Minutes - October 23, 2012
Classified Staff Advisory
Minutes
Questions and Answers – October 23, 2012
Dr. Ellis welcomed everyone and communicated the purpose of the Classified Staff Advisory – to keep the lines of communication open and to address concerns among the classified staff.
Dr. Ellis gave an update on QSCB – Qualified School Construction Bonds – we will see changes most immediately at middle schools – new roofs. Last November, ¼ cent sales tax referendum was passed and we were able to get an interest-free loan to do construction projects – in excess of 3 million dollars. Money will be paid back over time with proceeds from ¼ cent sales tax. About half will be used for roofs. Every school will get a piece of the money. Various projects will be completed – HVAC systems, replacing carpets, etc. QSCB will take care of short-term needs.
Next, Dr. Ellis led an activity to see the group’s agreement with the mission, vision and core values (MVV) and he received feedback on ways to make our MVV better – on a scale of 1 – 10, with 1 being total disagreement and 10 being total agreement.
Feedback for Mission: There was almost a unanimous agreement with the mission; most of the group rated it as a 10; other feedback was to add the wording….Relationships/Partnerships between all involved – teachers, students, parents and community.
Feedback for Vision: There was almost a unanimous agreement with the vision; most of the group rated it as a 10; other feedback: Always room for more improvement – (top 25) could be better.
Feedback for Core Values: Ratings for the core values hovered around a 7….The group gave the following feedback: Unclear on service driven -- clarify who/what service driven is directed to, more clarification is needed, the core values are unclear; maybe use this…Motivate – Communicate – Stable.
Next, Dr. Ellis received feedback on policy changes (attendance, uniform, etc.). He posed the question of whether or not the attendance policy is working effectively. The grouped discussed how there are more issues with students being tardy than absent.
Feedback on Attendance Policy: Too many late arrivals and early check outs, parents check students out early to avoid car rider line, parents sign in students, at the high school level it is working, the attendance policy is working (2).
Feedback on Uniform Policy: There are a lot of complaints from parents, students forget belts, emblems on shirts and tags on pants, time consuming and students miss instructional time calling parents, I’m against the policy for elementary and high schools (2), I’m for uniforms across the board, high schools need uniforms, I agree with the uniform policy as is, uniforms are hard to find and costly for parents, exchange program.
At the end of the meeting, Dr. Ellis addressed questions from the advisory group:
Will there be a bus rotation schedule in place this year for teacher assistants? The same people are driving and the initial schedule isn’t being followed.
This will be handled immediately. A schedule should be coming soon.
Once the schedule is set, if a person refuses to drive on their assigned day, the following will happen: first time, a warning will be given; the second time, they will not have a job.
Some people are back this year that aren’t able to drive. We ran into a legal issue, which is why those who have been here for a certain amount of time and can’t drive now serve as monitors when asked. If there is a monitor needed, it needs to be communicated with the principal.
Monitors should stay on the clock in their regular job assignment.
A few of the bus drivers had a question about phones on the bus. The problem is that a few people don't have cell phones, and being in an elementary school, a lot of the students don't have phones. What do they do in case of an emergency?
We will share this information with the transportation department. Most buses should have phones, and we will make sure everyone is trained on where they are on the bus and what to do in case of an emergency.
The sub drivers are concerned with behavior on the bus and wanted to know what the "rule" was for monitors on the bus?
There is no set rule; the need for a bus monitor is reviewed on a case by case basis; the principal makes a recommendation to Dr. Lancaster.
Could cafeteria staff take over the dining room? They don’t take trash to the dumpster and when this started they cooked raw food. Now, most all food is precooked. If one custodial staff member is out, then the whole school falls on them. Why can’t they (cafeteria staff) at least help do the dining room? This will make the workload fair for all.
This is a building level question. The principal decides the duty roster/schedule for their school. We will share this information with Terry Jordan, the director of child nutrition, just so she knows that this is an issue out there.
What does the sub bus driver do when they are called to drive but they don’t have any information – route information, other pertinent information about the bus, etc? If there are certain places where you shouldn’t turn around, sometimes the sub drivers don’t know. Maybe something like an FAQ for bus drivers would be good. Some buses don’t have up-to-date routes.
There is no perfect answer. We try to keep the routes as up-to-date as possible. Sometimes you have to depend on students to help with the route. We will address these concerns with the transportation department.
If I work at the elementary school and drive for the high school, when should I clock out and clock in to the bus driver role?
Check with bookkeeper and if they don’t know, contact Kathy Johnson. We want to make sure we’re consistent with this.
Feedback on Meeting +:
Talked about issues we are all concerned about
Being able to talked freely and openly
Clear, concise answers to questions
Good feedback
Classified Staff Advisory members present: Mary Hinson, Debbie Allen, Martha Lalor, Jackie Jackson, Russ Brown, Susan Muse, Toni Kellis, Alicia Blalock, Lisa Smith, Beth Hall and Angela Everette.
Central Office Staff present: Dr. Dale Ellis and Lindsay Whitley