Committee Name:  Curriculum and Instruction

Purpose: 

                A.  Address curricular issues related to the following areas:

1.        Gifted Education (Quest; Primary Talent Pool)

2.        Special Education (Resource; Collaboration; Speech; Related Services)

3.        ESL (English as Second Language)

4.        Curriculum Map/Core Content Areas

5.        ESS (Extended School Services)

B.  Oversee development of the CSIP (Comprehensive School Improvement Plan)

Date of Meeting: September 22, 2004

Starting Time: 2:40

Ending Time: 3:30

Submitted by: Bill Gatliff

Members Present:  Veronica Covington, Lavon Cress, Gary Justice, Bill Gatliff

Agenda:

1. Field Trips
   1. New responsibilities assigned by the Council
   2. 1^st grade field trip to the Newport Aquarium
2. ESS Budget
   1. Coordinator’s Salary
   2. Clarification on ESS Math and Reading Classes

Discussion on each item:

1A.  It was shared that approval or denial of all classroom fieldtrips would now be the responsibility of the Curriculum Committee.  Once requests had been given to Mr. McCaw, he would send requests to this committee for discussion and recommendations to the SBDM council.

1B.  Our first topic of discussion concerned Mrs. Cress and Mrs. Erwin’s field trip to the Newport Aquarium, specifically the cost of $37.50 per student.  After talking with Mrs. Erwin and Mrs. Cress, it was shared that most had already paid for their child to go on this field trip.  Mrs. Erwin reported that instead of taking several field trips costing $6.00 or more a piece, she thought taking one to two a year that were tied to their curricula would be better.  Both teachers reported that there were no parental concerns over the cost or the trip in general.  Since charter buses have to be used, the cost of the trip was higher.  It was discussed that the children were the only ones paying for transportation and admission.  Parent chaperones riding the bus were not charged for transportation since they were taking time off work or were chaperoning children.  The curriculum committee understood this point and considered it very valid; however, it was decided that all chaperones riding the bus should help cover the cost of the transportation.  This will be how future trips will be handled, which will reduce the cost for students.

2A.  Our second topic of discussion concerned the ESS budget, mainly the Coordinator’s pay and the After School Reading and Math.  Mr. Gatliff had incorrectly informed the SBDM council that $1,000.00 had to be paid to the coordinator; however, it was merely the amount suggested by Velva Reed in the ESS office at Central Office.  The coordinator is paid on an hourly basis and this should be more than enough to cover that salary.  Money left over will carry over to the 2005-2006 ESS budget.

2B.  The After School Reading and Math simply needed more clarification on the draft presented to SBDM.  With 8 teachers working twelve sessions, each lasting 1.5 hours, at $35.50 per hour (average rate of pay based on experience) it would equal $5112.00. 

Action taken on each item:

1A.  The committee will include decisions about field trips in their monthly minutes to the Council.

1B.  All chaperones riding on charter buses will help pay in order to reduce costs for students.

2A.  We would like to leave $1000 in the ESS coordinator salary budget.  Any money left over in this account will carry-forward to the 05-06 budget.

2B.  We decided we had enough money to hire 9 teachers, using the same formula and spend $5751.00 of the budget (see chart below).