State Board of Education
January 20, 2005
The January meeting of the Board of Education was held in the State Board Conference Room, Grimes State Office Building, Des Moines. The following Board members were present: Gene Vincent, Charles Edwards, Sister Jude Fitzpatrick, Wayne Kobberdahl, Greg McClain, Mary Jean Montgomery and Megan Srinivas. Also present were Director Judy Jeffrey and Department staff members, Gail Sullivan, Lee Tack, Carol Greta, Su McCurdy, Kathi Slaughter, Jeff Berger, Bill Silag, Jim Reese, Rita Martens, Beverly Bunker, Chris Evans, Michelle Wendel, Carlene Lodermeir, John O’Connell, Roseanne Malek, Pam Pfitzenmaier, LauraBelle Sherman Proehle and Beverlee Adams. Also present were Kathy Brock, Northwest Iowa Community College; Robin Madison, Legislative Fiscal Bureau; Dr. Clar Baldus, University of Iowa; Madelaine Jerousek, Des Moines Register; Todd Dorman, Lee Newspapers; Rod Boshart, Cedar Rapids Gazette,and Janeane Beck, KUNI.
President Gene Vincent called the meeting to order at 8:45 a.m.
It was moved by Wayne Kobberdahl and seconded by Mary Jean Montgomery to approve the agenda as written.
COMMUNICATION
Public Comment
There was no public comment.
Board Reports
Megan Srinivas – No report
Sister Jude Fitzpatrick stated she had attended the AEA 9 Governor’s meeting on Iowa Learns and reported an excellent turnout. She had also attended the Regents’ Iowa Braille Sight Saving School Task Force meeting and gave an update.
Fitzpatrick indicated that the Board Development subgroup had met and planned to bring ideas to the Board at the March meeting.
Charlie Edwards – No report
Mary Jean Montgomery shared an update of her attendance at the joint meeting of the Iowa Public Television Board. Montgomery said that the legislative request for funding would be part of the entire education request—a portion of the IPTV dollars would be used for additional transmitters.
Wayne Kobberdahl gave a brief report on the Community College Council meeting.
Gene Vincent gave an update on the selection process for the student Board member—Megan Srinivas’ term would be completed April 30, 2005 . He appointed a screening committee for selection of the candidates that would be forwarded to the Governor for final selection. The committee appointed was Mary Jean Montgomery, Megan Srinivas and Gene Vincent.
Greg McClain gave an update on the Athletic Eligibility Policy Subcommittee he served on with the Waterloo Community School District. He also indicated he had attended the January I-JAG Board meeting. McClain said that all report card indicators reported that all I-JAG sites were doing well. Two I-JAG members had been recognized with national awards and two additional members had received honorable mention.
President Vincent conducted a Board discussion to review the legislative reception held on January 19.
Director Report
Director Judy Jeffrey reported on the following items:
· Department offers have been accepted by the state buying team.
· Title II, Part A visit report.
· Board of Educational Examiners has announced a new director, Dr. George Maurer. Jeffrey stated that she would also be serving as the Chair for the Board of Educational Examiners.
· Student Achievement Update – 27 days of staff development added to school calendar and a grant has been received for technical assistance.
· Vicki Goldsmith, Iowa Teacher of the Year, was one of four finalists selected for National Teacher of the Year to be announced in April.
· Iowa Learns Town Hall meetings were successfully completed.
CONSENT AGENDA
Minutes
The minutes of the November 16, 2004 State Board of Education meeting were amended to change page 5 under “Practitioner Preparation Program Approvals” to state that Board member Greg McClain intended to recuse himself from the vote following the discussion of the practitioner preparation program approval for the University of Northern Iowa.
The amended minutes of the November 16, 2004 State Board of Education meeting were approved.
Rules
Chapter 2, “Agency Procedures for Rule Making and Petitions for Rule Making” were approved for Notice of Intended Action as presented.
Rules: Chapter 96 – Local Option Sales and Services Tax for School Infrastructure
Lee Tack, Administrator, Division of Financial and Information Services reviewed the proposed amendments to implement the statutory requirement in Iowa Code section 422E.3A, relating to the certificate of needs approval required from the Department of Education for school districts to expend funds from their infrastructure tax monies. Tack indicated these proposed rules would assist school districts in planning what type of information would be expected of them for future construction projects.
Motion: It was moved by Mary Jean Montgomery and seconded by Sister Jude Fitzpatrick to approve the Notice of Intended Action to amend Chapter 96, “Local Option Sales and Service Tax for School Infrastructure.”
Vote: The motion carried unanimously.
Update: Legislative School Finance Formula Review Committee
Administrator Lee Tack, Division of Financial and Information Services presented an update of the work by the Legislative School Finance Formula Review Committee. He stated the Committee had been charged to prepare a school finance formula status report and provide recommendations in accordance with the requirements of Iowa Code section 257.1(4). This included providing recommendations for school finance formula changes or revisions based upon demographic changes, enrollment trends, and property tax valuation fluctuations observed during the preceding five-year interval; and providing an analysis of the operation of the school finance formula during the preceding five-year interval. The Code section also required incorporating a summary of issues that have arisen since the previous review and potential approaches for a resolution.
Tack outlined the following recommendations that were approved by the Committee on December 16, 2004.
· Increase the foundation level to 100 percent over the next seven years – consider tax increment financing (TIF) reform and adjusting the uniform levy.
· Phase out, or require voter approval every 10 years for seldom-used levies.
· Require the Department of Management to facilitate a dialogue to resolve TIF issues.
· Provide state funding of up to 50 percent of district costs that exceed the statewide transportation average.
· Remove barriers for partnerships between secondary and postsecondary institutions to increase opportunities for students (including barriers for usage of the Iowa Communications Network), and require school districts to publicize the Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act (Iowa Code Chapter 261C)
· Increase the state aid amount under the Instructional Support Program over multiple years, eventually building the amount into the school aid formula.
Dr. Tack concluded his review by responding to questions from several Board members.
Northwest Iowa Community College Accreditation Report
Beverly Bunker, Bureau Chief and Bill Silag, Administrative Consultant, Bureau of Community Colleges and Career and Technical Education reviewed the findings of the accreditation visit. It was felt that the college had outstanding community support. The recent levy, the number of advisory committees and the number of companies offering equipment to the college for educational purposes all reflected great community support. Interviews with faculty, staff, and community representatives confirmed that the student comes first at Northwest Iowa Community College (NCC) and that courses must be of a high quality to assure a positive outcome for the students. The atmosphere on campus is positive and lends to a positive student environment. It was noted that the financial stability of the college was improved due to grant awards, successful fund drives by the NCC Foundation, and general increases of balances in major funds.
Bunker outlined opportunities for institutional improvement that the accreditation team had identified. She indicated the NCC should continue to build on its strategic plan and environmental scanning to determine the unique niche for NCC in northern Iowa. The team had pointed out that NCC staff should review publications and orientation workshops with students to determine if the requirements for an AA degree are clear and specific as to the courses offered, credit hours, and methods of delivery. The vocational degree information was very clear and student friendly and it was noted that the same approach could be developed for associate of arts degrees.
The accreditation team had also recommended that the NCC should continue its efforts to improve its institutional and student assessment methods, as part of a larger continuous quality improvement process of acting, evaluating, and revising programs and courses to better meet the needs of learners.
Bunker reported that the accreditation team recommended Northwest Iowa Community College be granted ten-year accreditation from 2004 – 2014 for State Board approval.
Kathy Brock, Vice President of Northwest Iowa Community College presented a brief overview of programs and projects in process at the college.
Motion: It was moved by Mary Jean Montgomery and seconded by Sister Jude Fitzpatrick to approve the ten-year accreditation for Northwest Iowa Community College from 2004-2014.
There was a discussion about whether the accreditation approval process and the community college strategic plan were aligned.
Greg McClain offered an amendment to the accreditation motion requesting that Northwest Iowa Community College submit a plan within the next three or four months outlining current progress and future plans for meeting Goal 5 of the Community College Strategic Plan related to the recruitment and retention of women and minorities in college programs. Charles Edwards offered a second to the amendment.
There was further discussion about whether this amendment regarding Goal 5 of the community college strategic plan should be tied to the motion to approve accreditation.
Vote: Aye: Edwards, McClain, and Montgomery. Nay: Kobberdahl, Fitzpatrick and Vincent. Amendment failed.
Mary Jean Montgomery called for the question for vote on the original motion by Mary Jean Montgomery and seconded by Sister Jude Fitzpatrick to approve the 10-year accreditation for Northwest Community College as stated.
Vote: Aye: Edwards, Fitzpatrick Montgomery, Kobberdahl, and Vincent. Nay: McClain. The motion carried.
Motion: It was moved by Greg McClain that the State Board require Northwest Iowa Community College to provide a status report within a two-month timeframe on Goal #5 of the Community College Strategic Plan regarding the recruitment and retention of women and minorities in their programs. It was seconded by Charles Edwards.
Vote: Aye: Edwards, Kobberdahl, Montgomery, McClain and Vincent. Nay: Fitzpatrick. The motion carried.
Mary Jean Montgomery made a request for the Department staff to come back to the Board in a reasonable amount of time with information regarding clarification of the alignment of the accreditation process and the community college strategic plan.
Community College Condition of Education Report
Beverly Bunker, Chief, Bureau of Community Colleges and Career and Technical Education reviewed this agenda item with assistance from staff members Michelle Wendel and Chris Evans. Bunker stated that the 2004 Condition of Iowa Community Colleges report reviewed Iowa community college programs and related services. She said that Iowa’s 15 community colleges offer thousands of credit and non-credit courses. The purpose of the Condition of Community Colleges Report was to summarize trends in community college enrollments, finances, and personnel. The report also was supported by Management Information System (MIS) data, as reported by Iowa community colleges to the Iowa Department of Education and other sources so noted in the report. Wendel indicated that the data in the report was based on Fiscal Years 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Update on Statewide Efforts to Improve Reading Achievement, K-12
Jim Reese, Chief, Bureau of Instructional Services introduced this agenda item. Staff members Carlene Lodermeier and Rita Martens, Consultants, Bureau of Instructional Services also assisted in this presentation. Reese indicated that the State Board had been provided updates at previous meetings on statewide efforts to improve reading achievement, K-3. This update would provide information on the expansion of efforts to include strategies for upper elementary, middle school and high school levels.
Jim Reese pointed out the purposes of the Iowa Department of Education’s reading efforts:
· To improve reading achievement at all levels for all students
· To build the state’s capacity to support schools in providing effective reading instruction, with a special emphasis on students who are experiencing difficulty
To accomplish these purposes, the Department in collaboration with area education agencies has established the State Wide Reading Team (SWRT) and AEA reading teams. Carlene Lodermeier and Rita Martens explained how these teams would accomplish these purposes.
Student Access to Advanced Learning Opportunities
Rosanne Malek, Consultant and Dr. Pam Pfitzenmaier, Deputy Division Administrator, Division of Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education presented information on this agenda item. Dr. Clar Baldus, Project Administrator, Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, University of Iowa was also in attendance.
Malek discussed the current status of the online AP class enrollments and post secondary education options courses by type of course and institution. She explained that the advanced learning opportunities for Iowa students and teachers include the Advancement Placement Teacher Training Institute for high school classroom teachers. Other opportunities were Advanced Placement Test Fee Reimbursement Program, the Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy, and Advanced Placement Incentive Vertical Team training for middle and high school teachers.
Dr. Baldus reviewed the operation of Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy (IOAPA) at the Belin-Blank Center. She indicated that IOAPA was a statewide program that provided every accredited Iowa high school access to AP courses, at no cost to students or schools. Over the last four years, participation in AP has dramatically increased statewide as many Iowa school districts gain access to AP courses and AP professional development. In cooperation with the Iowa Department of Education, new opportunities for Iowa students, teachers, and schools continue to be developed through the Belin-Blank Center’s IOAPA program. Baldus said this program had been developed and launched in 2001 through a state technology grant and had been continued through direct federal appropriations.
Dr. Baldus also explained the Advanced Placement Incentive Program (APIP) and the AP Teacher Training Institute (APTTI) segments offered by the Belin-Blank Center. She reported that the Belin-Blank Center had demonstrated remarkable growth and had established an international reputation for its research, training, and service. It had been recognized as a leader in the field of gifted education.
Dr. Pam Pfitzenmaier concluded the presentation by sharing information on college credit classes. She reviewed trends of postsecondary enrollment options courses by type of course and type of institution by size category.
Implementation of the Iowa Learns Council Recommendations
Director Judy Jeffrey reported that the Iowa Learns Council had completed its work. Governor Vilsack had discussed the basic recommendations with the Board at the September State Board meeting. The Governor had completed eight town hall meetings across the state and legislation would be proposed to implement some of the recommendations. She indicated that the Department is working to implement other recommendations that do not require legislation.
Jeffrey suggested that Board members discuss actions or advocacy that the Board may want to take regarding the Iowa Learns recommendations.
LauraBelle Sherman-Proehl, Administrative Consultant, Bureau of Children, Family, and Community Services discussed implementation and training of persons in the field for the Iowa quality preschool program standards.
Pam Pfitzenmaier, Deputy Division Administrator, reviewed the high school portion of the Iowa Learns recommendations. She handed out a list of activities currently being undertaken by the Department to support high school initiatives. Pfitzenmaier concluded with a discussion of some of the activities listed below:
1. Conduct needs assessment
2. Community conversations
3. Facilitator training (Iowa version of Breaking Ranks II)
4. Public information campaign
5. ICN informational session on high school curriculum
6. High schools that work network
7. Every Student Counts
8. Every Child Reads K-12
9. SINA (Schools in Needs of Assistance) supports
10. Learning supports
11. Iowa AP Online Academy
12. Iowa Learning Online
13. Career and guidance
14. Iowa Professional Development Model
Director Jeffrey discussed a proposed plan for having face-to-face meetings with school districts through the spring to discuss their curriculum offerings and graduation requirements. She invited Board members to participate in these meetings. Jeffrey felt it would be an opportunity to exhibit leadership and to support and encourage rigorous, relevant curriculum supporting teacher efforts to establish nurturing and motivating relationships with students.
Judy Jeffrey, Director handed out the proposed topics for the March 17-18, 2005 State Board meeting.
President Gene Vincent adjourned the meeting.
_____________________ ________________________
Gene E. Vincent Judy A. Jeffrey, Director
President and Executive Officer