Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter



CAT Tracks for December 18, 2008
REGULAR BOE MEETING - MINUTES


The Cairo Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, December 18, 2008. Below is an annotated agenda to serve as minutes...


Cairo School District No. One
"MAKING A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE!"
2403 Dr. M. L. King Jr. Avenue
Cairo, Illinois 62914
Telephone 1-618-734-4102
Fax 1-618-734-4047

CAIRO BOARD OF EDUCATION
CAIRO SCHOOL DISTRICT NUMBER ONE
REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2008
6:00 P.M.

AGENDA

I. Call To Order - 6:00 p.m.

II. Roll Call - Brown, Stubblefield, Gooden, and Burris.

III. Examples of Excellence - Bennett Principal Pickett reported on the essays that students in her school wrote for American Education Week in November...entitled "If I Were Principal". Principal Pickett presented the BOE members with copies of the edition of The Cairo Citizen that reprinted the essays.

IV. Recognition of Guests/Comments From Public And Employees - None

V. Approval of Previous Minutes - Motion made, seconded, and passed.

  1. Regular Minutes of November 13, 2008
  2. Closed Minutes of November 13, 2008

VI. Approval of Agendas - Motion made, seconded, and passed.

  • Regular Meeting
  • Closed Meeting

VII. Approval of Treasurer's Report - Superintendent Swopes read the totals for the record. Motion made, seconded, and passed.

VIII. Approval of Payment of Bills/Payroll - After a brief period of questioning and uncertainty concerning answers, a motion was made, seconded, and passed to approve.

IX. Informational

  1. Lease Agreements - CCEC Building/Shawnee Community College & JAMP. Superintendent Swopes indicated that the contracts between the District and the entities needed to be reviewed...that SCC, for example, was using much more space than originally specified. Superintendent Swopes indicated that he would have a recommendation at a later date.
  2. Missing Children's List - Illinois State Police. Reportedly, there is a new law that requires the District to go through the list of missing children and compare the names with the District student enrollment. Since such action takes time and money, the Superintendent will try to find the best way to comply...possibly recommending a policy at a later date.
  3. Thank You Note From Teacher - An expression of appreciation for BOE recognition of the passing of one of the teacher's parents.
  4. School Health Concern - Superintendent Swopes report that a staff member at CJSHS had contracted a staph infection and sought treatment. Although there is no evidence as to how or where the staff member contracted the infection, District personnel did a thorough cleaning of possibly infectious/infected areas as a precaution.
  5. WKRO - Radio Spot (Monday - 1/12/09) - In response to a concern raised during community meetings early in the school year, the Superintendent has contacted WKRO and been granted a 15-minute monthly program as part of a community out-reach effort. He sees it as an opportunity to present the District in a positive way.
  6. District Web Page - Superintendent Swopes reminded the BOE that the District did not currently have a Web presence and that it was his feeling that it was needed. A Web page would allow the District to reach out to teachers and parents. Much of the $8,200 cost would be paid through the e-rate, with the page actually costing the District approximately $900. (I could make some CATty comments about this, but, instead, I'm simply going to bill CAT for the past 10 years of service. Hmmm, ten times $8,200... Of course, since CAT Tracks is just a "rag" and surely not of the professional caliber that the District's Web page will be, I may have to adjust my bill downward. On the other hand...before I do something drastic like that, I need to do some research on subscription numbers...comparing say Time Magazine and the National Enquirer. Stay tuned, but be saving your pennies...)
  7. School Improvement Day - 12-10-08 - More on the "Differentiating Instruction Model...more guns in the teachers' educational arsenal...development of resident experts.
  8. Letter From Ms. Carlton: Medical Equipment/Supplies (Possible Policy Action) - Held for closed session...no mention of topic after closed session.
  9. Early Graduation - Held for closed session...no mention of topic after closed session.
  10. Superintendent Swopes made reference to a Custodial Evaluation Form that was included in the BOE packets...that the members should look them over...would not vote to approve tonight, but later. (It turned out that the evaluation forms were not in the packets. BOE Member Gooden went to the office and got the forms, distributing them to the members.)
  11. Superintendent Swopes distributed a sheet of paper describing a new "Herb Duke Washam Award" that will be given to one male and one female student at the end of each year. More details are to be forthcoming.
  12. As teachers are aware - at least those who have attended workshops this year - a new practice has been implemented...a requirement to make a report to the faculty upon attendance at said workshop. BOE member Brown raised this issue earlier in this evening's meeting...growing quite agitated in demanding a report by the teacher to the principal, the principal then reporting to the superintendent, the superintendent then reporting to the BOE members...so that he could be educated on what the teacher had experienced. Superintendent Swopes and a member of the BOE's bargaining team tried to calm Mr. Brown, indicating that the matter was currently in negotiations and that it was premature to be making demands at this time. Mr. Brown did not appear to be satisfied with this explanation, indicating that if a teacher refused to make a post-workshop report...then the teacher should not be allowed to attend further workshops. Which brings us to "show and tell"...

    As was reported in the pages of the local "rag"...Superintendent Swopes went to Atlanta for a Black Educators' Conference in November when the BOE went to Chicago for the annual IL School Board Conference. (It turns out that BOE Member Brown accompanied Superintendent Swopes...which I guess explains the $4000 tab for the trip. It had seemed outrageously high for one person...) At the time, I believe the rag's editor (yes, moi!) wondered aloud if the Superintendent would make a report on his "workshop" upon his return. Since he doesn't read such "rags", it must be coincidence, but report he did!

    Mr. Brown came prepared with a 12-page handout - Education is a Civil Right", which he distributed to BOE members and the members of the audience. Mr. Brown gave an oral overview of his handout. (Maybe this is why he was agitated about teachers who attended workshops making report upon their return!?) Superintendent Swopes followed up the remarks by Mr. Brown with a video "The Journey to Justice"...an account of the struggle for equality in education from the days of slavery, through Plessy v. Ferguson, through Brown v. Board of Education, to No Child Left Behind and the current achievement gap.

    Editor's Note: I found nothing objectionable about the video...it was well done. I was quite familiar with most of it...having taught Black History for several years at CHS. (I actually had the pleasure of drafting the first syllabus for an African American History class at CHS...urging that it be taught by an African American who might have greater credibility with our school population.) Many of the scenes in the video were part of the "Eyes on the Prize" series that I showed in my class. My only regret/concern is that material of this nature would be shown as if it were something new...that us home-bodies are a bunch of rubes...and if white, a bunch of rednecks. Most folks in Cairo are VERY familiar with matters of race relations. Many of us LIVED the civil rights struggle in Cairo...Cairo was the great northern civil rights battle field in the late 1960s and early 1970s. We may be country bumpkins, but we do know a few things about race and discrimination, possibly more than our big-city cousins since it was much more personal!

    As I have detailed on julieanewell.com, being white, I have had the "pleasure" of being accepted/invisible to whites expressing their stereotypical negative views of blacks. Dating and marrying a member of the opposite race in a racially divided area (long before anyone quibbled or questioned whether someone like Barack Obama was "mixed" rather than simply another black man), I had the "pleasure" of being VERY visible...raising the ire of whites AND blacks. And, due to my marriage to a black woman, I have had the "pleasure" of being accepted/invisible to blacks expressing their stereotypical negative views of whites. Folks...racism is ugly, no matter its color. Anyone who would cast stones needs to first of all take a long look in the mirror...

    I will have to say that the presentation began with a moment of unsettling déjà vu...as Superintendent Swopes again cited Martin Luther King Jr. and his remark that anything that makes children feel helpless and hopeless is an act of violence...part of his racially tinged remarks at the now infamous October 2nd joint Cairo-Meridian BOE meeting. However, this time (are we slowly making progress?) Superintendent Swopes stopped short of singling out white teachers as the culprits, allowing one to infer that "anyone" (of any race or color) who "failed to teach children" (of any race or color) was guilty of committing an act of violence against the children. After this moment (of defiance? of explanation?), he quickly moved on...

    Superintendent Swopes concluded his part of the "Atlanta Presentation" by reporting that he and his sister had conducted at session at the conference, entitled "Sensible Discipline"...showing part of the Power Point Presentation.

    The joint presentation took approximately 30 minutes and more was promised in February as part of the Black History Month celebration.

  13. Checks Deposited - District Account

    $200,052.61 - State Aid _1st Payment- Oct.
    1,697.00 - Title VI Rural Education
    200,052.61 - State Aid- 2nd Payment- Oct.
    67,423.00 - Title I Low Income
    24,466.69 - Federal Lunch
    13,973.72 - Federal Breakfast
    13,049.07 - Personal Property Replacement Tax
    10,019.87 - Final Loss Payment- Fire Loss
    50.00 - Rent - First Student Transit

X. Closed Session - The BOE voted to enter closed session at 7:23 p.m. The BOE voted to exit closed session at 8:37 p.m.
Pending Litigation

XI. Requiring Action/Decisions By Board of Education

  1. Personnel employment, resignation, release, discipline, or compensation.
    a. Accept Resignation of Zach Schumacher - Scholar Bowl Sponsor - (Jr. High) - Motion was made, seconded, and passed.
    b. Employ Ronnie Woods - Jr. High Scholar Bowl Sponsor - Motion was made, seconded, and passed.
  2. Approve Tax Levy (as discussed in closed session. Don't know that that is exactly "kosher" under the Open Meetings Act, but...) - Motion was made, seconded, and passed.
  3. Approve Board Policy Updates (again...as discussed in closed session. However, BOE Member Stubblefield raised issue that the policies to be adopted should be identified by name and number for the record. He then went through and read same aloud.) - Motion was made, seconded, and passed.
  4. Discuss/Approve Proposal For Purchase of Football Bleachers and Light Poles - Motion was made, seconded, and passed that the bleachers and light poles were NOT for sale at this time.
  5. Project Choices: Special Education Strategies - Motion was made, seconded, and passed.
  6. Amend Decision Re: Early Graduation to Conform to Policy - No mention; no action.
  7. Policy: Purchase of Medical Supplies/Equipment For Staff - No mention; no action.
  8. Approve Response To Intervention (RtI) Plan - Motion was made, seconded, and passed.
  9. Purchase/Development of District Web Site - Motion was made, seconded, and passed.

XII. Other - Set Date for Special Meeting - January 5, 2009, at 6 p.m. - Purpose to discuss collective bargaining.

XIII. Old Business - None

XIV. Adjourn - Motion made, seconded, and passed to adjourn at 8:50 p.m.


CLOSED SESSION IS FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONSIDERING INFORMATION RELATIVE TO THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT, PERFORMANCE OR DISMISSAL OF INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES WHICH MAY BE OF A TEMPORARY CONFIDENTIAL NATURE, STUDENT DISCIPLINE, PLACEMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, DISCUSSION OF LITIGATION PROBABLE, IMMINENT, FILED OR PENDING AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING OR RELATED ISSUES.