AJO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 15

Governing Board Members: Administration:
Mr. John Byrnes - President Dr. Robert Dooley - Superintendent
Mrs. Lisa Rossi - Clerk Dr. Joen Painter - Principal
Mrs. Rose Cameron - Member Ms. Patricia Spencer - Director of Finance
Mr. Hollister David - Member  
Mrs. Amy Runge - Member  

MINUTES
REGULAR SESSION BOARD MEETING

Ajo Unified School District Board Room #23, 5:30 p.m.
August 5, 2010

  1. Call to Order at 5:30 p.m.

  2. Opening Exercises

    1. Roll Call:
      • A - John Byrnes, President
      • P - Lisa Rossi, Clerk
      • P - Rose Cameron, Member
      • P - Hollister David, Member
      • P - Amy Runge, Member
      • P - Robert Dooley, Superintendent
      • P - Joen Painter, Principal
      • A - Patricia Spencer, Financial Director
    2. Pledge of Allegiance
    3. Statement of Welcome
    4. Appointment of Acting President, L. Rossi and Acting Clerk, A. Runge
    5. Superintendent's Report - Superintendent's Report
      • With the employment of the teachers on tonight's agenda, all home room positions are filled. The only open positions after tonight will be K-6 SPED, Media Center/Librarian, and a Reading Specialist.
      • We have yet to receive a hard copy of our 2010 AIMS results. When they become available, a report will be made to the Board.
        • I was notified on July 9th of our results but the information was embargoed until about two weeks ago.
        • We have several challenges with the test scores due to tour demographics. There is no easy, quick fix.
        • Solutions we will pursue - Look at more student data, disaggregation, periodic benchmark testing, and RTI models.
        • 2011 will present more challenges, as a 9% increase in scores is to be implemented.
    6. Adoption of Agenda

      Mrs. Runge made the motion to adopt the agenda. Mrs. Cameron seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

  3. Visitor Comments

    Visitors are welcome to speak on non-agenda items. Comments are limited to 3 minutes. Please state your name and address prior to making your comments. The Board will not take any legal action on issues raised during this position of the meeting.

    Dr. Joen M. Painter
    (Transcribers Note: Below are excerpt from Dr. Painter's Visitor's Comments. For a copy of the entire comment, please contact the District Office.)

    I see the need to provide a little perspective about running a school office and the dynamics of the everyday pace in a school office. Have I made mistakes this past year? I will be the first to tell you yes. However, I did not make a mistake in May when I requested to have an instructional assistant substitute in the office when we suddenly lost one of our secretaries in the midst of a crisis, chaos, and the end of the school year. I requested this aide for a number of reasons.

    There are reasons why I did not recommend a number of people for the school secretary job and they were based on parameters set by the secretaries, job interview, and reference check. But, those things didn't seem to matter when questions arose regarding why I would recommend one candidate and not another. I stand by my recommendation based on those three items. After all, I run the school, supervise the people in the office, and am trying to get the office going in the right direction after two critical events took place. And to top it all off, I was trying to get us through an ELL audit in the month of May.

    I am deeply committed to raise up a generation of well educated, caring youth. By the time they graduate from high school, it is my hope that they will be completely sold out to discover their purpose and to follow it for the rest of their lives. I point out all of this to tell you that many, many of our young people don't have that positive person for them at home or in the community and though we try to provide the positive adult in the classroom, a child's safe zone, any times, is the school office away from their classmates! This is true of children from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Trust that part of our job in the office is to encourage children and to keep time in school. Hope that the children will come ready to storm our campus with positive energy and commitment. Trust that they understand the needs of their friends. Work towards having our entire school take a huge leap forward because of our influence on children. And, finally, trust that you hired a principal who knows what is needed in her office and the types of personalities that work well with adults and children to move a school forward after a tumultuous year. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to call me.

  4. Consent Agenda

    1. Financial Report
    2. Voucher Approval
    3. Board Minutes

    Mrs. Runge made the motion to approve the consent agenda. Mrs. Rossi seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

  5. Personnel

    1. Classified Resignation - Patricia Wagner

      Patricia Wagner has submitted her resignation as an office clerk/instructional aide. Her stated reason for the resignation was due to a family health issue.

      Mrs. Runge made the motion to approve the resignation of Patricia Wagner. Mrs. Cameron seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

    2. Certified Employment - Sarah Meyers

      Sarah Meyers has been interviewed and reference checks completed for the position of K-12 Art teacher.

      Mrs. Cameron made the motion to approve the employment of Mrs. Sarah Meyers as a K-12 Art Teacher. Mrs. Rossi seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

    3. Certified Employment - Tracy Moore

      Mr. Tracy Moore has been interviewed and reference checks completed for the position of elementary teacher. He will be teaching in the 4/5 classroom for the 2010/2011 school year.

      Mrs. Cameron made the motion to approve the employment of Mr. Tracy Moore. Mrs. Runge seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

    4. Adoption of Job Description - School Secretary

      A school secretary job description has been prepared for Board review. Attached is a copy of this job description.

      Mrs. Cameron made the motion to approve the attached job description for School Secretary. Mrs. Rossi seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

    5. Employment of School Secretary - Yvette Meyers

      Yvette Meyers was interviewed by Dr. Painter, Ms. Spencer, and Dr. Dooley. She was recommended by the interview team for the position of school clerk/paraprofessional. Since the co-candidate for this position has resigned, Yvette is being recommended for the position of School Secretary.

      Mrs. Runge made the motion to approve the employment of Yvette Meyers as a School Secretary. Mrs. Rossi seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

    6. Extra Pay Position - Assistant Baseball Coach - Mike Morales

      Mike Morales has written a letter of interest to again be considered for the position of Assistant Boy's Baseball Coach.

      Mrs. Cameron made the motion to approve Mike Morales as the Assistant Baseball Coach for the 2010/2011 school year. Mrs. Rossi seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

    7. Classified Resignation - Nancy Ness

      Nancy Ness, our school health aide, has submitted her resignation. Her expressed reason for resigning is to more out of Ajo and continue her training in the medical field. Her resignation will be effective mid to late September.

      Mrs. Runge made the motion to approve the resignation of Nancy Ness. Mrs. Rossi seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

  6. Business

    1. Acceptance of Bids for Itinerant Special Education Services

      The Administration is recommended the following providers for Special Education Itinerant Services:

      Educational Support Services: Carl Grasso 1 Visit/Month $11,250 yearly
      Occupational Therapy Services: Alicia Quintana 3 Visits/Month $27,000 yearly
      Physical Therapy Services: Jamie Wolf 1 Visit/Month $27,000 yearly
      Speech Services: Katie Cannon 4 Visit/Month $21,240 yearly

      Mrs. Cameron made the motion to approve the above list to provide special education services to the students of the AUSD. Mrs. Rossi seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

    2. Approval of Agreement between the AZ School for the Deaf and the Blind for Student Services

      The Administration is requesting that the Board approve the attached agreement with the AZ School for the Deaf and the Blind to provide services for three (3) preschool students in our community.

      Mrs. Runge made the motion to approve the attached agreement between the ASDB and the AUSD. Mrs. Cameron seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

    3. Approval of Agreement with Pima County Joint Technical Education District - Ajo Perkins/Priority CTE Grants

      Due to CTE reporting concerns, the AZ Department of Education is defunding the Ajo CTE program and transferring these funds to the Pima County JTED. The attached IGA will allow the JTED to receive the funds and process the documentation for the Ajo CTE Program.

      Mrs. Cameron made the motion to approve the attached agreement between JTED and the AUSD. Mrs. Runge seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

    4. Award of Culinary Arts Remodeling Project

      The Administration contracted 3 licensed contractors to seek price quotes for the installation of two floor sinks in the culinary arts classroom. These sinks are necessary to meet county health codes for commercial kitchens.

      Due to the fact that this is not a sealed bid, there is no Board vote necessary. This is an informational item only.

    5. Modification of Adopted 2010/2011 School Calendar

      The Administration is asking that the 2010/2011 academic calendar be modified to increase early release days to include September 15, October 13, February 9, and April 27 for staff in-service.

      Mrs. Cameron made the motion to approve the modification of the 2010/2011 academic calendar. Mrs. Rossi seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

    6. Disposal of Obsolete Technology Equipment

      Eric Schultz has identified the attached lists (6) of equipment as being obsolete or broken beyond repair. Per USFR guidelines, we are seeking Board approval to dispose of this equipment.

      Mrs. Cameron made the motion to approve of the disposal of the items on the attached six lists of obsolete/damaged technology equipment. Mrs. Runge seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

    7. Approval of AOI Program between Education 2020 and the Ajo Unified School District

      The Ajo Unified School District #15 and Education 2020 have been approved by the Arizona State Board of Education to provide an AOI (AZ Online Instruction) program for students of Arizona who are in grades 6-12 and are residents of Arizona.

      Mrs. Cameron made the motion to approve the partnership between E2020 and the AUSD. Mrs. Runge seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

  7. Curriculum & Instruction

    1. Adoption of Rosetta Stone

      The adoption of Rosetta Stone as part of the curriculum for the High School Spanish Language classes is being recommended.

      Mrs. Runge made the motion to approve the addition of Rosetta Stone to the High School Curriculum for Spanish Language classes. Mrs. Rossi seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0.

Noting no other business before the Board, Mrs. Rossi, acting President of the Board, adjourned the meeting at 6:10 p.m.

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