Dissenting votes came from Frank Harben and David Syfan. Harben said the Board violated its own policy with the approval.
"I felt the process went awry; we have a method to follow that we prescribed at the beginning of the year and we didn't follow it," Harben said. Syfan said it was bad policy, that it would deny future boards choice.
"I'm opposed to the guaranteed contract," Syfan said. "Part of the Gainesville model is about choice and a guaranteed contract would eliminate choice."
Kelvin Simmons supported the contract along with chairwoman Lee Highsmith and Willie Mitchell.
"I voted for Steve's three year guaranteed contract because he has a job to finish here," Simmons said.
Simmons praised Ballowe's work in improving student performance and test scores, adding that the school system is much better off than it was six years ago when Ballowe arrived.
TEACHER RAISES
Board members supported a new budget amendment giving teachers a three percent pay increase.
The amendment calls for $170,000 for teacher pay hikes while cutting the administrative budget 1.4 percent at a savings of $32,000.
CELEBRATING THE CHILDREN
Gainesville Schools Instructional Superintendent Dave Shumake told board members he wants a change in the way some Gainesville school system students are evaluated under state education requirements.
Shumake said its time the state put aside statistics and evaluate students as children who need help.
"They are children who need assistance," Shumake said. "Since they may not be represented in their data base because there are not enough of them, basically they are going unnoticed."
Shumake said in so-called subgroups numbering under forty students, the students don't count in the database.
Shumake the goal of the Gainesville School System is to treat students as children who deserve to learn and proposed that the system slogan for next year should be 'Celebrating what's right with our children'.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2007/7/87336