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Executive Committee Meeting Department of Education (These minutes are considered a draft until approved at the next scheduled meeting.) MEMBERS PRESENT: Tom Adams (President), Pam Wright (President-elect), Cindy Pittman, (Past-President), Vendetta Gutshall (Treasurer), Gary Collings (Secretary), Larry Bass (SW), Jim Murray (C), Cheryl Corning (SE), Lynn Gosser (E), Mary Beth Hamilton (NE), Pat Pierce (NW), Cheryl Harshman (NC) OTHERS PRESENT: Bob Marra
(DEL) A. Minutes Tom Adams called the meeting to order and requested a motion to approve the March 15, 2007 minutes. MOTION: Pam Wright moved for approval. After a second by Mary Beth Hamilton, the motion carried. No meeting was held in April 2007 due to the CEC Convention in Louisville. B. Treasurer's Report and
Claim Docket Vendetta Gutshall distributed handouts for the
May 2007 Financial Report. The May Docket was presented in the
amount of $31,960.93. MOTION: Pat Pierce moved to approve
the Docket as presented. After a second by Lynn Gosser, the
motion was approved. The financial report showed $116,424.86
of the $167,650 budget had been expended to date. Vendetta presented the first draft of the proposed 2007-08 ICASE budget. Because of the accumulating cash balance and IRS status, she recommended a more proactive budget in the amount of $195,400. Members discussed transferring additional funds to the scholarship account. Members agreed Vendetta should add a consultant line in the next draft for future contracted services. C. Strategic Plan (2006-09) Pam Wright distributed a grid which outlined the goals, benchmarks, accomplishments, timelines, and lead persons. Members agreed on a dinner meeting the evening of June 5 prior to the next Executive Committee meeting. D. Constitution Review Lynn Gosser reviewed the highlights of the work group's proposal. Pam Wright reported on the suggestions for three standing committees: Membership and Fiscal Management, Professional Development, and Legislation and Research. Each committee would have an appointed chairperson, who would become a standing member of the Executive Committee for a three-year term. The draft prepared at the May 1 work session will be presented at the June 7 afternoon meeting of the Legislative Committee, which is to provide its recommendations for the July 31 meeting of the Executive Committee. E. Membership Committee Vendetta Gutshall is working on a meeting of the Patron Membership Committee for June 26. F. Committee Appointments 2007-08 Pam Wright said she will postpone appointments until the new structure under the Strategic Plan and revised Constitution is in place. G. Proposed Calendar of Meetings 2007-08 MOTION: Jim Murray moved to accept the 2007-08 Calendar. After a second by Cheryl Harshman, the motion was approved. H. Roundtable Topical Proposals Mary Beth Hamilton presented the Northeast proposal at an approximate cost of $2,600 for a two-day skill development seminar for educational interpreters focusing on performance assessment. MOTION: Pat Pierce moved to accept the proposal. After a second by Cheryl Harshman, the motion was approved. The Master Schedule for topicals is as follows: Fall 2007 (Central), Spring 2008 (Northwest), Fall 2008 (East), Spring 2009 (Southeast). II. Reports: 2006-2007 1. Spring Conference 2007: February 15-16, 2007 Pam Wright provided a summary of the conference evaluations. 2. Fall Conference 2007: September 27-28, 2007 Pam Wright reminded members that expenses for the speakers will be underwritten by the IN-SIG project, which is collaborating on the program. She suggested a reduced registration fee for members along with the offset of overnight room costs. Members discussed diverting some of the proceeds from the golf outing to the Jeremy Warriner fund for which Robin Parker alone has raised $2,000 to date through the cookbook project. 3. CEC/CASE Update Tom Adams commented on how extensive the CEC Convention was in Louisville. He noted Indiana was awarded a plaque in recognition of its outstanding communication with its members. 4. Spring 2008 Conference: February 27 29, 2008 Pending 5. Fall 2008 Conference: September 24 26, 2008 Lynn Gosser remarked she has received a proposal from the Fort Wayne Convention Center. Article 7 will be a likely item. B. Standing Committee Reports 1. Porter Scholarship
Cheryl Corning reported she is receiving applications. 3. Past-Presidents' Council Tom Adams will chair this council after July 1. 4. Nominations Pam Wright remarked the nomination process is under review in relation to the Strategic Plan, as well as any future constitutional revisions. 5. Roundtable Activities Jim Murray (Central) announced Lucy Witte has been named the new director of West Central Joint Services. Lynn Gosser (East) commented that Mary Jo Germani, a faculty member at BSU and ISHA president, provided them a list of IHE trainer contacts. C. Article 7 Work Group This group composed of Executive Committee members met on May 7. Lynn Gosser reported that the group has completed its final review of Rule 26 (eligibility), which she will e-mail. Larry Bass offered to e-mail his power point on Private Schools after the State Advisory Council meeting. D. Report: Division of Exceptional Learners Bob Marra was pleased to report the General Assembly increased the foundation amounts for the Additional Pupil Count formula shown in the inset on this page. The Preschool funding shortfall ($4.4 million) for this year was handled by a transfer from the Alternative Residential (S-5) fund. The Preschool foundations were not increased ($2250), but a permanent transfer of $4 million from the S-5 account (reduced to $26 million total) has been created and increased the Preschool fund to $32 million. Funding for High Ability Programs (G & T) was increased from $5.8 million to $12.6 million. Bob commented on the successful emergency permit legislation. He reported on a DEL work group with both ICASE and ISHA representatives to address the SLP personnel shortage. This work group met on May 2 and discussed creating a bachelor's teacher of communication disorders licensure with emphasis on a dual major, such as reading or mild intervention, among several possibilities. A member asked about Indiana licensing for candidates in the Nova Southeastern University distance learning SLP program, which is reportedly not NCATE approved, but not a problem for the Indiana Professional Standards Board (IPLA)? Bob commented that since SLP candidates must first get their IPLA agency license to take to DPS for a school license, he would assume the NCATE status is a non-issue for these graduates. [Bob later reported a subsequent conversation with Shawn Sriver, which confirmed Bob's earlier comment.] Bob noted the DOE Autism Spectrum Disorder Task Force will culminate its work in December. The task force will host an October 26 Symposium for teacher educators about new ASD competencies. Bob remarked the State Advisory Council (SAC) will hear a Private School presentation from the Rule 19 work group at its May 18 meeting. Bob noted his reluctance with Discipline language that goes beyond federal provisions. In lieu of preschool caseloads, the length, frequency, and duration of services will likely be the determinants for case conference consideration. Prior written notice (not consent) of proposed action will likely be considered to allow parents ten days to respond. There was considerable discussion around the possibility of re-instating the 40 instructional days for completion of evaluations. In reply to a question about Response-to-Intervention, Bob considers such an initiative as an integrated system for supporting student success. He is inclined to embed such provisions in Student Services Article 4 (not Article 7). The final Article 7 session with the SAC is scheduled for June 15. Notice will be given when the final draft document is available on the DOE website. Bob anticipates the SAC with IN*SOURCE and ASK will host 12 open input meetings across the State. After these sessions, Bob plans to forward the draft document to the State Board of Education by December to start the rule promulgation process. It is his hope the revised rule will be operational by the beginning of the 2008-09 school year. In reply to a question, Bob briefed members on "2% regulations", which he described as being silent about diplomas. Under this provision the students must take an assessment with the same rigor as the current ISTEP standards. The only option is to reduce the quantity of choices in the answers. The assessment must be on grade level, so our current indicators may need to be reviewed. The Indiana DOE must submit its pivotal standards to the USDOE by January 2009 for approval for the 2009-2010 school year. DOE can only have a 3% total, but individual corporations may be granted waivers. For the next two years, former students in special education can be counted for AYP calculations (not for participation). Members discussed the current obstacle defining graduates as four year degree completers with no allowance for fifth year or certificates. E. Report: Public Policy and Legislative Committee Members acknowledged the extensive work of Kelli Waggoner through KWK with SB 451. MOTION: Pat Pierce moved to recognize KWK in some fashion up to $200 as gratitude for its work during the last session of the General Assembly. After a second by Vendetta Gutshall, the motion was approved. Tom Adams will discuss an appropriate recognition with the Legislative Committee at its meeting on June 7. F. Liaisons No reports III. NEXT MEETING: June 6, 2007 DOE Riley Room |