By Margaret Hopper
The Silver School Board meeting opened at 6:03 p.m. Tuesday evening, June 16, 2015, at the Administration Building.
All board members were present, and more than 60 community members attended. Without enough chairs for all attendees, some stood against the walls.
Under the Silver City Education Association report, Hannah Wecks spoke to the board, saying she had resigned at the end of the year, citing a "hostile environment." She said good-bye and thanked her colleagues for ten years of experience and "being a part of the community."
Superintendent Lon Streib said the emergency administration of medicines was on the agenda, but as information continued to come in, it was to remain under review; it was better to wait and get a finished policy than to have to rewrite it later. He said storage and dispensing of the medicines was still at issue.
Another point was what to do in the event Mike McMillan was not available but needed to cover as vice-chair. Discussion determined they would leave it a gentleman's agreement that could be handled as needed rather than make a formal arrangement.
At Chairwoman Frances Vasquez's request, Assistant Superintendent Gus Benakis reviewed the preparations he and bus drivers had made for the bridge closing. It was not needed, he said, but the plan was ready for the fall. Parents were notified that the
detour might take an extra five or ten minutes.
Candy Milam spoke of an expected cash reserve of $50,000-$100,000 for next year, but learned today that a check from the forest reserve, unexpected, brought the amount of $228,000 to add to that first amount, making a nice cash reserve.
Vasquez said the 10-day legal notice for this meeting had not been met, but by school board policy, that can be looked at annually and it could be changed. At Sixth Street Elementary, people reported the water sprinkler system running water in the street and made requests that the playground be opened during summer; she said she would have Benakis take care of this. Streib said the gates were opened today.
Egan reported on the budget news. He said he was glad the budget was in the positive, and the extra cash reserve was a big help. The good news was that the district was within budget. He said they also had reviewed the budget and bids.
Under public comments, the first 15 minutes was reserved for agenda items. Thomas Laws, Silver City resident, asked to speak. Streib noted that Laws was already item No. 10 on the agenda, but Laws said he wanted this space, too, to talk about the budget. He said information on the state auditor's website indicates "we are in financial crisis" and he wanted board members to "recognize their obligation to present a proper budget" consistent with available revenues.
He said his concern was that when the superintendent arrived there was almost a 1.2 million (reserve). Then it went to $600,000 and the second year, $300,000. Administrative and recurrent costs rose. The board should have looked at the history of the past two years. They should be careful.
Candy Milam reported on Action Items. May checks amounted to $2,473,319.86. The BAR (budget adjustment) was for cleanup, a zero, and there were donations-three donations for National History Day: $500 from Arenas Valley Animal Clinic and another $1000 from Freeport McMoRan - Chino Mine, and $500 from Kiwanis Club. Elks Lodge donated $500 for Honor Biology's Costa Rica Trip. Moose Lodge gave $1000 for Skills USA competition. A matching-gifts grant from Freeport and donating workers amounted to $980.
A number of bids were given. Griffin Propane, Silver City, sole responsible bidder, bid $1.02/gallon, 67 cents over rack price. Fuel Center, Silver City, bid $2.615/gallon, 67 cents over rack price, diesel. Price Dairies, El Paso, bid .2097/half pint for fat-free chocolate, .2025/half pint low fat milk and the same for skim white milk. All three were sole bidders meeting specifications.
Paper contract was awarded to Contract Paper Co., Uniontown, Ohio, $24.97/case; School Specialty, Greenville, Wisconsin, bid $31.82/case. Another sole bidder meeting specifications, Armstrong's Flooring, Silver City, was awarded its $20,534.02 bid for high school flooring projects. Cliff high school restroom improvements were rebid as boy's, $17,868.90 and girls, $16,524.90 by Sacaton Construction of Silver City, sole responsible bidder; the $35,393.80 total was awarded. These items were all approved.
Vasquez asked about numbers she had seen showing negative amounts, such as a negative $200,000 for salaries. Milam and Egan explained these were early projections requiring closeouts and moving surplus areas to deficit areas, something all schools do in budget building. Milam also explained the impossibility of figuring salaries of teachers not yet hired, as different levels determined salaries. Streib added that they moved money from an account that had too much in it to meet these salary issues. In a
year or so they hoped to assess amounts closer, more accurately.
Vasquez said she noticed that board expenses and travel were cut about in half for the next year. Also, the athletic trust accounts for Cliff, Silver and La Plata; how would these be handled in a deficit situation? Milam explained and said they would not be in the "red" by June 30. The discussion continued until her questions were answered.
The part time employment resolution was also explained. Milam noted that some had grandfathered in but the numbers changed from year to year. Streib said the resolution is done every year. The bilingual application was also explained. Milam said it was usually between $15,000 and $20,000 annually but it had to be applied for each year. It can pay something toward a teacher's salary or other costs. Not much, but it helps. And it comes out of the operational budget.
Milam also explained the collective bargaining agreement for classified and licensed employees for the coming year. She mentioned some amendments, some very insignificant. A clause was added that if additional funds became available later, salaries could be discussed and increased. At present, all salaries were increased by only a dollar. New language was used in the anti-bullying and anti-harassment portion.
Sick leave and retirement issues were updated. Staff leave and licenses, chain of command, arbitration, emergency and other topics were addressed. Teacher evaluations were a big concern in the agreements. Next year there is a plan to use a task force and it is to be in place by mid-October. PLC, Professional Learning Community, issues were addressed. The board approved the work.
The 2015-2016 budget was passed, with discussion. Milam said one packet was about revenues; the second one was on expenditures. It is a balanced budget; very tight, but not in the red. Due date was June 12; she submitted it about two weeks before and the state was working on it now. On June 24, personnel, including Streib, will go to Santa Fe for review. If the state makes any changes, the district would have to go back to the board for re-approval. This meets the July 1 deadline.
Vasquez said she had concerns about the budget because of history. It looked like Silver has exceeded the budget for the third year in a row; she questioned board approval for this, and if not, that the State could come in and make decisions for the district. She said she saw negatives and procurement cards of $98,000. She said her questions were not about how the budget was built, but how it was carried out. McMillan said he agreed; there was $98,000 in procurement cards. They needed to cut back and save.
Egan said much of this was under (code) 7000, trust funds, not out of operations. It was travel funds to state or Washington, D.C. The kids had raised this travel money. Expensive, yes, but kids raised it. He said it was important to look at where the expenses came from and whether it was out of control; it is closely watched every month in the financial committee. Figures need facts behind them to learn whether they are under control.
Vasquez countered that it was board responsibility to make sure money is properly spent. Egan said to remember that it was a balanced budget and staff worked very hard on it. Spending was not whim or unplanned; the board had approved it. Money is tight, and they would have to watch how state funding went.
Vasquez then asked Milam if she could anticipate that the state requirement of reporting finances monthly rather than quarterly would change, and if so, when. Milam said it would be early in the next year; she thought this would be under discussion. Vasquez called the vote; others voted to pass the budget; she voted against it, saying things could have gone differently.
Item F, Department of Transportation resolution, Vasquez asked for input from Milam and Benakis. Strieb said this was the first hoop, not something that happened soon. This resolution was to be in on the shared funding by the department of roads; the percentages for government (75%) and Silver Schools (25%) would be outlined. He recommended approving it to get the project underway. In time, this should save the district about $17,000 for paving and curbing at Opportunity High School.
Vasquez asked if Fox Field was final, and what this savings at OHS would be. Streib said $5679. If it went beyond that, the district would pay the amount over that figure, too. The district would use HB 33 money, not general funds, he said. Egan said this would take many months; she would see it many times more. But this had to start here; it was a long process. The motion was to approve the resolution to participate. McMillan asked who would bid it. Streib said the district would and explained the process. It did pass when voted on.
Item G was to adopt the Teacher Evaluation Plan Statement. Background included the summary evaluation work of Benakis and Alvarez, with central office approval, saying the State's PED evaluations would not be used in employment, professional development or improvement plans, but as the current evaluation system is required, the district will continue using it. The resolution would show support for the board and administration of the schools. Egan's resolution was adopted to encourage the staff.
H: Adoption of additional board training regarding board and superintendent relationships. Egan moved to contact Cuddy & Associates, the district's legal representation out of Albuquerque, to acquire additional board training; he said the purpose was to meet concerns in the relationships. Some board members were representing the board without the board's approval, and individual board members gave mandates to staff, again without board approval. Some board members had offered "solutions" to problems that were the superintendent's to solve, or they had instructed staff. The chain of command needed to be followed, he said.
McMillan said yes to training, but consider costs. Egan said Cuddy did quality training and was experienced. The cost of not doing it well was also a concern. Vasquez suggested others might do it and that Cuddy might be legalistic. She said she felt she had a lot of training. Also the board budget had been cut in half. She would not be in favor at this time. Egan said consulting might replace the word training. The board should speak as one. Something must be done; guidelines were important. He felt ethics were stretched.
Vasquez said the master school board members could also train, and she was interested in financing and audit topics. McMillan suggested amendments to the motion. Egan reworded it to instruct the superintendent to look for additional training for the board, for board and superintendent relationships. The board voted for it; Vasquez voted against it.
Item VII, agenda items. Streib suggested that members go to the Cloudcroft July 10-11 Leader's Retreat, as the training there was said to be a bit different and very good. At the July 21 regular meeting, he suggested a short meeting of required business and bill paying, and something that he wanted to discuss with the chairman, that she could discuss with the board in the near future.
Vasquez asked for a break to sort the papers for the open comments meeting. When the meeting reconvened, a group of eleven wanted to speak on the firing of the girls' basketball coach, Julie Gutierrez. Vasquez named the eleven as Jill Hooper, Adam Goff, Lexie Hooper, Danny Vasquez, Tammy Goff, Lindsey Rodriguez, Alyssa Arzola, Ashley Montenegro, Dana Kays, Leanne and Sylvia Misquez. The bottom line was that they wanted Gutierrez reinstated.
State Senator Howie Morales said he was there to advocate but not try to get involved. Gabriel Ortega, said Morales, had received wrong treatment in the superintendent's office. He then played a tape, saying this was the treatment that the individual had endured. (Editor's Note: The voice was that of Streib, saying the person would be removed. No taped information leading up to the statement was aired, so any judgment on the part of hearers was not an informed one.) Morales said he brought this in to let people know he did his job to advocate for another. He said he asked the board to look at this information and other allegations to see things like this never happen again.
Leslie Fritz, National Education Association representative, said there was serious information about the board's fiscal status. Stakeholder involvement was mandated. She requested the board help develop a task force which should be comprised of a number of community groups she mentioned. She said this task force would work with the finance and audit committees and have greater involvement.
Laws said he concludes the district is managed like a fascist third world country. Cash balance is down; spending is up. He said the direction is wrong. The management style is authoritarian. The last straw was the firing of Gutierrez for refusing the requested placement of a person on her coaching staff. He said he wanted Julie reinstated, the superintendent terminated or reassigned, and the resignation of the three board members who were present when the superintendent was granted a two-year extension and a raise.
Vasquez finished with the meeting, saying she moved to call a special session by board policy to discuss budget and evaluation of the superintendent. In the vote, the ayes outnumbered Egan's nay. Vasquez set the meeting for June 23, Tuesday, giving time for the 72-hour notice. She said a quorum would be sufficient. It would start at 6:00 p.m. It would be open to the public but have a closed period.