April 15, 2024 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Special Meeting

Rationale:  Information concerning the Open Meeting Law, Chapter 84, Article 14 of Nebraska State Statutes, is posted in the meeting room at a location accessible to members of the public and attached to the online agenda. 

Mrs. Kari Loseke, Board President, will call the Board of Education Special meeting to order. 

Rationale:  The Board Secretary will conduct roll call attendance. 

Rationale:  This is the portion of the meeting when members of the public may address the board about matters of public concern.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISH TO SPEAK:
 

1. Getting started:  When you have been recognized, please stand and state your name. 
2. Time Limit: The board has the discretion to limit the amount of time set aside for public participation and unless stated otherwise, will employ a time limit of 5 minutes or less. 
3. Personnel or Student Topic:  If you are planning to speak about a personnel or student matter involving an individual, please understand that our policies require you to follow the district’s complaint procedure before addressing the board.  Board members will generally not respond to any questions or comments you make about individual staff members or students.  Please remember that slanderous comments will not be tolerated. 
4. General Rules:  This is a public meeting for the conduct of business.  Comments from within the audience while others are speaking will not be tolerated.  Offensive language, personal attacks, and hostile conduct will not be tolerated.
5. No action by the Board:  The Board will not act on any matter unless it is on the published agenda.

Rationale:  Here are the modifications being proposed to the 2024-25 school calendar.  

1. Friday late starts for PLC will be eliminated in grades K-8.  
2. Friday late start PLC times (30) will continue in high school, but be reduced from 90 to 60 minutes. 
3. Arbor Park will start five minutes later next year.  All school start and end times will be the same next year for the preschool, Deerfield (K-5) middle school (6-8), and high school (9-12) as they are this year.  
4. K-8 will be in session with students for 1103 total instructional hours.  There are 6.62 instructional hours in a K-8 school day. 
5. 9-12 will be in session with students for 1153.4 total instructional hours.   There are 6.85 instructional hours in a high school day.   
6. In-service days will be full-day professional learning.  PLC In-Service days will be designed with PLC meetings in the morning, and individual planning time for staff during the afternoon.
7. K-8 will have PLC meetings built into their common plan time during the school day and 9-12 will have PLC meetings built into their late start Fridays.
8. Fall Parent Conferences will move back to the end of the quarter.  Teachers do not have enough information to share with parents under the current schedule.  Teachers will set up meetings with students who are in jeopardy of failing prior to the end of the first quarter.  The Spring Conference has been moved back one week.
9. A full-week spring break will remain.  
10. School will begin on a Wednesday, August 14, in grades 9-12 and school will end before Memorial Day.
11. School will begin on a Wednesday, August 21, in grades K-8, and school will end before Memorial Day.
12. Teachers return for the second semester on Monday, January 6, 2025, with a No School Teacher PLC Day.
13. Transportation will run on the same schedule as this year.  
14. High school students will ride the same am and pm times all through the week including Fridays.  The high school will have supervised activities planned for the approximately 128 high school students who might ride the bus on Friday mornings.   
15. The school board is amending  Policy 602.01-School Calendar, eliminating the required 174 days per school calendar.  State Statute and the Nebraska Department of Education Rule 10 requirements are based on hours and not days.