May 16, 2016 at 5:00 PM - Work Session Regular Meeting

Discussion:  Lost Creek teachers, Megan Johnson and Michelle Figge gave an update on fundraising for the new playground at Lost Creek. The Playground Palooza one-day event raised $13,500. An estimated 800 people attended. There has been $67,744.05 raised so far for the inclusive playground. Most of the donations are from the community. Without having an inclusive playground, students must depend on adults to play on things, cannot access the equipment, have isolation, and there are safety concerns because of the many large openings in the equipment. These students often must also wait to play. In order to swing, the kids must sit on a teacher’s lap, which many don’t want to do because they are in the upper elementary grades. The inclusive playground would also give the students a place to practice many of their mobile skills. Lost Creek Special Education Teacher Megan Johnson said this inclusive playground would give the kids independence and freedom and would be a lot safer. There will also be equipment other kids will like as well, so everyone can play together. Johnson said it is much more than handicap accessible. She said there are plans to do palooza again in the spring. The ARC of Platte County is also going to donate everything they get from Big Give to the playground. The total cost of the inclusive playground is $265,000. Johnson said they would like the Board of Education to budget $100,000. She said they have eliminated some items to get the cost down. Johnson said the community has risen to the challenge, and they are giving everything they can give. Ideally, Johnson said they would like the playground to open in August 2017. Superintendent Dr. Troy Loeffelholz said there is a meeting scheduled for June 9 to talk with Eric Crouch about what can be done in the preparation phase by the district. He recommends the board approve half of the amount now and half in a year. He said the first half could help with the dirt work, concrete work and preparation for the playground. Dr. Loeffelholz said this will give the board a couple of budget years to assist with the playground. Leonard Kwapnioski and Mike Grutsch will be at the meeting on June 9. He said it wouldn’t look good if someone from out of down did the concrete work when there are people in town who can do it. Dr. Loeffelholz said he wants specs and shop drawings to see what can be done locally.

Discussion:  North Park fifth grader Gregory Davidchik won the CPS Elementary Geography Bee. He took a test and qualified for the State Geography Bee. He is the first CPS student to win the CPS Geography Bee and qualify for the state contest two years in a row.

Discussion:  Centennial fourth grader Ashton Thoms was the runner-up in the CPS Elementary Geography Bee.

Discussion:  The elementary students advancing to Global Finals in Tennessee are: Science Team: Braylon Van Curra, Chase Ditter, Tanner Esch, Gregory Davidchik and Gavin Rocha. Structure Team: Liam Blaser, Kelyn Garrelts, Brenden Sloup, Brian Alvarado and Brooke Wickens. The third place technical team was 8 points away from qualifying for the Global Finals. Team members include: Joseph Flash, Tyler Weber, Diana Luna-Spindola, Ella Shevlin, Vanessa Cantu-Ramirez and Julie Helmestrand.

Discussion:  The elementary students advancing to Global Finals in Tennessee are: Science Team: Braylon Van Curra, Chase Ditter, Tanner Esch, Gregory Davidchik and Gavin Rocha. Structure Team: Liam Blaser, Kelyn Garrelts, Brenden Sloup, Brian Alvarado and Brooke Wickens. The third place technical team was 8 points away from qualifying for the Global Finals. Team members include: Joseph Flash, Tyler Weber, Diana Luna-Spindola, Ella Shevlin, Vanessa Cantu-Ramirez and Julie Helmestrand.

Discussion:  Alexis Haynes, Rebecca Hazlett, Marion Hendryckx, Trevor Luckey, Sarah Massman, Molly Roberts, Camden Schefus, Austin Wickens, Rhylan Wurdeman received scores in the upper 50 percent of high school juniors and seniors taking the ACT test. This means that they had to score at least a 21 on any one of the ACT subtests or score 20 or greater on 3 of 4.As part of the High Ability Learners program at the middle school, students who earn a high enough score on certain NeSA subsets are invited to participate in the Duke University Talent Identification Program. This includes a chance to take the ACT as a 7th grader.

Discussion:  Maison Wemhoff and Conner Mueller were MathCounts state qualifiers as individuals. Noah Stoeckle, Jake Hyde, Douglas Davidchik and Samuel Nelson were MathCounts state qualifiers as a team.

Discussion:  The following CMS students were qualifiers for the state Science Fair:Emily Hall, Caitlin Jahn, Gracie Luebbe, Bogdan Balytskyy, Connor Dush, Sofia Gomez-Garcia, Tara Evans, and Ian Stirek.

Discussion:  CMS Members of the 2016 Nebraska Singing Youth Choir include: Colby Salava, Ryan Sims, Alejandro Rodriguez-Vazquez and Clay Purkerson.

Discussion:  CMS Boys won the Nebraska Sate Junior High Track Meet with 78.5 points, which broke the previous record of 58 points by Scottsbluff. Champions: Joey Braasch in the 100 meters and 200 meters (set a new school record with 23.00). Runner ups include: 800 Meters - Ivan Rios-Lopez 2:09.48 (new school record); 1600 Meters - Ivan Rios-Lopez 4:54.74; 4x400 Relay - 3:47.14 (Luis Vazquez, Axel Leon-Lemus, Blake Edzards, Ivan Rios-Lopez) (new school record); 4th Place:High Jump - Nick Stoeckle - 5’ 10” *Tied School Record; 100 Meter Hurdles - Nick Stoeckle 15.26 *New School Record; 200 Meter Hurdles - Kasten Grape 27.75 *New School Record; 4x100 Relay - 47.66 *New School Record (Marcus Randall, Noah Stoeckle, Anthony DeAnda, Joey Braasch); 4x800 Relay - 9:09.61 *New School Record (Isaiah Hoard, Abel Leon-Lemus, Axel Leon-Lemus, Ivan Rios-Lopez). 6th Place: Triple Jump - Noah Stoeckle - 37-00.25; 800 Meters - Axel Leon-Lemus - 2:12.58; and 200 Meter Hurdles - Nick Stoeckle - 28.21. 8th Place: Shot Put - Marcus Randall - 43-1.50. Other Participants: Noah Stoeckle - Long Jump; Kasten Grape - Shot Put; Blake Edzards - 400 Meters; Luis Vazquez - 400 Meters; Abel Leon-Lemus 1600 Meters; Anthony DeAnda - Triple Jump; and Isaiah Hoard - 800 and 1600 Meters. Other School Records Broken During the Season: 100 Meters - Joey Braasch 11.35 (Conference Meet); 400 Meters - Joey Braasch 55.58 (Walnut Invite); Shot Put - Marcus Randall 46’ 6” (Conference Meet) and Triple Jump - Noah Stoeckle 38’ 5” (Conference Meet).

Discussion:  CHS Foreign Language students participated in the language fair competition in Lincoln on April 14th. Students competed in Poetry, Poster, Music, Drama, and Folk Dance. They were tested on their language skills, understanding of Spanish speaking culture and overall performance of culturally relevant pieces. The following were the results: GERMAN: Gavin Glaser - Second Place German Poetry. SPANISH: Emily Brewer and Rebecca Feagin - First Place Spanish Drama; Jessica Humphrey, Rachel Grisham, Alexis Liebig and Andrea Jacobs - 2nd Place Spanish Drama; Samara Rodriguez - First Place Spanish Native Speaker Music; Bryanna Martinez - Second Place Spanish Native Music/Second Place Native Speaker Poetry; Ciarra McPhillips, Ryan Pauley, Emily Brewer, and Rebecca Feagin - First Place Spanish Music; Jesse Osborn - Second Place Spanish Poetry; Hunter Derochie - First Place Poster; Kiana Hunter, Sarah Schademann and Andrea Jacobs - Second Place Folk Dance; and Jessica Humphrey, Wade Schaad, Ryan Pauley, Jamie Schacher, Connor Hahn; and Alexis Liebig - First Place Folk Dance.

Discussion:  Harrison Weyers placed first in the Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 competition at the Nebraska State Event.

Discussion:  On April 21, the School of Business & Technology at Wayne State College held its annual Business Competition Day. Approximately 200 students from 15 regional Nebraska and South Dakota high schools competed in multiple areas of business competitive events. Students receiving awards were : Alexis Milburn (3rd in Accounting I and 3rd in Personal Financial Literacy); Luke Bogus (5th in Accounting I and 6th in Business Law); Seth Stirek (2nd in Accounting II); and Dawson Jurado (2nd in Computer Literacy).

Discussion:  April 7-9, seven students from the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) attended the State Leadership Conference in Omaha for the first time as a chapter. There were around 2,000 students from all over Nebraska in attendance competing in various events. Receiving Honorable Mentions were Amber Schaad in both Proofreading and Spelling, and Zach Ciboron in Introduction to Business.

Discussion:  Val Wallin’s team placed first at the state Destination Imagination competition and will be going to compete in May at the Global Finals in Knoxville, TN. The team consists of the following: Keylin Cardona, Katie Schweback, Jovinci Villeda and Nick Warren. Brian Townsend’s team placed second at the state competition in Destination Imagination and are going to compete in May at the Global Finals in Knoxville, TN. Team member include: Morgan Hitz, Lydia Johnson, Brendan Colford, Joe Diedrichsen and Cole Mitchell.

Discussion:  Joe Jahn, Marc Wagner, Trey Miller, Travis Woodcock, Joe Massman, and Kyle Anderson were members of the team. Quiz Bowl is an academic competition where you are competing against an opposing school to see who knows the answers to questions like: “What flows during solifluction?” and “What adjective was intended in this sentence? The specialist charged exuberant fees.” Not only do students need to know a wide array of knowledge, they need to be the quickest to buzz in. During the course of the season the team scored a 4th place finish at the Papillion-LaVista Tournament. A week later, the team scored a second place finish at the Grace University Tournament. The highlight of the season was once again placing 1st at the District Tournament. With the first place finish the team made the trip to state for the 4th year in a row. State was held at the Prairie Museum in Holdrege, NE. While the team didn’t do as well as the team would have liked at state, they were honored to be able to represent the Discoverers.

Discussion:  Joseph Jahn and Jesse Osborn teamed up to earn 1st Place honors in Mechatronics and at the 2016 Nebraska State SkillsUSA competition held last April 20-22nd in Omaha. They are members of Adam Whitmore's Electronics/Mechatronics program. Mechatronics is one of the many career paths in STEM education that students can springboard from their experiences at CHS. Both Jahn and Osborn will be representing the Nebraska SkillsUSA at nationals in Louisville, KY June 20th – 24th. Also placing at the state skills and leadership conference were: Jacob Battershell and Alou Manzano third in Mechatronics, and Armondo Adame, Jonathan Nuno and Yefry Pasapera third in automated manufacturing.

Discussion:  On April 22 and 23rd, the High School Music Department took part in the NSAA District Music Contest at Central Community College - Columbus Campus. CHS had over 20 entries in the event with 10 solos earning a superior rating, 18 solos earning an excellent rating, and all 5 small ensembles earning a Superior Rating. Additionally the Concert Choir and New World Singers both earned Superior Ratings, and the Symphonic Band earned an excellent rating. The soloists who earned superior ratings include: Luke Bogus - Snare Drum; Sarah Ernst – Piano; Allison Hyde – Piano; Brian Long – Timpani; Bethany Magg – Marimba; Callie Stoeckle - Alto Saxophone; Allison Hyde - Vocal Solo; Shiy Delp - Vocal Solo; Emily Brewer - Vocal Solo; and Cesar Marino - Vocal Solo.

Discussion:  The board did not go into executive session.

Discussion:  The board adjourned at 6:15 p.m.

Discussion:  Ken Curry read the Mission Statement.

Discussion:  Several parents spoke out against renewing the co-op agreement with Scotus Central Catholic for Boys Tennis, Softball, Boys Swim/Dive, Girls Swim/Dive, Baseball and Girls Tennis. Jeff Luebbe said he wants every CPS student to participate in every activity possible. He said the co-op is unnecessary when there are enough CHS kids to field a team. Luebbe said this decreases opportunity for CHS kids and is contrary to what other schools do. He said Norfolk and Hastings both will not co-op with another school in non-cut sports or if the school falls short of fielding a team. Kearney only co-ops for swimming because they don’t have enough participants. Luebbe said school pride is another reason. If a student doesn’t attend that school, he or she is not passionate and lacks school pride. If they feel that strong, they should enroll at CPS. Luebbe said the timing will never be right to stop the co-op agreement with Scotus. However, CHS is dropping to Class B next year in all sports except wrestling and swimming, which there is only one class. When a school co-ops with another, NSAA uses the combined enrollment to determine class. Luebbe said in this case CHS will stay class A in baseball, softball, and boys and girls tennis. If there is no co-op, the sports will all be in the same class expect for swimming and wrestling, which will probably drop in a few years. He said if the emotions are taken out, discontinuing the co-op is the right thing to do. Mark Benne said his son played club baseball and was cut from the CHS team. He said Scotus players also didn’t have to go to tryouts, but CHS kids did. Benne said CHS kids should take priority over Scotus kids and should be given more opportunities. Dan Sanne agreed and said there needs to be more opportunities for all CHS kids. He said efforts should be made on recruiting and retaining CHS students. Sanne said last year there were seven CHS kids cut and one Scotus. He said students are not going out because of the co-op, and there is animosity between team members. Sanne said co-op kids are not emotionally vested in CHS, and Scotus parents only cheer for Scotus kids. Sanne said Lakeview wants to start a baseball program and is recruiting CHS kids who are frustrated with the program. Sanne said there is enough CHS kids to field a good team. Gary McDuffee said his kids feel the co-op kids don't walk the CHS hallway, and they are not held accountable by the other students. He said at some point, CHS needs to take care of their kids. McDuffee said perhaps the kids that have played in the past need to be grandfathered in, but a stopping point should be made. Paul Braun coaches CHS softball. He said he is not here to talk for or against the co-op program but to provide information. In 2009, there were six players from Scouts. In 2010, 11 players Scotus; in 2011, 8 players; in 2012, 8 players; in 2013, 12 players; in 2014, 6 players; and last year 7 players. Braun said he anticipates there will be six girls from Scotus next year. On average, there are 42 kids who come out for softball. There is a total of 36 players on all teams. He said in softball, people are not cut. Braun said there are four coaches, so players also get individualized attention.

Discussion:  Curry said speaking as a dad he feels all the kids are great, and they don't see the difference in the color of a uniform. He said people have given the board a lot to think about. Curry said he would like an assessment from the coaches if there were enough players without the co-op with Scotus. Curry said he wants CHS kids to have the opportunities, but CPS already works with Scotus on other things. Curry said this is bigger than just athletics. Doug Molczyk said he doesn't want to make a decision tonight. Theresa Seipel agreed. She said there needs to be more research done. Seipel said she wants more information from all the sports involved. Tim Pospisil said he doesn't know if he likes the all or nothing approach. He said he would also like to see a breakdown of how many kids are from Scotus for all teams involved. Molczyk said the issue of Scotus kids not having to tryout for baseball also needs to be examined. Mike Goos said there is a competitive nature between CHS and Scotus. He said the board needs to explore this more and offer guidance. He said people both for and against need to come and speak to the board. Goos said if CHS kids are being cut that is kind of a problem. Dr. Loeffelholz said he hasn’t heard any opposition about the co-op except for today. He said the board must make a decision by June 1 for the fall sports, which would include boys tennis and softball. If a decision is not made today, another meeting must be held before June 1. Dr. Loeffelholz said he doesn’t want to make a knee jerk decision. He said CPS owes it to Scotus to discuss this situation. He said pulling the carpet out from them is not the right approach. Dr. Loeffelholz said the board needs the data to make an informed decision. He said if CPS doesn’t talk with Scotus, this would divide the community even more. If approved, the agreement would be for two years. Dr. Loeffelholz said he will look up the numbers for the past five or six years and see how many players were cut and other information.

Discussion:  Centennial Principal Jackie Herink said automated phone calls were changed to match the new district policy. A line was added that by signing the handbook, a person gives the school permission to call the parents cell phone numbers in PowerSchool. Another item was added saying the country attorney and social worker may be contacted if a student misses 15 days of school. Students on out of school suspension will also not be allowed on school property. Field trips will need parent’s approval if they go out of the county. Teachers will still notify parents of a field trip but will only get permission when they are out of the county. School meals were changed to reflect procedures that are now followed. The final change was to put in the handbook that student information cannot be shared. Dr. Loeffelholz said that the sharing of student information needs to be clarified because people can have access to this because it is considered directory information and is public information. He said he will look into this and see if the change can be done.

Discussion:  There were no recognitions.

Discussion:  There were no presentations.

Discussion:  No items were removed from the consent agenda.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz said the Foundation has not hired an executive director yet. The job was offered to one person but salary is still being negotiated. The Foundation, Centennial PAC, Lost Creek PTO, CMS PAC, Band Boosters, West Park PTO and Sports Boosters have given back in April $6,913.97 to CPS. This year the Foundation and umbrella groups have given CPS $87,155.91.

Discussion:  Executive Director of Business Operations/Human Relations Dave Melick gave the expense reports.

Discussion:  Theresa Seipel was reimbursed $34.54 for expenses that occurred while she was attending a National School Board Conference in Boston. Seipel Repair was paid $1,524.05.

Discussion:  Candy Becher was reimbursed $191.73 for expenses that occurred while she was attending a National School Board Conference in Boston.

Discussion:  Mike Goos was reimbursed $234.21 for expenses that occurred while he was attending a National School Board Conference in Boston.

Discussion:  The 667 CHS library books were old and in need of repair and haven’t been checked out in a long period of time.

Discussion:  Melick said these items were declared surplus because of safety issues. He said after so long the helmets and pads can’t protect a person in a collision activity. He said when they can no longer be repaired, they are declared surplus.

Discussion:  Melick thanked the board for attending the May 9 meeting. He said last week after school he met with 35 members of food service. Melick said he talked to them about the food service management company the district was considering. He said there were a ton of rumors, and many thought they were being fired. Melick said one of the requirements for selecting this company is all CPS employees must be interviewed and guaranteed to be paid at least what they are making now. He said a formal proposal will come in the middle of July and action will need to be taken. There have been some positives from last year’s negotiations. He said teachers want more latitude when determining their personal leave. The board agreed that unused personal leave can be carried forward to next year. He said there are 142 staff members with some personal time remaining and 80 percent want to carry over the days, and the others want to be compensated. Melick said this is a win win for both sides.

Discussion:  There have been two trees donated to the high school and they have been planted on the south side of the retention pound, Executive Director of Buildings and Grounds Leonard Kwapnioski said. He said these are already established trees, and the district had to pay to have them moved. A family was building a house and offered the trees on the lot. Kwapnioski said the extra summer workers have been hired and are already working.

Discussion:  Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Amy Romshek said these materials will support the new standards. These will include books, and within the next three years, the district should be ready to use the online materials. One board member questioned what if the district was ready to use the online material sooner. Romshek said the contract was for three years, but it can be changed. Dr. Loeffelholz said the current lease on the Apple computers has two years remaining. He said in the third year, CMS could be brought to a one to one depending on the device selected. He said perhaps a two-year agreement could be signed with the third year being flexible, so if the district was ready, it could be switched to online. Romshek said she would check into this.

Discussion:  This would provide hardware and software for a new course at CHS, Robotics Technology. Students would need to take basic electronics and advance electronics before taking Robotics. The cost includes 20 kits and software, which would allow students to learn more physics and engineering. Romshek said they would learn how to program robots. She said if CHS wants to compete in Robotics, more kits would be needed. A long-term goal is to have CHS and CMS compete in robotics.

Discussion:  Romshek said her department is finishing different types of curriculum. She has meet with K-8 counselors and sixth grade language arts teachers. Romshek said this summer they will be working on rolling out the new reading curriculum. She said the new family and consumer science teacher wants to change the curriculum as well. Romshek said they are mainly preparing for next year.

Discussion:  Executive Director of Student Services and Special Education Jason Harris said the old hearing-impaired equipment was purchased more that 10 years ago. He said most of the schools have upgraded, so these devices are not worth repairing. Harris said the company he sends them to will see how they can be redistributed to developing countries.

Discussion:  Harris said the KC Royals have an outreach program where they give tickets to groups. He said they donated 20 tickets for theBoston Red Sox vs. Royals baseball game to the Cassette House. He said there will be no charge to the district because the Cassette House is using money earned from the garage sales and cooking for this community experiences. Students can bring their own money for concessions. They will leave Wednesday at 7 a.m. and get back at 10 p.m.

Discussion:  The board agreed to contribute $100,000 over a two year period . Dr. Loeffelholz said this includes labor but that amount won’t be known until the meeting on June 9. Harris said Johnson and Michelle Figge have done a good job of promoting this as a community playground hosted at Lost Creek. The inclusive playground will be south of current playground.

Discussion:  There have been 187 students enroll for kindergarten in March, which is extremely low. There are 42 at Centennial, 24 at Emerson, 49 at Lost Creek, 50 at North Park and 26 at West Park. There were 14 students tested for early kindergarten entrance and none made the cutoff this year. There are 120 slots open in preschool, which does not include the HeadStart program. All the spots are filled and 15 are on the waiting list.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz thanked the high school staff for a well-run graduation. He said everything went smoothly, and all the kids were there early. He said he doesn’t like to see the rain because of the high school construction project. He said people should start noticing the brick going up on the outside walls of the new high school. Dr. Loeffelholz said he will have a construction meeting tomorrow, the schedule is changing every week, but he will get something in writing from Hausmann. He said the boys and girls soccer teams had a great season even if it didn’t end like everyone hoped. He said he is proud of their efforts. Dr. Loeffelholz wished those attending state track and state tennis good luck. He said the baseball team had a nice upset, which was a positive way to end. Dr. Loeffelholz said there was a CMS program meeting, and a draft is supposed to be done by Friday. He said Dan Keiter spent the day with the staff, Amy Haynes and Jordon Anderson. He said hopeful the draft will meet their needs. Work on converting the high school to the middle school will begin after the high school moves out. The board will meet on May 26 at 7 p.m. at the Administration Building to discuss the co-op with Scotus. Dr. Loeffelholz told the board to email him anything they would like to see answered before the meeting.

Discussion:  Ken Curry said it was nice see Mark Brown back. He said Jean Kamrath is awesome and graduation went flawlessly. He said CMS School Counselor Angie Kruse wanted thank the board for adding another counseling position at CMS. Curry also thanked the staff for another great year. Theresa Seipel also loved graduation. She thanked all the teachers and said the board appreciates everything they do. Tim Pospisil agreed. He also wanted to thank the members of public who came to the meeting to address their concerns. He said these topics can be very emotional, but they were very professional in their presentations. Doug Molczky also agreed with what was already said. He said the recognitions were amazing. He also thanked the people for showing up and giving the board something to think about. He agreed that graduation was great. Mike Goos said graduation was awesome, and he will miss shaking hands next year and seeing the excitement and pride in their faces. Goos also thought the presentations were great tonight. He said this is a school he continues to believe is one of he best in the state of Nebraska.

Discussion:  The board did not go into executive session.

Discussion:  The board adjourned at 8:42 p.m.