DMPS School Board Meeting 02/19/2008 – Part 2

“They consider themselves experts on the Internet because they can go to Google, cut and paste, and call it research.” That was the message Nancy Butler, the librarian at East High School, took to the Des Moines Public Schools School Board meeting on February 19, 2008. Butler believes that the new 9th grade building needs a full-service librarian, not just an associate to check out books. She said she and the principal have agreed to disagree on this point but to Butler a librarian is important to help students learn how to access, to evaluate, and to use material.

Also speaking during the general public comment period of the meeting was Suzette Jensen, a former board member, She expressed concern that official minutes of the board’s meetings have not been including identifying information for referenced documents. Jensen said this makes it difficult for someone to follow board actions through prior meetings.

Concern over timely access to information was expressed by members of the public regarding renovations to the Wallace-Homestead building. There was some confusion as to whether the agenda item should have been labeled a public hearing and if that description meant a vote could not be taken at the same meeting. DMPS staff said they met requirements for meeting notices, mostly through use of the district’s web site and notices posted in buildings. Dan Sloan of Baldwin White Architects described the layout of the floors with great joy. He said the facade of the Greek Revival building will be changed only as necessary to bring the entrance into compliance with accessibility laws. The design was created with the idea that college-level courses are being taught in the building but that it still needs to include security controls, such as having the office at the entrance to the building. Needs identified by students, by teachers, and by the community were taken into consideration. DMPS Chief Operating Officer Bill Good said the needs identified in the site plan, now several years old, were incorporated into the design. The board approved the second payment, in the amount of $72,247.57, to Baldwin White for their architectural services at the Wallace-Homestead building as part of the consent agenda. The total fee is estimated at $569,668 and is now 26% complete. Under separate votes the board also approved contracts for windows, drywall, and doors for the building.

Other items in the consent agenda included a contract for approximately $65,000 (FY 2009) to One Source through the Iowa Association of School Boards to run background checks on prospective employees and for approximately $80,000 (FY 2009) out of the Human Resources budget to the Des Moines Register for job and career fair advertising. The 6-8 Middle School Vocal and General Music Instructional Materials Committee recommended materials for a required general music course ($121,806) and for an elective vocal music course.($40,128).

The East High Foundation asked the board to give support to a proposal by Grandview College to use Williams Stadium at the high school to play home games when it reinstates its football program. Approval was given with the conditions that the DMPS will manage the construction, all funds will be raised before construction begins, and no local option sales tax money will be used. Details include artificial turf to handle the extra traffic, a locker room for the college team, and design costs paid for by the college. East High and Grandview already have a relationship due to their proximity to each other and to scholarships that allow the high school’s graduates to attend the college.

The final main agenda item of the meeting was a monitoring report under Policy Governance related to graduation ends. Superintendent Dr. Nancy Sebring said her staff took the opportunity of this report to look at the data that currently exists, processes, and where the district wants to go. They discovered there are some gaps. During public comments, Mary Ann Spicer said the report contained “lots of universal statements.” She was concerned that many African American students are not progressing as they should be but that the collective district data would not show that. This was an issue raised by board members, as well. Teree Caldwell-Johnson said, “there’s no way I’m going to accept a monitoring report that doesn’t” breakdown data by race, e.g., suspension rates and absenteeism. There was some talk among the board and the superintendent as to what the numbers mean and a work session was suggested to look at the story behind them.

Additional meeting information is available in Part 1 and in a commentary on board communications. I placed a call to the DMPS to inquire about the deliverable for Baldwin White that was in the consent agenda, but had not received a response by the time I posted this item.

M.R. Field covers school board meetings for AroundDesMoines.com.  

admin is
Email this author | All posts by admin