Approval of a two-year contract with Local #284 SEIU, setting dates for two upcoming school board meetings and a discussion of school board governance education were among the items on the agenda at the regular meeting of the Becker Board of Education Monday night.

 

The board unanimously approved the terms of a two-year contract that was agreed to on May 4 between the school district and Local #284 SEIU.

 

Supt. Dr. Stephen Malone noted in his report that the salary increase will be 1.25% for the first year of the contract, and will remain the same for the second year of the agreement.  The total cost increase over the two-year contract term will be 4.01 per cent, Malone said.  The union membership is expected to ratify the contract terms this week.

 

The board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 18 to accept the hearing officer’s findings in the matter of an Unrequested Leave of Absence for teacher Amber Einerwold.  The board will hold a workshop at 6:30 p.m. Mon., Aug. 17 to hear the results of an administrative study.

 

The board reviewed potential education programs, including a workshop on for July, which might include policy governance, goal setting or scheduling high school electives, Malone said.

 

The board also examined a variety of methods of incorporating test results, with special attention paid to an explanation of “Z scores” for use in interpreting test results.  This is the same method by which teachers and administrators now measure student growth, and is included in teacher evaluations.

 

The board also discussed the results of the creativity and critical thinking survey from 2014 to 2015, and used wall charts to organize stakeholder inputs into exit outcome areas.

 

In personnel matters, the board approved the hiring of Craig Vogl as the new BHS band teacher, and the hiring of Thomas Risley as the new director of transportation for the school district.