HOOVER CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
FEBRUARY 15, 2011      5:30 pm
 
DRAFT AGENDA  
 
I.             CALL TO ORDER
              PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE LED BY DEER VALLEY ELEMENTARY STUDENTS JETT PATEL, KATHERINE APEL, JOSHUA SHORT, EVAN VEAL, AND HANA PARK
              MR. JOHN KINCAID AND THE SIMMONS MIDDLE SCHOOL CHOIR  
 
II.            ADOPTION OF AGENDA  
 
III.           RECOGNITION
               A.            2010-2011 National Board Certified Teachers
               B.            Positive Image Awards
                             1.     Carissa Anthony, Liz Fry, and Marion Kellough  
               C.            George Mickens/Ownership Award                                            
 
IV.           ACTION ITEMS
              A.            Minutes from January 18, 2011 Regular Board Meeting
              B.            Personnel Actions
              C.            Business Actions
                             1.            Monthly Financial Statement – December 2010
                             2.            Payroll – January 2011 -$6,692,179.37
                             3.            Cash Disbursements – January 2011 - $2,844,708.78
              D.            2011-2012 School Calendar                            
 
V.            PUBLIC PARTICIPATION  
 
VI.           INFORMATION/REPORTS              
 
VII.          NEW BUSINESS  
 
VIII.         DATE OF NEXT BOARD MEETING
              Next regular Board meeting will be on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 5:30 PM  
 
IX.           ADJOURNMENT
 
So reads the agenda.
 
The board room, once again, was filled to beyond capacity.  People were standing outside of the room.  The walls were lined with 8th graders from Simmons Middle School Chorus wearing pink shirts ready to perform to open the meeting.
 
All members of the Board were present when Mr. Bolt gaveled the meeting to order at 5:30 pm.
 
Nearly every principal of HCS was present, as were Mrs. Barber, Dr. Dodson, Mrs. Veal, Mr. McBay and Mrs. Antee.
 
After the Pledge of Allegiance, SMS Choir performed "From a Distance".
 
Recognition included recognizing the 2010-2011 National Board Certified Teachers.  Mrs. Barber noted that Hoover City Schools has the largest percentage of National Board Certified Teachers of any system in Alabama.
 
Action items included the announcement that Mr. McBay was retiring at the end of the school year.  Mr. Craig recognized Mr. McBay stating that he was "retiring after 143 years  of service".  Mr. McBay made some nice remarks.
 
The 2011-2012 School Calendar was approved.  Next year will have a August 15 start date at the request of the State Board of Education, which is the latest that Hoover has had in many years.
 
After Action Items, Mr. Bolt indicated that he would be moving Public Participation after Mr. Craig's Information Report.
 
A three page document was handed out to everyone in the audience (Mr. Gasten indicated that he would post it on the school web site ASAP) that outlined the upcoming changes to HHS, Crossroads, Bumpus MS, Deer Valley ES, Trace Crossings ES, South Shades Crest ES, Central Office, Old Berry MS, and the Ross Bridge student population.
 
I'll try to summarize the document:
 
Old Berry (identified as Columbiana Road Property):
Converted to multi-functional facility
District Wide Alternative School
District Wide Pre-School
Extended day holiday and summer daycare services
Central Office
 
HHS
Freshmen back to Senior Campus
Utilize classrooms at Crossroads
Add 24-36 classrooms
 
Intermediate School (at either current Freshman Center or Bumpus - still being decided)
5th/6th grade intermediate school from DVES, SSCES, TCES
Ross Bridge students realigned to Bumpus
 
SSCES and DVES Zone Modification
 
The document goes into detail on each of the above items.
 
The plan was presented by:  Mr. Craig, Dr. Dodson, Mr. Hulin, Mr. Smith, Mrs. Whitney, Mrs. Barber, and the principals from Bumpus, DVES, SSCES.  
 
The Board was allowed to ask questions.  Mrs. Pearson praised the plan.
 
The audience was then allowed to ask questions.  Nothing but positive remarks from all.
 
It should be noted that this plan is not set in stone yet, but could be voted on soon.  The only item that was not with a definite plan was the fate of the current Central Office.  Mr. Craig, when I asked him about it, said it could be either sold or leased.
 
The meeting adjourned at 7:24 pm.
 
Again, excellent presentation by all HCS staff involved.  The document, as mentioned, goes into greater detail than what I've written here.  
 
Please feel free to add any comments/statements to this that I may have missed.  To the Board or members of the public that spoke, please feel free to add your own comments if I erroneously took any of your statements out of context.  
 
 
 

Glad to see a proposal that has been well researched.  Also glad to see that old Berry is going to be put to use for something productive.  Moving the central office and cutting down on that overhead is a step in the right direction toward fiscal responsibility.  The CO building can be sold or leased effectively converting it into a productive asset.
 
The only negative I see is that it shifts the overcrowding burden to HHS.  Until everyone accepts the fact that there must be more re-zoning to move students from HHS to SPHS we are only putting bandaids on a growing wound.  
 
Why is this the line no one seems willing to cross?   And don't give me the SP BOE line, that was valid years ago when this forum was born, I'm not willing to lay it at their feet solely now.

Quote from googling on 02/16/11 at 4:23pm:

 
Does the word DANG now work on this site?      Guess not....maybe the Forum Admin can now give that one back....
 
No one wants to kick that hornets nest in this round of discussions I guess.

An e-mail went out yesterday to all of the HHS staff regarding some changes.
 
Proposals being discussed include:
 
Freshman and Senior Campus faculty, staff and students would go back to being housed at Senior Campus.
Crossroads facility would become home of Hoover High School Academies
Implementation of Air Force ROTC
Construction of 24-36 classroom addition to Senior Campus (completed by 2012-2013 School Year)
Grade 5-6 students would be housed at current Freshman Campus (it did not mention from what schools)
 
In addition, but not in the e-mail, Central Office would move to Old Berry.  The two schools housed at Crossroads (Second Chance and New Beginnings) would also move to Old Berry.  
 
 
 
 

Yes, rumors had been flying hot and heavy for a couple of weeks, but we at HHS heard about this "officially" in an e-mail from Mr. H on Friday.
 
Just remember, nothing is set in stone yet, just being discussed, and whatever happens over the next couple of years may bear no resemblance whatsoever to what is being discussed now, just as the Freshman Campus concept as it was actually implemented bore very little resemblance to how it was originally pitched to us and the community.  In the e-mail we received, it was stressed that the future grade configuration of what is now the HHS Freshman Campus has not yet been decided.
 
Clearly, with no construction of new schools in the foreseeable future, some sort of reorganization/reuse of buildings needs to happen to relieve overcrowding in several places and to make better use of facilities we already have.  The Freshman Campus concept has not delivered on the benefits promised, besides being a logistical nightmare due to its physical separation, and I agree that it is time to bring them home and reintegrate them into HHS, even though that will mean some (hopefully) temporary crowding for us.  While I have no official confirmation of this, and it may not even have been decided yet, the word is that the freshmen will come back to the Senior Campus next school year, although the classroom addition to HHS is not planned to be completed until the following school year.  If that is true, it will be tight here next year, but we survived the year before Spain Park opened when we had almost 2800 students here, and we can do it again.
 
I had not heard about any discussion of moving Central Office to the old Berry campus along with Crossroads.  Any word on what would happen to the Central Office building under that scenario?

     I have been reading this forum for years and I am so disappointed that the number of people responding seems to be declining. I am concerned about this change being proposed by the board. It seems to be another temporary fix to a problem. Why is it now that  Hoover High School is giving up on the idea of a freshman campus? Is it not a good idea anymore? Why did we spend all that money to build that building only to use 2 floors out of three? Why is this being done at the last minute to the surprise of the parents and students. I have so many questions.....and they seem to point to a board of ed that has not been a good steward of our money.
      If an intermediate school is good idea for Bumpus folks, isn't it a good idea for Simmons and Berry folks too? After all, doesn't everything have to be equal?
      My crazy idea. Simmons needs to be a 5/6 intermediate school. The old Berry on Columbiana needs to be a 5/6 intermediate school. Both buildings are set up in a way that could accomodate elementary school students. ( I have been in all of these buildings)  
Berry, Bumpus, and the Old Freshman Center could be 7/8 middle schools. (now they will be less crowded)
Elementary schools could be aligned to appropriate intermediate schools to make the enrollment equal.... (that is another can of worms, but it needs to be done)
 
      Why can't someone step up and be a problem solver? Come on Mr. Craig, we need you.

I have to agree with your assessment of the proposed changes, Googling.  Finally, something that makes sense and makes full use of our existing facilities, given the reality that no one wants to face the question of re-zoning Hoover/Spain Park attendance zones yet, and no money exists to build new schools in the foreseeable future.  
 
Yes, there are details of traffic and bus routes and lunches and parking and room assignments to be worked out.  Yes, it will be more crowded at HHS until the addition is complete.  Yes, there are some issues with elementary children (and their families) having to suddenly adjust to going to a different school and/or to experiencing a different grade configuration than they expected next year.    
 
But in the big picture, crowding is relieved at the elementary and middle schools, the old Berry campus isn't sitting virtually empty and unused, the monument to Jack Farr will generate some income, and our freshmen get to come home, where (IMHO) they always belonged.

My understanding, based on statements that Mr. H has made to me, is that the freshmen will return to HHS next school year.  That could always change, of course, but right now, that's the plan, and arrangements are already in progress to accommodate that next year.

I'm really curious what housing the academies at the crossroads would mean.  Would the kids go back and forth like the band kids do right now, or would they stay there in their own little world, not having the opportunity to take the variety of classes HHS has to offer?  Does anyone know?

I guess my question is, why do I not see bulldozers and construction equipment at HHS right now?  I don't like hearing "nothing is set in stone."  At some point, a decision needs to be made and work needs to start.
 
They are bringing the 9th graders back to the Sr. Campus next year?  And putting them where?  That will put 2,600 students in a building with a capacity for 2,200.  I don't see how that works.  
 
Also, the City needs to be working right now on a second access road to HHS.  
 
I guess I'm impatient, but the political and economic decisions that led us to the necessity of a mega, 9-12 school on the current campus of HHS were made years ago.  I'm talking about 2004, when rezoning was rejected.  And then in 2005-06, when changes in school system leadership scrapped any plan for a third high school on the western side of town.  I wish they had grappled with the obvious Bumpus/Deer Valley problem sooner.  I thought my child had made it past the worst of the overcrowding when he finally got to the Sr. Campus -- but it's going to follow him there!
 
Don't get me wrong, I think this plan is a good one.  It's what the larger community apparently wants, and it is the only viable plan at this point.  There are lots of positives.  I just wish the construction/renovation was already done.
 
I hope there are going to be some parent meetings to address some questions.  For instance:
 
What about traffic?  Is a plan in the works?
How will they feed lunch to 2,600 students?
How will transportation to the Academy Building work?  (Let's not kid ourselves.  It's not time travel.  Any time you move kids somewhere on buses, they lose some instructional time.)
How many floating teachers will there be?  Do they have the same access to technology that "stationary" teachers have?
Will class sizes go up?
Will there be portables?  (There were the last time we had that many students.)
Will there be adequate science labs and equipment to accommodate the increased number of students?
Is anyone looking at traffic flow inside the building?  Kids already have a hard time getting from one end to the other in the time allowed.  How will that work when there are 630 more kids in there?
Will we get more counselors?  More SROs?
Will the new addition have the same level of technology the rest of the building has?
 
Those are just my questions from the high school perspective.  I'm sure parents with kids being affected at the elementary and middle school levels have different questions.