Warren County School Board Meeting – June 5th

Before the WCPS School Board meeting, Superintendent Greg Drescher honored WCPS retirees.

At the June 5th Warren County School Board meeting, health insurance and school lunches were the topic of discussion. Insurance rates down, lunch prices up.

Click here to download the Clerk’s Report. This includes the following expenditures this period:

FUND 1-SCHOOL OPERATING FUND 2018-2019 – $3,404,734.52

FUND 2 – CAFETERIA FUND 2018-2019 – $270,393.83

FUND 6- SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION FUND 2018-2019 – $30,575.00

FUND 7- CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS FUND 2018-2019 – $3,820.20

HEALTH CARE PLAN 2018-2019 – $5,663,911.64

On the Action Agenda the Board approved:

1 -Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Grant
The Victims of Crimes Act (VOCA) Grant provides a multifaceted approach to serving students who have experienced crime based trauma. The supports include a full time behavioral health coach (see job description attached), continued funding for contracted support with an anxiety/depression specialist to implement the COPE (Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment) curriculum to assist students in addressing the effects of trauma. In addition, mentoring supports will be contracted with a firm in Winchester. This grant will provide $200,000 of support per year for two years. These supports will serve students at SMS, WCMS and our Non-Traditional Programs. The project is grant funded. An additional appropriation from the County is needed in order to receive and spend the funds.

2-Renewal of Maintenance Service Contracts for 2019-2020 School Year
Warren County Public Schools, Facilities Management Office contracts or outsources various building related services that are necessary for the continuous operation of school facilities. These contracts are awarded with a base performance period of one year with four (4) one year renewals with agreed upon annual price increases. The Facilities Management Office is requesting approval for annual price increases for the FY19-FY20 school year for eight (8) service contracts including elevator service, solid waste removal, pest control services, school intercoms and bell service, energy management systems, security systems monitoring, LP gas and heating fuel oil supply.

Staff has reviewed all the service cost price increase requests from the vendors and where applicable, all price increase are within range of the CPI (Consumer Price Index) or All Urban Consumers dated March 19, 2019.

Download the 2019-2020 Maintenance Service Agreement Renewals

3-Donation of office supplies to Warren County Public Schools
Ms. Wanda Miller has made a donation of office supplies to Warren County Public Schools.

4-Approval of the 2019-20 Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance Rates
There was a slight 1% to 3 % decrease in rates as compared to 2018-19 rates. Eligible employees, who enroll or re-enroll in the high deductible health plan, during the division’s open enrollment period, will be eligible for an employer’s paid contribution of $500 to their health savings account. There are no changes to the health coverage offered for the 2019-20 plan year.

Download proposed health, vision, and dental insurance rates for 2019-20 plan year

5-First Reading – May 2019 VSBA School Board Policy Updates
In May 2019, VSBA submitted 59 policies for consideration by the Warren County School Board. A chart showing all the updated policies has been prepared by staff members noting the proposed changes. An additional nine policies are presented for review but have no recommended revisions.

As this is a first reading of the proposed changes, there will be an opportunity to discuss the changes at the June 19, 2019 work session. Final approval of the changes is scheduled for the July 3, 2019 meeting.

Click to Download :
A – Recommendations and Comments by Staff May 2019
B – VSBA Explanation of Revisions – May 2019 Policy Updates
C – Red-line Copies of Policies with Proposed Changes May 2019
D – VSBA Policy Updates Workshop Notes
E – Policies Reviewed but Not Revised May 2019

6-Approval of Paid School Meal Prices for 2019-2020
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requires school divisions participating in the National School Lunch Program to ensure sufficient funds are provided to account for meals served to students not eligible for free or reduced price meals. Schools charging less than $3.00 for paid lunches are required to adjust the full meal price to cover the difference.

Warren County Public Schools’ current lunch price for elementary students is $2.00 and $2.10 for middle and high school students. Based on the food services fund balance and the increased cost of food, we recommend increasing lunch prices by ten cents for elementary, middle, and high school students. The recommended new lunch prices for the 2019-2020 school year would be $2.10 for elementary students and $2.20 for middle and high school students. This will be the first time school lunch prices have increased since the 2016-2017 school year. The recommendation is to leave the breakfast price at $1.25. The last time the breakfast price was increased was the 2014-2015 school year.

E. Wilson Morrison Elementary School will continue in the Community Eligibility Program (CEP). There will be no charge for breakfast or lunch at E. Wilson Morrison for he 2019-2020 school year.

Click to Download:
A-Paid Lunch Equity Guidance for School Year 2019-2020 
B-School Meal Prices of Surrounding School Districts

7-Approval of Audit Firm
That the firm of Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates be selected as the firm to conduct the FY2017 School Activity Funds audit at a cost of $10,500 and that the Chairman and director of finance be authorized to sign the letter of engagement.

School Board Policy File: DGC requires school activity funds to be audited at least once a year by a duly qualified accountant or accounting firm. The policy also states that the type of engagement (audit, examination, or review) and the accountant, accounting firm, or internal auditor, shall be approved by the School Board. The accounting firm of Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates has conducted the school activity fund audit the past several years and is recommended as the firm to conduct this year’s audit. This is also the same firm that performs the County’s comprehensive audit. The proposed cost for this year’s audit is $10,500.

Click to Download:
A-Policy File: DGC – School Activity Funds
B-Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates Letter of Engagement  

8-Awarded a contract in the amount of $48,347.83 for support of the finance software system for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
WCPS has used financial accounting software from RDA (currently known as OpenRDA) since the early 1990’s. The software was originally provided at no cost to school systems by the state when a new statewide account coding system was implemented. Since then, support for and training on the use of the program has been paid for by Warren County Public Schools each year. The renewal cost for 2019-2020 is $48,347.83.

While RDA is considered an open source software provider (i.e. they provide the software at no cost), it is necessary for users to contract with them to provide updates, support and training on the system. There is rarely a week when we do not have to contact them and usually it is multiple times.

Because OpenRDA is the only vendor that can support this software, they qualify as a single source supplier.

9- Award Property, Liability, Auto and Workers’ Compensation Insurances for FY2019-2020
Since July 1, 2004, Warren County Public Schools has participated in and been insured by the Virginia Association of Counties Group Self Insurance Risk Pool (VACORP). This is the same insurer that the County of Warren uses. A 19-year history of rates is attached. The renewal rates for 2019-2020 are similar to the current rates.

Click to Download:
A-2019-2020 VACORP Insurance Renewal
B-Insurance Rate History
C-Virginia Procurement Act Requirement Letter

10-Increase the School Board’s FY 2018-2019 Operating Fund Budget by $43,000
In order to receive and spend $43,000 in unanticipated/unbudgeted revenue, an additional appropriation must be received from the Warren County Board of Supervisors. The unanticipated revenue results from the receipt of various grants and a reimbursement as detailed in the attached worksheet.

Download Appropriation Request Detail Worksheet

11-Presentation of Title I, II, III, and IV Grant Applications
The Title I, Part A; Title II, Part A; Title III, Part A; and Title IV, Part A applications seek federal funding to improve basic instructional programs, teacher and principal training and recruiting, support for language instruction for our English Learners, summer enrichment programs for at-risk students, and technology training for teachers.

Propose to use the funding from these federal programs for the following:

Title I, Part A – Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Education Agencies

Allocation amount: $941,800.71

Schoolwide plans at EWM, HJB, LFK, RJ
Title I Literacy Coaches – 4 FTE
Title I Math Coaches – 2 FTE
Title I Instructional Assistants – 6 FTE
Coordinator and .25 Administrative assistant – 1.25 FTE
Tutors and Summer Programs
Parent Family Engagement activities
Materials and supplies
Professional development to support schoolwide plans
Homeless student set aside
Remediation programs

Title II, Part A – Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting

Allocation amount: $166,407.94

Professional development for teachers, principals and staff
Supporting materials
Class size reduction
Private school set aside
Lord Fairfax Educational Consortium
Title III, Part A – Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient Students

Allocation amount: $14,671.26

Professional development for teachers on the WIDA ELD Standards
Materials and instructional support
Parent outreach
Title IV, Part A – Student Support and Academic Enrichment

Allocation amount: $66,484.56

Summer enrichment program (Well rounded)
Professional Development for Blended Learning (Technology)
PBIS Support for all schools (Safe and Healthy)
Private school set aside

Note: All grants are based on the previous year’s allocation and are due by July 1. All budget figures are preliminary. Once the VDOE sends out the official allocations, all applications will be revised as needed.

This item will go before the board for approval at the June 19, 2019 school board meeting work session.

Click to Download:
A-Title II Assurances
B-Title III Assurances
C-Title IV Assurances

12-Approval of Expenditure Over $15,000 for the Purchase of Unified Talent Professional Learning Management System in the Amount of $21,935
Request the purchase of Unified Talent Learning Management System in the amount of $21,935. Unified Talent is affiliated with PowerSchool and links to our current student and staff information system making the manipulation of data less labor intensive than with our current professional learning management system. Unified Talent houses staff professional development offerings, keeps track of professional staff’s license renewal points, and provides a mechanism through which professional development can be approved toward relicensure efforts. $14,050 of the initial cost of this program goes toward the set-up, implementation and training which are one-time costs. Moving to Unified Talent will save the school division approximately $6,000 per year as compared to the current professional learning management system being used.

Unified Talent will be purchased using existing professional development funds.

The following resignations and appointments are to be presented at the Warren County School Board meeting on June 5, 2019.

RESIGNATIONS:

APPOINTMENTS:

OTHER: