Dohn Community High School
BOARD OF TRUSTEE MINUTES: July 12, 2010 meeting
 
Members Present: Grant Hesser, Jessie Lipcius, Pam McClain, Russ Morrison, Dave Parlin. Members Absent:  Mike Bauer, Rick Wagner. Non-Members in Attendance: Superintendent Ken Furrier
 
Call to Order: In the absence of President Mike Bauer, Ken Furrier called the meeting to order at 5:10.
 
Approval of the Minutes: The minutes from the May 10, 2010 meeting were approved on a motion by Russ Morrison and a second by Grant Hesser. The vote was 5 – 0 in favor of the motion.
 
Financial Report: Due to the absence of Treasurer Mike Ashmore, the financial report was not given.
 
Board Policy Updates: Acting on the recommendation of our policy attorney Smith & Eastman, Supt. Furrier recommended the following changes to Board Policy:
Hand washing policy Spells out procedures to be followed by food service personnel
Child abuse & neglect policy: Requires staff members to complete four hours of in-service training in child abuse prevention, school safety, violence prevention, substance abuse prevention, and the promotion of positive youth development. Requires staff to report suspected cases of abuse or neglect.
Electronic communication devices: Allows such devices in school but prohibits their use in a manner that disrupts the educational process or mission of the school. Policy prohibits text messaging during school, sexting, use of digital camera or camera phones to invade the privacy of others, or to use electronic devices to harass or bully others.
Procurement with federal educational funds: Spells out the procedures to be followed in spending federal grant funds.
Credit flexibility policy: Allows students to earn high school credit in a variety of ways, including completing course work, testing out or showing mastery of course content, pursuing educational options and/or individually approved options, and/or any combination of the above.
 
All of the above proposed changes were adopted by a 5 – 0 vote on a motion by Russ Morrison and a second by Grant Hesser.
 
Contract Renewals: The consulting contract with Mike Ashmore to be the school’s treasurer was approved by 5 – 0 vote. The motion was made by Grant Hesser and seconded by Russ Morrison. The contract is the same as last year ($2,000 per month) except it deletes the responsibility for the CCIP.
 
The contract with Fraunfelter Accounting Services to do the school’s GAAP compilation (for a maximum charge of  $3,750) and the completion of the 990 (for a maximum charge of $2,235) was approved by a 5 – 0 vote. The motion was made by Grant Hesser and seconded by Dave Parlin.
 
The idea of giving multi-year contacts for certain service providers was raised by Pam McClain, and will be considered for the 2011-2012 school year.
 
Letters of Agreement: Supt Furrier recommended the following staff members be issued Letters of Agreement covering their employment for the 2010-2011 school year, at their 2009-2010 salary:
Rodney Bowden, Intervention specialist, August 3, 2010 – June 6, 2011 (two weeks extended time)
Steve Engel, Math teacher, August 9, 2010-May 27, 2011
Lisa Hemphill, Language Arts, August 9, 2010-May 27, 2011
James Lamping, Science, August 9, 2010-May 27, 2011
Thomas Mack, Social Studies, August 9, 2010-May 27, 2011
Dave Theurer, Career Discover, August 9, 2010-May 27, 2011
The recommendation was approved by a 5 – 0 vote on a motion by Grant Hesser and a second by Russ Morrison.
 
Food Service Report: The food service reported that the number of meals served this year increased by 1,681 when compared with last year, with the program earning a surplus of $336.13 when compared with a loss of $2,063.74 last year. The number of breakfasts served increased by 682 meals, with lunches increasing by 999 meals.
 
Summer School Report: Only 9 students enrolled in the OGT Prep program and 15 students were enrolled in the summer school program. 
 
Enrollment projections: We ended the 2009-2010 school year with 108 students, 33 special needs students, and a poverty rate of 89%. For next school year, we currently have 74 returning students plus 10 new enrollees, for a total of 84 students, which is well ahead of last year. On the first day of school last year we had 85 students.
 
FY2010 Line of Credit payments: This year, we paid $14,800 on our line of credit.
 
Bonus for Staff if Attendance improved: The idea of paying staff members a $500 bonus if school attendance improves was discussed by the board. The idea, while not fully developed, includes a 1% cost of living increase for all staff members and $500 bonus to teachers whose homeroom attendance improves by 5% over last year. Although no vote was taken, the board was in favor of the bonus concept for rewarding teachers who are effective in achieving school performance goals. The cost of living increase and bonus are dependent upon fall enrollment and funding.
 
Enrollment campaign: The school is undertaking a campaign to increase school enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year, including the following:
1. Mailing approximately 9000 fliers to selected zip codes in June
2. Students distributing fliers in their neighborhoods
3. Purchasing radio advertisements on two stations operated by Radio One
4. Placing benchboard ads on three benchboards located in three different zip codes (One benchboard will be up in July; and second one in August, and a third in September
5. Mailing informational letters to probation officers in Hamilton County, the two juvenile court judges, and the person in charge of case workers at Hamilton County Job and Family Services
 
The meeting was adjourned at 5:50.
 
NEXT MEETING: September 13, 2010. (No meeting in August)