Bellows Free Academy, Union District #48, and Northwest Technical Center

Special Board Meeting

July 6, 2006

Present for a quorum:  Donna Corrigan, Al Corey, Jim Mercier, and Nilda Gonnella-French

Absent:  Sally Lindbergh

Administration:  Marilyn Grunewald, Superintendent, FCSU; Ned Caron, Principal; and Karen Danszcher, Human Resources Director

1. Call to Order:  Jim Mercier called the meeting to order at 4:35 p.m.
2. Pledge of Allegiance.
3. Hiring Policy:  Karen Danszcher read the proposed policy.  There was some objection to the fact that the hiring process appeared to be out of the hands of the Board of Directors, and the feeling was that the board should have a role in the hiring process.  Nilda Gonnella-French wondered, “Do we not want to be involved in the procedural part?”  Al Corey was not completely happy with the policy, and felt there was no depth to it.   Marilyn Grunewald says there’s very little involvement of the other FCSU boards, and that hiring is done by the administration.  It is totally delegated to principals at the school level.  Al noted that the policy was adopted by the Policy Committee, but with reservations on his part.  Nilda noted that the Personnel Committee was supposed to iron out the details, but didn’t do it.  The board has been involved with high-level administration hiring.  Jim Mercier suggested asking the administration what the board role should be.  Donna Corrigan stated she does not need to have her finger on every employee hired.  She would like to be informed but not to have to act on every hire; and when there are philosophical and job description changes, she would like to know those facts.  Marilyn pointed out that it would be important for board members to attend all of those interviews, and not just the ones they can get to.  It would not be fair to the candidates to just sit in one interview.  Jim stated that he thinks the board roles should include hiring and letting people go, budget, and policy.  It is unrealistic to think you can be a part of all hiring.  There is a role in the final approval and researching the backgrounds of candidates.  There is no clear process in the new procedures.  Karen has no problem updating the flow chart.  Marilyn said it is not necessary to sit through every interview, but you could be notified of the interviews and be added to the process if you wish. 

The old flow chart involves the Curriculum Committee in hiring, which doesn’t make much sense to Donna. Where do you draw the line?  Their contact with kids or no contact with kids?  All para-educators, custodians, etc.?  Donna suggested moving the Athletic Coach up from Level 5 to a higher level and the Grant Writer, and Student Activity Advisor down from Level 5.  She feels when we hire people, we need to let them do their jobs, and if they are not, we should help them to do their jobs better.  Al agrees that the board doesn’t need to micromanage, and the only good business sense is to interview and report back to the board.  Al stated that what he is looking for is an opportunity to interact and to know and to let them know the board is concerned.  Jim observed that the Personnel Committee should be the only committee involved, and taking responsibility from a board perspective.  Al noted that any committee meeting is open and doesn’t constitute a board meeting.  There was a strong consensus that the principal or assistant principal, then the board should be a part of it.  Is it a problem if a board member wants to be a part of the interview process/hiring process?  What is the difference between a search committee and a personnel committee in the hiring process?  The committees could be separate groups.  Jim noted that nowhere does it describe a personnel committee, and that we should take the board out of it.  It’s really an internal process for us.  Make it clear as to who is doing what.  That is a management issue.

Karen asked if they wanted to take out the search group.  Donna suggested that the search group might well be the same people as the personnel group.  Make it clear what the search group is doing.  Who on the board would develop a search committee?  The board is not the right committee to put together a search committee.  Marilyn suggested there should be board involvement in hiring administrators.

            What direction should Karen go in?  Modifications to amend the policy included attaching the Hiring Process document along with the updated Hiring           Responsibility Flow Chart, and to amend the second paragraph of the policy to read “The superintendent or designee and the Board of Directors will be charged with developing…, etc.”

It was pointed out that the Collins-Perley manager reports to the school board, but he is working for the Collins-Perley trustees, therefore, a trustee should serve on the committee.  Karen says she will prepare a draft and collect comments from the board members.  Do we all agree that it is all that broken?  It just needs to be smoothed over.  We need a system of e-mail notification informing the board that these positions exist, and that they might come to the interviews.  Jim says have to follow the process.  There are over 200 staff, and we need a mechanism that ensures that everyone is being treated fairly.  We have to be careful, and need to make sure that everyone receives the e-mail.  We don’t want to put ourselves out on a limb, and get caught in a problem.  Marilyn noted that the central office keeps records for three years on the hiring process.  We want to make sure we are covered.  We don’t want it to get so big that we get in trouble.  The NWTC is covered by this board on hiring issues.  Karen will create a draft of the hiring procedures and an updated flow chart.

4. Executive Session:  An executive session wasn’t needed.

Motion made by Nilda Gonella-French and seconded by Al Corey to adjourn at 5:30 p.m.  Motion passed 4-0.

Respectfully submitted,

Charlotte Ryan, Board Secretary

F:\Admin-ASST files\BFA new\Board\Minutes\FY2007\BFA minutes 070606 special.doc