July 25, 2023 at 6:00 PM - Governing Board Meeting

A. Opening of Meeting

A.1. Call to Order

A.2. Pledge of Allegiance

B. Superintendent’s Report

B.1. Update on District Events and Activities

B.1.a. Superintendent Dr. Kevin Stoltzfus will provide an update on Flowing Wells School District Events and Activities.

C. Public Comments
Flowing Wells School District welcomes public comment. As outlined in A.R.S. §38-431.02, no action will be taken on issues raised in Public Comments unless items are found on agenda below. Other than this, the response to public comments will be limited to directing staff to study the matter or scheduling the matter as a future agenda item.

D. Consent Agenda
These items of Board business that are addressed routinely at every meeting are presented as a Consent Agenda. The Board may elect to take action on all items collectively in one motion or may individually consider any item(s) as separate agenda subjects for action.

D.1. Approval of Agenda for this Meeting

D.1.a. Request approval for the adoption of the agenda for this meeting, July 25, 2023.

D.2. Approval of Minutes of Governing Board Meetings

D.2.a. The following Governing Board meeting minutes are presented for Governing Board approval: June 27, 2023 (Public Hearing Minutes and Open Session Minutes).

D.3. Approval of District Expense and Payroll Vouchers

D.3.a. Sign vouchers for upcoming check batches - None for this meeting. Expense and payroll vouchers are presented for Board approval: Expense vouchers #6691-6695, 6800, and 6802 and Payroll vouchers #2427-2432 and 2501.

D.4. Approval of Requests for Use of District Facilities

D.4.a. District facilities use requests are submitted for approval.

D.5. Approval of Requests for Open Enrollment Students

D.5.a. None for this meeting.

D.6. Approval of Requests for Student Trips

D.6.a. None for this meeting.

D.7. Approval of Requests for Staff Travel

D.7.a. Staff travel requests are submitted for approval.

D.8. Approval of Personnel Actions

D.8.a. Personnel Actions are submitted for approval.

D.9. Acceptance of Gifts and Donations

D.9.a. None for this meeting.

D.10. Review of District Financial Statements

D.10.a. Review of Student Activity Balance Sheets and Auxiliary Operations Year-to-Date Budget as of June 30, 2023.

E. Business and Finance

E.1. Recommend Approval to Reimburse K-5 Teachers for the Cost of a Successfully Passed Literacy Instruction Assessment

E.1.a. District administration recommends approval to reimburse K-5 teachers for the cost of the AEPA Knowledge Exam regarding literacy instruction, a component of the newly required K-5 literacy endorsement per A.R.S. 15-501.01. Reimbursement would be contingent upon proof of successful completion of the exam with a passing score. Currently the exam fee is $139 per person. Federal grant funding would be used to cover the costs to the District. Current K-5 teachers have until August 1, 2028, to complete the endorsement requirements (of which passing the AEPA exam is one component); Teachers certified after August 1, 2025, will have three years to complete the requirement. The District would continue to provide reimbursement for successfully completed/passed exams as long as grant funding is available and the requirement remains in place.

F. Unfinished Business

F.1. Recommend Approval to Adopt AP US History Curriculum

F.1.a. District administration recommends approval to adopt the Bedford, Freeman, and Worth (BFW) curriculum entitled Fabric of a Nation: A Brief History with Skills and Sources for use in Advanced Placement United States History courses beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. This resource has been tabled for public review for a sixty-day period, and no public comments or concerns were submitted during this time.

F.2. Recommend Approval to Adopt AP Chemistry Curriculum

F.2.a. District administration recommends approval to adopt Pearson's curriculum entitled Chemistry: The Central Science, 15th Edition, for use in Advanced Placement Chemistry courses beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. This resource has been tabled for public review for a sixty-day period, and no public comments or concerns were submitted during this time.

G. New Business

G.1. Recommend Approval of Revisions to Policy GBCA - Merit / Performance Pay Programs

G.1.a. District administration recommends approval of revisions to Policy GBCA - Merit / Performance Pay Programs. These revisions would establish a more accurate and consistent practice of applying increases for non-exempt support staff who reach designated experience steps. The current practice of evaluating all employees' experience monthly and applying rate increases in the following month has become increasingly complex as experience steps have expanded. This proposed policy revision would establish a twice-per-year procedure. (For comparison, experience steps for exempt staff are applied annually.) The accompanying policy draft includes strike-through text to indicate deletions and underlined text to indicate additions.

G.2. Recommend Approval of Revisions to Policies IGA, IGD, and IJJ regarding Open Meeting Law and Textbook and Curriculum Adoption

G.2.a. The Board approved revisions to Policies IGA, IGD, and IJJ in June 2023 to comply with Arizona statutory requirements that meetings for curriculum and textbook adoption must follow open meeting law, a practice that already was in place in Flowing Wells. This new revision clarifies these three policy updates by removing the word "board" from the phrase "board-authorized," thus indicating that open meeting law applies to all meetings focused on curriculum/textbook adoption. Revisions to all three policies are indicated with strike-throughs of deleted text and underlining of new text.

G.3. Review of Proposed Revision to Policy JH - Student Absences and Excuses

G.3.a. District administration presents for review proposed revisions to Policy JH - Student Absences and Excuses, with no action to be taken at this meeting. Revisions clarify outdated language regarding the requirement for parents to call the school to report a student absence, changing the wording from "call" to "notify," and removing language regarding the issuance of an "admission slip" from the school office. The accompanying policy draft includes strike-through text to indicate deletions and underlined text to indicate additions.

H. Adjourn