Mt. Evans BOCES
Board Meeting
March 2, 2015
(Rescheduled from Feb. 23, 2015)
Hearthfire Books – Bergan Park
Meeting Minutes
I. Roll Call: Board Members Present: Kevin Kuharic, Clear Creek; Katie Spodyak, Platte Canyon; Phil Eisele, Platte Canyon (Via
Phone) – not in attendance Kathleen O’Leary, Clear Creek; Steve Boulter, Gilpin
II. Guests: Shelly Haich, GT Coordinator Mt. Evans BOCES, Dr. Terri Jones, Executive Director, Mt. Evans BOCES; Dave MacKenzie,
Superintendent, Gilpin Co. Schools; Janet Romarine, Mt. Evans BOCES Administrative Assistant; Terry Scharg, Mt. Evans BOCES
Business Manager.
III. Approval of the December Minutes: Copies were sent to all members. There were no comments or corrections. Katie moved that
we approve; Kevin seconded the motion. Minutes for December were approved as written.
IV. Student Spotlight: This month’s student was from Clear Creek. Terri highlighted a student who attends Carlson Elementary. He is
one of our success stories, not only because of his individual progress, but also because of the success of the new EQ program
classroom at Clear Creek. Even though there are still challenges for him and the EQ staff, he has been successful in the public school
setting in his least restrictive environment (LRE) which by law we are required to provide for students. His success is a nice
testament to the new EQ program that is filling a long-standing gap in the LRE continuum. Prior to the establishment of EQ, if a student
was not successful in the regular general education public school setting, our only alternative was to place them in and provide
transportation to and from a facility school in Denver, which is very costly and takes students out of the LRE in their home district.
Kevin stated that this is one on the best parts of the meeting, and everyone agreed that these students' success is what we are all
here for.
V. BOCES Policy Manuals: Policy Manuals were distributed to all Board members in attendance and more copies will be made for
those wishing to have a copy. All superintendents will be provided with a hard copy of the policy manual. Policies are also on the website. Copies of the BOCES.
VI. BOCES Budget 101 – Terry Scharg
Terry explained how finances work and gave us a little more understanding about the budget and the process. Some highlights were:
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Revenue: BOCES is different from the school level. There are 3 main sources of revenue: Federal (IDEA (Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act) / Part B and Pre School), State (ECEA (Exceptional Children’s Education Act) / Gifted and Talented), and
Local (Contributions from districts). This fiscal year we received additional revenue from the state from 3 different grants –
Educational Priorities Grant; the School Counselor Grant; and the GT Universal Student Grant. These are the main sources
revenue.
ECEA - we reviewed the Operating statement hand- out.
o Terry went over the expenses and revenues – who, and what this applies to in the BOCES and how it is calculated.
Explained special education "tiers" of funding based on disability category - different disability categories are associated with
different levels of funding - this funding is based on student count per district
GE (gifted ed) - Excess costs are billed to the districts. Funds applied to districts on a percentage basis. GE expenses are in
excess to the amount of money we receive from the state.
IDEA B (students in special education with an IEP 5 years old and above) AND PRESCHOOL – Works in a different way. IDEA is
basically a reimbursement grant. Any money we get, we must have already spent. We work with the districts to provide us with
expenses on a quarterly basis and then we distribute the funds we have received from the state and the feds.. However, this fiscal
year (’14-’15) the state decided to do it differently. The districts must provide information, then we request funds from the state,
and then we wait. We are still waiting on funds from December. The Federal Application must be made on a regular basis to
receive these funds. A narrative has to be filed every three years. There are specific timelines for revisions to be made on the
specifics of the application.
Explained Budget Code numbers on print out (Clear Creek, Gilpin, Platte, BOCES)
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Terry had handouts for everyone including copies of the operating statement, ECEA, Breakdown/explanation of the FY 2014-15
Revenue; Expense; GT; and IDEA part B and Pre School, and IDEA part B allocation.
A copy of the final 2014 audit report was also handed out.
Kevin made a suggestion that we have some sort of list that contains all the acronyms we use (and what they stand for) to make it
easier for all of us to know what we are talking about. Everyone agreed that was a great idea, especially for the most common
ones. Terri will work on creating a list of commonly-used acronyms.
VII. SAC Meeting and Quarterly Updates
Terri: All notes from the SAC meeting and Quarterly reports were send to the board and instead of going over both, Terri reviewed
sections of the Quarterly Report. Lynn Gentry’s position has been posted, but no one has applied that would meet the requirements.
Terri would like to hold off until a good candidate could be found who could ‘hit the road running” to avoid just “filling” the position with
someone who would not add value to our BOCES. The Clear Creek gifted position has been posted and there are three applicants at
this time. Janet will be leaving as of June. Janet's position is posted and Terri will be looking ahead to realign/reassign the duties
and/or have someone help administration. The move to have IEP/ALP’s and reporting done electronically will free up time also.
Position for Platte Canyon Psychologist has been posted. The hope to switch to the state IEP system (Enrich) has been placed on hold
as we, small districts, do not have the necessary resources needed at this time. We will be using outside resources to try and update
the Infinite Campus system to better meet our needs and streamline the processes needed for accurate reporting. The Salida School
district has approached Terri with interest in joining Mt Evans BOCES, but they must first receive permission from the state before we
will engage in discussion of this issue. Seclusion and restraint training is ongoing especially at Carlson with the EQ (emotional
intelligence) program. Trainings are continuing at the districts regarding the new CDE review of IEP’s. Two BOCES-sponsored
trainings will take place in the districts in August and January with the August meeting addressing differentiated instruction. Looking at
long term planning for the BOCES, Randy Black from CASB will attend out next SAC meeting in April to help us in discussions as to
who we are and how we want to develop as a BOCES in terms of how we go about meeting the needs of the districts which might
include aligning calendars and identifying common priorities. Teri has applied to CDE for a literacy grant – decisions will be made this
Friday March 6. Terri has requested the maximum amount of $25,000.00 which will be used to bring literacy trainers from Orton
Gillingham, renowned reading instructors, to help our teachers understand how to effectively teach reading. Additionally, Platte
Canyons is actively participating in Special Olympics with their students. Terri has also brought consultation from Mount Saint Vincent
to Platte Canyon and Clear Creek in how to effectively manage emotionally challenged students in the general education setting. Terri
is currently reviewing IEPs under the new state model of IEP record review. Terri is also investigating options for receiving revenues
from the new Medicaid school reimbursement program and for providing additional opportunities for our special education students
who need to develop transition skills pre/post graduation.
Shelly: Went over the grants we received and there is another grant that will be available in April, but the money we receive from
that will not have to be spent by June so that gives us more flexibility. Finishing up on the body of evidence for those kids who popped
up on the screenings in October and referrals are being collected for the second testing in April. Progress monitoring ALP’s. Early
Access Addendum was submitted in December and there were a few items that needed changed; one being the fee charged must be
defined, so Shelly went with the $250.00 which seems to be what the Denver area is doing. The second item was the free and reduced
sliding fee; we were told there is to be no fee for free or reduced. In February Shelly and a group of people went to Fairview High
School to learn about their Science Research Seminar Class and to see their science fair at CU. The students are doing amazing and
professional projects and we are looking at how we might be able to incorporate this in each of our districts. This would be great for
kids who what to go further in science. A group of students from Gilpin went Legislative Day and two students applied and were
accepted to shadow a legislator for a day. Shelly will be setting up discussions with principals and gifted education coordinators as to
definable gifted ed programming available in each district. We will begin looking at tier interventions in special ed and gifted ed –Tier Iuniversal level, those things we do for all students, Tier II-what we do with small groups, Tier III-individualized. We will need to look at
needs and options that best address the needs of students in each district/school. A small group of parents representing each district
in the BOCES are moving toward organizing the Mt. Evans Gifted Association – MEGA, which will be an affiliate to CAGT. We
discussed the benefits and steps to get started. Since the initial meeting, the name (MEGA) has been registered with the state, an
account has been set up, and draft by-laws have been proposed. The next meeting will be March 16. We should be up and running to
invite all parents by the fall. There was money freed up from a grant we received, and in talking with superintendents it was decided
we should use money for professional development for highly qualified people and people endorsed in gifted education. We came up
with a three phase plan. One would be having a resource teacher/coordinator in each district and we are looking at a stipend – paying
for tuition to make sure we have highly qualified people in each district. Two would be having courses offered in gifted education.
Shelly is working with at Adams state to become the teacher of record so that she could offer Adams State credit for books study and
so forth. Teachers would have the option to have Adams credit or professional development hours. Once we go through the process it
will be $55.00 per credit. As part of the professional development Shelly is in the process of trying to get Dr. Bertie Kingore – expert in
differentiation – to present to our BOCES. Parent discussion groups and book studies will continue in the districts. Shelly brought and
showed books she had purchased which is a vocabulary development program for five teachers in the 6th grade level who are
interested in using this. The books have deep level questions, and evaluations. We will see how they work out, and hopefully we will
expand.
VIII. Step Increase on Salary Schedule for all BOCES Employees
Copy of the proposed increases were handed out with breakdown of current and proposed salaries
 Proposed a one-step increase for majority of staff
 Cost of living for Terri Jones, Shelly Haich, Terry Scharg, and Shelly Carlstrom of 2.8%
 Salary increases are essential in recruiting and retaining qualified staff, which is a challenge in our rural districts. Having
competent, knowledgeable staff is essential for student success and for avoiding costly legal issues. Having top notch people
is very important.
Phil wanted to know if salary staff received was just one salary through the BOCES and not from each school they work at. Terri explained that
BOCES staff are paid by the BOCES as BOCES employees – they receive one salary, and are assigned to one district (sometimes 2 districts,
e.g. CC and Gilpin) but might be reassigned temporarily based on need.
Katie moved to approve the step increase for all BOCES employees including the cost of living increase for the four above mentioned.
Motion was seconded by Kevin.
VOTE: Kevin Kuharic, Clear Creek (yes); Katie Spodyak, Platte Canyon (yes); Phil Eisele, Platte Canyon (Via Phone) (yes)
Next meeting: June 1, 2015 @ 8:00 a.m.
Hearthfire Books – Bergan Park
Respectfully submitted,
Janet Romarine, Mt. Evans BOCES Administrative Assistant
Acceptance of Minutes:
Kevin Kuharic, Secretary of the Mt. Evans BOCES