Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1989-12-6 jointDecember 6, 1989 (Joint School Board Meeting) (Page 1) 316 An adjourned meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Albemarle County, Virginia, was held on December 6, 1989, at 8:00 A.M., Meeting Rooms #5/6, County Office Building, 401McIntire Road, Charlottesville, Virginia. This meeting was adjourned from November 29, 1989. BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Mr. Edward H. Bain, Jr., Mr. F. R. Bowie, Mrs. Patricia H. Cooke (arrived at 8:20 A.M.), and Mr. Peter T. Way. BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Messrs. C. Timothy Lindstrom and Walter F. Perkins. OFFICERS PRESENT: Mr. Guy B. Agnor, Jr., County Executive. Agenda Item No. 1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 8:07 A.M. by the Chairman, Mr. Way. Agenda Item No. 2. Joint Meeting With School Board. School Board members present were Messrs. Charles S. Armstrong, William W. Finley, Clifford W~ Haury, Charles S. Martin, Charles R. Tolbert, and Roger R. Ward. Staff members present were Mr. N. Andrew Overstreet, Superin- tendent of Schools, and Mr. David Papenfuse, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance. Agenda Item No. 2d. Discussion: Scho6i's Capital Improvement Program. Mr. Way said at last week's Board of SUpervisors meeting, Mr. Haury had given a presentation on the School's Long Range Planning Committee report. He said the result of that meeting was that the ~'Board eliminated any reference to specific sites for proposed schools, such aS.!Hollymead. He explained that the reason was so that people in a specific area :'would not assume that a school would definitely be built there. He said the Board also discussed alterna- tives to the recommendation made by the Long iRange Planning Committee. One alternative was Mr. Perkin's suggestion to use the old Crozet School for the Alternative Education program. He said the Board had requested staff to develop costs associated with that suggestion. Mr. Perkins had also suggested that Rose Hill Elementary School be brought ~p to parity with other elementary schools, with the exception of a gym, and that it be used for several more years as an elementary school. He added that! the Board had scheduled a work session to discuss these matters on January 1~0. Mr. Bain pointed out that the renovations proposed for Albemarle High School would also be discussed at that meeti~-g, after the Board has had a chance to visit Albemarle. Mr. Agnor added that cost estimates for using the old Crozet School, for continuing to use Ros~ Hill as an elementary school, and the impact of changing the policy of elementary school capacity to 700 or 750 students are all to be discussed at that?~ork session. Mr. Haury said there was a request to discuss the legal aspects of using the old Crozet School as well. Mr. Bowie clarified that his request for information on the maximum capacity of elementary schools was not for the January 10 meeting. Also his request was not intended to mean that more s{udents would be placed in each classroom in existing school buildings. His~intent was to determine the impact of expanding elementary schools by adding classrooms to accommodate an additional 100 students. ; Mr. Tolbert said if those items are to be discussed at the January 10 meeting, he wondered if anything needed to be discussed today. From his point of view, the Long Range Plan has been in existence for more than six months. Everyone has had the opportunity to look at it in considerable detail. The most critical feature is the time frame for school construction projects which is already behind schedule. He said the Long Range Planning Committee had that constraint in mind when they made recommendations. Murray renovations, additions to Broadus Wood, and the constructiOn of a new urban area elementary school all have tight time schedules. He expressed concern that the process of making decisions might delay construction schedules. He encouraged both Boards to deal with the most critical issues Smmediately. He said the December 6, 1989 (Joint School Board Meeting) (Page 2) 317 decision with regard to the use of the old Crozet School or to Rose Hill is less critical than the other three projects and could possibly be delayed six months. (Mrs. Cooke arrived at 8:20 A.M.) Regarding the size of the elementary schools, Mr. Tolbert said the problem is that increasing the capacity of the school does not deal with the size of the gym, the size of the cafeteria, the number of toilets needed, nor the office space needed. His experience has been that expansion of a school costs about the same as new construction. There is also the problem of second order effects. For example, the new urban school is projected to have about 500 students at opening. If those 500 students are distributed 250 to Greer and 250 students to Woodbrook, adding ten classrooms to each school to accommodate those children would be the same as building a new school. In addition, what would be done if there were an additional 100 students for Greer or Woodbrook. There would be no more room for expansion. He feels it is better planning to build a new school for 500 students, leaving room to expand in the new school as well as the two existing ones. He said the argument against that, of course, is what happens if less growth occurs than is projected. The result would be a new school which was not needed. He said that has happened before in this County. He does not, however, expect that to happen with a new school in the urban area. Mr. Tolbert again encouraged the Board to concentrate on the three major programs that have to start quickly to meet time schedules. He said the location of the alternative education program is an issue that weighs heavily on the School Board because of the sensitive nature of the program and because the School Board wants it to remain a succeSSful program. On the other hand, there are many ways to deal with those 100 children. He hopes that a decision about the location of that group will not be a major deterrent to the entire decision-making process. A delay of six months on the Albemarle High School renovations might not make a major difference to that project either because it is driven more by parity than by growth. He said it is necessary to get started on the problem of overcrowding at Meriwether Lewis and Broadus Wood and the new urban school. Architects need to be hired or sites acquired, as the case may be. Delays in those cases wil% extend the agony of overcrowding. Mr. Way said because there are so many projects being recommended, the Board is trying to find short term solutions!. The question is whether all of those projects can be completed within two y~ars, or whether interim solutions might be possible. He said that is the issue before the Board at the work session on January 10. He concurred with Mr.. Tolbert's analysis of the critical projects. Mr. Haury concurred with Mr. Tolbert's Statement that elementary schools have the immediate problems with handling growth. They need to be dealt with before middle or high school problems. Mr. Haury pointed out that it is advantageous to link projects together such as Murray and Rose Hill because the result is better economy. Mr. Haury also pointed out that the projected enrollment for elementary school this year was only off by eight students. Mr. Finley said if the alternative education program goes to Crozet, Rose Hill would be available, and the construction of an urban area school could be delayed. Rose Hill could be renovated as an elementary school. Rose Hill has a capacity of over 300 students now. Mr. Tolbert said that is a possibility. However, there is no gym. He said there is an interrelationship among the projects recommended by the Long Range Planning Committee. Thought has to be given as to what this potential solution would do to other projects. Mr. Tolbert said he is confident that the school system will find a place for the alternative education program, once the parameters are given by the Board of~ Supervisors. He said that the speed with which these decisions are made is more important than the decision. The Long Range Planning Committee made recommendations, the School Board has preferences, and a final decision has to be made. Mr. Martin said he agrees with Mr. Tolbert that the elementary school problem is the most important. He said the School Board feels that the recommendations of the Long Range Planning Co~nmittee are the best. If the December 6, 1989 (Joint School Board Meeting) (Page 3) 318 Board feels there is a better way, then the School Board needs to know that now. There is not adequate time to go back to the drawing board. He said the School Board realizes the funding constraints involved. He pointed out that when the Board makes the decision to have or not to have the urban area school, the School Board will have to redistrict. He further stated that a decision not to have an urban area elementary school makes the Long Range Plan obsolete. He said the majority of the School Board supports the urban area school at the suggested location on Whitewood Road and the other reco~enda- tions of the Long Range Planning Com]nittee. He asked that the Board of Supervisors decide quickly whether they support those recommendations or not. Mr. Bowie said one reason for the work session on January 10 is so that the newly elected supervisors will be in attendance and have a voice in this decision. He said the Long Range Plan is an excellent study. It would not make sense to re-study the growth projections. However, the Board has to look at other options for handling the growth. He also pointed out that using a standardized set of plans for all school buildings has been suggested several times by Board members. It has been mentioned in this meeting that architects need to be hired, but Mr. Bowie said he has not heard any response to the requests to use standardized school plans. Mr. Tolbert said when he mentioned getting an architect, he was not implying that standardized plans could not be used for the urban area school. He said someone would have to take a plan and adapt it to the site, and that would require an architect's help. He said there is no reason not to select the same firm that designed the Cale Elementary School. He did not mean to imply that this construction project would r&quire starting all over again. He said if additions to Broadus Wood and Murray could be made in a standard way, they should be as well. Mr. Haury said the Long Range Planning Committee did take an overlay of the Cale Elementary School and place it on the School Board's property proposed for the urban area school. He said~ithe design fits, but the playing fields would be eliminated. He said if the school is designed for multiple uses, the design would have to be reconsidered for adaptation to that site. He noted that the terrain on that property is sharp in the back, and the Cale Elementary School design would take up all of the land. It might be best to allow the architects to design a new school because of the need for playing fields. A two-story school might be best because it takes less land. He said that is the only site the Long Range Planning~ Committee actually looked at in that manner. Mr. Ward said the issue of parity has been skimmed over. He said Rose Hill parents are concerned about the inadequacy of the building. Rose Hill is substandard; it has little space, no place for a gym, is near a railroad on one side, and has a highway on the other side.. That is why the Cale Elementary School was built. He pointed out.that if money is spent to renovate Rose Hill, the school will be around for some time and still be below parity. Mr. Finley said a second look should be taken at the parity issue also. Mr. Bowie said a lot of money is going into renovating Rose Hill for the alternative education program. He said if it. is not to be used for an elemen- tary school, the idea of not keeping it at all should be explored before the work session. Mr. Tolbert said a large part of the cost of renovating Rose Hill is for asbestos removal. Mr. Martin said the School Board has noti'discussed the possibility of using the old Crozet School for any purpose, but he does not think that would be a problem. Mr. Bain said that informationi!about Crozet has been requested for the work session. Mr. Way invited the School Board to the work session on January 10 and assured the members that they would have an o~portunity to take part. (Mr. Martin left at 8:50 A.M.) ¥ December 6, 1989 (Joint School Board Meeting) (Page 4) 319 Agenda Item No. 2a. Discussion: Flexible Benefits Program. Mrs. Carol Hastings said a feasibility study was conducted for a flexible benefits program to help with cost containment and to get more employee satisfaction by giving them a choice of benefits. The Board had asked to discuss the program further. Mrs. Hastings said she had prepared cost estimates for implementing the program effective January 1, 1991. The County Attorney had decided that the flexible benefits program should be put out for bids. The proposal would provide several options on medical, life and'dental insurance. She said a great deal of time would be involved in getting bids as well as communicating the plan to employees. The total cost for 1989/90 would be $431,000, and Mrs. Hastings described the components of that amount on a hand-out (copy on file) given to the Board. Mrs. Hastings said she had provided Mr. Agnor and Mr. Overstreet with the results of a recent salary study comparing Albemarle County salaries to other localities and regions. The consultant had indicated that he would not recommend offering a flexible benefits plan in lieu of providing adequate salaries. She said there is a question as t~ whether to implement this plan at all in light of the salary situation. She then asked Mr. Agnor to discuss the salary study with the Board. Mr. Agnor said he and Mr. Overstreet had discussed the matter of the salary survey for classified employees and school administration staff which he had just received yesterday. He recommended that the flexible benefits program not be implemented for 1990-91, but in lieu of that to spend time figuring out what to do with the salary scal~.· He said the Board has asked that major employers in this area look at Albemarle County's program and give advice from the private sector's point of view. That group should be asked to provide their findings at a joint meeting wi~h both Boards in January. At that point it would not be too late to decid~ to set aside the flexible benefits program to deal with the salary scale together with the benefits program. He said that would still give timelito insert recommendations into the budget cycle. A date would have to be s~t for the joint meeting after January 10 when the new School Board appointments had been made. Mr. Way concurred with Mr. Agnor. Ther~ were no objections. Agenda Item No. 2b. Report: Computer STales to Employees Program. Mr. Agnor said this item had been discu~ped with Mr. Overstreet and presented formally to the Board last month, fHowever, Mrs. Cooke had not been present, and other Board members felt she should have the opportunity to discuss this, since she had raised the question of the similarity to a Univer- sity of Virginia computer sales problem. He Said the difference in this program was that the University had formed a computer store and had purchased computers from the'manufacturer. Local vendors were upset because they had been by-passed. Mr. Agnor said the program p~oposed by Mr. Overstreet's staff is not by-passing local vendors. They are, ih fact, asking local vendors for bids. The computers will be sold through a l~ase arrangement to employees. He said this program would not be competing with the local computer market, but would solicit bids from them. Mrs. Cooke said she had no problem with that. She had simply pointed out the situation at the University. Mr. Bowie asked if the intent was to use local retail suppliers. Mr. Overstreet said that bids have been received from them. Mr. Ward said he understood that bids were being taken from local suppli- ers and from manufacturers to see who had the,lowest bids. Mr. Papenfuse said they were receiving bids from one manufacturer as well as a number of local vendors. Mr. Overstreet said the bidders would have to meet the specifica- tions, but bids are not limited to one brand of computer. Mr. Papenfuse said that one retail vendor had underbid a supplieC. December 6, 1989 (Joint School Board Meeting) (Page 5) 320 Mrs. Cooke said it is hard to believe that a manufacturer would not bid lower than the local vendor. Mr. Overstreet said manufacturers have agree- ments with retail outlets not to undercut their prices. Mrs. Cooke said her concern had been met. Agenda Item No. 2c. Review: Guidance for 1990-91 Budget. Mr. Agnor handed out a copy of an attachment (copy on file) used in the Audit Committee's report to the Board and summarized it. He said the current fund balances as of this date have been depleted to a level that there are no further funds available for either operations or capital budgets. The School Fund has a balance of $14,000. Estimated revenues in the General Fund for next year are approximately $53 million. He said he and Mr. Overstreet had discussed the allocation of those funds as $18.76 million to general govern- ment; $28.95 million to the School Division; $2.07 million to debt service; $2.69 million to revenue sharing; and $.05 million to refunds. He pointed out that this allocation does not include $1.4 million in new school debt service nor a $1 million allocation to the CIP and leaves unallocated $1.46 million of estimated revenues in 1990-91. Mr. Agnor said the Board had decided to deal with that issue when they adopt the CIP within the next ten days or so. He noted that these are budget planning numbers~ When specific requests are allocated, these numbers may change. He said this was placed on the agenda so that the School Board would be aware of the figures. Mr. Ward asked if this meant that the tentative guideline is a four percent increase for schools. Mr. Agnor said that was correct, although that does not mean it is four percent across the board. It is a factor that is used to allocate local revenues. Mr. Tolbert said in the operating budget there is an additional $1.9 million for schools. Mr. Agnor said that by!using funds set aside for contin- gencies and applying them to next year's ope=ations, there would be about $2 million. Mr. Tolbert asked if that is the n~ber the County Executive is working with. Mr. Agnor said that is correc~ Agenda Item No. 2e. Other Matters Not Listed. Mr. Overstreet said in reference to House Joint Resolution 178 regarding binding arbitration, the School Board had adopted a resolution opposing that bill. He has some information to pass on to ~Mr. Agnor regarding the bill. He said he wanted to bring it to the Board's attention and encourage the Board to oppose the bill. He said teachers would become state employees rather than local employees. That would be bad for paren~ks and children at the local level, and the School Board would effectivelYi.have no jurisdiction. Mr. Tolbert asked if that was state poli~y. Mr. Overstreet said the problem is that localities pay for 70 percentlof the teachers salaries. He said the locality would be hiring teachers an~ the state would be supervising them. ~ Mr. Way said the Board is meeting with 19gislators a week from today and the School Board could join in that meeting, iMr. Agnor said they would be meeting at 3:30 next Wednesday. He said one item on the Board's legislative agenda is the salary of the School Board. ~ Mr. Overstreet suggested Wednesday, January 3 or Thursday, January 4 for a tour of Albemarle High School. Mr. Way said he would be touring Albemarle on December 18 while he is at the school for a meeting. Mr. Overstreet said the architects who made the study will be preJent to lead the tour, and the Board can ask them questions. December 6, 1989 (Joint School Board Meeting) (Page 6) 321 The next joint School Board and Board of SUpervisors meeting was sched- uled for Wednesday, January 17, 1990, at 8:00 A.M. Agenda Item No. 3. Adjourn. The meeting was adjourned at 9:24 A.M.