Board Meeting July 13, 2011

Please refer to the minutes for more details about the meeting.

Dr. Crandall swore in our new Board Member, Kara Harris, before we began.

I did mention how Sierra Vista gave the community the opportunity to sit in on the budget meetings and would like our school to consider doing the same.   I also suggested the middle school to create a newsletter to be put in the newspaper and for Tombstone USD to look into using therapy dogs for students to read to and discuss a freshmen summer camp.

I updated the Board Members about my experience at the Delegate Assemble and requested a Work Sessions before next year’s Assembly, because I really should be voting based on the wishes of the School Board, not just mine. 

I also announced a fundraiser the American Legion Auxiliary is sponsoring, ‘Stuff the Bus’.  The Auxiliary needs students to make banners for the busses and students and teachers to be present at both locations: Tombstone and Huachuca City.

I mentioned an article I read about a program Buena HS offers incoming freshmen and suggested we do the same.  Dr. Crandall directed me to speak with Principal Devere about the Summer Bridge Program at Tombstone HS. 

There was some discussion about approving the Budget for FY12.  We heard Principal Devere and Yarborough, and Crystal Wambach present about what they learned from the Cyber Bullying Conference.  They also shared their plan of action for preventing and dealing with students who are involved with allegations of cyber bullying.

Mrs. Melanie Simmons of Saxon Math attended our meeting to answer questions concerning the Saxon Math program that is up for adoption.  When I began my research of Saxon Math, I found Saxon Math to be the book for home schooling. I was concerned that it wasn’t aligned to current math standards or to core math. Mrs. Simmons answered that it was never a home school curriculum, but that home school latched on to it.  My biggest concern was that the teachers would be following the book so closely they would lose touch with the students and what they are learning or not learning.  I also did not believe the book provided enough real world problem-solving for the students.  Although my preference would have been for teachers to receive more quality professional development for teaching Math skills, the vote was to purchase books for them to follow.