MINUTES

FINANCE AND OPERATIONS COMMITTEE

August 8, 2005

The Finance and Operations Committee of the Board of Education of the School District of Jefferson met on Monday, August 8, 2005, in the High School Library. Chairperson Stoner called the meeting to order at 6:17 p.m. with Committee members Koch, Salmon, and Stafford present.

Approval of Minutes: Motion by Mr. Stafford, seconded by Mr. Koch to approve minutes of the July 11, 2005 Finance and Operations Committee as presented. The motion passed on a unanimous voice vote.

OPERATIONS TOPICS:

Resignation(s): none

Employment(s):

* Tabitha Lee - 50% K-5 Reading Teacher - West Elementary

* Margaret Meske - 50% Spanish Teacher - High School

A motion to approve the employment of Tabitha Lee as presented and forward to the full Board for approval was made by Mr. Salmon, seconded by Mr. Stafford. The motion passed on a unanimous voice vote

A motion to approve the employment of Margaret Meske as presented and forward to the full Board for approval was made by Mr. Koch, seconded by Mr. Stafford. The motion passed on a unanimous voice vote.

Gifted and Talented Position for 2005-06 School Year: Considerable discussion on whether to hire a Gifted and Talented Coordinator for the 2005-2006 school year took place. Mr. Swartz reported that the position was posted and the district has received applications for this vacancy. No interviews have taken place to date. Options discussed included:

* Leave the position vacant for the 2005-06 school year only

* Full-time vs. part-time

* The administration will not fill the vacancy just to have a warm body in place - a recommendation will only be made if the “right” person is found

* If position is not filled, there would be a drop in the in-service activities with staff such as differentiation training

* Mr. Swartz recommends filling the position if the right person is found

The Committee took no action, interviews for the position may take place, and if a qualified individual is found, the administration will present a recommendation for Board approval. An update will be provided at the full Board meeting of August 29, 2005.

Staffing Consideration - Special Education Transportation Paraprofessional: Mrs. Peachey explained that the Jefferson Bus Service has, in the past, employed individuals on an as-needed basis to ride the bus and assist special needs students that have specific medical needs. The bus service has been informed by their insurance carrier that this will no longer be an option and that the School District of Jefferson will now be responsible for employing an individual to provide these services.

Because of this situation, the administration is recommending hiring a .40 FTE Paraprofessional III - Special Education Transportation to assist an East Elementary special needs student on the am and pm bus routes. As this is a newly created position, it will need to go through the Job Study process for the identification of an hourly wage. The estimated annual cost for this position is $5,400. It is anticipated that the district will need to fill the position for the 2005-2006 school year only.

A motion to approve the staffing consideration for a .40 FTE Paraprofessional III - Special Education Transportation as presented was made by Mr. Stafford, seconded by Mr. Koch. The motion passed on a unanimous voice vote.

Position Description – Paraprofessional III - Special Education Transportation: A motion to approve the Position Description - Paraprofessional III - Special Education Transportation as presented and forward for full Board approval was made by Mr. Salmon, seconded by Mr. Koch. The motion passed on a unanimous voice vote.

School Enrollment Projections: A brochure from the Applied Population Laboratory with the University of Wisconsin-Madison outlining their school enrollment projections services was shared with committee members. This firm could provide demographic data in a future referendum for a cost of $3,000 - $5,000. The School District of Jefferson has used the firm in the past. No action was taken on this informational item.

High School Security Cameras: Mr. Linse reviewed a proposal from Best Defense Security and Fire Protection for security cameras at Jefferson High School. He explained that the cameras would be a deterrent to behaviors such as speeding in the parking lot, car surfing, and smoking. There is a potential for securing at least a portion of the costs for the cameras from outside sources. Mr. Linse was encouraged to continue with this project, but he should not expect any Board financing.

FINANCE TOPICS:

2004-05 Year-End Balances Report: Preliminary year-end balances for all district funds as well as the updated history of changes to the general fund balances since 2000-01 were reviewed. It was noted that the district had budgeted to use $105,052 of fund balance in the 2004-05 school year for various purposes. The preliminary final balances show that $28,756.87 of fund balance was actually used leaving a budget balance of $76,295.13. Mrs. Peachey noted that these balances are subject to change pending completion of the district’s 2004-05 Audit.

2004-05 Wisconsin Retirement Prior Service Liability Report: Mrs. Peachey reminded the committee that the district refinanced its unfunded pension liability in January 2005. Since that time, the district has been paying the required interest and small amounts of principal as available within the 1.2% funding level. At this point, the district is on the adjustable rate program with rates that have been increasing slightly each month. A spreadsheet showing interest rates, interest costs, and principal payments since the refinancing date was provided for review. Information from Stifel, Nicolaus regarding the status of variable versus fixed rates at this time was also reviewed. No action is required at this point.

2005-06 Short-Term Borrowing Needs: Annually, at this time of year, the district calculates its cash flow borrowing needs for the upcoming year and prepares the necessary paperwork. This year’s cash flow preparation is different than in the past due to the May 2005 refunding of a debt issue. Since the refunding was in excess of $5 million there are different requirements for cash flow purposes. These requirements have been reviewed with the district’s bond counsel, Quarles & Brady, and have been incorporated into the draft documents that have been prepared for vendors. The requirements were explained in detail.

It is anticipated that the district will reach its cash flow deficit in November 2005. It is recommended that the district borrow $800,000 to cover its cash flow needs. This compares with $1,200,000 borrowed during 2004-05. Bids will be received on the date of the regular Board meeting (8/29/05). The results will be shared that evening and approval sought.

A motion to recommend proceeding with the preparations for the 2005-2006 short-term borrowing to meet the district’s financial needs as presented was made by Mr. Stafford, seconded by Mr. Koch. Bids will be reviewed and approval sought at the Full Board meeting of August 29, 2005.

2005-06 Proposed Budget Document: Mrs. Peachey reviewed the “draft” 2005-06 Budget document.

A motion to forward the 2005-2006 Budget Presentation documents as presented for full Board approval on August 29, 2005 was made by Mr. Stafford, seconded by Mr. Salmon. The motion passed on a unanimous voice vote.

Discussion of Possible Topics for Future Meetings: Future meeting topics that were requested included:

* Bus security cameras

A motion was made by Mr. Salmon seconded by Mr. Koch to move into closed session pursuant to Section 19.85(1)(c) Wisconsin Statutes for the purpose of discussing Personnel Consideration – Administrative and Non-Unit Compensation for 2005-2006. The motion passed on a unanimous roll call vote.

CLOSED SESSION:

A motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Koch, seconded by Mr. Stafford. Motion carried 4-0.

ADJOURNMENT: 8:08 p.m.

BOARD OF EDUCATION

Pati Fitzgerald, Secretary