August 10, 2020 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

More Information:  Mission Statement - Milford Public Schools will prepare all students to be successful citizens: Our Mission is fulfilled when all students read with comprehension, speak and write clearly, compute accurately, reason logically, understand and appreciate the fine arts, apply suitable strategies and habits of mind to solve problems, utilize technology to communicate and to understand information and behave morally.

This agenda contains a list of subjects known at the time of its distribution.  A copy of the agenda reflecting any changes will be available for public inspection during normal business hours in the District Office.  Except for items of an emergency nature, the agenda shall not be altered later than twenty-four hours before the meeting.  The Board reserves the right to alter the order of items, as it deems necessary.

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Information concerning the Open Meeting Law, Chapter 84, Article 14 of Nebraska State Statutes, is posted on the bulletin board in the back of the meeting room.

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This is the public’s opportunity to speak to items on the agenda. This is also the public’s opportunity to speak to any topic concerning the school district – since it is not an agenda item the board cannot discuss or take action on the matter at this time. Future discussion can be requested as an agenda item. To be recognized, all participants must complete the Request to Address the Milford Board of Education Form. No complaints regarding specific staff members will be heard during a public meeting. The District has established separate procedures for complaints against individual employees. Thank you for your participation.

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General Fund for $155,793.74
Payroll for $536,860.06
Total $692,653.80

Bond Fund for $235,596.97
Depreciation Fund for $42,084.50
 

1. Bond Fund is our final payment on the north addition.
2. Depreciation is boiler and heating/cooling work and student technology purchases - iPads.  We have our larger chromebook order on backorder at this time that I may also want to take out of Depreciation.
   1. I am choosing to pay this out of Depreciation due to our cash on hand being right at the level we discussed last budget cycle - 2.5 months to 3.  I want to wait to see where we are at the end of August to make some of these decisions.  If we are fine with cash on hand we can transfer money into Depreciation to keep that balance as it was or discuss other options.
3. $4,965 to Amazon was for chromebook carts and miscellaneous computer supplies.
4. $6,200 to CDW was for projectors for the elementary classrooms.  Due to the layout of the rooms, desks spread wall to wall, we are having to add a second projector for instructional purposes.
5. $2,941 to Flaghouse is for an electric adjustable changing table for the special education department.
6. $6,785 to Floors Inc is for replacing the carpet in Deb Schmidt's kindergarten room
7. $880 to Inpro is for corner guards for in the new construction areas.
8. $6,500 to Marzano is for instructional practices training for teachers and administrators.
9. $5,000 to Rider Classroom is for an online Spanish I and II program at the high school.  Will explain more at the meeting.
10. $3,875 to Striv is our annual fee for our broadcasting program.
11. $4,600 to Triple E Tree Care (Eric Eberspacher) is for tree trimming and maintenance.  Several of the storms earlier in the summer broke branches in our tall trees.  Eric removed those for us and cleaned up the trees around both buildings.
12. $1,676 to UZBL is for iPad protective cases.

 

More Information:  The numbers in the attached document are what we know as of Friday, August 7th.

More Information:  Currently, we have 75 students that option in and 36 that option out of the district. 

More Information:  Currently we have 74 students attending 31 different approved home schools.

More Information:  Attached is a listing of our current PK-12 staff and extra duty assignments.

More Information:  I will give an update at the meeting.

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Open discussion as needed.

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Liability Insurance update from NASB - ALICAP’s reinsurance carrier, as with most other carriers, added an exclusion for "communicable disease". This exclusion was added to the ALICAP policy with the understanding, that if the state and federal "gross negligence" law is passed, this exclusion would be removed.  NASB has attempted to create traction at the state legislature but that doesn’t look promising at this point in time.  Furthermore, NASB plans to reach out to Ben Sasse and Deb Fischer, at the federal level, to communicate the importance of this situation. 
 

More Information:  We approved this same resolution at a previous meeting with our "usual" class sizes that determine if a grade level is open for option enrollment students.  With the current COVID-19 pandemic, I am recommending we act on a new resolution as presented to close all grade levels to option enrollment students for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.  The new numbers are in the document. 

K-2 will go from 20 per room down to 15.
3-6 will go from 22 per room down to 15.
7-8 will go from 60 per grade level enrollment down to 45.
9-12 will go from 70 per grade level enrollment down to 40.
7-12 combined grade level totals will go from 360 down to 265.
All special programs will remain closed.

More Information:  It was pointed out that we have possible conflicts with school activities.  We have two board members that have students participating in the events that are in conflict with our meeting dates.  Please bring calendars so we can see if we have any alternative dates.

If we do move a meeting date or time we will act on them during agenda item 7.6.

More Information:  "Rough" drafts are attached.  All three need final editing and formatting completed yet.  The contents are current as of Friday, August 7th.  KSB Law has shared that there could be additional updates this fall as things change.  At that time, we would update the handbooks and re-share with students, parents, and staff.  If it involves a specific policy, those will be brought to the board for approval.

Tonight we will be approving the content of all three handbooks (not the formatting:))

Updated Sections are from the policies we have approved that last couple of months:

1. Introduction in all 3 added a paragraph from KSB Law stating that these handbooks could change at anytime due to pandemic.
2. Threat assessment in staff handbooks
3. Animals at school in all 3
4. Drug testing of drivers in staff handbooks
5. Student records in student handbook
6. Student Discipline in all 3
7. Student bullying in all 3
8. Restraint and Seclusion in staff handbooks

Title IX updates will also change several policies.  What gets approved will just get copied and pasted in like the other policies.
 

More Information:  This is a yearly requirement.  This is considered a "hearing" for public comment.  Dave will open the hearing, ask for any comments, and then close the hearing.  Tammy will record the notes in the discussion section. 

I do not have any recommended changes as these are policies that KSB Law would update or change according to NDE or Legislative changes.

If changes are discussed at this meeting and verbally agreed to, we will add the specific policy to next month's agenda for discussion and action.

No action will take place at this meeting.

More Information:  We review these policies every year as recommended by KSB Law.  We usually also have our teacher evaluation policies included but have those as a separate agenda item tonight.

No action needed as we are just reviewing.  If we need to make a change we would add it to next month's agenda.

More Information:  The Milford Education Association voted to approve the attached 2020-21 and 2021-22 Negotiated Agreement.  It is on the agenda for board approval.  The details of the plan were discussed at last month's meeting.

More Information:  Dr. Kubicek will review the teacher evaluation process and highlight some of the planned changes.  According to Rule 10, the board needs to approve these changes and the current attached policies.  There will be no changes to the policies but we will need to approve them anyway according to the guidelines.

More Information:  We will only use this item if we are moving future meeting dates and/or times.

More Information:  The Title IX program has been rewritten at the Federal level.  We have been working with KSB on all of the required changes.  As you will see there are many!  There are many challenges to these changes and if the challenges are not successful the new regulations go into effect this month.  If the challenges are successful, we can operate under our old policies and procedures.  I have attached all of the documents associated with the updates.  I will let you know Monday night if we are acting on these items or just discussing.

Items attached:

1. Cover letter and explanation from KSB Law explaining the required changes
2. Policies to be changed
3. Packet of supplementary documents that are the procedures used when working with a Title IX complaint
4. MPS Title IX Positions - who the administrative team feels could fill each required position

Policy Changes:

1. Policy 3057 Title IX changes to reflect new guidelines
2. Policy 2006 Complain Procedure to reflect new guidelines
3. Policy 4014 Employment Related Sexual Harassment is eliminated and 4014 will be left blank for future policy
4. Policy 5026 Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment of Students is eliminated and 4014 will be left blank for future policy

Possible Motion:  Recommend motion to approve Policy 3057 Title IX, Policy 2006 Complaint Procedure, Policy 4014 Employment Related Sexual Harassment, and Policy 5026 Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment of Students as presented.

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The Board of Education reserves the right to enter into Closed/Executive Session for 1) the protection of the public interest, or 2) the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual, and/or the individual has not requested a public meeting. When making a motion to enter into Closed/Executive Session, the member making the motion should be as specific as possible as to the reason(s) for executive session.

The Board President will restate the reason for Closed/Executive Session after the motion has been acted on.