September 11, 2017 at 6:30 PM - Budget Hearing and Regular Board Meeting

I.     Call Hearing to Order

II.   The purpose of the Hearing is to review, discuss, consider, and receive input, and or support, opposition, criticism, suggestions or observations of taxpayers relating to the 2017-18 proposed budget.

III.  Adjourn Budget Hearing

I.     Call Hearing to Order

II.    The purpose of the Hearing is to review, discuss, consider, receive input, and hear support,opposition, criticism, suggestions or observations of taxpayers relating to the 2017-18 proposed property tax levy.

III.   Adjourn Levy Setting Hearing

STRIVE  •  COMMIT  •  SUCCEED  -  District Mission Statement

Schuyler Community Schools in partnership with parents, students, and the community is committed to educate students to become skilled, knowledgeable and responsible citizens in a global society - District Vision Statement

Notice of this meeting was given in advance according to State Law 84-1411, by giving notice of the meeting to the public.  Notice of this meeting was also given in advance to all members of the Board of Education

This meeting has been preceded by advance notice and is hereby declared to be in open session.  A copy of the Open Meetings Act is posted in the hallway outside the Media Center.

This committee is responsible for budget, finance, and contract negotiations with administration, certificated staff, and support staff.

We held our budget workshop on August 28th and advertised the budget for all funds as directed at our final meeting.  Attached is the full budget, the advertised budget notice, and the valuations certified for the 2017-18 school year.

2017-18

PROPERTY TAX REQUEST RESOLUTION

FOR

COLFAX COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT #123

            WHEREAS, public notice was given at least five days in advance of a special hearing called for the purpose of discussing and approving or modifying the District's Tax Request for the 2017-18 school fiscal year for the General Fund, Bond Fund, Special Building Fund, and Qualified Capital Purpose Undertaking Fund of Colfax County School District # 123; and,

            WHEREAS, such Special Public Hearing was held before the Board of Education (hereinafter "the Board") of Colfax County School District #123 (hereinafter "the District") at the time, date, and place announced in the notice published in a newspaper of general circulation, a copy of which notice and proof of publication of which is attached hereto as Exhibit A, all as required by law; and,

            WHEREAS, the Board provided an opportunity to receive comment, information, and evidence from persons in attendance at such Special Hearing; and,

            WHEREAS the Board, after having reviewed the District's Tax Requests for each said fund, and after public consideration of the matter, has determined that the Final Tax Requests as listed below are necessary in order to carry out the functions of the District, as determined by the Board for the 2017-18 school fiscal year.

            NOW BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that (1) the Tax Request for the General Fund should be, and hereby is set at $ 14,068,727.13; (2) the Tax Request for the Bond Fund should be, and hereby set at $ 505,143.43; (3) the Tax Request for the Special Building Fund should be, and hereby is set at $ 400,087.87; and (4) the Tax Request for the Qualified Capital Purpose Undertaking Fund should be, and hereby is set at $ 505,716.16.

            It is so moved by                                                              and seconded

by                                                               this 11^th day of September, 2017.

Roll Call vote as follows:

Rich Brabec                             YES                 NO

Eric Cerny                               YES                 NO

Holly Hild                                YES                 NO

Chuck Misek                            YES                 NO

Virginia Semerad                     YES                 NO

Brian Vavricek                         YES                 NO

            The undersigned herewith certifies, as Secretary of the Board of Education of Colfax County School District #123, that the above Resolution was duly adopted by a majority of said Board at a duly constituted public meeting of said Board.

                                                                                    Virginia Semerad, Secretary

                                                                                    Colfax County School District #123

                                                                                    A/K/A Schuyler Community Schools

ATTEST:

                                                                 .            

Richard Brabec, President

Colfax County School District #123

A/K/A Schuyler Community Schools

            CERTIFICATION

            The undersigned hereby certifies that the above motion is authentic and truly and accurately reflects the formal official action taken therein, on the date as reflected, and that such findings, motion and resolution adopt the Schuyler Community Schools property tax request or levy, according to law, and that the County Board of Equalization shall set the levy for Schuyler Community School system according to the modification and tax request set forth therein and in the attached Exhibit "A" in accordance with the law.

                                                                              Authorized Office of Schuyler Community Schools

1.  Rosa Murillo:  SES Custodian/Housekeeper

This committee is responsible for annual review of board policies, handbooks, and crisis/safety plans.  This committee is also responsible for the support and development of support programs(nursing, food service) in the district.

This is the second year of the Washington DC Trip request. 

This trip is really not a school function, but because it involves our employees.  Holly Hild forwarded information to our insurance company (EMC) last year asking for approval for this event.  EMC's representative confirmed that there’s liability coverage for all employees of the school going.  They would also have work comp if they were doing something in the scope of their duties and got injured.  She didn’t see there to be any issue with the trip. Our board policy outlining overnight trip requests is included below.

CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEE TRAINING, WORKSHOPS OR CONFERENCES                      Policy 409.02

Requests for attendance or participation in a development program, other than those development programs sponsored by the school district, shall be made to the superintendent.  Approval of the superintendent or his designee with the principal’s input must be obtained prior to attendance by a certificated employee in a professional development program when the attendance would result in the certificated employee being excused from their duties or when the school district pays the expenses for the program.

Employees authorized by the superintendent or his designee to represent the school system at training, workshops and conferences will be allowed salary and expenses in conformance with regulations on expense reimbursement. Requests that involve unusual expenses or overnight travel must also be approved by the board.

The superintendent or his designee with input from the principal shall have sole discretion to allow or disallow certificated employees to attend or participate in the requested event.  When making this determination, the superintendent will consider the value of the program for the certificated employee and the school district, alignment with the school improvement process, the effect of the certificated employee's absence on the education program and school district operations and the school district's financial situation as well as other factors deemed relevant in the judgment of the superintendent or his designee. 

The requirements stated in the Negotiated Contract between employees in that certified collective bargaining unit and the board regarding professional development of such employees shall be followed.

Cross Reference:

402.08  Employee Travel Compensation

402.11  Credit Cards

The State of Nebraska requires that the board of education must annually approve the use of "local substitutes" to teach in absence of the regular teacher.  Local substitutes are limited to 45 days per year in the school district on an intermittent basis.  We have been using local substitutes in the past, but the Department of Education requires board minutes validating local substitute certificates.

Wayne State College has continued our agreement for placement of substitute teachers from the Northeast Nebraska Teacher's Academy (NENTA) for the 2017-18 school year.  These students have completed the necessary gateway requirements and hold a valid Nebraska Teacher's Certificate.  They also are trained in APL and are available for us to use, especially, in planned staff absences.  The substitute teacher rate is $96 per day, paid directly to the college.  The college pays the students so there is no withholding required.

K-2 SES Principal Report:  Mr. Kovar

It has been a good start to the school year. With buses running and after school program going, traffic is moving well. We are currently in the middle of our fundraiser at the Elementary school. We are very excited to work with our PTO on this project, as well as showing off some new purchases with our money, you will see them soon!!!

The beginning of Kindergarten can be a tough adjustment for some kids and parents. We are seeing some concerns from parents, but we are all working together to move forward. We continue to strive for excellence here at the elementary, which means some changes, and that can be difficult.

We ask a lot from our teachers to do what is best, and that means a lot of time and effort. I am working hard to let teachers know that they are valued and appreciated and that their hard work does not go un-noticed.

PK and 3-5 SES Principal Report: Mr. Comley

Preschool   107         Kindergarten    129

1^st Grade   120          2^nd Grade       123

3^rd Grade   154         4^th Grade        129

5^th Grade   117          Total              879

School year is off to a great start!   Meridith Riha, elementary guidance counselor, has been working hard on our safety plan and staff has been notified of any changes.

Picture day was September 29^th.  Busing has been going good.

Rural Schools Principal Report:  Mr. Reinsch

* See Attached Report

SMS Assistant Principal Report:  Mr. Zavadil

The school year has started quickly and very successfully. Our staff is now working to implement a new system for classroom culture. This system is called "Capturing Kids’ Hearts". They received training during the first two days of school and are doing a great job of it’s implementation. Myself, along with Mrs. Burton and Mrs. Kment have created system for behavior that aligns to our new program and works with our existing protocols and are excited to see the results on our school culture.

Classroom observations are well underway and we are seeing our teachers use great strategies with our students. Also, our daily R-time period has started which allows our students to meet with a small group of students and a teacher each day. Our teachers are excited to use this time to build relationships with our students and teach Character development, Career/college readiness, Goal setting, and service learning.

SMS Principal Report:  Mrs. Burton

SMS Enrollment
6th Grade - 128              7th Grade - 142
8th Grade - 123              Total Enrollment: 393

We have had a successful start to the school year at SMS! Our staff joined together with the Richland and Fischer's staffs, as well as groups from SES and SCHS for the Capturing Kids Hearts training to start off the year. This initiative has charged our staff and students to raise the bar in terms of acceptable behavior for our school district and community. We encourage you to come and see this process in action! I would also like to thank CHI for their braided funding support for this program!

We have had a number of staff members that have put in great time and energy over the summer and at the beginning of this school year to adjust curriculum to a higher rigor, complete further work within the Marzano framework and further develop our time with Discovery Education. Discovery Education also recognized Mr. Bill Policky this summer with a national award in teaching expertise!

We are busily preparing for our external visit in January. Thank you to the parents who have supported our schools by completing feedback. We are also seeking more parents to be on a parent advisory council for Schuyler Middle School. We have a few interested, but we would like to multiply our team for future opportunities for our students to grow for our communities!

September is a busy month of group development for our staff members. Mrs. Evelyn Recinos has been selected to present on ELL strategies at the Nebraska Association of Middle Level Educators, and Kayla Arlt will be presenting on technology integration at Fall NETA. We are thankful that the endeavors of our staff are being rewarded at both the state and national levels!

A special thank you to all of the support that was given to our school throughout the Labor Day celebration! Our bands have shown remarkable improvement this year, and the community events had high levels of participation. It is a great time to be a Warrior!

SCHS Assistant Principal Report:  Mr. Kasik

• I am looking at September to start conducting my 5 minute walk-through for staff.
• Grammer and I are working to plan our Fall Student/Parent Celebration on Oct. 10^th .
• I have been working with Mr. Petersen on reducing our number of students who are failing.
  • We currently have over 97% of our classes being passed.
• I have been having some discussions with students about expectations.
• I continue to work with Ms. Pavel and Mrs. Marino on student attendance issues.
• I also have been working with law enforcement, probation and CHI with random drug testing.

SCHS Principal Report:  Mr. Grammer

*  See attached

Youth Activities Director Report:  Mr. Kovar

A new group running Schuyler Youth Football has started and numbers are decent. 22 3rd and 4th graders, and 26 5th and 6th graders. Games are on Sunday at the practice field, 1:30 and 3:00.

Sign ups for youth volleyball have just completed, and we have had over 50 girls sign up. Volunteer coaches are being finalized and teams are being set up. Flag football in the field house will begin in late October or early November.

SMS Activities Director Report:  Mr. Zavadil

Our Football team has 65 athletes. Our first games were against Crete and our 7^th grade earned a 16-6 victory, while our 8^th grade team lost 30-6

Our Cross Country team has 20 athletes. Our first contest was at our Home invitational. Girls placed 3^rd as a team with one student, Marisol Deanda Placing 2^nd individually.

Our Boys placed 2^nd as a team with 5 runners in the top 25 and 3 individual medalists. Emmanual Zuniga 2^nd, Luis Gomez 5^th, and Diego Svoboda 10^th.

Our Girls Volleyball team has 64 girls signed up with our first game scheduled for Tomorrow September 12^th Vs. David City

SCHS Activities Director:  Mr. Kasik

• Participation Numbers: (172 participants = 29% of student body)
  • Girls Golf- 3
  • Softball- 22                           
  • Volleyball- 28                     
  • Girls CC- 8
  • Football- 65
  • Boys CC- 34                           
  • Cheer-   14                             
  • Dance- 19
• Fall Competitions are underway
  • We have hosted competitions for Girls Golf, Volleyball, Football, Softball and hosted our Cross Country Invite.
  • Our Varsity Boys Cross Country team finished as champions with our top 5 runners placing in top 14 out of 100 runners. Our other teams did a good job of competing as well.
  • Our Varsity Volleyball team recorded their first victory on 8/31.
• I attended the Conference Meeting on August 30^th at York. We currently have 9 teams in our conference with Lexington addressing our conference. They indicated that they will be making a formal request in September to join our conference.
• I continue to work with Jesse Zavadil on coordinating events and practices in our faciliites.
• We have been recognized to submit an application for the honor of "Fine Arts School of the Year". Dr. Hoesing has been compiling this information.
• I am conducting monthly meetings with our coaches to discuss policies and procedures as they work on implementing their action plans.

Special Education Report:  Mrs. Vrba 

The beginning of a new school year is probably my favorite time of year. There is such a sense of excitement. Our new teachers have the attitude of "I am already to change the world" that spreads onto "slightly older" teachers! We have new staff to welcome to our team:

April Becker: School Psychologist

Ashlie Kluck: SCHS Special Education teacher

Brianne Mize: SES Special Education teacher

Lexi Bruha: EC Special Education teacher and coordinator

I have the privilege of working every day with my administrative assistant, Pattie Rea, who is our master of paperwork and scheduling!

At the beginning of August, twenty-five of our teachers and para-educators received the MANDT training from Brandy Rose from ESU #7. Our school psychologist has been testing numerous students along with doing observations. April has met with all our Sped team like personally, one-on-one, to discuss each child on his/her caseload. She has brought a wealth of knowledge to our program. Her diligent effort is already making such a positive influence on our program!  Thank you so much for your support.

Curriculum/Assessment Report:  Dr. Gibbons

* See attachment

1.  Labor Relations Conference:  Labor Relations Conference was held in Lincoln on Wednesday and Thursday, September 6th and 7th.  See attachment

2.  NASB Area Membership Meeting:  The NASB Area Membership meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 20th.  Please let Sally know if you are interested in attending.  See attachment

3.  High School Open House:  We have scheduled the Open House for the new high school addition for Tuesday, October 10th at 4:00 PM.  This event will be held in conjunction with the high school conferences.

4. 

*See attached Foundation Meeting Agenda