February 12, 2024 at 7:00 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 (mileage & reimbursement).

5.  Lunch Fund Review-Monthly Lunch Fund Balance Worksheet Attached

6. General Fund Review

7.  Payroll Ledger Review

8.  Insurance Billing Review

9.  ACH Payroll Review

10.  Community Eligibility Provision for Nutrition Program

11.  Compensation & Benefits for Shelbi Zinnel for FY 2024-25

12.  Building Fund - Evaluate investment options for the balance at the bank.

13.  General Fund CD - This matures on 2/2.  Evaluate investment options for the balance at the bank. 
 

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:  Mr. Noah Maulsby has been selected as the secondary principal to replace Mr. Blauvelt.  The board needs to approve his employment contract for that position.

Rationale:  The school will need to enter into a service agreement with a civil engineer for the purpose of completing the north parking lot improvement project.  The cost of these fees will be between $24,430-$28,930 (contingent upon whether the geotech investigation services are needed.  The total budget price for the project, including the civil engineering fees is estimated to be $191,800. 

Rationale: 

The Ravenna Board of Education is supposed to appoint members to the Board of Directors for the Ravenna Public School's Foundation at its February Board Meeting.  Each year, we review this information together, so that the board is in a good position in February to make any needed appointments.

Superintendent  (Lifetime Ex-Officio Non-Voting Member)

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, 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. 

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


Current Board Membership and year of last appointment by member is as follows:

Misti Fiddelke - 2022 - 2 - year term ends.
Ryan Osten - 2022 - 2 - year term ends.
Mike Voelker - 2022 - 2 - year term ends.
Cassie Giffin - 2024 - Just added in 2024 (actually started in September of 2023 - but technically a 2024 appointment)
Cindi Coulter - 2021 - Wishes to continue.
Dan Schmidt - 2017 - Wishes to continue.
Tanner Ellis - 2021 - Wishes to resign.
Kinsley Musil - 2021 - Wishes to resign.
Caley Mingus - 2022

Updated Membership after Appointments at February 12, 2024 Board Meeting - Dates below indicate when term ends
Misti Fiddelke - Term Ends February 1, 2026 (2 yr. term)
Ryan Osten - Term Ends February 1, 2026 (2 yr. term)
Mike Voelker - Term Ends February 1, 2026 (2 yr. term)
Cassie Giffin - Term Ends February 1, 2027 (3 yr. term)
Cindi Coulter -Term Ends February 1, 2026 (3 yr. term)
Dan Schmidt - Term Ends February 1, 2027 (3 yr. term)
Brandy Brodersen - Term Ends February 1, 2027 (3 yr. term)
Jessica Anderson - Term Ends February 1, 2027 (3 yr. term)
Caley Mingus - Term Ends, February 1, 2025 (3 yr. term)

 

 

Rationale:  As part of our on-going policy review, board members should please review our 1000 & 2000 Series Board Policies in advance of the February Board Meeting.  The superintendent will do the same and provide any suggested revisions to the Board Policy Committee & to the whole board at the February Board Meeting.  It's simply best practice to continually engage in a review of board policies.

These, and all other board policies, are available at: https://meeting.sparqdata.com/Public/Organization/64

Rationale:  As part of our on-going policy review, board members should please review our 3000 Series Board Policies in advance of the March Board Meeting.  The superintendent will do the same and provide any suggested revisions to the Board Policy Committee & to the whole board at the March Board Meeting.  It's simply best practice to continually engage in a review of board policies.

These, and all other board policies, are available at: https://meeting.sparqdata.com/Public/Organization/64

Rationale:  We will have our 5-year school improvement external evaluation on March 27th & 28th.  Right now, we have the board members scheduled to come in for their portion of the process on the evening of Wednesday, March 27th at 6:00 PM.  You'll answer some questions and eat a meal with the members of the external evaluation team.  It usually takes 1.5 - 2 hours.

If you would like to come in at a different time or have a different format for the interview, please just let me know.

A tentative copy of the external team school agenda visit is attached.

Rationale:  Mr. Lammers would like to declare some of the equipment in the woodshop as surplus for immediate sale or disposal.  Pictures of those items are attached to this agenda item.

The school was recently awarded a CTE Grant, which could be used to purchase updated equipment that would replace the equipment being declared as surplus.

Rationale:  During the board retreat on the building project, we had the following questions?

Question: What is the budget pricing for the revised floor plan that was created at the board retreat?
Answer: $6,263,280 - The elementary and high school security vestibules will cost $149,600 and $544,650, respectively.  These figures were updated in January 0f 2024 by BD Construction of Kearney.

Question: Can the existing girl's locker room space be reworked to use it more effectively? Could we use the coaches’ offices for the toilets and not encroach on the music storage space?
Answer: Yes, the plans have been redrawn to show how this could be done.  Jacob also provided the following cost analysis regarding the change, "Before the reduced scope of the girls' locker room, I would estimate the cost for that work to be $170,000.  Furthermore, I would estimate that this layout is approximately $60,000 cheaper or less expensive than the previous option.   The previous option for annexing the music storage room was over 100 SF larger than renovating the old coaches area, plus there is already plumbing in that area.   Also, please note that I am now saying that there will be no renovation work in the middle part of the locker room where the existing lockers are, as we discussed that there is no work required right there."

Question: How expensive is it to cut a hole in the wall to access the storage area on the men’s side of the locker room?
Answer: $7,000 - $8,000. However, this option won't be necessary as it was only being considered if we needed to "recapture" space for music program storage that was taken away because of the girl's locker room expansion.

Question: What are the costs of individual security vestibules?
Answer: Elementary Security Vestibule : $149,600;  High School Security Vestibule: $544,650

Question: What would be the square footage of the weight room if it was 1.25 or 1.5 times as big as the current weight room?
Answer: Dan says the current weight room is 1510 square feet.  The revised plans show an area of 1958 square feet, which would be 1.3 times as big as the current weight room.

Question: What are the intentions for Angie’s current office space?  If she moves out to the Youth Center’s south side, could her current office be used for a teacher's lounge?
Answer: No, she will need to keep her office in the main building.  The south side of the Youth Center will continue to be used by the LMHP contracted through ESU and the counselor who comes out from the clinic to meet with students.  So, when those folks are on the south side of the Youth Center, she will need a place to work.

Question: Would we still need restrooms in the weight room area?
Answer: Those could be added at an additional expense or patrons could have access to the high school restrooms.

*There is a representative from BD by the name of Mark Lewis.  He believes that for $2500 he could help us with the "engaging and informing" the public piece.  Would the board like for him to come in and help wrestle with some of the questions we have about engaging the public?  He said this usually works better if it is done in an individual session dedicated to that purpose.  We could bring him in the hour before next month's board meeting at 7:00 and have the regular board meeting at 8:00.
 

Rationale:  Multicultural Report

2023-24 Winter Data 



 

Rationale: 

Principal Report February Board Meeting

 

Academic
 

• Middle School Reading Intervention has been implemented.

  • Mrs. Maulsby has completed the training, the diagnostic testing, and started meeting with students.

• The 8th Grade Science Fair was held on January 23rd.

  • Mrs. Wolf and the students did a nice job and worked hard on their projects.

• 10th Graders attended the Connect the Dots Career Program on February 7th.

  • Ms. Drahota said our students represented our school well.

 

Student Behavior/Mental Health
 

• SOS Training - Suicide Prevention Training - Went well and students did a great job of taking it seriously and being honest.

  • 4 students that were gone on January 19th completed the training on February 8th. 

• MYSABERS and SABERS were completed.

  • The Problem-Solving Team will start validating both of these. 

Activities
 

• Wrestlers placed 4th at State Duals

  • 7 wrestlers qualified for the State Tournament in Omaha.

• AcaDeca qualified for State in Omaha on Friday and Saturday.

• Josey Moore is one of 3 finalists for the Vice President position on the Nebraska FBLA State Officer Team. She will campaign for the position at the State Leadership Conference in April.

Rationale: 

• Hail Damage from Roof (ALICAP Came out to visit but has never been responsive in addressing the damage).  Mr. Schroeder has followed up with ALICAP to see when they will be out.
• HVAC in High School Gym - Contractors will be on site from March 4th-March 15th.  They think they can complete most of the project during that time.
• Track Re-Surface -Invitations to bid will be published in the Kearney Hub and bids will be due prior to the March Board Meeting (Friday, March 1st) - Budget price is $70,000
• Concrete on North Side of Building - $191,800 budget pricing
• Low Spot on Elementary Lawn - Waiting on budget pricing from Mr. Shiloh Rager
• Blacktop Playground Elementary - $3,290
• Blacktop Reseal on the other two areas - $5,607
• Removal of rose bushes/installation of rock (front of elementary)
• Removal of bike rack (front of elementary) and replace with more appropriately sized rack
• Clean up of junk north of Todd’s Shop (oil, tires, pallets, junk)
• Re-heat valves in the high school - Replace existing  - They are 54 years old and continue to stick - 14 valves need to be replaced - $14,588
• Wood planks in football stadium - replace with aluminum - L & M - Waiting on price
• Sprinklers West of Elementary - As time allows - Not to exceed $1,000
• LED Lighting in Elementary - Not to exceed $5,000
• Overseed/Reseed the front lawn $1,000
• Ceiling Tile Bid from T-C Ceilings - $92,800 (Budget Price)
• Tractor/Mower - Budget pricing for two units (a small mower for the ditches and a larger mower and grass collection system  for the field and turf areas) are attached: $3,300 & $25,000.   The plan is to issue an invitation for bids in the paper and bids will be due back before the March Board Meeting (March 1)

2.  State Aid Projections for 2024-25 (Prior Year Comparison for All Districts Attached) - Decrease of $8,912

3.  Shot Clock - It's coming.  The district needs to prepare for the installation of shot clocks in the gyms.  Budget pricing is attached to this agenda item.

4.  Printers & Copier RPF - Our lease will end with Eakes this summer, so we will need to put out a request for proposals (RPF).  Attached is a draft copy of the RPF, which will be on the March Board Meeting Agenda for approval by the board.  Dave will also be around at that time to answer any questions regarding the bidding specifications.

5.  The governor's next plan to reduce property taxes, as per NASB:
The Governor’s Plan to reduce property taxes
There has been a lot of media attention regarding the plans on behalf of the Governor to reduce property taxes. As Senator Bostar indicated during his talk at LIC, the Revenue Committee is still building the plane as they’re flying it. Reducing property taxes is a goal of many Senators and the goal of the last decade or so of legislative sessions. The 2024 session is no different. So, what’s on the table to that end?
1)                  Reduce/cap government spending. Schools already have a "soft cap" implemented during last year’s LB 243. This 3% soft cap on tax asking retained an ability of local school boards to go above their tax asking by a percentage of 4,5,6,or7% depending on enrollment, growth, and certain student demographics. Unused authority could be rolled over into the next year. Senator Linehan’s LB 1316 removes that local board’s authority. Combined with LB 1414 , schools along with other political subdivisions (including ESUs) would now be under a "hard" cap of tax revenue asking.
2)                  Increase State Revenue through

2. 1 cent rate increase in sales tax

b.    removing exemptions on a variety of goods and services currently not taxed. (pet grooming, pop/candy, attorney services, data centers to name a few)
c.     Sweeping current cash funds of state agencies.
3)                  Backfill with the extra dollars raised in #2 to all political subdivisions. $986,600,000 through LB 1415 to school districts. Yes, that’s almost a billion dollars!  The bill provides for additional appropriations to cities and counties making this bill cost the State approximately $1.7 Billion dollars. As you can see, the State has to come up with quite a bit of money.
 
Here’s some articles about reactions to the plan.

• https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/31/another-rocky-reception-for-proposals-to-reduce-property-taxes/
• https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/02/01/groups-line-up-to-oppose-new-sales-taxes-on-business-agriculture-omaha-zoo-and-advertising/
• https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/02/02/business-groups-local-governments-say-they-support-pillen-tax-shift-proposal-if-changes-made/

 

Rationale:  Monthly NASB Board Report is attached for review by the board members.