DECATUR - The Decatur Public School Board met May 28 in a classroom in the old middle school building, with numerous items on the meeting’s agenda.

Jennifer Kinder gave a status report on the English as a Second Language program which is in use in the Decatur school system. There are seven teachers within the system who have been certified. Two teachers are working on their ESL certification and expect to complete the process by the 2013-2014 school year. Larry Ben, district superintendent, expressed his wish to get all elementary school teachers certified within the next two years.

Receiving an ESL endorsement on the Arkansas Teachers license requires 12 hours of course work. The classes include teaching English as a second language, ESL assessment and teaching people of other cultures. These classes can be taken at ESL Academy, Project Rise or through a university.

After completing the course work, the candidate must pass the Praxis II - English as a Second Language exam. Once this is complete, the teachers will receive their ESL endorsement.

As an incentive to get ESL certified, the Decatur School District Licensed Policy and Procedures Committee sent a proposal to the School Board for approval. The proposal allowed a $600 stipend for any teacher with the ESL endorsement. This would help teachers offset the cost of the ESL certification process. The board voted and approved the measure.

Student Transfers

The Arkansas Public School Choice Act of 2013, which was passed and signed into law by Governor Mike Beebe on April 16, was next on the agenda. The School Choice Act 1227 provides that parents can transfer students in or out of a school district if that district has openings. The new law limits the number of transfers to 3 percent of the previous year’s enrollment, or around 15 students in the Decatur District.

According to the law as it pertains to “out-of-district” transfers, “The district shall date and time stamp all applications for school choice transfer out of the district as they are received in the district’s central office. By August 1, the district shall approve all such applications unless the approval would cause the district to have a net enrollment loss (students transferring out minus those transferring in) of more than 3 percent of the previous year's enrollment. By June 1 of each year, the ADE (Arkansas Department of Education) shall determine and notify the district of the net number of allowable choice transfers. For the purpose of determining the 3 percent cap, siblings are counted as one student.”

For transfers into the school district, the new law states, “Each school year the Board of Directors will adopt a resolution containing the capacity standards the district will use in determining whether to accept or deny a school choice application from another district’s resident students. The resolution will contain the acceptance determination criteria identified by academic program, class, grade level and individual school. The school is not obligated to add any teachers, other staff, or classrooms to accommodate choice applications. In determining the capacity of the district to accept choice applications, the board of directors shall consider the probable, locally-generated growth in student enrollment based on recent district enrollment history.”

According to the law, an application for transfer will be reviewed by the school board to see if it fits within the guidelines. If either approved or denied, the applicant will receive an acceptance or denial letter.

After a lengthy review of the Act 1227 and School Choice Capacity Resolutions, the Decatur School Board voted and passed this item. The list of openings for next year was not available.

Teacher Evaluation

The school board discussed and approved the implementation of a new teacher evaluation process for 2013-14 school year. They also approved a motion to adopt the proposed budget of expenditures with tax levy for the fiscal school year beginning July 1, 2014, and including June 30, 2015. This document also contains specifications for the upcoming Sept. 17 school board elections in which two positions will be available. The ballot will also include approval of the current tax rate.

Purchases

The board approved a new computer use policy and the installation of CIPA compliance for Internet content filters to all existing systems within the district. They also approved the purchase of servers, iPads, computers and laptops, Chrome books, and K12 Inc. online courses. All of these items are needed to keep the Decatur students in tune with current educational trends.

The district approved the purchase of a new scissor lift for building maintenance. Decatur has been renting this machine. After researching the purchase versus renting this item, it was found to be more cost effective to buy the lift.

Environmental Marketing Services submitted a request to handle chemical waste disposal for Decatur schools. The board reviewed the request and approved the use of this company for waste disposal.

The meeting concluded with a review of the purchases of commodities procedures for compliance with state laws.

News, Pages 3 on 06/19/2013