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2 <br /> <br /> Mr. Ed Gillespie, Director of Finance for the Schools, said that the Schools <br />allocate $200,000 for small capital projects and general maintenance, but large CIP <br />projects are funded by the City. <br /> <br /> Mr. Lynch said that two years ago the City increased the meals tax by 1% to <br />augment the CIP for Schools. He said that even with this increased amount it will not <br />cover the facilities needs at this rate. He said we have depended on budget surpluses to <br />fund the CIP in the past. He said we have to decide if we can fund the needs, or if the <br />needs can be reduced. <br /> <br /> Dr. Brown said that the School Board had allocated $200,000 last year for <br />Superintendent initiatives, and he asked for an itemization of how it has been spent or <br />whether it has all been spent. <br /> <br /> Dr. Griffin said that only about $28,000 to $30,000 has been spent for the audit <br />and associated expenses. She said the fund was established for initiatives that were not in <br />this year's budget. She said she is pursuing other initiatives and needs to have further <br />discussions with the Board. <br /> <br /> Dr. Brown asked that the significant increases in the Superintendent's budget be <br />discussed. <br /> <br /> Dr. Griffin said that travel was increased for three administrators who need to go <br />to national conferences to keep abreast of what is happening in education; legal fees were <br />increased to assure there is enough for attorney fees; $20,000 to $25,000 is for a survey <br />and report; and funding is provided for consultants to assess programs. <br /> <br /> Ms. Hamilton noted that the audit recommended additional staff development for <br />teachers, and she asked where this shows up in the budget. <br /> <br />Mr. Gillespie said it is primarily shown in in-service training. <br /> <br />Ms. Smith said that 10% of Title ! funds are set aside for staff development. <br /> <br /> Ms. Hamilton said that the audit recommended reconfiguring or replacing <br />coordinators, but the proposed budget seems to add more of them. She expressed <br />concern that the proposed level of administrators is more aligned with a larger school <br />system. <br /> <br /> Mr. Lynch suggested that the committees which were formed for K4 English, <br />textbook adoption and early literacy, as presented at the last joint Council / School board <br />meeting be used as a model for how to deal with the instructional coordinator issue. He <br />suggested that rather than add new positions, stipends could be added for existing staff. <br />He noted that we are in a limited budget position. He also suggested applying the reading <br />model to other areas. He questioned the $16,000 for public relations and suggested that <br />the City's Director of Communications be used as a resource since his position is partly <br />funded by the Schools. He also suggested providing incentives for existing personnel to <br />do grants writing. <br /> <br /> Dr. Brown said he would be supportive of extending salary increases to those <br />employees at the lowest levels. <br /> <br /> Mr. Lynch said that the salary for City workers is up to $9 per hour and he thinks <br />the Schools need to pay a living wage as well. <br /> <br /> Mr. Schilling said we may want to prioritize how the Director of Communications <br />uses his time, and we may decide it is more important for him to work with the schools <br />rather than on a television show. <br /> <br />The meeting was adjourned. <br /> <br /> <br />