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Governance
Board Meeting, April 6, 2005 |
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In Attendance: |
Joseph
Ricke, Jan Nelson, Mary Tingblad, Melanie Casiday, Linda
Morantez, Margaret Ruffino, Pam Wertjes, Sara Macke, Anita Britton,
Rhonda Lundgren, Sandy Gosen, Doug Kennedy, Jean Peebles, Mike Cutshall. |
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Absent: |
Jeri Goodspeed-Gross, Miles
Mortensen. There is still a vacancy on the Governance Board for a
representative from Clear Springs. |
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Guests: |
Anita Otten, Teachers’ Rights
Co-Chair. |
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Call to Order: |
4:35 p.m., by President
Ricke. |
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Approval of Minutes: |
Motion by Cutshall, seconded by Macke, to approve the
minutes of March 16, 2005. Motion carried. |
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Teachers' Rights Report: |
The Teachers' Rights
Co-Chairs continue to meet with the district regarding administrative
communication and follow through. They stress the importance of everyone in
the district getting the same message at the same time. |
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Treasurer's Report: |
Treasurer Casiday distributed the MTA Monthly Budget
Report and the MTA Checking Account Statement, both dated April 1, 2005. |
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New Business: |
Visit to Crosby-Ironton: President Ricke went to
Crosby-Ironton again on March 31, 2005. He delivered money donations
collected from MTA members. He spoke with business and community members. The
C-I Local reached a settlement today, however members will still face
financial difficulties. Motion by
Lundgren, seconded by Peebles, to send
an additional $250, originally approved as part of $500, on February
16, 2005. Motion carried. President Ricke will send out an e-mail
to MTA members regarding an additional donation drive for the C-I Local. Elections: An MTA Election will take place on April
7, 2005. Members will vote for two delegates to join President Ricke (total
of 3 MTA delegates) at the NEA-RA, July 1-6, 2005. Information on the
candidates can be found on a special MTA Election webpage. Ballots were delivered
to each building before Spring Break. Building Representatives should bring all ballots and envelopes
to DSC on April 7, 2005, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Job Sharing: A 0.5 FTE job-share teacher has been pressured to be full-time while job-share partner is on leave. Some also question the appropriateness of some questions on surveys given to parents of students in shared classes. Last year, job-sharing teachers had involvement in the survey, but this year they had no input. Building Representatives will provide more information to the Teachers’ Rights Co-Chairs and Contract Administrators so they can follow up on this with administration. Dual Licensure and Seniority: The right of assignment is a managerial right. The district can guarantee a job for a teacher with multiple licensure, but it may not be the job the teacher wants. MHS Departments: The departments with the biggest
cuts want to address their concerns regarding the cuts and the 6-period day. This
year MHS has 119 FTEs, and next year there will be 119.3 FTEs. Many question
how the district will save money with the 6-period day and budget cuts when
the FTEs end up the same. President Ricke will ask for an update on the cost
containment savings at the next Meet and Confer meeting. |
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Old Business: |
Reorganization Meeting: The Reorganization Meeting will be on May 4, 2005, at Hazellewood Grill. Secretary Tingblad will make the arrangements. Update on Sunshine Fund Committee: This will occur later. Teacher Celebration Committee: This will occur
later. Letter of Non-Support of Statewide Health Care Plan: Tom Berge has asked for a letter of non-support from the MTA. The bill has been amended to make the plan voluntary. If it is passed as a voluntary program, districts with their own successful plans would not have to participate, and other districts could still benefit from the plan. Motion by Lundgren, seconded by Gosen, that the Governance Board not send a letter voicing our opinion on the Statewide Health Care Plan. Motion carried (yes: 6, no: 5, abstain: 3). President Ricke will invite President Schaubach to our May 20, 2005, Governance Board meeting. He will also invite Tom Berge to address the Governance Board at the next meeting. |
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President's Report: |
District Communication: tabled to next meeting. Alternative Compensation Update: tabled to next meeting. MTA Cost Containment Document: President Ricke will this document
to MTA members. |
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School Board Report: |
On March 22, 2005, the School Board held a hearing on fees. Community members expressed concerns about the safety of students walking two miles to school with added traffic. At the March 24, 2005 School Board meeting, they discussed
parent survey results and online learning. |
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Respectfully submitted, |
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