October 29, 2018 at 6:30 PM - GMSD Board Meeting

Superintendent Jason Manuel thanked  Board Member Lisa Parker for her service to our School District and the City of Germantown.

He briefed on how she has been serving the community in different capacities, to name a few - crossing guard at Riverdale Elementary school, Alderman for the City of Germantown and then a Board member who helped us start this district. she was the First Chairman of the Board, having to create policies within a short period of 6 months. She did everything best for the children and best for the City. 

He stated that she will be missed dearly and thanked her for her leadership that was truly incredible. 

On behalf of the District , he presented her with a picture frame and book, as memories with her service to the Children of the District.

September:

·      Attended the Mayor/PTO Council Lunch (9/27)

October:

·      Participated in Riverdale “Walk to School” day (10/3)

·      Presided at Board of Education Special Called Meeting (10/5)

·      Attended the Board of Mayor and Alderman Meeting (10/8)

o   Spoke before BMA on proposed Health Sciences Academy

·      Interviewed potential BOE General Counsel 10/11 – Estes)

·      Interviewed potential BOE General Counsel (10/16 - Plumley)

·      Interviewed potential BOE General Counsel (10/19 – Shields)

·      Attended Germantown Neighborhood Summit (10/23)

** Tonight, is Lisa Parker’s last Board of Education meeting.  We owe much to Ms. Parker – she participated in the creation of our municipal district from its inception. She took part in the writing of each and every policy, hiring our superintendent - participating in the decision-making process for the building blocks of our district.  Ms. Parker is a visionary, who saw the possibilities and worked hard to make this communities dreams come true.  Please join me in thanking her for her service and unwavering support of GMSD

September:

·      Attended the Mayor/PTO Council Lunch (9/27)

October:

·      Participated in Riverdale “Walk to School” day (10/3)

·      Presided at Board of Education Special Called Meeting (10/5)

·      Attended the Board of Mayor and Alderman Meeting (10/8)

o   Spoke before BMA on proposed Health Sciences Academy

·      Interviewed potential BOE General Counsel 10/11 – Estes)

·      Interviewed potential BOE General Counsel (10/16 - Plumley)

·      Interviewed potential BOE General Counsel (10/19 – Shields)

·      Attended Germantown Neighborhood Summit (10/23)

** Tonight, is Lisa Parker’s last Board of Education meeting.  We owe much to Ms. Parker – she participated in the creation of our municipal district from its inception. She took part in the writing of each and every policy, hiring our superintendent - participating in the decision-making process for the building blocks of our district.  Ms. Parker is a visionary, who saw the possibilities and worked hard to make this communities dreams come true.  Please join me in thanking her for her service and unwavering support of GMSD

CFO Kevin Jones reported the Total Assets and Total Liabilities and the Fund Balances.

General Fixed Asset Account Group – amounts have been updated based upon the close of the RES construction project to buildings and for accumulated depreciation as of June 30, 2018.

HEALTH INSURANCE/OPEB TRUST FUND

For the Q/E September 30, 2018, there were approximately $100K in retiree claims due from the OPEB Trust Fund to the Health Insurance Fund.  This reimbursement will decrease claims year-to-date.

Superintendent Jason Manuel gave a PowerPoint presentation on Career Technology Education - CTE

He highlighted on the various Germantown Municipal School District Technology Clusters in the following areas,

• Mechatronics
• Information Technology
• STEM
• Marketing
• Business Management
• Fashion Design
• Finance
• Health Science
• Education and Teaching
• Horticulture Science
• Criminal Justice
• Computer Science

He briefed on the Early Post Secondary Opportunities- EPSO and the new accountability measures in comparison with all academic years begining with 2014- 2015 until the current 2018-2019 school year.

After discussion in Work Session, the Board decided to amend, Policy 6.2061 Inter-District Open Enrollment as follows;

• Strike line 21 & 22 on Page 1
• Page 2, Line 4-5, the sentence with the red strike " if, in a certain priority level, there are more applicants than seats available, the seats will be awarded through a lottery format." is added back 
• Strike Page 2, Line 7 & 8
• Move line 8 & 9 to be inserted at the end of the sentence in line 34 of page 1
• Add "based on Grades, Discipline and/or Attendance" to line 10 at the end of the sentence

Amendments to Policy 6.206 Transfers within the system are as follows:

• Page 2, Line 1-2, the sentence with the red strike " if, in a certain priority level, there are more applicants than seats available, the seats will be awarded through a lottery format." is added back
• Strike Line 7-8 on Page 2
• Move line 8,9 & 10 "starting with grade bands" until "school year" to be inserted at the end of the sentence in line 25 of page 1
• Add "based on Grades, Attendance and Discipline" to line 11 at the end of the sentence

2019-2020 GMSD Proposed Instructional Calendar

Highlights:

·       Teachers have 7 days prior to school starting to prepare. (4 In-service, 3 Admin)

·       Fall PD Day is November 5 (Election Day)

·       2 Abbreviated Days for Students (1/2 days on last day of each semester)

·       Exams given over three days rather than two.

·       Teachers have 4 flex PD days (November 25 & 26 and January 2 & 3)

·       Two weeks out at Christmas for teachers and students

Tennessee Requirements for 200-Day Instructional Calendar

T.C.A. Section 49-6-3004

Each public school system shall maintain a term of not less than two hundred (200) days, divided as follows:

• One hundred eighty (180) days for classroom instruction (unless the use of stockpiled days is requested);
• Ten (10) days for vacation with pay;
• Five (5) days for in-service education (PD);
• One (1) day for teacher-parent conferences; and
• Four (4) other days as designated by the local board of education upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools (Admin Days).

Chairman Betsy Landers said that as identified by the Board, she was able to interview three firms for the selection of the General Counsel. She gave a brief summary of the process in which five questions were given to each of the firms to answer based on their experience with K 12 schools and with the consultation of Randall Benett, General Counsel for the Tennessee School Board Association TSBA.

She said that after she reviewed the answers and shared with the board members on the updates, she recommends Ms. Cheryl Rummage Estes from Lewis Thomason to be selected as the General Counsel for the Germantown Board of Education.

Chairman Betsy Landers announced the following:

• TSBA Annual Convention in Nashville - November 1-4 will be attended by the Board members, the Superintendent and the Board Secretary
• No Board Business meeting in November due to conflict in schedules and Thanksgiving break
• The next board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday December 18 at the City Hall

Board Member Lisa Parker thanked the Teachers, Administrators , the Superintendent,  District Office Staff and the Parents for all their support in creating this excellent school system.

She said that she was happy and thankful to have served in the position of a board member for 5 years for the Germantown Board of Education and to have been a part of the creation of this School District.