October 11, 2010 at 7:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

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

Rationale:   

It is the vision of the Norfolk Public Schools to actively engage all students in learning
through a relevant and comprehensive standards-based curriculum that integrates
 21^st century skills, tools, context, and assessments.  

• Goal #1:  All students will succeed at each grade level and graduate from high school well-prepared for a variety of post-secondary pursuits.

• Goal #2:  All students will feel connected with the school and the learning process.

• Goal #3:  District resources, programs, and departments will be aligned to attain high levels of student achievement and instructional excellence.

• Goal #4:  The community will be engaged to support high levels of student achievement.

  The mission of the Norfolk Public Schools is to prepare studentswith the skills and knowledge to meet the challenges of a complex, global society.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rationale: 

LB 742 requires a public record of all settled claims. A written settlement agreement is required when the claim is settled by the payment of $50,000 or more.

 

Rationale: 

Policy 507.2 meets the statutory requirement that school districts adopt academic content standards in line with those adopted by the State Board of Education.

The statute related to adoption of standards by school districts states:

79-760.02: In accordance with timelines that are adopted by the State Board of Education, but in no event later than one year following the adoption or modification of state standards, each school district shall adopt measurable quality academic content standards in the subject areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. The standards may be the same as, or may be equal to or exceed in rigor, the measurable academic content standards adopted by the state board and shall cover at least the same grade levels.

Rationale:  2009-2010 Audit is in process.  Auditors have been requesting financial reports and additional data since about mid-September and they will be on site to finalize their activites on Monday.  They will be at Central Office for the next couple of weeks.  So far all is going well and anticipate no major issues.

The final financial reports for SPED Transportation and SPED Pre School have been submitted.  The final report for school age SPED is due the end of October and we are very near to completion of this report.  Additional reports filed are NCLB and ARRA reports.

All budgets have been returned from the buildings with any adjustments to allocations that they may require.  The accounting staff  input the budget allocation in the accounting system and we will soon be able to give administrators accurate buget reports.  For September, we generated the report with their montly expenditures and encumbrances less their budget allocation. 

As in the past, we continue to review all revenues as we receive them to monitor our cash flow.

Rationale: 

 

Assessment / Curriculum

Curriculum Coordinating Council

The Curriculum Coordinating Council has began having some preliminary discussions about what a digital conversion might look like in our district. The committee has brainstormed lists of skills that we believe our students will need to be successful in a 21st century environment. Additionally, Lisa Pospishil has presented to the council on what a digital curriculum is and the different types of digital curriculum.

Initial plans are being developed for the training that will be needed to transform the district’s curriculum. We will be bringing Lisa to the board of education in the near future to discuss digital curriculum further.

Professional Development

Friday NET/PLC Meeting Update

To date, the district has held three NET/PLC sessions on Friday afternoons.

September 17th—Elementary (K-6) teachers met with Saxon representatives to receive further training and follow up about the Saxon math program. Teachers also had opportunities to meet with grade-level teams to discuss Saxon and other topics. Junior High and High School staff members had building-level meetings.

September 24th—Building NET/PLC sessions were held.

October 1st—Building NET/PLC sessions were held.

October 8th—Elementary teachers met as grade-level teams. Team norms were developed and groups began to work on the PLC question #1, "What do we want our students to learn?" District department PLC meetings were held with PE, music, art, and media. Junior High and High School staff members had building-level meetings.

Rationale: 

v     NPS is putting the finishing touches on the NCLB application for the 2010-2011 budget year.  Programs included with this grant are Title I – Part A Reading, Title II – Part D,-Teacher/Principal Training; and Title III – Limited English Proficiency.  Title I-Part C – Migrant is no longer part of our NCLB but is still completed on the NDE Portal.

 

v     Our First Quarter of the 2010-2011 school year ends on Friday October 15^th.  Parent Teacher conferences are scheduled for the week of October 18-22^nd

 

v     Red Ribbon Week will begin on Monday 25 October and continue through Saturday October 30^th.  Many of our elementary schools are planning “Anti-Alcohol and Drug” activities during this period of time.

 

v     Construction activities at the Senior High and Lincoln Elementary are in the check off stages.  “Punch card” lists have been reviewed and final change orders are being developed and reviewed in preparation for an official closing to these projects.

 

Rationale:  The Finance Committee met today a noon at the Central Office.  Agenda items discussed were:

(1)  Questions/Concerns regarding bills.  No questions or concerns noted.

(2)  Update on 2009-2010 audit progress.

(3)  Discussion regarding bond refinancing - when can we refinance again?   What are our current rates, etc.?  Qualified Capital Purpose Undertaking series 2008 and the Series 2009 cannot be refinanced until 2014.  The Series 2005 has a ten year call date and cannot be refinanced until 2015.  We will continue to monitor this for potential changes in regulations regarding refinancing or advanced refunding. 

(4)  Discussion regarding Request for Proposal to bid District Insurance package for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.

(5)  Discussion regarding Request for Proposal to bid District audit services for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.