January 28, 2016 at 12:00 PM - Board of Education 2nd Monthly Meeting

Rationale:  If any board member is absent, there will need to be a  motion to excuse the absence.

Rationale:  This is a legal meeting of the board of education, as advertised by the means specified in board policy. A complete copy of the Open Meetings Act is posted in the board room for your review. A copy of the agenda is available at the desk of the recording secretary.

Rationale:  As noted earlier, I am recommending that the Board rescind their approval of the 2016-2017 staffing proposal that was approved on January 11, 2016. Since that time we have received notification that NDE miscalculated our State Aide and we will be losing $1.3 million next year.  Although we could cover the cost of that staffing next year, we would not be able to sustain that level of staffing for more than 1-2 years. At that time we would be faced with making staffing cuts and/or utilizing our cash reserve. Neither of these options is in our best interest as a district.

Rationale:  I am recommending that the Board approve the modified Staffing Proposal that I presented earlier in this meeting.  Although this proposal does not provide the same level of services and  benefits that my original proposal provided, it will help meet some of our most critical needs, such as our elementary growth, administrative coverage at Lincoln Elementary, Middle School Interventionists, Preschool Expansion, and Social Workers. Given our $1.3 million loss in state aide and the legislative bills that are being considered by our Senators, I believe that this is a more responsible approach for us to take at this time.  Additional positions, such as the Junior High Interventionists, can be considered at a later date, if our financial situation allows us to do so.

Rationale: 

I am recommending that we place our Middle School 1 to 1 ChromeBook initiative on hold until after the current legislative session is complete.  There are several bills being considered that could have a negative impact on us financially,including a bill that may eliminate the Technology Bond that provides us with $100,000/year.

Bill and Beth are working on multiple budget scenarios and we believe that it may be possible to move forward with the 1 to 1 initiative, but we want to wait until we know the full impact that legislation may have on us financially before committing to this project.

Rationale:  I have attached the Draft 2016-2017 Calendar for you to review.  This calendar was developed collaboratively with the NPS Calendar Committee and was shared with all staff for review/comment last week. 

 

Calendar  Committee Members:

Beth Nelson, Tim Kwapnioski, Dennis Dolliver, Deb Brunswick, Caroline Garder, Mary Baumert, Trisha Andreasen, Dee Eden, Jennifer Robinson, Michael Hart, Jake Lhur, Amy Brown

Rationale:  Our next Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 8th. The Study Session will begin at 5:30 and will be followed by a regular Business Meeting at 6:30. All components of the meeting are open to the public and will be held in the City Chamber Office.