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

As per board policy, the Ravenna School Board reorganizes itself annually at the regular January Board Meeting.

The Nebraska State Laws regarding conflict of interest and the corresponding forms are available to all board members at: <http://www.nadc.nebraska.gov/e/>.  Any board member with a potential conflict should fill out a conflict of interest form and file it with the superintendent.

A copy of the Conflict of Interest Policy and a copy of the Board Code of Ethics is also attached to this agenda item for review by each board member.

The school district's attorney recommends that the board review its policy on complaints annually.  Policy 2006 "Complaint Procedure" is attached for review by the Ravenna Board of Education.

The board needs to appoint an official representative for all of its state and federal programs.  The superintendent requests that he be named as the representative for these programs.

The board is required to appoint the bus mechanic(s) that do the regular inspections of the fleet vehicles.  The mechanics currently working on the buses and completing the inspections are: Ravenna Coop, Chris Stahl & Todd VanWinkle.

The Ravenna Board of Education needs to decide how they will publicize their meetings and record that method in their minutes.  It is the recommendation of the administration to publicize the meetings in the manner described in Board Policy 2008, which reads, "The board shall give reasonable advance publicized notice of the time and place of each of its meetings.  Such notice shall be transmitted to all members of the board and to the public.  Notice of regular and special meetings shall be posted in three prominent places within the school district at least 48 hours before the announced beginning of the meeting. Such notice shall contain a statement that the agenda shall be readily available for public inspection at the administration office of the school during the normal business hours. In addition, the superintendent is authorized, but not required, to publish the notice of any meeting in a newspaper of general circulation within the district if, in the opinion of the superintendent, it is convenient and useful to do so."

A copy of Board Policy 2008 is attached to this agenda item.

The board needs to appoint standing committee members for the upcoming school year.  The suggested appointments are attached to this agenda item for the board's review and approval.  They may adjust these committee assignments in any manner they see fit.

1.  Review monthly bills using the EMeetings Software.

2.  Review all credit card transactions for the month.

3.  Finance Committee Members Sign-off on review of monthly bills, credit card transactions, and district fund balances.

4.  Approve superintendent's expenses (credit card transactions, mileage, cell phone reimbursement).

5.  Lunch Program Monthly Review-Financial Data & Program Feedback

6.  Rebates on Elementary HVAC Equipment-The contractor has still not sent the $400 in conjunction with the HVAC Project from last summer.  ETI was contacted to reach back out to the contractor.  

7.  SPED Van Purchase-Bid specs for vans have been sent to a number of dealers an "invitation to bid" has been placed in the Kearney Hub.  Bids are due February 7th, with awarding of the bid to take place at the Regular February 12th Board Meeting.

8.  Adding staff (PE & Music) for the 2018-19: A very early version of the 2018-19 Line Item Budget is attached.  Some line items in the categories of: Regular Instruction (1100); Counselor (2120); Activity Transportation (2190); Staff Development (2212), Tech Support (2220); Treasurer (2310); Office of Principal (2400); & Maintenance (2400) have had reductions made in consideration of adding staff.  The increase of total staff cost in the Regular Instruction reflect the cost of (1) Movement of existing staff on the salary schedule for the 2018-19 School Year; (2) Additional cost of a .5 Music Teacher at a 1.57 index placement and half the cost of single insurance; (3) Additional cost of a 1.0 PE Teacher at a 1.43 index placement and the cost of family insurance.  PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THIS IS A WORKING DOCUMENT.  IT IS PROVIDED TO SHOW HOW ADDING STAFF WOULD AFFECT THE LINE ITEM BUDGET IN THE 1100's.  SALARY INCREASES WILL OCCUR IN OTHER LINE ITEMS WITHIN THE BUDGET: GUIDANCE, PRINCIPAL, CLASSIFIED STAFF, ETC.

9. General Fund Quarterly Financial Report Year to Year Comparison:

Revenue Through November 30: $1,812,644 (2016); $1,928,121 (2017)

Expenditures Through November 30: $1,888,148 (2016); $1,984,897 (2017)

GF Balance on November 30: $1,181,508 (2015); $1,954,929 (2016); $2,816,033 (2017)

Members of the Public, 

This is the portion of the board meeting when we invite anyone in attendance to address the board of education. If you would like to speak to the board regarding any of the items on tonight's agenda or a public concern, now is your opportunity to do so.  Please review the orange sheet (found on the visitors' chairs) of paper that contains the guidelines for public participation.  If you wish to speak to the board at this time, please let me know.  "Would anyone like to address the board at this time?"

AFTER THE PERSON(S) INDICATE(S) THEY WISH TO SPEAK

1.  Please stand and state your name?

2.  What topic will you be speaking on?

3.  Are there others in the room who wish to speak to the same topic? (If so, ask that they be recognized so that 30 minutes of time for public comment can be apportioned as per the policy-5 minutes per person).

4.  Optional-"Please understand that public comment is your opportunity to speak to the board and present your concerns, thoughts, feelings, ideas, and observations.  Members of the board are happy to hear from members of the public, but the board will not engage in conversation or dialogue with you during public comment."

4.  "You'll have approximately 5 minutes to address the board, as we allow 5 minutes per person and a total of 30 minutes for public comment.  You may begin when you are ready?"

Congratulations to Mrs. Krissy Reisbeck, who was December's ABC Bluejay Staff Member of the Month!

Congratulations to Mr. Dom Reicks, who is January's ABC Bluejay Staff Member of the Month!

Nominees this month include:

Dom Reicks-I would like to nominate Dom Reicks for Staff member of the month.  Dom has a heavy load to carry as he is in the full swing of the wrestling season.  He also serves as the Athletic Director, the Skills USA sponsor and he maintains teaching courses in the Industrial Technology Department.  He has a lot to manage and does a great job of doing this as he also works with the wrestlers and parents all season.  He notifies parents weekly on the events and practices for wrestling, keeping them all informed and keeping the communication open. Dom works with a variety of students in the classroom and out.  He manages to maintains positive and encouraging relationships with many students.  Many times he is asked to take students into his classes that transfer here in the middle of the year and he has no problem transitioning these students into his classroom. He is very open to working with all students in his program.

Jean Luth-Jean is a hardworking, dedicated paraprofessional. She interacts with the students in and out of the classroom in a positive and helpful manner. Her desire to see students succeed results in extra hours spent at school, but she never complains. Jean has a vast knowledge in many subject areas and is able and willing to help all students. She is greatly appreciated by the teachers she works with and is a tremendous asset to the special education program.  (2) Jean is an absolute fantastic para to have in the classroom! She always works ahead on assignments in order to help the students as best as she can. She is very patient with her group of students, and all students in general. She truly cares about the students she helps and is always checking on their grades and what they received on assignments. She is just an all around great para and person and I love having her in my classroom!

Angie Drahota-Angie is a kind, caring staff member who continually goes out of her way to help others.  She's never to busy to lend an ear to listen, make time to help others, and provides students or staff with sound advice.  Ravenna Public Schools is lucky to have such a kind and capable Guidance Counselor!

Hilary Bolling-Hilary continually works behind the scenes to keep the school district's finances in order.  She's organized, thorough, and always willing to help ensure staff are getting things they need to help effectively educate students.  She's kind, caring, and responsible.  She's a great lady, who does a darn great job! (2) Hilary Bolling. She does a great job of keeping on top of the school finances and maintains professionalism even when we inevitably mess up on our own paperwork.

Julie McGuigan-Julie McGuigan is a dedicated para to the special education students.  She is the one who has to lift and do the hard work required of a para.  She treats the students she works with just as she would one of her own children.  She also takes students down town, to the Good Samaritan Center, & Seneca Sunrise.  Her cheerful disposition is an asset to not only her students, but to the student body at large.  The kids at recess and lunch love Mrs. McGuigan.  During the summer, Julie also helps with maintenance and cleaning.  Julie is so deserving of this award!

Heath Ahrens-I would like to nominate Heath Ahrens.  He does and outstanding job as our Ag teacher and FFA sponsor.  He is also willing to help whenever and wherever his is needed.  I am not sure he has ever said no when asked to "help out".  Thank you Mr. Ahrens!

Sonya Rasmussen-Sonya Rasmussen never stops working to help her students find something they can learn and benefit from in their lives and their family’s lives while away from school. Everyone likes to feel like they can independently contribute in some way to their family and community. She goes to bat for her students with administrators, teachers, staff, students, community members and business owners.  Sonya is always looking for new ideas for her Life Skills students to have them be a part of the community they will live in. She teaches them academics along with social skills, cooking, shopping, budgets, and work force etiquette.  She works hard to see small gains in all her   students.

The entire staff is going through a process of reviewing their content area standards and aligning their curriculum to the Nebraska State Standards.  The ESU Staff and the principals are leading the staff through this process.

Mrs. Maulsby is requesting the purchase of language arts materials to support teaching her curriculum, which is aligned to the Nebraska State Standards.  Her written rationale for the selection of these curricular materials, for review by the board, is as follows:

"The 7th and 8th grade ELA textbook that the department is interested in purchasing for the 2018-2019 school year is called My Perspectives by Pearson.

Currently, we do not have a textbook for the 7th and 8th grade English classes. As a department, we believe that proper resources are essential to the planning and execution of an effective curriculum. After doing a lot of research and exploring different samples, I feel this textbook will best fit with the curriculum we are currently working on, as well as providing the most valuable learning experience for the students. In addition, the material in this textbook fully aligns with the 2014 Nebraska State ELA Standards.

The 'textbook' is really a workbook that students are able to write in. Assignments, texts, and notes are all inside the workbook. The workbook is three-hole punched so it could be put into a binder as well. I feel this is a great way for the JH students to not only stay organized, but to learn to annotate text, close read, and use textual evidence in their writing. The quote provided by Pearson includes brand new workbooks sent out for every student each year for six years. Additionally, the cost includes a digital component as well, which allows us to use our 1:1 computers to blend technology with print and increase student engagement. Each unit is divided into whole class activities, small group activities, and individual activities. A culminating performance writing task is included in each unit as well, so this textbook would provides ample resources to address all ELA standards, including Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Multiple Literacy.

I really believe these workbooks would be a great tool for the classroom. Please let me know if you would like to see a sample teacher or student edition. Thank you for your consideration!"

A copy of the quote from the publisher is attached.  The price will likely be adjusted, as the quote is based on sets of 35 for both 7th & 8th grade.  This is a 6-year "consumable" subscription for student books and two teacher's editions.

A copy of the curricular alignment of the materials to the 2014 Nebraska Language Arts Standards for 7th & 8th Grade is also attached.

The "Classified Staff Worksheet" is attached to this agenda item, which shows the current staff salaries and projected salary increases based on 2%, 2.55%, 3%, & 4% are included.  The various percentage increases represent the following cost increase:

2%-$18,752

2.55%-$23,909

3%-$28,128

4%-$37,504

The superintendent would recommend that the classified staff receive the same compensation increase the teaching staff received in the form of a 2.55% increase in compensation.

The board also needs to consider whether or not they will require classified staff to take a "full dock day" in the event that they utilize leave without pay or whether it will be a "salary only dock."  If any change is needed, it will need to be made to the "Classified Handbook" in advance of the 2018-19 contract term.

The "Annual Report" is presented to the board of education on an annual basis.  The "2016-17 Annual Report" is attached to this agenda item as an "information" item.

Current Members of the Ravenna School Board Foundation Include:

Misti Fiddelke-Board Member (2011)

Tara Schirmer-Board Member (2009/2015)

Marilyn Bohn-Board Member (2013)

Brenda Schroeder-Community Member (2015)-Brenda has inidcated that she will be vacating the seat at the end of her term.

Karrie Hurtya-Community Member (2015)-Karrie has inidcated that she will be vacating the seat at the end of her term.

Paige Havranek-Teacher (2013)

Cindy Wilke-Teacher (2011)

Brenda Beranek-Community Member (2016)

Alison Yendra-Teacher (2016)

Ken Schroeder-Superintendent

Marc Vacek has agreed to replace Marilyn Bohn as a board member representative.

Dan Schmidt & Nikki Bock have agree to be community representatives and replace Brenda Schroeder and Karrie Huryta.

Heidi Kjar & Sonya Rassmussen have volunteered to become a part of the Foundation Board as teacher representatives and replace Paige Havranek & Cindy Wilke.

The"By-Laws of Ravenna Public School Foundation" (see attached) call for the Ravenna Board of Education to appoint the board members.  The purpose of this agenda item is to review the current board appointments, begin to track the length of the board members' appointments on an annual basis, and to establish a plan to revisit these appointments for review by the board on an annual basis. 

Two of the teachers who have been on for more than three years asked to be replaced in February.  The term replacements are to be staggered so that we are not losing more than 3 board of director members in any one year.  

Board Members may serve no more than four consecutive terms:

Board members=2 year term x 4 terms max=8 years

Other appointed members=3 year term x 4 terms max=12 years

With two teachers wishing to be replaced, that means we need to have a discussion about who is willing to stay on and who is not in advance of our February Meeting.

6005-"Academic Credits & Graduation"-Science requirements are likely going to need to be updated, due to new science standards that will be assessed in 2020-21.

Freshman-Biology

Sophomores-Physical Science

Juniors-Earth & Space Science

6006-Commencement Ceremony currently allows ALL seniors to participate in the ceremony, unless the principal/superintendent prohibits it for disciplinary reasons.

6011-Do we observe "State Fire Day" as per statute?

6032-Are we observing "Constitution Day"?

The board is considering purchasing a van to use for the purpose of transporting special education students.  The superintendent has advertised for bids in the Kearney Hub and contacted auto dealers in the area and provided them with bid specifications for the equipment, which are attached to this agenda item.  Those auto dealers are Joe's Motors, Forrester's Dodge, Midway Auto, & Platte Valley Auto.

The board has been discussing the possibility of adding bowling as a school sponsored activity.  The NSAA delegate assembly will vote on whether or not to sanction the activity at its January 10th Meeting.  If the NSAA sanctions the event, the Ravenna School Board would then have the opportunity to decide whether or not to make high school bowling a school sponsored activity.

Mr. Reicks recently received a mailing from a parent outside the school district, with an informational flyer from the Nebraska High School Bowling Federation regarding high school bowling.  It is attached for informational purposes.

On January 2 we continued our work with the "Art and Science of Teaching "by Robert Marzano.  We discussed ways to help students practice and deepen their understanding of new knowledge.  In addition to whole group instruction/discussion the teachers were given the opportunity to choose a break-out session to learn more about one of the following items:

• Using Structured Practice Sessions.
• Examining Similarities & Differences
• Examining Errors in Reasoning (Ability to analyze their own or others' thinking)
• Reviewing Content
• Revising Knowledge (Opportunities to change, add to, & delete from what was previously learned)
• Assigning PURPOSEFUL Homework
• Organizing Students to Interact (To facilitate collaboration)

Playground Update:  I have attached a slide show with playground equipment proposals.   I have received 8 proposals from three different companies.  With the winter break I haven’t had a chance to meet with the playground committee but plan to do so this month sometime.

1.  Window Warranty Work-Was completed on December 19th by the Wilson Group, the original installers of the windows.

2.  Track Warranty Work-Cannot be fully completed until spring, as there is a problem with the subsurface (asphalt under the track), so an asphalt company will have to come in and repair the subsurface before the track company can lay a new topcoat over it or the track company maybe able to come in and lay down a base coat material.  NONE of this work will be covered under the warranty on the track.  Also, please keep in mind that the track company generally suggests that at about the 7th year of operation (2021-2022) of the new track, they recommend a top coat and re-striping of the track.  The cost of such a process is approximately $45,000, which should be added to the capital improvement schedule utilized by the board, superintendent, and head of maintenance.  Sight unseen, the ball park estimate for the repairs to the existing cracking in the track is $3,000-$5,000.  The company that installed the track will come out in the spring and give a firm number for the repair and could complete the reapir this summer.  The superintendent has also contacted another track company to make an assessment of the repair, which will occur this spring before any action is taken.

3.  Staffing Consideration for Certificated Staff in 2018-19 School Year-What additional information would the board like to be made aware of in regards to this conversation or what additional questions do you have?  (Draft of 2018-19 Budget Document with 1.5 staff (.5 music & 1.0 FTE PE is attached).

4.  Board Policy Committee-This committee needs to find a date to meet with Mr. Reicks & Mr. Kjar to go through the draft of the random drug testing policy for activity participants to allow this discussion and implementation to move forward.

5.  Legislative Issues Conference-January 21-22 in Lincoln, NE @ Cornhusker Marriot Hotel.  Any board member wishing to attend should contact the superintendent for registration and lodging.  A copy of the most recent summary of the legislative bills with the potential to impact education are attached.

6.  Lunch Program Update-Student Survey Data & Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes are attached.  Decision making regarding 2nd year of contracting with Opaa!, putting out for bids, or bringing the program "back in house" for the 2018-19 school year.  January 15th deadline with NDE for making decision regarding submitting bid specifications for review.