Willard R-II Professional Development

District PDC Meeting Agenda

4-17-08

 In Attendance:  Ann Kynion, Anita Yates, Michelle Sechler, Mindy Huslig,  Stacey Pippin, Glenda Ball, Diane Daugherty, Nancy Ipock, Quincy London, Amy Earl, Bobbie Simmons, Yvonne Galloway, and Carolyn Nixon 

Minutes of previous meeting were waived due to the need to clarify a correction that needed Dr. Marcum’s input regarding a budget figure.  Minutes will be read, corrected, and approved at the May meeting.

Budget Report  New budget reports were sent out to building reps.  Any questions should be addressed to Dr. Marcum via email.

 Unfinished Business

There was a question about the number of PD days in the 2008-09 school calendar.  That question will be addressed to Dr. Marcum at the next meeting in May.

1. SAI will be administered again in the fall, not before school is out this year.
2. High Quality Teaching Institute
   1. Plan and schedule of events is almost finished.
   2. Cindy Whitaker from state MSTA office will assist with a 2 hour mandatory training session for mentors.
   3. A bus tour of the district campuses may be planned for new protégés as part of their 2 hour training segment.
3. First Day of School for all teachers
   1. Informational and motivational video to be produces by Amanda Graves and Kristina Loveland – stipend or career ladder credit as payment for time and work

 New Business

• PD Reps

Yvonne Galloway will replace Anita Yates as PDC rep from Willard South.

Debbie Newman will replace Diane Daugherty as PDC rep from Willard East.As a matter of record, this is the complete list of terms for all current building reps.

  Willard District PDC Terms for Building Representatives

 4-1-2008 to 3-31-2011

Nancy Ipock (H.S.) Beth Robinson (M.S.) Amy Earl (I.S) Mindy Huslig (W.C.) Debbie Newman (W.E.)

Michelle Sechler (W.N.) Yvonne Galloway (W.S.)

4-1-2006 to 3-31-2009

Quincy London (H.S.) Carolyn Nixon (M.S.) Bobbie Simmons (I.S)  Tammy Cook (W.C.) Glenda Ball (W.E.) Stacey Pippin (W.N.) Ann Kynion (W.S.)

• Lead Mentor for WIS

Stephanie Kiesewetter has resigned as Lead Mentor for Willard Intermediate School.  Candidates should be sought to fill that position for 2008-09.  Amy Earl expressed a willingness to serve; an announcement will be made about the open position, and applications will be made available for those who wish to apply.

• Process issues with Mentor/Protégé Program

The following problems have been noted this year:  a few protégés who have not completed their PD plans, submission of incorrect forms, a misunderstanding by first year protégés about attendance at a Beginning Teacher Workshop being mandatory.  Other than these issues, there have been no significant problems this year.

• Lead Mentor Program

Cindy Whitaker attended the April Lead Mentor training session.  She presented information and copies of the new Mentoring Frameworks that have been submitted to the State Board for approval.  These frameworks should be in effect by fall. 

There is much concern about recruitment and retention of teachers due to the following facts:

• 50.6% of all teachers in Missouri have less than 10 years of teaching experience.
• A high percentage of teachers leave the profession within the first five years of teaching.
• Of the 257,500 certified teachers in the state, only 29% are employed in the field.

Ms. Whitaker has asked the Lead Mentor group from Willard to submit a proposal for presenting at the state MSTA convention in the fall.  In addition, MSTA will be doing a podcast about the program sometime in the future.

End-of-Year Activities

As part of the Willard PD needs assessment, each protégé will receive a short survey to complete.  Survey questions center on identifying areas of need for professional development.

An email exit interview will be sent out to those leaving the district this year.  Questions will focus on helping identify the reason why teachers are leaving.

• PD Plan

There were only minor changes in the PD Plan for 2008-09.  The budget is essentially the same with the exception of an increase in Goal # which reflects a substantial addition for substitutes because of MRI.  The plan will need to be approved at the May meeting.

• Mentor Reps

Mentor reps are asked to have all paperwork compiled in notebooks to turn in at the May meeting.  All mentor stipend forms should be completed and sent to appropriate personnel to ensure payment or career ladder credit for mentors.

• Work Session

There will be a special work session from 4-5:30 PM on Thursday, May 1 in the District Training Room at WMS.  At that time, reps will be entering data from the Mentor/Protégé Mid-Year and End-of-Year Evaluations for the purpose of creating reports.  This is a trial run to determine the effectiveness of completing forms online next year.  Everyone was encouraged to attend and assist with this process.

Anita Yates made a motion to adjourn.  Quincy London seconded.  Meeting adjourned.

District PDC meeting has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 17 @4:00 in the district training room at Willard Middle School.

In attendance: Nancy Ipock, Mindy Huslig, Carolyn Nixon, Beth Robinson, Michelle Sechler, Stacey Pippin, Diane Daugherty, Glenda Ball, Anita Yates, Susan Marcum  

Budget Reports: Clarification of elementary expenditures:  MRI substitute expenses have caused the substitute budget to be larger than previous years.  ($1000 has been added to the 2008/2009 budget to compensate for the rise in costs in this category.) 

 2008/2009 Preliminary Budget: Marcum distributed a draft budget for next year.  Building budgets are still determined by the number of employees (per capita) per building.   SAI:  Survey to be taken in the fallHigh Quality Teaching Institute:  Agenda and dates have been established.  Intermediate, middle, and high school new teachers will have a building tour and SIS training on the first day.  Elementary teachers will meet with Angela Stevens for more instructional coaching. All new teachers will meet with their building principals that day.  Other plans are informational meetings with Sandy Gold and Janetta Garton, and the showing of the required “Smart Kids” video. First day of School:  Per Dr. Medlin’s input, the first day will be a short, focused session featuring reflections of the previous year and encouragement for the year ahead and will have a “homespun” theme, rather than feature a guest speaker not with the district.  A video presentation featuring the goals and accomplishments of the Willard R-II District is being planned.  It was suggested that Amanda Graves and Kristina Loveland from Willard Middle School be asked to do the video. Calendar for Next Year: Important dates are noted with a review of the ‘08/’09 district calendar.  Note is made the PDC days are not currently published on the calendar, but are still built into the contract days of the year.  Discussion is tabled until next meeting until clarification can be made as to the date and number of PDC days. PD Plan:  Please check the website to review the plan.  E-mail Nixon with any needed revisions or input.  My Learning Plan:  (An electronic scheduler than keeps track of professional development hours.)  The site would like our district to participate in this program, which would manage the tracking of all employee professional development hours.  Costs are $2500 for setup, and $15 per teacher, per year, for the service.  The general consensus of the discussion was that the expense would not be practical at this time for the needs of the district. Mentor/Protégé  Revisions:  Updates have been made to the handbook, as noted by Diane Daugherty and Stacey Pippin.  Nixon discussed new ideas to refine and improve the current program.  Daugherty noted that Willard’s program has generated interest from other schools who would like to learn more about our management and record-keeping strategies. Marcum suggests that the title “lead mentor” might be better described with another name.  Suggestions for a new name for this role can be sent to Nixon. Blog:  Support person is needed to help Nixon once a month with the PDC blog next year. Mentor Due Dates:  Mentor forms, along with stipend forms, are due next month, to be turned in first to building principals for approval, and eventually sent to PD chair. Adjourn:  Motion is made by Daugherty to adjourn meeting, with a second from Sechler.

All observation forms for brand new first year proteges and their mentors are due on Friday, December 21.  This includes the self-observation forms which are to be completed by the proteges.  All forms should be turned in to your building PDC rep. 

In attendance:  Mindy Huslig, Diane Daugherty, Glenda Ball, Amy Earl, Nancy Ipock, Stacey Pippin, Beth Robinson, Carolyn Nixon

  Call to Order

            Nixon calls meeting to order at 4:02 p.m.

 Secretary’s Report

Minutes from last meeting are approved as documented (motion by Pippin, 2^nd by Glenda Ball).

Budget Report 

Budget reports per building were distributed.  Building-wide spending (MRI) for elementary was briefly discussed, with similarities, successes, implementation strategies, and concerns being shared by those participating.  Nixon discusses alternative professional development ideas that are taking place within the district.

 SAI Reports/Survey

Baseline data has been established so SAI surveys will be taken only once a year.  It was noted that response averages were somewhat lower at the end of the year, with the change in responses being attributed to the time of the year when the survey was taken. 

Jody Wood, with Missouri Staff Development, will be rescheduled to help guide Willard in effectively using these surveys to evaluate current practice and guide necessary changes.

NSDC Report           

Nixon reports on conference just attended.  Stiggins was an influential presenter, and the information he presented confirms the need to break down the GLE’s into smaller learner goals.  Robinson shares the progress Middle School is making with this task.

 MSDC Spring Conference

Dates are now available for those considering attendance. The conference is not during Spring Break this year.  The National Conference in ’09 is in St. Louis.

 New Teacher Institute

            Discussion is tabled until next meeting.

Miscellaneous Business

            January 4 agenda is decided by building principals.

Adjourn:  Meeting is adjourned (motion made by Daugherty, 2nd by Earl).  Mentoring subcommittee

             meets with Nixon.

   NEXT MEETING:  Thursday, January 12, 2008

4:00-5:30

District Meeting/Training Room at Middle School