for just five minutes in order to take formal action on only one of the items – pursuing a technology bond.

Athletics Cuts – Round Two

The planning committee of the AAPS board consists of: Christine Stead (chair), Susan Baskett, and Irene Patalan; the performance committee consists of: Glenn Nelson (chair), Simone Lightfoot, and Andy Thomas.

During Wednesday’s planning committee meeting, and again during the study session, board members reviewed and discussed in detail a revised plan for cutting the athletics budget district-wide by $475,000. This second pass at the cuts was requested by the board at its June 29, 2011 meeting after the community pushed back against the original plan put forward by the athletic directors (ADs).

Athletics Cut: Proposed Revisions

The original athletics cuts included: elimination of all freshman sports except for football; complete elimination of funding for dance, cheer, figure skating, lacrosse, and bowling; and reduced funding for field hockey and crew. The process to determine the original cuts had not included direct participation by anyone other than the ADs.

On Wednesday, the district’s deputy superintendent of operations Robert Allen, Huron High School athletic director Dottie Davis, and Skyline High School athletic coordinator John Young suggested some changes to the cuts. Those changes had been crafted by a wider group of contributors including the ADs, Allen, the district’s director of communications Liz Margolis, high school principals, and some coaches, booster club members, and parents.

The revised plan would retain funding for freshmen volleyball and boys basketball as well as for football, and would allow the other freshmen sports – baseball, soccer, and girls’ basketball – to convert to club status if they desired. It would also renew funding for lacrosse for one year, but require it to convert to a club sport as of 2012-13.

In order to cover the increased cost of re-funding these programs, the ADs suggested increasing the  ”pay to participate” fees. For high schools, the fee would increase from a first-sport-second-sport system ($150 for the first sport/$75 for the second sport) to a flat fee of $250 for an unlimited number of sports. The middle school “pay to participate” fee would increase from a $50 flat fee to a $75 flat fee.

In total, the revised program reductions would save $381,820. And increasing the “pay to participate” fees would bring in $190,000 in new revenue. Therefore, the total overall reduction to the athletics budget would be $571,820. Allen explained that this target provides a built-in cushion in case a lower number of students participate in athletics, and that the actual savings would likely be closer to the original target of $475,000.

Athletics Cuts: Board Response

Trustee Christine Stead questioned whether the cuts would meet the district’s obligations under Title IX, which requires that equal athletics opportunities be afforded to girls and boys. Dave Comsa, AAPS assistant superintendent for human resources and legal services, assured the board that the ADs have been careful to provide equal access to participation to all students. He added that the district had been contacted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which handles Title IX inquiries, and that after talking to Allen, the EEOC was satisfied that AAPS was in full compliance with the law.

Trustees questioned the rationale behind eliminating freshman sports. Davis explained that many of the freshmen athletes can be absorbed into junior varsity (JV) or varsity teams. She added that there are not many other schools nearby with freshmen teams, so there were not enough opponents for the teams to play against.

Trustee Susan Baskett requested that the ADs make it very clear how a varsity sport can convert to a club sport, and noted that she was aware of some difficulties encountered by those trying to create club sports at Pioneer High School. Margolis said that the ADs would help any team that wishes to convert to club status after losing district funding. Club sports are fully self-funded. Trustee Glenn Nelson said that club sports should be required to offer scholarships to students who qualify for free or reduced lunch, just like varsity sports do now.

The bulk of the board’s discussion centered on the possible disadvantages of raising the “pay to participate” fees. Trustees expressed concern that fewer students would be able to participate, but responded positively to a suggestion from Davis that parents be allowed to pay the fee in installments, as long as the full payment is received before the season began.

Young noted that some families will be able to weather the increase without any problem, and that some students will qualify for scholarships. But Young said it will be the group of middle-income students who sway the total participation numbers one way or the other. He suggested that the students who might be discouraged from paying a higher participation fee were those who played on teams primarily for social reasons, or because “they just don’t want to go home.”

The series of committee meeting, board meeting and study session took place at the Balas administration building, with the new AAPS superintendent Patricia Green (far right) taking her place at the table for the first time.

In response to public commentary questions about which extracurricular activities are charged pay-to-participate fees, Comsa clarified that “if [students] get a grade in a course, [AAPS] cannot charge for it.” So there is no fee for students to participate in arts programs such as band, choir, and orchestra. Margolis added that there are tons of clubs at the high schools, but that the district does not support any of them financially.

Stead suggested that charging a flat fee would encourage students to try new sports, and Davis confirmed that colleges look favorably on athletes who are more well-rounded. Trustees Irene Patalan and Andy Thomas also suggested that students could be encouraged to pay part of the fee increase by earning the money themselves.

There was some discussion of what comparable districts were charging, and it was determined that the district’s fees are among the lowest. Baskett pointed out that some other districts had a family maximum for athletics participation fees, and suggested AAPS do the same.

In the end, Mexicotte, Nelson, and trustee Simone Lightfoot were not in favor of increasing the pay-to-participate fees, while Thomas, Patalan, and Stead were fully supportive of the revised proposal made by the ADs. Baskett said she “could be convinced” in either direction.

There was some discussion about whether to hold a formal vote on the proposed pay-to-participate increase, but Mexicotte argued strongly that the board did not need to take formal action because the athletics reductions would still end up near the target of $475,000 approved in the budget, regardless of how the administration chooses to proceed. “This is as micro-manage-y as we’re going to get … I’m putting it back to the experts,” she said. “Whether or not [the discussion provided] that clear of a direction, I say the tie goes to administration.”

Trustees settled on asking administrators to use their “best judgment” to decide whether to proceed with the fee increases, keeping in mind the concerns expressed by the board around the table. Davis concurred that the discussion had provided “great insight.” Margolis later told The Chronicle that a final decision on the administration’s plans regarding athletic cuts will be forthcoming.

State Incentives: The “Dashboard”

Allen reviewed that the state is offering an additional $100 per student to school districts that meet four out of five suggested “best practice” standards, as defined by the state. One of these is to create a “dashboard” of statistics to be displayed on the district website, including graduation rates, dropout rates, enrollment numbers, test scores, staff and administrative salaries, fund balance, and total days of instruction provided.

Allen noted that he saw no challenges to displaying the information requested, and said that it is all already being collected. Mexicotte suggested trying to design the district’s dashboard to be just like the one Gov. Rick Snyder created for the state, and that the source code for the state dashboard might even be public domain.

AAPS superintendent Patricia Green

Nelson pointed out that the statistics required to be in the dashboard are mostly summative measures, and that providing formative measures as well might provide some genuine insight. Lightfoot agreed that the data could be used to tell a broader story instead of just setting it up to meet state requirements.

The board directed the administration to have an AAPS dashboard up on the district website by Oct. 1, and update the board at that time on how many of the five best practice requirements the district has met. The other requirements include proving that the district has: consolidated services; obtained competitive bids on non-instructional services; and limited spending on health benefits.

Green said that making the dashboard more expansive resonates with her, and applauded the board for not just trying to meet the minimum requirements. Data helps in decision-making, she said, and “transparency only makes us stronger.”

Study sessions are less formal, and the board often entertains input from others in attendance at the meeting.  During the dashboard discussion, Mexicotte recognized Larry Murphy, who will challenge incumbents Lightfoot and Thomas for a school board seat in November.  Murphy suggested that Allen request timely guidance from the Michigan Department of Education to be sure that the district’s dashboard meets the state requirements, so that it could be revised before the funding deadline.

Technology Bond for November Ballot

Allen presented the board with a 10-year projection of the district’s technological needs totaling roughly $30 million, which he described as “part two” of the technology refresh funded by the 2004 bond.

In response to board questions, Allen explained that the bond was primarily for hardware, and that the suggested replacement timelines were gleaned from practice as well as manufacturer life-cycle recommendations.

Green asserted that a technology bond would help to prepare students “not for our past, but for their future.” If the district’s technology deteriorates, she said, students will not be able to develop the the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century.

The board discussed how flexible a technology bond would be, and Allen confirmed that the district would have the ability to spend the money on any technology, even if it’s not currently on the market.

The board expressed universal support for putting a technology bond on the ballot, and moved into a discussion of appropriate timing.

Stead expressed concern that asking the community to fund a technology bond in November might interfere with a successful campaign for another countywide enhancement millage. Mexicotte suggested that the two were not mutually exclusive, saying “I don’t think a 0.5 mill stewardship bond in Ann Arbor this fall does anything to derail a countywide bond in one and a half years.”

The board moved unanimously that the administration craft a proposal to place a technology bond on the November ballot. The exact amount of the millage will be determined by the administration based on the district’s projected technology needs.

All-Day Kindergarten

Board members considered tying a construction millage to the technology bond in order to build additional physical capacity for all-day kindergarten, but in the end decided to table the discussion until they had more information.

Allen distributed a report written by a district task force in 2009, which had been charged with studying the costs associated with expanding kindergarten to full-day district-wide. According to the report, he said, the operational costs (more teachers and more materials), plus the capital costs (adding classrooms to buildings) would cost the district $3-4 million in the first year.

On the flip side, Allen pointed out, keeping kindergarten half day for most AAPS schools, as it currently is, will cost the district $3.8 million per year – if half-day kindergarten funding from the state is decreased as anticipated. The state has said it plans to pay districts half of the per-pupil foundation allowance for every half-day kindergarten student as an incentive to get districts to offer full-day kindergarten. However, such a funding cut has not yet been passed by the state legislature.

The board suggested that the district should wait to see if the law goes into effect before rushing into building more classrooms. Some trustees also suggested that portable classrooms could be used in the meantime, if the transition to full-day kindergarten is eventually warranted.

Allen also pointed out that the district’s sinking fund could be used for construction costs instead of a dedicated millage.

The board entertained some discussion about the value of expanding neighborhood schools versus providing all-day kindergarten at a centralized location, and determined that more study and community input is needed before moving forward.

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The Ann Arbor Public Schools three athletic directors appeared before the board: Dottie Davis (AD at Huron); Lorin Cartwright (AD at Pioneer); and John Young (AD at Skyline).

After hearing significant public commentary on the issue, trustees held a lengthy public discussion with the three AAPS athletic directors (ADs) at the June 29 meeting, and ultimately requested that they revisit the cuts. “We’d like some more thinking on this,” said trustee Christine Stead, “and a different answer.”

The athletic budget reductions will be the main topic of the board’s July 13 planning committee and board meetings at 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively. Both meetings are scheduled to take place in the main conference room of the Balas administration building, and are followed by a study session 6:00 p.m. The study session will focus on the possibility of requesting that voters approved new millages to support district-wide all-day kindergarten and technology upgrades.

Also at the meeting, multiple people spoke in support of continued AAPS support of literary arts programs at the Neutral Zone teen center, arguing that is a nationally-recognized program that deserves continued funding from the district.

Finally, the board renewed the district’s food service contract with Chartwells, approved three new employee contracts, and held the first public hearing on a new video being recommended by the district’s Sexual Health Education Advisory Committee (SHEAC).

Athletics Budget

This report includes some basic background, a description of the public’s reaction, and the board’s response.

Athletics Budget: Background – What Went Wrong

In the APPS 2011-12 board-approved budget, spending on athletics was reduced by $475,000. The district expected to generate those savings by outsourcing non-teacher coaches and athletic trainers, and reducing transportation services.

However, at the June 29 board meeting, Pioneer High School athletic director Lorin Cartwright explained that taking those measures did not lead to the projected savings. Board president Deb Mexicotte added that the planned transportation cuts had gone “too deep,” and that fewer coaches could be outsourced than originally thought. AAPS deputy superintendent of operations Robert Allen noted that even with the transportation and staffing cuts made, the athletics budget had still been nearly $250,000 short. (Allen served as interim superintendent leading up to the budget approval and when it was passed by the board. He served in that capacity through June 30 before new superintendent Patricia Green came on board.)

Cartwright and her two counterparts – Dottie Davis (at Huron High) and John Young (at Skyline High) — were forced to look for other ways to meet the budget target.

Athletics Budget: Original Decision by Athletic Directors

Allen explained that the ADs’ goal was to maintain equity in athletics among the three comprehensive high schools, including continuing to build up the athletics program at Skyline, while hitting the overall target budget reduction of $475,000.

After coaching, training, support staff, and transportation costs were reduced as much as possible, Cartwright, Davis, and Young worked collectively to decide what additional cuts to make. On Saturday, June 25, AAPS released a statement of their decisions.

All freshmen sports were cut, with the exception of freshmen football, due to safety concerns. Also cut were: dance at Skyline; cheer at Huron; figure skating at Pioneer and Huron, and lacrosse and bowling at all high schools.

The second junior varsity field hockey team at Pioneer/Huron was cut (two JV teams had been maintained), and finally, the fall season of crew (rowing), which was the only sport to have two seasons funded, was cut at all high schools.

The statement also contained information about how to transition an activity from status as a varsity sport (funded by the school district) to a club sport (funded outside the school district and operated under the direction of the building principal).

Athletics Budget: Public Commentary

Nine parents, many of them members of the booster clubs at their children’s schools, addressed the board about the cuts. Many other concerned parents and students attended the meeting, making it standing room only, and board members commented on the large number of e-mails and other correspondence they had fielded in response to the athletics cuts.

Frank Robenalt, a recent graduate from Pioneer, argued that eliminating freshman sports eliminates one of the best social entrees, and that the overall quality of the sports programs will decrease, because sophomores and upper classmen will be less likely to try something new. Beth Anderson, a parent from Pioneer, agreed, and pointed out that the district will lose $150 in pay-to-participate fees from each student who leaves athletics.

Anderson also referred to the $87,000 donation the Pioneer booster club recently made to the district, which she said represented years of hard work and savings. “If we had been aware of the drastic measures that were coming,” she said, “we might have reserved money to help the affected teams.”

Multiple speakers questioned why the ADs decided to cut lacrosse when it is the fastest growing sport in the nation, and expressed disappointment and frustration that they would not have enough time to transition lacrosse to club status by the start of the next school year. Andre Vasher, a Skyline parent, said that he would personally make no more donations to the AAPS educational foundation, and would encourage other lacrosse parents to do the same.

Ahmar Iqbal, a parent of two AAPS students (and who is considering running for a seat on the school board in November), said he has been dismayed at the budget process followed by the board this spring on a number of fronts. He asserted that trustees have made cuts and then responded to the community’s reactions instead of involving the community in prioritizing options ahead of time. ”What are we getting,” Iqbal asked, “for the half million that is not going to freshman sports?”

The public commentary included the following suggestions:

• Give de-funded sports guidance, such as financial data, and more time to transition to club sports.
• Share the cuts equally among all sports rather than eliminating some programs entirely.
• Require the ADs to go “back to the drawing board” and work with the booster clubs to agree on the necessary cuts;
• Keep funding all sports, but only at one level per comprehensive high school (i.e., for each sport, have a freshman team at one school, JV at another, and varsity at the third).
• Bid out transportation to another company.
• Make each sport pay for its own officials.
• Cut one of the ADs, and have the other two work district-wide.
• Increase the pay-to-participate fee.

Finally, some parents questioned the depth of the cuts, given that athletics makes up only 1% of the district’s budget. Kathy Robenalt, a Pioneer parent, pointed out that athletics is being cut disproportionately to other AAPS departments, and argued, “This seems to be the easy way out, but perhaps not the wisest.”

Athletics Budget: Athletic Directors Explain Rationale

Trustees questioned why specific programs were cut entirely instead of requiring an “across-the-board” cut that affected all programs equally. Cartwright explained that an across-the-board cut would have meant that each sport lost 17% of its funding. At Pioneer, she continued, where all sports are “full membership,” meaning every spot on every team is filled, this would mean that disproportionately more students would lose the ability to play than at Huron and Skyline. “It would be a challenge for you to sell me on cutting when there is full membership,” Cartwright said.

Allen added that there was also a feeling that across-the-board cuts would not attract good coaches.

Cartwright and Davis responded to some of the suggestions made during public commentary, saying that many of them had been tried and did not work (outsourcing busing, consolidating teams across schools); had already been rejected by administration (reducing to two ADs district wide); or were already being implemented (teams paying for their own officials).

Davis explained that increasing pay-to-participate fees might cause large numbers of students — those who are happy to sit on the bench for $150 but not for $300 or $400 — to drop participation in athletics entirely. She added that the ADs had considered longevity of the sport as a factor in decided what to keep and what to cut. In choosing to eliminate lacrosse, the ADs had also considered the membership of the conference in which AAPS plays lacrosse – all of the other lacrosse teams in that conference are club sports.

Finally, Davis explained that in some cases, due to lack of full membership on certain teams, cutting the freshman team would not have any effect on the number of slots available for students who would like to play. For example, she said, Huron girls basketball had 11 students on varsity, nine on JV, and seven on the freshmen team, which means that two teams could still accommodate all of the interested students. She also noted that Ann Arbor has other ways for student athletes to participate, such as Rec & Ed, that AAPS still offers more sports than many other schools, and that the ADs “still have a passion for every sport that we have.”

Athletics Budget: Board Debates a “Re-Do”

Some trustees questioned the lack of data provided to them to support the ADs’ decision. “We don’t have any numbers,” trustee Susan Baskett said, “and this issue did not go through either committee.” Baskett also had many questions about the ramifications of moving to club status, saying that she supported the ADs, but wanted to understand how they came to their conclusions.

Mexicotte expressed support for the ADs, saying they were dually challenged with cutting their budget while simultaneously increasing programming at Skyline by $44,000.

Other trustees expressed concern about the process followed to decide on the cuts. Trustee Irene Patalan questioned whether the ADs consulted any coaches, parents, or booster clubs. Stead questioned the timing, saying that this decision does not give the community sufficient time to convert to club status.

Davis agreed that the ADs “could have used more guidance.” Allen agreed that he would support going back through the board’s committee process to review the cuts, and asked that the board offer any other guiding principles they’d like to see followed.

Athletics Budget: Board Suggestions

Trustee Andy Thomas suggested that the ADs should bring a set of data to the planning committee, including a list of how much would be saved by eliminating each sport individually, eliminating freshman sports entirely, and increasing the pay-to-participate fee, as well as what a 17% across-the-board elimination would look like.

Trustee Simone Lightfoot agreed that she would like to see the top recommended reductions, along with the projected savings of each.

Mexicotte cautioned that the appropriate board response might be to request that the ADs explore other options, but that “it is not typically the work of our committees to go line by line through [departmental] budgets.”

Trustee Glenn Nelson agreed, saying that it was the board’s job to “focus on the big picture, relax constraints, and then let the professionals do a good job.” He suggested that the board take $250,000 out of fund equity to cover the athletics costs in excess of the planned cuts to transportation, training, and coaching.

Stead and Thomas disagreed, saying that dipping into fund equity again would be irresponsible. Since the 2011-12 budget was originally proposed, the board has reinstated funding for two elementary principals, seven teaching staff, and $300,000 in transportation costs.

Stead and Thomas suggested instead that the planning committee should work with the ADs to find better ways to meet the targeted $475,000 in reductions. They also suggested that the real solutions are higher-level – such as securing more private giving and getting more people involved in legislative advocacy.

Mexicotte said that though the decision-making process had been flawed, the board had asked the ADs for something impossible. “We have had this philosophy that we can nibble around the edges without eliminating things, but it was an impossible request in this vein. This is a tough message [for the ADs to] bring back to [the] board, which is expecting the same miracle it’s always gotten.”

Saying that there is a penalty to a bad process, Mexicotte said she would be in support of revisiting the discussion to see if there was a way to not eliminate any programs, but that if there was not, that the board might need to “pay the price” by taking the money needed out of fund equity.

Athletics Budget: One Committee or Two?

The board had some discussion about having the ADs meet with both the planning and performance committees before the next meeting. Another possibility was to add the athletics budget discussion to the agenda of the upcoming study session, so that all trustees could be involved.

Stead suggested that running everything through two committees would sabotage the board’s committee structure, and Thomas took it a step further, saying that the current committee structure is “dysfunctional.”

Mexicotte replied that it is not dysfunctional, but “an evolving set of practices with a new set of board members.” Patalan said she believes in the board’s committee system, saying she was confident that the planning committee, on which she sits, would do an appropriate and thorough job. “We will vet this for you,” she asserted.

Mexicotte suggested that instead of running the athletics budget discussion through both committees that it be sent only to the planning committee. She also said all trustees should have an opportunity to review the additional data to be brought forth by the ADs ahead of the next meeting. “I am not interested in having the whole conversation again at the board table,” she said.

Board members were amenable to Mexicotte’s suggestion, as long as the planning committee members would agree to receive questions or concerns ahead of time from the rest of the board to inform the committee’s vetting process.

The board decided that the planning committee will revisit the athletic cuts at its next meeting on July 13, followed immediately by a meeting of the full board on the same day.

Other Public Commentary

The board also heard public commentary on topics other than athletics funding.

Public Commentary: Special Education Young Adult Program

Brenda Romig-Fox addressed the board about the importance of developing a young adult program for special education students transitioning from high school. Her son just left Pioneer, and she has found each of the five programs currently offered within the Washtenaw Intermediate School District to be lacking features. “It’s time for AAPS to keep special education student and their funding in the district, and offer a spectrum of services,” Romig-Fox said. She encouraged the board to support a young adult program proposal being created by AAPS assistant superintendent of student intervention and support services, Elaine Brown, and said she would be happy to work the SISS and other parents to see it happen.

Public Commentary: Neutral Zone Literary Arts Funding

Several people spoke in support of the district’s continued funding of literary arts programming at the Neutral Zone teen center. Currently, the district allows Pioneer High School creative writing teacher Jeff Kass to teach 0.8 of the time at Pioneer and spend the remaining 0.2 of his time advising the Neutral Zone’s Volume Youth Poetry Project, and overseeing its Red Beard Press and Short Story Workshop.

Jeff Kass

Kass spoke with The Chronicle at the June 29 meeting, and explained that the reduction in teaching staff district-wide (AAPS cut 62.3 teaching positions as part of its recent budget reductions) meant that he would now be required to teach full-time at Pioneer and that the district would no longer support his work at the Neutral Zone.

Amay Lee, a perfomer and author, said creative writing had been the most important part of her education. Molly Ranier agreed, saying her “whole life is based around what [Kass] has taught [her].” Ranier was one of Kass’ students when Volume Youth Poetry Project was founded, and has now replicated the program in Richmond, Calif. for 200 kids.

Poet Roger Bonair-Agard said that many students from Ann Arbor who have been part of Volume Youth Poetry Project have then gone to other places in the country to start similar programs or made themselves very important in those places. He said that the Neutral Zone is known nationally for doing some of the best work in poetry in the country. “This is not just a program that helps kids write,” Bonair-Agard said. “This is about saving the lives of youth.”

Kevin Coval, who is from Chicago, where he runs the largest youth poetry festival in the world, concurred, saying that he “know[s] this work to be a treasure on a national level.” Ann Arbor’s reputation, Coval said, is that it’s the most tightly knit youth poetry group in the country.

Angel Nasis credited the Neutral Zone with raising her, and credited Kass with changing her life. She now does workshops with students herself, and sees the “ripple effect” of Kass’ work.

Kass then addressed the board, saying that his work at the Neutral Zone is really a full-time job that he does for only 20% of his salary. He promised the board that if they support his position for two years that in that time, he can get it paid for by people in this community. Kass urged the board to take responsibility for continuing this support, saying it was not a principal-level decision: “You are sitting in these seats for a reason.”

Public Commentary: Racial Politics

Two former students spoke in support of Pioneer teacher Vickie Shields, who has been recently taking criticism for holding a contentious discussion about racial politics in her African-American humanities class. Kathryn Drumright asked: “Why is she being punished for doing her job — making students think?” Cheyenne Taylor added that if Shields resigns, “AAPS will lose one of the best teachers that has ever taught in this district.”

First Briefing: Sexual Health Education Recommendation

The one first briefing item on the board’s agenda was the set of annual recommendations brought forth by the district’s sexual health education advisory committee (SHEAC). The SHEAC is a state-mandated committee that reviews and recommends sexual health materials for classroom use.

Margy Long, co-chair of the SHEAC and AAPS parent, reported that the SHEAC had reviewed and recommends a new DVD for use in third grade classrooms as part of a unit on safety. She noted that it’s a great video which is very age-appropriate, and gives clear safety rules to follow without being scary.

In response to questions from the trustees, Long added that the video was not created in-house, but is a very high quality product that would be purchased by the district to update to materials being used currently. She also explained that, though the video contains sections on a variety of safety-related topics including stranger safety and cyber-safety, it came through the SHEAC because it also refers to “good touch/bad touch” and what to do if you think your friend might be being sexually abused.

Trustees thanked the SHEAC for its work. “Sometimes,” said Nelson, “it’s a little bit ignored how important this area of education is.”

The board then held a public hearing to solicit input on the video, but no one spoke. Long noted that the DVD is available at the district office if anyone would like to preview it before the second public hearing on the matter, which will be held during the next regular board meeting.

Policy Updates and Chartwells Contract Renewal

There was no discussion on the Chartwells contract renewal, which had been briefed at the previous meeting.

A set of board policy updates was presented at first briefing at the last meeting, and only one — the graduation requirements policy– was discussed again at this meeting. Joyce Hunter, AAPS assistant superintendent for secondary education, briefly reviewed the new language in the amended policy.

Trustees questioned whether  it was necessary to include a requirement for world language study at this time, and board secretary Amy Osinski said no, but that the board would need to address it in 2016.

Outcome: Both items — the policy updates and the Chartwells contract renewal — were approved unanimously as part of the consent agenda.

Board Committee Reports

The school board has two standing committees. The planning committee consists of: Christine Stead (chair), Susan Baskett, and Irene Patalan; the performance committee consists of: Glenn Nelson (chair), Simone Lightfoot, and Andy Thomas. Board president Deb Mexicotte sits on neither committee.

The performance committee did not meet since the last regular meeting and will not meet before the next meeting on July 13. The planning committee will meet before the next regular board meeting on July 13, and review the athletics cuts as already described in this report.

Association Reports

At each meeting, the board invites reports from six associations: the Youth Senate, the Ann Arbor Parent Advisory Committee on Special Education (AAPAC), the Parent-Teacher-Organization Council (PTOC), the Black Parents Student Support Group (BPSSG), the Ann Arbor Administrators Association (AAAA), and the Ann Arbor Education Association (AAEA). At the June 29 meeting, no associations were present to address the board.

Awards and Accolades

The June 29 meeting also included a number of special presentations and awards honoring staff and students.

Awards/Accolades: Envision Michigan

AAPS student Alison Carlson was honored with a $500 Envision Michigan scholarship sponsored by state representative Rebekah Warren. Warren’s special projects director, P.J. Petitpren, was on hand at the June 29 meeting to announce the award, and said Warren had found Carlson’s scholarship essay “insightful.”

Superintendent’s Report

Allen thanked the entire AAPS family for their work this year, and noted a variety of awards and honors received by individual staff members and students.

He recognized the trustees, staff, parents, community members, and his cabinet for supporting him this year as the interim superintendent. He singled out AAPS director of finance Nancy Hoover, his executive assistant JoAnn Emmendorfer, and board secretary Amy Oskinski for their extraordinary work.

Finally, Allen thanked former AAPS interim superintendent Lee Ann Dickinson-Kelley, who retired last week after 38 years in the district. Though she had wanted to slip away without fanfare, Allen said, he listed some of her many accomplishments during her tenure as a teacher, principal, and central administrator.

Dickinson-Kelley oversaw the implementation of the district’s balanced literacy program, developed a food allergy handbook, was instrumental in getting the preschool built, and brought Spanish language instruction, humanities, and enrichment coordinators to the elementary schools. “We will need about three people to replace her,” Allen said, and ended by noting that Dickinson-Kelley was about to become a grandmother to twins, and was looking forward to spending more time with her family in her retirement.

Approval of Contract Agreements

With no discussion, the board unanimously approved contract agreements for three of its employee unions — ASCSA, AAEA-OP, and AFSCME-TSP.

Agenda Planning

On Mexicotte’s suggestion, Stead agreed that the planning committee would postpone review of additional policies until the fall in order to focus on the athletic budget at its July meeting. Osinski pointed out that many district staff are on vacation through the summer, which may make the policy review difficult as well.

Items from the Board

Thomas congratulated Kelsey Boes, a 2010 Huron graduate who recently had a crossword puzzle printed in the New York Times – a puzzle that Thomas said he was unable to complete.

Stead congratulated all the children who participated in the local science olympiad, and said she’d like the planning committee to look at ways to ensure the continuity of the local, county-run science olympiad, which is the largest science olympiad at the elementary level in the country. She also thanked the large number of adult volunteers who coached the kids.

Nelson said he was particularly impressed with the rockets at the science olympiad. He also congratulated the AASP homebuilding program on the completion of their house this year, and encouraged everyone to contribute to the AAPS educational foundation current campaign.

Patalan thanked Allen and Dickinson-Kelley for their work this year, and said she was looking forward to having the new superintendent at the table during the next meeting.

Baskett offered Dickinson-Kelley her best wishes in her continued life as a grandma, and said she was happy Allen would not be going far, just “down the hall” into his former position as deputy superintendent of operations. She also noted the departure of Shonte Langford-Green from human resources, and thanked her for her hard work.

Mexicotte gave a “shout out” to all faculty and staff in the district, saying “this has been an interesting, productive, challenging year.” She singled out Nancy Hoover for stepping up to take on more of the financial duties, Ruth Williams for coming out of retirement to serve as assistant superintendent of elementary education, and Dickinson-Kelley for working relentlessly in the district.

Mexicotte then thanked Allen for reluctantly and with humility stepping up in to the position of interim superintendent and doing an exemplary job. “Thank you,” she said, “for carrying the district on your shoulders for the last nine months.”

She concluded by saying that the board is looking forward to working with  Patricia Green, and noting that her first day in the district would be July 1.

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

Next regular meeting: July 13, 2011, 5:30 p.m., at the fourth-floor conference room of the downtown Ann Arbor District Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. [confirm date]

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