January 8, 2018 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

1. The Board of Education reserves the right to enter into Closed/Executive Session for 1) the protection of public interest or 2) the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual, and the individual has not requested a public meeting. When making a motion to enter into Closed/Executive Session, the member making such a request should be as specific as possible keeping the previously listed stipulation in consideration. 
2. If the Board is in agreement, a motion maybe to enter into Closed/Executive Session to 1) discuss a personnel matter, or 2) for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of the individual, or 3) to discuss litigation and for the protection of the public interest.
3. Action concerning matters discussed in Closed/Executive Session will be acted upon in open session

The board annually elects officers.

The following is some basic information from Roberts Rules of Order regarding the nomination and election of officers: 

• Recognition by the chair prior to making a nomination is not required but doing so without can be impractical
• Nominations do not have to be seconded, but it is not out order to do so
• A person can nominate himself or herself
• A member should not offer more than one nomination for a position
• Nominees do not have to leave the room during nominations, when the vote is taken or when the vote is counted
• A member can rise and decline the nomination during the nomination process
• After each nomination the president repeats the name to the assembly
• Nominations are taken for successive offices in the order they are listed in the bylaws
• Motions to close nominations are usually unnecessary because the nomination process simply continues until no one wishes to make further nominations. When nominations stop the chair just declares nominations closed after making sure no more nominations are forthcoming. 
• Voting is done after nominations for each office have closed
• Voting for contested offices is done by secret ballot
• Ballots are counted immediately
• Ballots are counted by persons who are not nominees for the position for which ballots are being cast
• Elections are decided by a majority vote. In the event that there is a tie, balloting must continue until until a candidate receives a majority of the votes cast. 
• There are no runoff elections. All names on the ballot remain until a majority is achieved or they voluntarily withdraw. 
• The superintendent presides to open the meeting until a President is elected, from that point forward the President chairs the meeting 
• The order of election is President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer.

Welcome to the Dundy County Stratton Public Schools Board of Education Meeting.  The Board welcomes citizens to attend board meetings to become acquainted with the programs and operations of the district.  Members of the public are also encouraged to share their ideas and opinions with the Board during the agenda item labeled “Public Items”.  Comments or questions from the audience at any other time during the meeting except for the agenda item “Public Items” will out of necessity be declared out of order.

The Nebraska Open Meetings Act prevents the board from speaking to a matter that is not on the agenda.  Please understand that the board may be unable to address your issue during the meeting.  It is not permissible for the board to comment on items not listed for the protection of the public’s right to know and participate in the discussion of items that do come before the board and stated appropriately in the meeting agenda.  

During this agenda item “Public Items” we ask that you abide by the following rules:

Public Comment Protocol and Procedures

1. Anyone wishing to speak to the board on specific agenda items or on other topics relevant to board business must complete a Public Comment Request Card and submit it to the Board President prior to the opening of the meeting.   The public will only be recognized and their comments heard at Item “Public Items” on the board agenda.  The total time allotted for the public comment will not exceed thirty minutes and each member of the public will be allotted not more than five minutes to address the Board.  If a group wishes to speak, please designate one spokesperson for the group.
   
   
2. Please state your name and the topic you are addressing before you begin.  
   
   
3. Speakers are asked to direct their questions and comments to the chair.  A member of the Board of Education or the Superintendent may direct clarifying questions to the chair, but the board will not under any circumstance enter into a debate with any the member of the public.
   
   
4. Speakers may offer objective criticism of district operations and programs, but the Board would encourage members of the public to address complaints concerning individual district personnel through the proper chain of command.  The chair may direct the member of the public to the appropriate means to address concerns brought before the Board; however, the board will not respond with action but will take comments under advisement and direct the comments to the appropriate staff member to address outside of the board meeting.
   
   
5. Please remember that is a public meeting for the conduct of business of the Dundy County Stratton Public School District. Offensive language, personal attacks and hostile conduct will not be tolerated. You should further be advised that there is no legal protection for any comments that are made. 
   
   
6. As stated in NEB. REV. STAT. § 79-570 Class I, II, III, IV, or VI school district; president; meetings; maintenance of order.  

   If any district meeting of a Class I, II, III, IV, or VI school district any person conducts himself or herself in a disorderly manner and persists in such conduct after notice by the president or person presiding, the president or person presiding may order such person to withdraw from the meeting and, if the person refuses, may order any person or persons to take such person into custody until the meeting is adjourned.

7. As stated in NEB. REV. STAT. § 79-571 Class I, II, III, IV, or VI school district; meetings; disorderly conduct; penalty. 

Any person who refuses to withdraw from such meeting on being so ordered as provided in section 79-570 or who willfully disturbs such meeting shall be guilty of a Class V misdemeanor. 

To verify that notice of the meeting was given by publication in the Benkelman Post, a legal newspaper for Dundy County Stratton and by written notice to each member of the board, the designated method of giving notice

We have interviewed two candidates to teach music here for next year. We recommend both for hire as full time teachers. Both are or will be graduates of the University  of Nebraska Lincoln with degrees and certification in Music Education. They have family members throughout the state. Both are exceptional candidates and together they open up wonderful possibilities for our students. 

Annual item which allow for board members to sign checks and forms as required by policy, statute and Nebraska Department of Education regulations. Many times a copy of this motion is required to be sent in with the rest of the paperwork

Appointing this officer is an annual item of business

This is an annual item of business.

Annual item of business. We traditionally follow the federal (IRS) mileage rate for all programs. The motion from last year was to continue to follow the federal mileage rate. The rate will rise by a penny and now be at $0.545.

We annually make a motion to designate an official depository and bank.

Another annual item of business. For many programs this is the superintendent by statute.

Annually when we approve the negotiated agreement for the upcoming year we recognize the DCSEA for the following year. This is part of the procedural two-step we go through. 

Presentation of the financial status of the district, balances in various funds, recent/impending activity therein, anticipated expenses and planning for future considerations.

We annually designate our official publication. Normally this is a consent agenda item, however to allow Jason to abstain without affecting his voting on the remainder of the consent agenda this item has been moved to the business agenda

The negotiations committee has reached a tentative agreement with the DCSEA for the 2018-2019 contract year. The association has ratified this agreement. 

The agreement includes salary amount, update language about new (first three years) teacher placement on the salary schedule, new language about the teachers first paycheck and updated language regarding the use of professional days after resigning. 

At this meeting each year the committee assignments are reviewed, re-appointed or changed. Current committees are:

The NSAA proposals are attached. The second district meeting is on Jan. 10 in Holdrege and we will be voting on those proposals that day. If you have any questions about the proposals or how we plan to vote on them, please ask. I do not plan to go over the one by one at the meeting. 

The yearly discussion on check signing. 

State statute requires the president and secretary sign checks. 

State statute also allows the board to designate someone to sign and verify all checks, not required to be a board member.

Our policy adds the treasurer to that list.

We could use as many facsimile signatures as we want (stamps or electronic signatures)

Currently checks for general fund, special building fund, depreciation fund and QCPUF are signed by the president, secretary and treasurer.

Currently checks in the activity fund, lunch fund, general fund clearing and Section 125 (Cafeteria not lunch fund)  are signed by the superintendent and one principal.

We can change it or leave it alone.

I would recommend we amend policy to add the president and secretary to the list of signers for those funds and to designate the superintendent and one principal to sign the other funds.