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SIERRA VISTA — Tuesday night’s regular meeting of the Sierra Vista schools governing board was heavily taken up with a discussion of policy changes to the method by which classified hourly employees would be paid — an administration proposal which was effectively killed by a rare 3-2 vote of the board as reported Wednesday in the Herald/Review.
But other agenda items of interest were addressed and business conducted during the two-hour meeting, notably a call to the public by Lee Ann Clutter, grandmother of two young Carmichael elementary schoolchildren who have been, in her words, “misplaced” by their school bus driver three times in the past seven months.
Clutter explained that the boy and girl previously attended the after-school program at Bella Vista Elementary but transferred two months ago to after-school activities at the Boys and Girls Club in Sierra Vista. On different occasions, they were taken to the wrong location or simply exited the bus with remaining children at the end of the route.
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She described the unfolding and distress of each incident, one of which resulted in police involvement, another where her granddaughter approached an adult stranger for help. Clutter said that a meeting with the district transportation director and bus driver has a resolution seemingly in place, but that she wanted the board to know that “if this has happened to our family three times in seven months, we wonder about other people’s children and don’t want them to go through what we’ve been through.”
Superintendent Renae Humburg will follow up.
In other business, the board agreed to offer contracts for the 2007-2008 school year to certificated employees, occupational and physical therapists, and school nurses.
It also approved implementing a pilot, half-day program called KinderSteps at Village Meadows Elementary that will be open to parents of children who turn 5 between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31. Those children are not eligible to enroll in all-day kindergarten, unless they “test out” as ready — the odds of which are about one in 12.
Carmichael principal Marge Carrithers reported on the success of water safety classes at The Cove, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Sierra Vista. The classes launched with two sessions that were attended by a total of 54 students and are aimed at non-swimmers from economically disadvantaged families in grades K-3. Goals include helping children feel comfortable in the water, to recognize unsafe situations and to follow basic lessons for kids developed by the Red Cross.
The Kiwanis Club hopes to widen the program to include 120 children by the end of the year, from all the district’s elementary schools.
The board also approved a new biology textbook for use at Buena High School and renewable contracts worth approximately $28,500 per year to various vendors for art and classroom supplies.
During the awards and recognition portion of the meeting, water conservation educator and city council member Hank Huisking announced winners of the “Water Wise” poster contest, and Humburg recognized middle school prize-winners from the Youth Engineering and Science Fair in March.
The board decided to hold its next policy review subcommittee meeting at 4 p.m. on April 20 to take comment and develop recommendations on policy changes involving support staff supplementary pay and overtime, support staff sick leave, and support staff personal, emergency and religious leave.
That meeting will be held in the board room of the school district office building, 3555 E. Fry Blvd.
CINDY SKALSKY can be reached at 515-4611 or by e-mail at cindy.skalsky@svherald.com.
save money wrote on May 3, 2007 6:47 AM: