Ann Arbor schools Board of Education cancels Wednesday meeting
A regular meeting of the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education Wednesday has been canceled.
Due to a lack of agenda items, the board has eliminated the 7 p.m. meeting from its schedule, said Deb Mexicotte, board president.
Several board members will meet 9 a.m. Wednesday for a planning committee meeting at the Balas Administration Building.
The next meeting of the entire seven-member board is 5:30 p.m. Sept. 18 for a study session at a location to be determined.
The Board of Education will conduct its next regular meeting 7 p.m. Sept. 25 in the fourth floor conference room of the Ann Arbor District Library at 343 S. Fifth Ave. It will also be the first regular meeting for new AAPS Superintendent Jeanice Kerr Swift.
Amy Biolchini is the K-12 education reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.
Comments
thorj97
Wed, Sep 11, 2013 : 12:23 p.m.
If you haven't read the article "Ann Arbor schools Board of Education cancels Wednesday meeting", make sure you check it out. Apparently there is a "lack of agenda items" for the BOE to discuss. You cannot make this stuff up.
thorj97
Wed, Sep 11, 2013 : 12:25 p.m.
oooppss.. wanted to put this on the other schools article...
Classof2014
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 7:37 p.m.
That seems really weird....there has to be something to talk about. They could talk about the 30-40 kids in high school classes (way more than was hoped for) but What is going on?
DonBee
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 4:37 p.m.
I sincerely doubt that the folks in Balas will have any reasonable data to report at a meeting tomorrow night. They declined to answer AnnArbor.Com's questions on enrollment and the article on crowding (also posted today) is short on specifics. I note that a quick call to Ypsi and Dexter yielded excellent information on their largest class size and teacher situations. All the BOE meeting would be would be a venting situation right now, not good for anyone. I suspect in a couple of weeks, there will be data to work from. The problem is because the board made the decision to cut teachers first, that making any changes will be hard. The budget is spent. What we will know in a month or so is how many teaching assistants over budget is the district (my guess since they cut 8 from last year's budget is that it will be at least 20, but that is only a guess). How many teachers will get overage pay (no guesses here) and how many teachers will the district end up having to hire/transfer to balance classes at reasonable sizes. The bigger issue is how many students will not get the classes they need (not want, but need) to graduate, and have to take them out of sequence next year? With a millage vote coming up, the more unhappy parents there are, the more likely they are to go to the polls in November and vote for the millage - let us hope this does not back fire on the board. And of course, the new enhancement millage - the only one ever turned down for the schools by the voters will be on the ballot next year, so if they can make is seem like they are broke and that the classes are over crowded, so much the better for getting more voters stirred up and at the polls next year.
Thinking over here
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 4:28 p.m.
Well, since they have the time free -why don't they go volunteer it in one of the overcrowded classrooms?
Andrew Thomas
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 3:35 p.m.
Those of you who would like to discuss any of these issues with a Boare of Education member have an opportunity to do so one week from today. I will be holding my monthly "coffee hour" on Tuesday, September 17 from 9 - 10:30 a.m. at Clearwaters on Washington. I look forward to hearing your concerns regarding class size, redistricting, the budget, layoffs or whatever else is on your mind.
J. A. Pieper
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 5:35 p.m.
Why have your coffee where people have to pay to park? It reinforces some of the school board attitude.
Andrew Thomas
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 4:26 p.m.
@Bulldog: I alternate my coffee hours between morning and evening times, in order to accommodate as many people's schedules as possible. Last month was an evening session, and the October coffee hour will also be in the evening. @RUKiddingMe: Many of the topics listed above have been discussed at BOE meetings. Our "regular" meetings are agenda-driven and usually focus on topics for which there has been significant preparation by our administrative team and our two standing committees. These meetings also focus on decision-making, following our first- and second-briefing format. Our "study sessions" are more free-flowing, and this is where ideas are typically suggested and discussed. Our committee meetings deal with topics suggested by BOE members which require study and development before being brought forward to the full BOE. All are open meetings, and a schedule is available from the district web site.
RUKiddingMe
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 3:55 p.m.
Andrew, that's a very thoughtful invitation. Do you think any of the suggestions thus far might have been things to talk about at the board meeting?
Bulldog
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 3:52 p.m.
I work all day and can't break for coffee. WIll you be having an evening coffee hour as well?
Andrew Thomas
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 3:37 p.m.
Meant to say "Board" not "Boare".
arborani
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 2:27 p.m.
Guess I'll just spend today in bed - lack of agenda items, doncha know.
PhillyCheeseSteak
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 1:37 p.m.
Here's an idea for a topic for discussion: perhaps the BOA might consider changing the start times of the high schools, especially since there is no longer the issue of scheduling around the bus schedule? 7:30 am is too early! "State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan endorsed a call made by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan yesterday for later start times for high schools. Research into start times for schools has shown high school students can perform better if school starts later because adolescent brain chemistry changes the hours when students are most alert." http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2013/09/later_school_start_times_suppo.html
sherry
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 12:57 p.m.
They are meeting in the Balas complex. I have been out of town did they get rid of any of the extra administrators there? Seems to me they could save tons by putting some of those folks back in the classroom if they won't Let them go. Way over staffed always. That way they don't have to overload classroom size. I worked for years in a district with practically no extra administrators. Teachers were paid in summers to do the curriculum. Worked fine. All my kids went through the AA system and got a great education but even in the 80's there were too many Balas staff. Time the BOE or the new superintendent over hauled that place.
Connecting Dots
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 12:24 p.m.
...and if you're really unable to come up with any topics for discussion...how about why do we change superintendents every two years???
Connecting Dots
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 12:23 p.m.
How about starting with "standing-room-only classes." How about some direction in seating arrangements in classrooms too small to seat our kids. Seems like that would be a great topic for discussion. And someone mentioned the topic of "Why do our principals suck"--another great topic of discussion. The high school auditoriums may be adequate to handle Board meetings and discussions..and the parking is free. Money allocation may be worth some time on the docket--how much is going for football and how much for teachers, books, and instruction? NOTE: If you have not served time as a classroom teacher, you don't get to set policy or curriculum.
brimble
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 11:52 a.m.
Public servants bear an obligation to perform their duties in public spaces. They bear an obligation to be available to their constituents. They should be on-record about policy decisions, questions of allocating resources, etc. The Board has an obligation to meet, if only to seek public comment. The reason cited does not pass the sniff test, and cancelling a meeting at the start of the year demonstrates especially poor leadership.
ChrisW
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 2:59 a.m.
I'll give them some items to discuss: 1. Why do the math books and curriculum suck so much? 2. Why are our students lugging around 30 lbs of books instead of iPads? 3. Discuss ways of raising private donations. 4. Can anyone really learn in a class with 35 students packed into a space designed for 25? 5. Should we start letting parents and students rate the teachers along with test scores and principal evaluations and use the results to determine who gets laid off and who doesn't?
JoeNuke
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 2:45 p.m.
Maybe Kindle or another e-reader would be a more economical choice for managing textbooks, if such a solution is really needed. At $500 per ipad and approximately 6000 HS students, this is about $3 million. I think this would be low priority given the cuts that were made to classroom staff (saving about $4 million).
kris
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 9:44 a.m.
good ideas!
DJBudSonic
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 2:33 a.m.
No agenda items? I am sure that concerned parents and taxpayers from all over the district would line up for a Q & A season with the board instead. Or, we could suggest items to form an agenda. I will start. What is this new administration going to do about the failure of previous administrations to address legitimate concerns over incompetent school principals? What is the plan for paying off our underfunded pension mandate? Why are there no Tech Ed teachers in the middle schools, and where are the new computers, when we passed a $45 million tech bond last year? Etc..
educators2013
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 1:35 p.m.
maizemama, no offense but I bet your kids go to school on the North side of town don't they......
maizemama
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 10:23 a.m.
My kids' school has new computers in the Computer Lab and Library.
tom swift jr.
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 1:56 a.m.
Clever to meet at the library. A location where most folks will have a more difficult time finding parking (or may have to pay to park) and where none of those attending will have the pleasure of walking through a school building to see what's happening.... How large is the library conference room, I've never been in it.
AMOC
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 12:07 p.m.
There's room for about 50 people to sit down in addition to the Board of Education and the AAPS staff who usually attend school board meetings in the library conference room. When there have been very large numbers of the public to make commentary, there is a lobby outside and people shuttle in and out.
thorj97
Tue, Sep 10, 2013 : 12:08 a.m.
Teacher layoffs ... redistricting ... chronic budget deficits ... nope, nothing to talk about.
Frank Tanner
Mon, Sep 9, 2013 : 11:02 p.m.
Seems to me with the latest news they could find something to talk about. Wonder what is going on...especially so early in the school year. Parents should be concerned.
a2xarob
Mon, Sep 9, 2013 : 10:37 p.m.
A lack of agenda items? Really? I'm very suspicious. What's really going on?