February 12, 2018 at 8:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale: 

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.  We received our credit from NPPD for the Phase 1 HVAC installation from the summer of 2017.  

7.  SPED Van Purchase-Bid specs for vans were sent to a number of dealers after an "invitation to bid" was placed in the Kearney Hub.  Bids were due February 7th, with awarding of the bid to take place at the Regular February 12th Board Meeting.  Purchasing this van will require a transfer from the General Fund to the Depreciation Fund a the February Board Meeting.

8.  Adding staff (PE & Music) for the 2018-19: Financial Analysis

 

 

 

Rationale:  The TAK has set up its own bank account and would like to transfer their funds out of the school.  TAK is not a school sponsored activity, so the school district has no fiduciary responsibility to manage the money for the organization.  The school and TAK recognize this, so TAK is voluntarily choosing to move the money to an account outside of the school district.

Rationale:  The "Nebraska College and Career Ready Standards for Science" were approved by the State Board on September 8, 2017.  Local school districts have one year from the adoption date by the state board to either adopt the standards for use at the local level or to develop and adopt a set of standards equally or more rigorous to these standards.

A copy of the standards are attached for the board's review.

As mentioned at the January 8th board meeting, adoption of these standards is going to require a change to the science graduation requirements for Ravenna High School Students.  The rationale for this change will be presented by the high school science department and be an agenda item at the March 12th board meeting.

Rationale: 

The"By-Laws of Ravenna Public School Foundation" call for the Ravenna Board of Education to appoint board members to the Ravenna Public Schools Foundation Board at their regular February Board Meeting, as needed.  

The following people have agreed to being appointed to the Foundation Board.  Ravenna Board of Education Member, Marc Vacek, will serve a 2-year term.  The other appointees will serve a 3-year term:

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.

 

 

 

 

Rationale:  Ravenna Public Schools contracts with ESU 10 to provide staff support and student special education program services.  Attached is the proposed service contract for the 2018-19 school year.  The contract has been reviewed by the administrative team and would recommend the contract be accepted and entered into by Ravenna Public Schools.  Doing so, requires a majority vote by the board and a signature on the contract by the Ravenna Board of Education President.

Rationale:  The board recently decided to make "dock days" a full deduction of pay (salary & benefits) for certificated staff who need to take dock days.  The attached copy of the "Classified Handbook" makes this change for classified staff members as well.  The same language, provided by the school district's attorney, and which appears in the certificated staff's "Negotiated Agreement" is used in this proposed version of the "Classified Handbook".  It appears highlighted on Page 5-Section 10, and is the only change to the handbook for the 2018-19 contract term.  It reads as follows:

Section 10           UNPAID LEAVES-DOCK DAYS
Staff members covered by this handbook are entitled to up to 10 "dock days" of additional leave in excess of the leave provided herein, so long as their leave is otherwise qualifying under another leave provision in this handbook and they have complied with all of the requirements of that provision for taking the leave. Dock day leave will be taken at a reduction of the staff member's total salary and benefit cost per day. This provision shall not apply, and the staff member is not allowed to take dock day leave, if the staff member is eligible for any other type of leave, including but not limited to leaves such as those provided in this handbook, the FMLA, and/or short or long term disability.
 

Rationale: 

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?"

 

 

 

Rationale: 

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

Congratulations to Mrs. Caley Greer, who is February's ABC Bluejay Staff Member of the Month!

 

Nominees this month include:

Heath Ahrens-Mr. Ahrens is a kind, considerate teacher and colleague. Mr. Ahrens is flexible and willing to work with his colleagues for the good of the school, including volunteering his classes to help set up for the robotics meet as well as the wrestling meet. Mr. Ahrens works to prepare his students for success after high school, and the real world content in his classes will serve his students well. His FFA program's activities and initiatives throughout the year are varied and MANY; it is by far the most active organization in our school. Mr. Ahrens tells a great story, and his students and colleagues appreciate his sense of humor and work ethic.

Caley Greer-Caley consistently goes above and beyond the responsibilities of her job. She organizes weekly team meetings to support a student in her classroom. She is outstanding at recognizing opportunities for the student to be independent and identifies supports that need to be in place for all of her students to be successful. Her expectations are consistent and she utilizes positive behavior supports in a meaningful and genuine manner. Caley is quick to be the first to volunteer to contribute to a project or recognize a need her students have and take steps to address that need. She maintains a positive atmosphere and is an absolute pleasure to work with. She is open to new ideas and excels at thinking outside of the box. She continues to look for opportunities for her students to practice social emotional concepts throughout the day and identifies the most crucial skills needed for her students to be successful. Ravenna is lucky to have Caley on staff!

Sonya Rasmussen-Sonya Rasmussen has students that are not as teachable as some students. That does not stop her from finding something they can learn and benefit from in their lives and their families lives 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.

Vickie Sieczkowski-I would like to recommend Vickie Sieczkowski for ABC Bluejay Staff Member of the Month.  She is so giving of herself to the students.  She is willing to make the students work for their answers and genuinely care about their education.  She also goes above and beyond with helping with the 8th Grade Science Fair.  She did everything from calculating scores, pepping up the kids with candy, and helping clean up after the show.

James Habe-I would like to nominate James Habe.  James has done and continues to do an excellent job leading the boys basketball team through a season of thrilling games.  He has continued to provide positive leadership over the course of several years regardless of the win/loss record of the team.  As a teaching staff member he is hard working and does a great job of establishing positive relationships with students.

Paige Havranek-Paige Havranek is a go getter!  She always finds a way to get things done, and you can find her at just about every school event.  She is a super positive teacher and loves to motivate those students who need a little extra time.  You will always find Mrs. Havranek at the end of the hallway, greeting students in between every class and spreading her Bluejay Pride!

Rationale:  The superintendent advertised for a van to replace an existing van in the school's fleet that has high miles and is becoming in need of frequent repair.  The bids submitted from dealerships bidding to provide the equipment are attached to this agenda item.

The superintendent would recommend the purchase of the van from Platte Valley Auto, in the amount of $16,850.

The bid tabulation from bidders is as follows:

Gregg Young Dodge
2014 Chrysler Town & Country-Graystone
$21,993
23,699 Miles

Midway 
2015 Chrysler Town & Country-Black
61,231 Miles
$17,951

2017 Dodge Grand Caravan-Red
14,946 Miles
$22,981

2014 Chrysler Town & Country-Black
76,151 Miles
$14,992

Platte Valley Auto
2016 Dodge Grand Caravan-White
37,000 Miles
$16,850

Sandhills Motor Company
2016 Chrysler Town & Country-Silver
41,700 Miles
$18,900

2015 Dodge Grand Caravan-Maroon
40,700 Miles
$17,100









 

Rationale:  Due to the purchase of another school van, the superintendent is recommending that an existing van that has outlived its service life with the school district be declared surplus for immediate sale or disposal.

Rationale:  A copy of the proposed 2018-19 School Calendar is attached for review and possible approval by the board.  A draft of the calendar was shared with the staff for input prior to the creation of the final draft of the calendar.

Also, attached is a copy of the "2018-19 Calendar Instructional Hours" which details the number of minutes students are in session during the 2018-19 School Year.

Rule 10 requires students to receive 1080 hours of instruction, to meet accreditation requirements.

The calendar draft provides for 1,175.6 hours for K-11 students and 1117.7 hours for 12th grade students.  This would allow for 13.98 snowdays for K-11 grade students and 5.49 days for 12th grade students.  The calendar provides for 175.5 instructional days for students and 185.5 work days for teachers.

Rationale:  At the January 12th board meeting, the salary and benefits for the school district's tech coordinator were reviewed and given consideration for adjustment for the 2018-19 contract term.  Attached is a proposed work agreement for that position for the board to review and consider approving for the 2018-19 contract term.

Additionally, the board and administration discussed finding additional help to alleviate "low level" technical assistance issues and to assist the tech coordinator in the summer time and throughout the school year with minor task.  The superintendent and the tech coordinator have been collaborating with each other to identify needs and staff that could assist in this manner.  In the future, the superintendent inform the board of the additional assistance for the tech coordinator that has been generated, as these will be paid positions for existing staff, which will require board approval.

Rationale:  The board and the administration have been conducting research into the possibility of adding a .5 FTE Music Teacher for the 2018-19 school year.  The rationale and economic impact for adding a music teacher appear in the attached document. 

The Ravenna Administration would recommend adding the position for the 2018-19 school year.

Rationale:  The board and administration have been exploring the possibility of adding a 1.0 FTE PE position for the 2018-19 School Year.  A rationale for adding the position and detailing the economic impact of such a decision are contained in the attached document.

Rationale:  The board has been discussing the possibility of implementing a random drug testing policy for activity participants during the 2018-19 school year.  The board policy committee and went through a draft of the policy.  Many questions were generated during the policy committee meeting.  A representative will be in from Diversified Drug Testing, a company which provides drug testing services, to answer questions the board and administration may have.

The following questions were generated during the policy committee meeting:

• Please compare and contrast the test methods of saliva v. hair v. urine.  (Cost, Accuracy, Benefits, etc.)

 

• How long certain substances stay in the system and how long a person would continue to test positive for a substance.  For example, if a person tests positive for Marijuana how long would the continue to test positive?

 

• When performing follow-up testing are you able to detect a decrease in the level of chemical?

 

• We are discussing having language in our policy that would require a student that tests positive to submit a negative test prior to returning to the activity.  Our first positive test policy requires that a student sit out for 10 and at least 1 competition.  Thus, if we required a negative test on the first positive test policy would they still test positive for that substance after 10 days?

 

• If we have a positive test how long would it take to get that confirmed?  As the policy we are looking at putting in place states that the sample will be sent to a medical review officer for confirmation.

 

• If a student is a prescription medication user what does that process involve from a testing standpoint?

Tentative Timeline for Random Drug Testing Policy Adoption & Implementation:

January 24th-Initial Policy Committee Meeting to Review Policy

February 12th-Whole board discussion/input on policy

Mid to Late February-Policy Committee Meeting to finalize draft of policy

March 12 Board Meeting-First Reading of Board Policy

March 12th-April 9th--Public Input Meetings on Policy for Students, Parents, Community Members

April 9th-Second Reading and possible adoption of policy

April 9th-May 14th-Information meetings for students regarding policy to go into effect during 2018-19 school year

June-Add policy to board policy manual, student handbook, and activity handbook

August-Remind students and parents of new policy during orientation night and during first days back with students

 

Rationale:  The Board Members were asked to review the 1000 & 2000 series policies (attached) in advance of the February Board Meeting and make note of any questions or concerns with the existing policies.

For next month, board members should take a look at the 3000 series of policies for the same purpose.  The link has been fixed on the Sparq Data Meeting site.  All current board policies should now be accessible to the board members and the public through this portal.

Rationale: 

1.  2018-19 State Aid Estimate: $32,358 (2018-19); $37,149 (2017-18); No equalization aid.  This is all property tax credit.

2.  2018-19 Budget Authority: $5,368,928 (2018-19); $5,289,584 (2017-18); $79,344 Increase

3.  3-Year Asbestos Report: B2 conducted an asbestos inspection of the property, which needs to be done every 3 years.  During the inspection, there were several items that were discovered that will need to be repaired.  Those repairs are detailed in the attached excerpts from their inspection report.  The superintendent has reached out to two companies:

- Great Plains Asbestos Control (GPAC) - Kearney, NE - (308) 234-1172  & Environmental Direct, Inc. (EDI) - Grand Island, NE - (308) 384-2884

to get bids to have the repairs performed.  These repairs will likely be done this summer, as a summer project.  The estimated costs of the repairs is $1,000 or less, dependent upon accessibility of the repairs.

4.  Capital Improvement Plan Update:  The Board's Capital Improvement Plan is updated and attached.  Budget pricing for coil and condenser replacements for the three units (60-ton, 20-ton, & 20-ton) that provide air conditioning for the high school are attached, as they were presented by Rasmussen Mechanical Services of Kearney.  The age of the equipment is 14 years (installed in 2004).  The rated service life of the equipment is 15 years.  The superintendent entered into a service contract ($1,000 per year) with Rasmussen to have the equipment cleaned and inspected annually to diagnose any potential problems with the units.  Generally speaking, compressor are the first things that fail on the unit.  Coils generally are repairable if they develop a leak, unless there is significant physical damage caused to the coil by weather or impact.  A control board can go also go bad, which usually costs about $800 to replace.  A condensing coil is about $10,000-$20,000 to replace, depending on the size of the coil.  The 20-ton units have 2 compressors per unit and the 60-ton unit has 4 compressors.  

5.  Timeline for HVAC-Phase 2/Fire Alarm/PA System Project:
·        Meeting with superintendent and head of maintenance by ETI to verify
         90% of drawings and specifications and make final adjustments-
         January 30th.

·        Receive final comments from superintendent and head of maintenance-
         February 6, 2018

·        Provide final 100% bid drawings and send out advertisement to bid -
         February 13, 2018

·        Pre-bid meeting for all interested contractors-February 21 @ 3:00 PM

·         Receive bids - March 8, 2018

·         School Board Approval of Bids - March 12, 2018 (Board Meeting)

·         School to secure contract with successful contractor - March 27, 2018

·         Construction Start - May 21, 2018

·         Construction Finish - July 20, 2018

6.  Trees Removed-Three trees were removed around the track.  2 North of the concession stand and one on the south side of the field.  These trees were mature hackberry trees.  They were removed as they were cracking and in poor condition.

7.  Football Scoreboard Replacement Fundraising-Advertise in the paper, direct mailing, follow up phone calls.

8.  Vertimax Machines-The Ravenna Booster Club has offered to purchase a $3500 Vertimax machine, if the school purchases one.

9.  High Jump Pit-Mr. Schirmer is requesting purchase of a high jump pit for the track program.  This will be an expensive piece of equipment.  Estimates for the equipment are in the $6,300-$6,700 price range, which means it will require competitive bids for the equipment, as per board policy.

10.  Wrestling Mat-Mr. Reicks is requesting purchase of a new practice mat.  The one they currently have is "pre-1980's".   The approximate cost of the mat is estimated to be $6,000, which means it will require competitive bids for the equipment, as per board policy.  Mr. Reicks & Mr. Cyboron are also considering making a separate locker entrance on the north elementary gym wall to allow locker room access without walking across the wrestling mats.

11.  JH Track Uniforms-Mr. Reicks and I will be working on putting a purchase rotation in place and attempting to order JH track uniforms for this spring.

12.  Textbook Rotation Schedule & Standards Alignment-The administrative team has been working on a textbook rotation schedule, which will allow for the purchasing of curricular materials K-12 that are aligned with the Nebraska Content Standards.  Having a viable curriculum that is fully aligned to the state standards is a Rule 10 requirement and a focused growth area for the administrative team in the coming years.  There will need to be some purchasing of textbooks in several content areas to bring curricula current in several content areas.  After the rotation is in place, purchasing of materials should be able to take place for content areas on a rotating basis, which will allow the board and the administrative team to plan for regular/planned purchases.  During the first year of this rotation schedule (2017/18) there will be a larger purchase of curricular materials than in future years.  The purchase rotation will be in conjunction with the "NDE Standards Revision Timeline," which is attached to this agenda item for review by the board.

13.  Legislative Bills to keep an eye on: LB 1084 (Property Tax Relief Bill) & LB 651 (Nebraska Reading Improvement Act)