School board business meeting: IT policy changes to be passed in August with no "first read"; Support staff protest lack of contract

School board regular business meeting
Monday, July 19, 2010

School Directors present: Susan Guthrie, Gary Friedlander, Lisa Pliskin, Diane DiBonnaventuro, David Ebby (Board President), Linda Doucette-Ashaman (Board VP), Lyn Kugel, Jerry Novick, Melissa Gilbert
Audience: About 130 people. About 120 are school district support staff **

Dr. McGinley (CM): Summer program (SPIES) enrollment is high.

High school construction update: Harriton temporary parking lots are being turned back into playing fields. LMHS: Will be ready to be opened in the fall, on budget. Pool is done.

IT Audit presentation: Chris Burgher from Sungaurd: recommendations are being made to the school district to satisfy the court order and the Ballard report.

Administration recommended actions:

Admin recommends approval of a 1-year contract with Asante & Associates. This group will work with achievement gap issues.
Susan Guthrie (SG): How will success be determined?
CM: Will put in place an evaluation model and report back to board.

School lunches to stay the same price as last year

Contract approved for environmental attorney [to defend suit filed by Beaumont?]

Report of Policy Committee (Linda Doucette-Ashman (LA))
Policies 800 retention of email records, & 915 school related organizations continue to be TABLED
Other policies relating to laptop, camera, security, and privacy issues are up for a "first read." Questions:
Melissa Gilbert (MG): Where are the 'best practices' coming from? And what specific concerns did the Tech advisory council raise?
A: Best practices come from International organization for standards, but mostly this case is charting new ground. Sungaurd has consulted for colleges & Univ's, and also HS's
TAC had concerns about software maintenance, and was generally pushing for more security not less.

Jerry Novick: Has Sungaurd done a HS policy on 1:1 laptops beofre?
CB: No.
JN: What resources do they have?
CB: Professional organizations, but generally breaking new ground.
JN: Did you check with Microsoft School in Philadelphia?
[Answer seems to be they have not checked thoroughly with the two schools in Philadelphia with 1:1 programs, but that some of their policies have been looked through briefly]
George Frasier (GF): Microsoft's schools policies resemble LMSD's previous policies, ie no expectation of privacy.
CM: 21st Century charter similar: no expectation of privacy
JN: Will the proposed policies satisfy the court order?
Ken Roos (KR): Yes.
JN: Do the policies allow us level of maintenance?
GF: Yes, they do not tie hands of district
LA: Policy will be available for public review online
MG: Announces that the broader policy will apply to younger kids too, not just high school. All school district families will be asked to sign on to the policies.
CM: Will be sending a lot of new info home.

Diane DiBonaventuro (DB): Will report of new training be available for review at the August meeting?
[Answer seems t be that the next SB meeting takes place before the training starts, so no]
Lyn Kugel (LK): If there are changes made to the policy before the next SB meeting how will there be time for a first read?
KR: Would advise waiving the 'first read' policy in this case, due to the time constraint imposed by the court order. August meeting can present changes and SB can vote on them right away. [Policies must be in place by September 1]
SG: How will the public know about the changes if there is no first read?
CM: Will push out the changes to the TAC, and post them on website.

2010 Legislative delegation to Harrisburg is to be Lisa Pliskin, Jerry Novick, and Melissa Gilbert

Public speakers: Nobody wants to comment today.

[** I inquired with some of the support staff as to their purpose attending the meeting, was told that they are attending in a protest of having to work without a contract. All ~120 dressed in black and wearing union stickers.]