July 11, 2022 at 5:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale: 

Mission Statement:

Gothenburg Public Schools is the cornerstone of a proud, passionate, and progressive community where students and staff thrive in a positive and innovative environment.  We ensure the growth of all individuals by inspiring them to own and maximize their potential.

A copy of the open meetings law is posted on the wall of the Board Room and is available to the public.

Rationale: 

The Board reserves the right to rearrange the order of items as needed.

Rationale: 

Board Policy 2009 - Opportunity for Public Expression.  
(A copy of the policy is linked here.)

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISH TO SPEAK: This is the portion of the meeting when members of the public may speak to the board about matters of public concern.  

• Getting Started:  When you have been recognized, please stand and state your name.   

• Time Limit:  The board will generally allow a total of 30 minutes for the presentation of all public comments.  Individuals may speak only one time, and must limit comments to around 5 minutes.  If there are more than 6 individuals who wish to address the board, the 30 minutes will be divided equally between the number of speakers.   These time limits may be changed by a majority vote of the board members in attendance to extend the time for a specific item or speaker. 

• Personnel or Student Topic:  If you are planning to speak about a personnel or a student matter involving an individual, please understand that the district has a complaint policy and/or procedures to resolve such complaints and concerns.  The Board requests that you follow the policy and procedures before addressing these matters with the Board.  Board members will generally not respond to any questions you ask or comments about individual staff members or students.  

• General Rules: This is a public meeting for the conduct of business.  Comments from the audience while others are speaking will not be tolerated.  Lewd, obscene, profane, slanderous, threatening and hostile conduct or statements and fighting words (words whose mere utterance entails a call to violence) will not be tolerated. 

• No Action by the Board:  The board will not act on any matter unless it is on the published agenda. 

Rationale: 

1. Approval of Previous Minutes

2. Approval of the Treasurer's Report

3. Approval of the Warrants / Bills

  a.  Petty Cash

  b.  Student Activity

  c.  Hot Lunch

  d.  Bank Statement

  e.  Summary of Accounts and Receipts

  f.  Monthly Expenditure Report

  g. Check Journal

4. Excuse Absent Board Members

5. Consider Option Enrollment Requests
Option Out:
Melody Flores 6th grade to Lexington

 

Rationale:  Substitute salaries were $120 and $155 for ten consecutive days last year. 

After surveying our substitutes to determine what we could do to encourage them to allocate more days to GPS, the following recommendations are being made:

• Set the daily rate to $145 per day.
• After 30 cumulative days in the district, the daily rate will be $175 for all remaining days subbed in that school year.
• After ten consecutive days in a specific assignment (i.e. maternity leave), the daily rate will be $175 for all remaining days in that specific assignment.

Rationale:  Due to football official shortages and lack of availability for a later game, our Varsity Football game at home vs. Chadron is scheduled for 3:00PM.  To accommodate arriving fans and needed support staff, we are recommending a 2:30 PM dismissal on Friday, September 23rd.

Rationale:  In prior years, teachers teaching college credit courses were paid directly from the institution issuing the credit.  Central community college has eliminated this option this year and is requiring their portion of wages be sent directly to schools.  This amendment to the negotiated agreement allows for Gothenburg Public Schools to pay teachers teaching college credit classes the stipend that would previously have come directly from the college.

Rationale:  District #20 has been a Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association member for many years.  NRCSA provides many services for rural schools.

Rationale:  We've been working to procure a product that would work with our specific building design.  After quite a bit of legwork, we've found an option that will work with our building (read: concrete walls and challenging wifi).  In addition, we have ESU here for work next week already and they're willing to drop hard-wires in each of our selected locations while they are here.  Most schools have this technology present already as a means of deterring vaping in the restrooms.  Vaping is a significant problem at the 7-12 level and these detectors will create a safer environment for our students.  It would be my recommendation to move forward with purchase and installation before August.

Rationale:  After the Town Hall meeting on Thursday, June 16th there were several items the board's Impact Center Committee wished to address before committing to any additional funding.

1) Ensuring the governing structure includes a school representative, school board representative, mayor, and city council member.  It is very important that the interlocal agency's board represents our community and does not permit outside influence from agencies or organizations.

2) A process is in place for review and approval of the preschool curriculum that involves teachers, the director, and the Board and allows for annual review.

Rationale:  Each year, KSB will propose updated policies due to changes in laws and best practice.  This year, the policy committee in conjunction with KSB School Law notes required updates on the following policies:

1. Policy 2005: Conflict of Interest
2. Policy 2008: Meetings
3. Policy 2010: Preparation for Board Meetings
4. Policy 3001: Budget and Property Tax Request
5. Policy 3003.1 Bidding for Construction, Remodeling, Repair, or Related Projects Financed with Federal Funds
6. Policy 3004.1 Fiscal Management for Purchasing and Procurement Using Federal Dollars
7. Policy 3012: School Meal Program and Meal Charges
8. Policy 3042: Construction Management at Risk Contracts
9. Policy 3043: Design-Build Contracts
10. Policy 4056: Resignation of Certificated Staff 
11. Policy 5012: Testing and Assessment Program
12. Policy 5063: Audio and Video Recordings
13. Policy 6021: District Criteria for Selecting Evaluators to be Used for Special Education Evaluation and Verification and Independent Educational Evaluations
14. Policy 6036: Reading Instruction and Intervention Services

Rationale:  This is the first reading of Policy 5026 Extracurricular Drug Testing Program.  Extracurricular drug testing is not a new policy for our district, however, this is a new and updated policy through KSB.  There are no significant changes to our current procedures but we have updated the forms and added some clarifying language and tennis to the proposed policy.  As a first reading, there is no action at this time.

Rationale:  It is no secret over the past several months that library media and materials have come under scrutiny in many districts.  Our district has had formal operating procedures for decades but those procedures have never been formally adopted as board policy.  This policy applies ONLY to library materials and has no bearing or impact on core curricular materials and curriculum-related supplements as those are covered in other board policies.  This is the first reading of a proposed policy that will help formalize our process and provide a procedure to request review of a library material for a patron of the district or parent of a current student.

Rationale:  First reading of Policy 4064: Transporting Students in Employee Vehicles.

While our policy service has several policies regarding transportation, none of them address employees transporting students in their personal vehicles.  This policy permits employees to transport students who do not live in the employee's household as long as the employee complies with board policy and the NDE's pupil transportation requirements (including training).

Rationale:  In accordance with state statute, each public school district shall review its Parental and Family Engagement Policy on an annual basis.  This is a procedural item and does not require formal action.

Rationale:  The first reading of the 2022-2023 Student Handbook took place at the June meeting. This handbook is in alignment with our new board policies.

Rationale:  This is the first reading of our activity handbook.  They have been aligned with new board policies.  No formal motion is needed at this time.  These will return in August for consideration of approval.  Please provide any feedback before that meeting.

Rationale:  This is the first reading of our staff handbook.  They have been aligned with new board policies.  No formal motion is needed at this time.  These will return in August for consideration of approval.  Please provide any feedback before that meeting.

Rationale:  Each year we ask the board of education to consider approval of our evaluation tools.  This year, we do not have any changes to these documents though changes are coming for next school year.

1. Teacher Evaluation Document
2. School Psychologist Evaluation Document
3. Counselor Evaluation
4. Director of Teaching & Learning Evaluation Document

Please note the absence of an administrator evaluation tool.  Ours is very outdated and we're waiting on additional information from NDE.  We are hoping to get more information at Administrator Days at the end of the month.

Rationale:  Each year, KSB highlights new laws that do not necessarily require a policy or formal board approval, but the updates certainly impact our day-to-day operations.  This year's updates include recognizing Juneteenth as a paid holiday for 12-month classified employees, a reminder about child labor certificates, and designation of behavior health points of contact.

Rationale: 

Committee Reports (Chair in bold)

1.  Personnel Committee (Mr. Fornoff, Mrs. Terrell, Mrs. Jobman)
2. Transportation and Facilities (Mr. Wyatt, Mr. Brundage, Mr. Hudson)
3. Finance (Mrs. Jobman, Mr. Wyatt, Mr. Hudson)
4. Committee on American Civics (Mr. Brundage, Mrs. Terrell, Mr. Fornoff)
5. Policy Review (Mrs. Terrell, Mr. Fornoff, Mr. Wyatt)

 

Rationale: 

Rationale: 

The Board of Education may hold a closed session by the affirmative vote of a majority of its voting members if a closed session is clearly necessary for the protection of the public interest or for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual and if such individual has not requested a public meeting.  Closed sessions may be held for, but shall not be limited to, such reasons as:  (a) strategy sessions with respect to collective bargaining, real estate purchases, or litigation; (b) discussion regarding deployment of security personnel or devices; (c) investigative proceedings regarding allegations or misconduct; or (d) evaluation of the job performance of a person when necessary to prevent needless injury to the reputation of a person.

The vote to hold a closed session shall be taken in open session.  The subject matter and the reason necessitating the closed session shall be identified in the motion to close.  If the motion to close passes, then the presiding officer immediately prior to the closed session shall restate on the record the limitation of the subject matter of the closed session. The Board shall restrict its consideration of matters during the closed portions to only those purposes set forth in the motion to close as the reason for the closed session. The meeting shall be reconvened in open session before any formal action may be taken.

Rationale:  Monday, August 8th

Swede Activities:
New Teacher Orientation - Community tour concludes at 5PM.
First day of fall sports practice.

Suggested 6PM meeting time to accommodate these activities if possible.