BOARD BRIEFS

Summary of the Grosse Pointe Board of Education Meeting
Annual Organizational Meeting,

July 12, 2004

NEW TRUSTEES

The Oath of Office was administered to new Board of Education trustees Angela Kennedy and Ahmed Ismail.

NEW OFFICERS

The Board of Education approved the following officers for 2004-2005: Joan Richardson, President; Jeff Broderick, Vice President; Lisa Vreede, Treasurer; and Joe Brennan, Secretary.

COMPENSATION

The Board of Education voted to forgo its compensation for attendance at legally posted meetings for the 2004-2005 school year and agreed to reserve those funds for purposes to be determined at a later date.

MEMBERSHIPS

The Board approved memberships in the following organizations: Metro Bureau of Detroit (($3,157.12 per year), which provides workshops on a variety of topics and collects and disseminates valuable data for use by the school system; Michigan Association of Schools Boards (($6,938 per year), which offers publications, workshops, and other services; and the Michigan High School Athletic Association (no fee), which provides guidelines for the conduct of school sports activities and allows school system sports teams to participate in MHSAA-sponsored events.

DESIGNATED AGENTS

Janet Truance was appointed as designated agent, with Mary Fritz as her first alternate and Joan Smith as her second alternate. (According to the Michigan Open Meetings Act, the school system is required to post times and places of all Board meetings in a prescribed fashion. This responsibility falls to the designated agent.)

INDEMNIFICATIONS

The Board of Education adopted a resolution to provide general liability indemnification for Board members, administrators, and non-instructional supervisory personnel. It also passed a resolution to provide indemnification for these employees regarding activities taking place in areas where asbestos is found. In addition, the Board appointed Assistant Superintendent Chris Fenton as designated asbestos coordinator and approved indemnification for him in that capacity.

LEGAL SERVICES

The Board tabled (until August 9) a motion to approve the appointment of Mark McInerney of Clark Hill as general legal counsel at $210 an hour.

The Board approved the appointment of Gary King of Keller Thomas as labor relations counsel at the rate of $180 for senior partners and $150 for associates.

FIDELITY AND TREASURER’S BONDS

The Board authorized Fidelity Bonds and a Treasurer’s Surety Bond for certain staff members exposed to risks involved with daily business transactions.

FUNDS, ACCOUNTS, AND SIGNATORIES ON ACCOUNTS

The Board approved a resolution continuing existing funds, accounts, and signatories on accounts and establishing the Sinking Fund account for the coming year. (NOTE: All funds have been reclassified to meet new state guidelines.)

SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM

There was a public hearing on the school breakfast program, but no one came forward. This agenda item will be acted on during the August 16 Board meeting.

HUMAN RESOURCES REPORT

The Board approved a Human Resources Report that included the appointment of Mary MacDonald Barrett to the position of principal of Richard Elementary School, the appointment of Tom Beach to the position of assistant principal at North High School, and the appointment of Joan Feathers to the position of assistant principal at South High School. The report also included the appointment of one technology staff member, several resignations, and the death of an employee in the custodial/engineering department.

TEXTBOOKS

New textbooks were approved for geology, advanced placement psychology, and Spanish I and II.

NORTH SCIENCE BUILDING

Following a discussion about the North Science Building Project, the Board agreed to continue with the project as planned. The project includes a three-story addition, with 14 new science labs/classrooms, an elevator, and a greenhouse, as well as a multi-purpose room that will be added to the east side of the Performing Arts Center to be used for rehearsals, meetings, and classroom activities.

BARNES PARKING LOT

Because only one bid was submitted for the Barnes Parking Lot, the Board agreed to reject the bid and re-bid the parking lot at a later date.

SPECIAL EDUCATION TRANSPORTATION
The Board approved service for Special Education transportation with Servicar of Michigan for the 2004-2005 school year at an estimated cost of $434,000.

OTHER BIDS

Milk: Contract awarded to lower bidder Pointe Dairy for the 2004-2005 school year.

Masonry/tuckpointing: Contract awarded to Boss Construction and Western Waterproofing for masonry and tuckpointing work as needed through June 29, 2007.

Concrete: Contract awarded to Luigi Ferdinandi Cement Company and Asphalt Control Corporation for concrete work as needed through June 20, 2007.

Doors and hardware: Contract awarded to Rayhaven Equipment for door and hardware replacement as needed through June 20, 2007.

Carpeting and tile: Contract awarded to Conventional Carpeting and Havel Floorcovering for flooring replacement as needed through June 20, 2007.

Ceilings: The Board rejected the bid from Ren-Cen Interiors and re-bid the ceiling project.

Monteith Student Drop-Off: The Board tabled this bid for a future meeting to allow more input from Monteith administration and parent community.

Anti-Virus Contract: Contract awarded to CBI for Symantec Anti-Virus program.

Just5Clicks Software: The Board authorized Chris Fenton to sign an agreement with Just5Clicks, Inc., to provide software to the school system at a cost of $59,000.

SOUTH LIGHTS AGREEMENT

The Board approved the proposed agreement for use of lights at the Grosse Pointe South High School Athletic Field.

FUTURE MEETINGS

A conference meeting will be held on Monday, August 9, 2004, at 8 p.m., followed by a regular meeting on Monday, August 16, at 8 p.m. in the Wicking Library at South High School.

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Suzanne Klein Board of Education Meeting