HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS, INC.

Board of Education Meeting

April 26, 2010

The regular meeting of the Holy Trinity Catholic School Board was called to order at 7:05 p.m. on Monday, April 26, 2010, by President Ray Menke at the Holy Trinity Elementary Library in West Point .  All joined in a prayer led by Fr. Apo.

Roll Call:  Present:  Fr. Apo, Fr. Beckman, Brad Box, Jeff Denning, Loren Holtkamp, Ray Menke, Craig Pieper, Fr. Richmond, Roy Tinguely.  Absent:  Tom Gregg, Gary Hoyer and Fr. Spring.

Agenda:  There was one item, A. School Bus, added to Old Business.  Item H. under New Business was changed from “Policy . . .” to “Guidelines”.  Motion to approve the agenda by Craig Pieper, second by Brad Box.  Motion carried. 

Minutes:  The minutes of the March regular meeting were approved as written.  Motion by Craig Pieper, second by Roy Tinguely.  Motion carried.

Welcome Guests/Comments from Audience/Open Forum:  No comments from guests.

Old Business: 

School Bus:  Truck Repair of Ft. Madison has offered to purchase the 1998 Freightliner school bus, originally designated as Marquette Bus #2, for $500.00.  The board agreed to the sale, along with the sale of the old blue van currently used for storage at the high school.

New Business:

Fred Hausch, Keokuk Catholic Schools :  Mr. Hausch, current school board member for the Keokuk Catholic School System, discussed the challenges his school system is facing, including frequent turnover of administrators, closing of the middle school grades, and budget difficulties.  He asked if Holy Trinity would consider sharing personnel or assisting their administrator in meeting state and diocesan requirements.  Doris Turner reassured Mr. Hausch that Holy Trinity wants a strong Catholic elementary school presence in Keokuk and supports them in their mission.  After much discussion it was decided to continue with a brainstorming session which would include Holy Trinity, Keokuk Catholic Schools , Ss. Peter & Paul in Nauvoo and possibly Notre Dame.

Approval of 2010-11 Teacher Contracts:  The following teacher and administrative contracts for the upcoming school year were presented:  Junior/Senior High – Doris Turner, Donna McVeigh, Allen Chapman, Kathryn Bleuer, Shirley Deck, Melissa Freesmeier, Lisa Gendron, John Goetz, Greggory Golemo, Renee Holliday, Jan Jacobs, Rebecca Krogmeier, Gail Kunch, Brad Kurtz, Emily Otte, Mary Sue Pote, Robert Rippenkroeger, Steve Rung, Natalie Ulloa Sandoval, Sylvia Soule, Amy Walker, Tom Walljasper and Pat Winheim.; Elementary – Karen Boston Kemple, Tracy Dingman, Julie Freesmeier, Sharon Groene, Teri Holtkamp, Jean Humphrey, Pat LoVullo-Krogmeier, Lynn Meierotto, Michael Moylan, Melissa Palmer, Judy Peck, Linda Peitz, Karen Schumaker, and Barb See; Early Childhood Center – Melissa Pieper, Sally Knustrom, and Kim Reinhardt.  Motion to approve Craig Pieper, second by Fr. Troy Richmond.  Motion passed 7-1.  One teacher was granted an extension on the signing deadline.  Additional contracts will be approved at the May meeting.

Approval of the 2010-11 School Calendar:  The 2010-11 School Calendar was presented for board approval.  Students’ first day of classes will be Thursday, August 26, 2010 and their final day will be Wednesday, June 1, 2011.  The Holy Trinity calendar will differ from the Fort Madison Community Schools calendar by scheduling three inclement weather make-up days during the course of the year (January 17, February 21 and March 21).  Because these are teacher in-service days or holidays, there will be no public school bus service on those days, although Holy Trinity will provide shuttle service between Ft. Madison and West Point .  Motion by Craig Pieper, second by Loren Holtkamp to approve the calendar.  Motion carried.

Roof Bids – High School Building :  The gym roof and part of the flat roof at the junior/senior high building are in need of replacement.  A bid totaling $68,000.00 was received from Brockway for the removal and replacement of the gym roof.  Additional bids are expected.

West Point Building Upgrades:  Estimates have been received for replacement of the windows in the elementary building.  For the east building (45 windows), costs range from $180.00 per window for double hung to $265.00 per window for single hung with screens.  The west building (32 windows) openings are larger and are estimated to cost about $430.00 per window, assuming they will not have the current arched tops.  Installation costs will add about $150.00 per window.  Ray Menke is going to talk to Craig Abolt again regarding a new front uniting all the buildings and try to get a cost estimate.  Mortar and roof work is also needed.  Priorities include a fire escape for the west building, installation of a fire alarm system in the gym, and rectifying all fire code violations.

Summer Athletic Contracts:  The following contracts were approved for 2010 summer sports:  Baseball – Tom Gendron, varsity, Mike Moylan, junior varsity, and Larry Kelch and Andrew Powers, junior high; Softball – Monte Hellenthal, varsity, Liza Hirschman, junior varsity, and Kelly Sanders, junior high.  Motion by Roy Tinguely, second by Brad Box, to approve all contracts.  Motion carried.

Approval of Seniors Meeting Graduation Requirements:  Students in the graduating class of 2010 have attended classes for the required time as dictated by the Iowa Department of Education guidelines.  The board approved a statement to that effect on a motion by Craig Pieper, second by Fr Apo.  The motion carried on a vote of 7-0 with one abstention.

Guidelines for Non-HTC Students Enrolled in In-House HTC High School Courses:  Guidelines for students who wish to enroll in an individual class, such as an Advanced Placement course, at Holy Trinity were established.  Those students would be required to adhere to the HTC handbook, including dress code, while on the HTC campus and would be required to pay a pro-rated tuition for the course(s) in which they are enrolled.  Motion to approve the guidelines by Brad Box, second by Jeff Denning.  Motion carried.    

Administrative Reports:

Religious Education:  Written report submitted. 

Early Childhood Centers:  Written report submitted.

Elementary Education: Written report submitted.

Technology Report:  Written report submitted.   

Junior-Senior High School/Chief Administrator:  Written report submitted.  Mrs. Turner stated that she is still seeking a guidance counselor for the 2010-11 school year.  She also listed the prizes received at the NCEA convention in connection with the Innovative Schools award:

World’s Finest Chocolate – 5 lb. chocolate bar

RCL Benzinger – complete set of Echoes of Faith Plus (teacher formation program)

Solution Tree – Professional Learning Community Toolkit

Microsoft – Mouse Mischief (classroom presentation tool)

AccuCut - $200 gift certificate

SMART Technologies – choice of a SMARTboard or equivalent presentation software               

Development Director:  Written report submitted, including notice that 18 families with a total of 24 students have inquired about enrollment for the upcoming school year.  This does not include the kindergarten class. 

.

Business Manager:  A list of invoices to be paid was presented.  Motion to approve by Loren Holtkamp, second by Craig Pieper.  Motion carried. 

Committee Reports:

None. 

Adjournment:  The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m. on a motion by Brad Box, second by Jeff Denning.  Motion carried. 

                                                                                                                Respectfully submitted,

                                                                                                                Mary Lynn Panther