School Advisory Council
Meeting
September 21, 2005
In attendance: Headmaster Dan Kennedy, Prof. Robert Lechner,
Ken Cowles, Cadet Kyle Seeger, Cadet Whitney Vosick, Cadet Katherine Valdesuso,
Jann Vasiloff, Jim Young, CSM Mike Collis, Col. Cork, Robert Graham, Bill Race,
Vera McClaugherty, Cadet John Miericke, Cadet Kaitlin Jeffrey, Madalyn Andrews
Interim chair, Ken Cowles,
called the meeting to order at 11:30 a.m.
The minutes from the May 2005 meeting were approved as written. Ken welcomed everyone to the first meeting of
the new school year, 2005-2006, and had everyone introduce themselves.
Headmaster’s Report: Mr. Kennedy reported that the
year was off to a great start with a smooth opening and approximately 460
students which he noted will settle in around 440-450. Plans for a south county location are very
much alive; still in the process of finding a location. He stated that he still has plans for a
middle school in Sarasota that would act as a feeder to SMA. Awards will be given tomorrow at formation to
students who scored a 3.5 or better on last year’s FCAT and they will be given
a “free” day off; all were invited to attend.
SMA received $43,000 ($100/student) from the state for our improvement
in our scores; SAC will determine how that money is to be spent.
Commandant’s Report: Col. Cork reported that
financially we are in good shape. A
large amount was spent over the summer on several renovations and additional
computers. The cafeteria renovation is
next. He has contracted with an
architect for further development of the site plan which is more expensive than
anticipated, but is necessary to comply with county/city regulations regarding
parking, run off, etc.
Old Business: Mr. Lechner presented the School Improvement
Plan (SIP) for approval for this year. He thanked Linda Daysh for typing the
data for the report. He briefly went
over the plan pointing out the changes to the operational guidelines that SAC
had approved last year. Mrs. Vasiloff
questioned whether the SAC roster needed to include a 12th grade
parent. Mr. Lechner explained that the
expectations of the Sarasota School District in terms of yearly improvement are
at least 1% higher than those mandated by the No Child Left Behind act, and in
all but one area SMA has achieved that district goal or higher. He explained that where there is no data (NA)
the reason is you must have a test base of at least 30 students to determine a
percentage in those categories and we do not. He specifically applauded the
math, language arts and ROTC departments for the tremendous gains made over the
last year and credited the dedicated SMA staff for the improvements. Mrs. Vasiloff asked what criteria determined
Low Income families; Mr. Kennedy said it was based solely on the free and
reduced lunch program.
Mr. Lechner pointed out that
on the Goals 1-9 several suggestions from the county were added to our plan,
and some were added as a result of the SAC, faculty and student collaborative
effort at the end of last year in anticipation of this year’s SIP. For example, in goals 9 & 10 the
establishment of English and Math Skills courses in addition to the regular
English and math courses is a direct result of the joint meetings and shared
information between students, faculty and administration.
A motion was made and seconded to approve the SIP
giving Mr. Lechner and Mr. Kennedy authority to make any changes to the plan
that may be required by the school district once the district receives and
reviews it. Motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Kennedy thanked Mr.
Lechner for his expertise and diligent efforts in writing and assembling the
SIP.
New Business: Mr. Kennedy talked about the money received
from the state and the responsibility of SAC to determine how that money is
spent. He gave several suggestions for
SAC to consider and encouraged members to think of others. He mentioned that the money can be divided
for distribution in several areas. He
warned SAC that this issue can become divisive although he does not anticipate
that with our school. He said that he
will not be part of the vote. He stated
that the money cannot be accessed until the expenditure is decided on and
approved by SAC. Discussions will be at
the next meeting.
Election of officers was
held: Ken Cowles was elected chair,
Robert Graham as vice chair, and Jann Vasiloff as recording secretary.
The reminder of items on the
agenda will carry over to next month’s meeting.
Meeting was adjourned at 12:30
p.m.; next meeting will be October 19, 2005 at 11:30 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jann Vasiloff
Recording Secretary