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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/26/2000 - Special May 26, 2000 319 Roanoke County Administration Center 5204 Bernard Drive Roanoke, Virginia 24018 May 26, 2000 The Board of Supervisors of Roanoke County, Virginia, met this day at Camp Roanoke, this being an adjourned meeting from May 23, 2000, for the purpose of a joint meeting with the School Board and County and School staff to review the recommendations of the teams established at the retreat on January 22-23, 2000. IN RE: CALL TO ORDER Chairman McNamara called the meeting to order at 10:10 a.m. The roll call was taken. MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman Joseph McNamara, Supervisor Joseph B. "Butch" Church, MEMBERS ABSENT: Supervisors H. Odell "Fuzzy' Minnix, Bob L. Johnson, Harry C. Nickens STAFF PRESENT: Elmer C. Hodge, County Administrator; Paul M. Mahoney, County Attorney; Mary H. Allen, Clerk to the Board; John M. Chambliss, Assistant County Administrator; Anne Marie Green, Community Relations; Brent Robertson, Budget Manager; Diane Hyatt, Finance Director; Joe Sgroi, Human Resources Director; David Porter, Economic Development 320 May 26, 2000 , . Director; Pete Haislip, Parks and Recreation Director; Gary Robertson, Utility Director; Arnold Covey, Community Relations Director; Ray Lavinder, Police Chief; Janet Scheid, Senior Planner; Betty McCrary, Social Services Director; Spencer Watts, Library Director; Elaine Carver, General Services Director School Board Vice Chairman Michael Stovall called the School Board meeting to order. SCHOOL BOARD PRESENT: Vice Chairman Michael Stovall, Members Thomas Leggette, and Marion Roark, ABSENT: Chairman Jerry Canada and William Irvin SCHOOL STAFF Linda Weber, School Superintendent; Rick Calhoun, Associate Director of Vocational and Adult Education; Michele Dowdy, Coordinator of Elementary Guidance and Career Education; Richard Flora, Executive Assistant of Construction; Tom Hall, Director of Personnel; Penny Hodge, Director of Budget and Finance; Jane James, Director of Technology; Lorraine Lange, Associate Director of Instruction; Garland Life, Senior Director of Instruction; Carol Whitaker, Director tJf Pupil Personal Services; Brenda Chastain, School Board Clerk OTHERS PRESENT: Michael Hensley, Housing and Urban Development; Wayne Strickland, Fifth Planning District Commission, Beth Doughty, Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce; Brooks McDaniel, Citizen Representative INRE: WELCOMING COMMENTS Chairman McNamara welcomed the participants and members of the School Board and emphasized the importance of the two bodies working together. On behalf of the School Board, Mr. Stovall expressed appreciation to the Board of Supervisors for their ~ May 26, 2000 321 ==< work on the budget. INRE: BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW OF THE AllAH PROCESS Carol Whittaker, Director of Pupil Placement, described the Aliah process and how the teams were developed following the School Board/ Board of Supervisors joint retreat on January 22 and 23, 2000. There were six teams established. They were: (1) Education; (2) Economic Development; (3) Technology; (4) Workforce Development; (5) Regionalism; and (6) Image. A spokesperson from each team described how the team identified their important issues and formulated their recommendations. The team spokesperson and team recommendations are as follows: 1. Education: The spokesperson was Tom Hall, Director of Personnel. The team recommendations were: (a) Lowering pupil/teach ratio K-2 Goal - 20 t01 using the following strategies: Elementary assistant principal to teach one-half day; language arts coordinators to teach two 2 and1/2 hours per day where pupil/teacher ratios are highest; middle and high schools to help by reducing staff positions; and gentle redistricting. (b) Retaining effective teachers and increasing teacher effectiveness using the following strategies: provide more staff development activities to support the classroom teacher; 322 May 26, 2000 '= provide new retirement plan which rewards teachers for staying longer; revise beginning teacher salary to $30,000 with a signing bonus of $1 ,000 to all beginning teachers; hire trained assistants instead of adding more teachers. Other actions included: (1) Provide team-building activities from "day one" to help new teachers. (2) Provide more support during first year from principal and central office. (3) Provide in-service activities for administrators on how to support new teachers and bring them along, being careful not to overload them. (4) Restructure Mentor Program and begin before school starts so new teachers can concentrate fully on their students when school begins. (5) Offer $50 per day for new teachers to attend in-service before first day of contract. (6) Require notice of retirement 120 days before end of semester if participating in Early Retirement Plan to help recruit the best teachers. (7) Provide "personal touch" to all personnel. ~ Economic Development The spokesperson was David Porter, Economic Development Director, who advised that the team held four 90 minute meetings, explored economic development issues, trends, and priorities, reviewed the economic development business plans and reviewed the public private partnerships and incentives. The team made the following recommendations: (a) Continue work of Economic Development Task Force. (b) Revise Economic Development Business Plan, focus on four goals, embellish strategies, limit activities and time frame. (c) Revise the Public Private Partnership Policy by rewarding industrial and Class Z commercial. (d) Establish ROZIROA criteria; and strengthen performance measures and sanctions. "'-. May 26, 2000 323 ==< ~ TechnoloQV The spokesperson was Jane James, Director of Technology. The team brain stormed information about current status; shared work in progress; identified issues and opportunities; and formulated recommendations. Their recommendations were: (a) Form a citizen focus group to review websites. (b) Create task force to make recommendations on providing a more cohesive view of the Valley through various websites. (c) Investigate the possibility of using schools during non-instructional time for citizen Internet access. (d) Investigate potential of permitting advertising on our websites. ~ Quality of Life The spokesperson was Carol Whitaker, Director of Pupil Placement. The team re-evaluated composition of team membership, reviewed and evaluated original broad actions, revised and combined original broad actions, accessed resources/documents, defined broad actions, and developed specific actions. Their recommendations were: (a) Develop a comprehensive plan to better utilize government facilities to enhance quality of life. (b) Promote the Roanoke Valley by increasing and highlighting events of culture, education, recreation, volunteerism, etc. (c) Monitor demographic changes in the Roanoke Valley to develop proactive solutions to address needs of all citizens. (d) Support regional and statewide initiatives to adopt and enhance environmental programs. ~~- 324 May 26, 2000 <= INRE: LUNCH BREAK Chairman McNamara declared a lunch break from 12:30 p.m. to 1 :30 p.m. INRE: RECONVENEMENT Chairman McNamara reconvened the meeting at 1 :30 p.m. ~ Workforce Development The spokesperson was Rick Calhoun, Associate Director of Vocational and Adult Education. The team re-evaluated team membership, reviewed and evaluated original broad actions, revised broad actions to address scope defined during the Aliah Mission Process at the Hotel Roanoke, reviewed various resources/documents/research, defined broad actions, and developed specific recommendations. The team recommended the appointment of a blue ribbon task force to recommend, implement, and oversee career education activities within the school system as follows: (1) Document existing programs or initiatives that support proposed workforce development or career education initiatives, (2) Establish performance indicators or benchmarks for proposed workforce development and career education initiatives. (3) Continuously assess the degree to which graduates from the school system meet the workforce skill requirements stated in Virginia's Workplace Readiness Skills. (4) Gain public support by school system, board and administration regarding the inclusion of career education at all grade levels. (5) Require each teacher in Grades K-5 to include not less than one career education activity per "'-. May 26, 2000 325 month in their classroom management plan. (6) Assess, using standard career interest inventory instruments, individual students' career interests by Grade 6. (7) Redesign middle school career interest block process to provide consistent career education opportunity for all middle school students. (8) Increase career exploration and development opportunities available for middle school students to include job shadowing activities. (9) Develop career clusters that effectively organize high school courses by their career orientation. (10) Require that all students select a career cluster and develop their individual education plan based on that selection by Grade 10. (11) Require participation by all students in not less than one extended duration, work based learning experience, e.g. mentorships, internships, apprenticeships, cooperative education, or community service learning, prior to graduation from high school. (12) Develop processes that ensure all school system graduates are prepared for further employment and/or further education beyond the secondary system. (13) Market the value of enhanced academic, technical, and workplace readiness skills to students, parents, teachers, and local businesses. (14) Create partnerships with businesses to support mentorships, internships, apprenticeships, and cooperative education opportunities. (15) Create partnerships with governments and non-profit organizations to support community service learning opportunities. (16) Conduct professional development seminars on practical means for integrating academic and technical curricula. (17) Conduct professional development seminars on career education principles, assessing career interests, setting career goals, and developing career paths. (18) Provide curricular or other resources needed by ./" 326 May 26, 2000 teachers and counselors to achieve the stated career education goals. (19) Develop private sector internships or summer employment opportunities for teachers and counselors. (20) Require teachers to include in their course outlines, statements regarding how the learning activities in their courses address Virainia's Workplace Readiness. ~ Reaionalism The spokesperson was Assistant County Administrator John Chambliss. The team reviewed efforts of current regional work groups, inventoried existing regional agreements and projects, identified needed regional efforts, potential participants, anticipated benefits and suggested priority and responsible players to investigate deliverables. Their recommendations were: (a) Encourage on-going studies and projects to completion. (b) Have administrator/managers incorporate the priority of other projects at their regional meetings. (c) Report the progress of regional efforts at the quarterly meetings with the County Board of Supervisors and City Councilor at other regional gatherings. (d) Involve other stakeholders and community organizations already in existence in the planning and implementation phases such as the Roanoke Valley - Alleghany Regional Commission, Roanoke Valley SPCA, Chamber of Commerce, etc. (e) Involve other departments, agencies, or teams in the development of the programs L. Imaae The spokesperson was Anne Marie Green, Director of Community Relations. -... May 26, 2000 327 ==< The team reviewed the broad actions, and combined them to create a unified image campaign, which includes publicizing Board of Supervisors and School Board cooperative efforts and promoting Roanoke County as a cost-effective and high quality place to live, work and play. They reviewed the County's vision document and broad actions to determine the optimal image for the County in 2005 and determined which specific areas needed maintenance and which needed improvement, and offered at least four suggestions to improve each of the image areas which were beautiful scenery, friendly to business, quality educational opportunities, recreation and leisure activities for all, safety, optimizing resources, employment opportunities, access to government, cultural opportunities, good traffic flow and affordable housing. IN RE: ADJOURNMENT Chairman McNamara thanked everyone on behalf of the School Board and Board of Supervisors for participating, and advised that the County and Schools should begin taking action on much of what was presented. At 3:15 p.m. Chairman McNamara adjourned the meeting. Submitted by, Approved by, ~ßL,I. ~ Mary H. Allen, CMC/AAE Clerk to the Board Mv~ ph McNamara airman 328 May 26, 2000 This paae left intentionally blank