Whitefish Board of Trustees - Minutes of Meetings
The Trustees of Whitefish School District No. 44 and High School met for a work session on September 22, 2009 in the Whitefish School District Board Room.
Members Present: Chairperson Pat Jarvi, Dave Fern, Ruth Harrison, Shannon Hanson, Eric Hosek, and Brian McDowell.
Members Absent: Mike Ferda.
Officials Present: Superintendent Jerry House and District Clerk Danelle Reisch.
Call to Order
Chairperson Jarvi called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Review and Revision of the Agenda
Superintendent House requested the following change: Item 2 – Drop Staff Members from the Board’s Self Evaluation.
Public Comment
There was none.
Introduction of New Staff Members
The following new staff members were introduced to the board:
- WHS Choir teacher Nicole Sanford
- Lisa Pollard WMS Spanish/PE teacher
- Sarah Bilal – WMS Special Education teacher
- Nanci Nicholson – Muldown Title I Paraprofessional
The following staff members were not present but were acknowledged by the board:
- Christina Schmidt
- Sara Mueller
Discussion Items
Code of Ethics for School Board Members
The board reviewed the current code of ethics, Policy 1010 as well as the current MTSBA Policy 1511. The board discussed the merits of melding the two policies together into an updated policy for the board. A consolidated 1010/1511 policy draft will be reviewed at the October business meeting.
Board’s Self Evaluation
- R & D Committee-The board received advisory suggestions from the R & D Committee meetings during the summer.
- Self-Evaluation Instrument- The board will continue, for one more year, to use the same evaluation instrument as last year, with the deletion of 1.7 from the instrument.
Board’s Annual Goal Setting
The board meets the requirements of Policy 1610 during its annual strategic planning session, however recognized the need for accountability for meeting the strategic plan.
Board’s Use of Technology
Technology Director Chris Deister showed the board members how they could utilize a district e-mail address. The consensus of the board is to proceed with district e-mail addresses for all the board members.
The board discussed the merits of videotaping meetings for public view. The board requested the videotaping of board meetings be placed on the agenda in October.
District Negotiations
Superintendent House reviewed the previous negotiations process and raised the topic for full board discussion regarding whether to continue the process or to try a different approach. Superintendent House will put together pros and cons in terms of different approaches to negotiations for future review.
Adjourn
Ruth Harrison moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:45 p.m. Shannon Hanson seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.