September 10, 2018 at 5:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale:  The Norfolk Public School District's board of education meeting is called to order.  

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:  Invest in Nebraska Coalition and other Nebraska Association of School Boards initiatives.

Rationale:  Please stand and join us in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Rationale: 

Welcome to the Budget Hearing for the 2018-2019 school year. The purpose of this hearing is to give taxpayers the opportunity to provide support, opposition, criticism, or suggestions and observations regarding the budget.

There will be a review of budget items and the board will provide an opportunity for public comment. The adoption of the budget will take place by a vote during the board meeting and not at the hearing.

The 2018-2019 General Fund budget, when including all of the cash reserve and estimated county treasurer balance comes to $67,305,584.68. The district's budget of actual expenditures for 2018-2019 when excluding the cash reserve and estimated county treasurer balance is $46,038,710.43. This budget will allow the district to continue its current programs and goals for 2018-2019 without the need to use existing cash reserves or increase our overall tax levy.

All of the district's other funds represent adequate cash flow with those total balances being budgeted as expenditures for 2018-2019.

Rationale: 

Welcome to the Tax Request Hearing for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The purpose of this hearing is to give taxpayers the opportunity to provide support, opposition, criticism, or suggestions and observations regarding the proposed tax request.

There will be a review of the tax requests and the board will provide the opportunity for public input.  Official action and voting on the tax resolution for the school district will take place during the regular business meeting.

This year's overall tax request for 2018-2019 is detailed in the attached document (A-2).  This request represents the essential needs for our district's General and Special Building Funds as well as the principal and interest obligations in our different bond funds. The board is being mindful of our taxpayers when developing budgets and tax requests, so it is recommended to have a levy decrease of $0.011376 which would make our overall levy $1.176646 compared to $1.188022 in 2017-2018.

Rationale:  Norfolk Senior High School Student Council and National Honor Society students will discuss their efforts at the beginning of the year to help increase student engagement in activities and around the school.

Rationale:  Kathy Mizner: District Payroll /Benefits Coordinator

Rationale:  Success Pin Recipients for August 2018
Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce Cash Now winner is Stephanie Anderson

Melissa Hansen	Jamie London
Kathy Walker	Lisa Stowe
Jillian Wiese	Stephanie Anderson
Abbey Coffin	Christy Lampert
Felicia Rajaee	Cindy Bradley
Joe Myers	Josh McKinley
Gary Schuurmans	Christina Morrow
JoLynn Makelin	Deanna Freudenburg
Martha Thompson	Suzanne Ames
Stephanie Anderson	Carrie Kopf

Rationale: 

This is the time during the meeting when the public may request to address the Board. If you wish to comment, we ask that you identify yourself and the topic that you wish to address. Each individual's comments will be limited to five minutes.

 Please note that  the Board cannot discuss or act upon matters that are not listed on the agenda. Therefore, Board  members will not respond to your comments or questions.  If you wish to request that an item be placed on a future Board agenda, you may contact the Superintendent or her assistant during normal business hours.

Also note that concerns related to school personnel need to be addressed to the Superintendent using the approved district protocol.

Rationale: 

The total amount of final claims to be approved in the consent agenda for the month of August, 2018 in the General Fund are as follows:
General Fund = $2,000,000

Total amount of claims to be approved in the consent agenda for the month of September, 2018 by specific fund are as follows:
General Fund = $580,346.82

Nutrition Services Fund = $276,321.63

Cooperative Fund = $4,556.79

Depreciation Fund= $112,361.50

Special Building Fund = $353,349.54

QCPUF = $6,706.40

Student Fee Fund= $5,484.65

The total amount of claims for the month of August, 2018 in the Activities fund are as follows:
Activity Fund = $89,088.14

The 2017-2018 fiscal year has gone well.  As a district, we stayed within our overall budget while still being able to move dollars into depreciation for future large capital expenditures.  The 2017-2018 fiscal year will end with approximately a 5 month reserve.  As we go into the 2018-2019 fiscal year, I believe our district is well positioned financially to continue supporting the goals within the strategic action plans, maintain and recruit high quality staff members, while continuing to be able to financially support our current programs.  The work of our past and present board members, certified, classified and administrative staff have all been critical in allowing our district to continue being in a solid financial position.

Starting the week of September 16th, the district will begin its annual audit of the 2017-2018 fiscal year.  Kruse and Associates will be handling our audit needs this year and I look forward to working with them over the next few weeks as we review our current fiscal procedures and practices.  This process and preliminary reports will be available to the board towards the end of October and all final documents will be publicly posted in early November.

The Business office has been busy over the past three weeks getting all new and current employees enrolled and updated for the September 18th payroll, which is the first payroll for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.  The new financial coding system also started on September 1st and we are underway with the new system.  I would like to publicly thank all my assistants in the business office for helping with this process and getting the year off to a good start.

Rationale:  CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION & ASSESSMENT:

• With the transition of positions, we are finally now getting caught up on our ‘who does what’ status; however I’m sure more will creep up throughout the year.
• A rundown of things going on in the Teaching and Learning Dept.:

1. 1. JH ELA teachers met to get organized on learning targets and their PLC time
   2. Multiple visits to multiple buildings regarding instructional model, programs, assessment assistance, and PLC organization
   3. We schedule weekly meetings to catch up with each other--learn and plan for our own PLC development. Working on our capacity to better assist teachers with digging in deeply to MAP Growth data

• We are working through steps regarding the Target Based Grading and Instruction goal which includes piloting some Infinite Campus grading situations, connecting with other districts and moving groups/departments through targeted steps.

TECHNOLOGY:

• We have experienced some dead batteries with year old Chromebooks. I’m working with the company on replacement batteries. This is a combination of "I expect better from the company" and "sometimes it’s a cost of business risk we take with technology."
• Because of some changes through the state department, our data steward has been diligently working to connect Infinite Campus to the state system. This is a daily problem solving situation until the systems can match and exchange information fluidly.

Rationale: 

Fall Activities have begun, please be sure to check the activities calendar located on the Norfolk Public Website for upcoming events dates, times and location.  

Homecoming week begins the week of September 10th at Norfolk High School. We hope you will be able to attend the football game on Thursday, September 13th at 7:00 p.m.,  between Norfolk and Lincoln Northeast. Coronation will be on Saturday, September 15th at 7:30 p.m. with the Homecoming Dance to follow at 8:00 p.m.

September 21st, I will be attending Improving Learning for Children with Disabilities (ILCD) 3.0, training for our Targeted Improvement Plan for the 2018-2019 school year.

Rationale:  Instructional Model:

• Our district Instructional Model is now in full implementation mode and we have already had great response from staff on the model and the essential components contained within it.
• Staff recently completed the first module on Spark and will begin training on the Objectives module beginning Wednesday, September 12th.
• Thanks again to everyone involved in making this project an outstanding addition to our NPS instructional toolboxes.  

School Safety:

• Principals recently updated their building Safety and Security Management Plans and are in the process of finishing up the first round of safety drills (intruder, severe weather, fire drill, etc.).  
• We also completed our initial staff training (including subs) on our Standard Response Protocol.
• Additionally, Norfolk Senior High has successfully "piloted" a crisis management messaging App entitled Lokdown. This App helps us to greatly enhance our staff communication during a crisis event.
• Building principals have also scheduled various staff trainings on suicide prevention.  All staff that work with students will attend this training. This training is also an NDE requirement.
• Finally, our district safety team will be making a visit to the South Sioux City school district on Wednesday, September 26th. During the visit, we will collaborate about "best practices" regarding school safety and participate in a reunification drill.

Current Classified Openings:

• District Route Driver
• General Maint. /Transportation.
• Substitute Custodians
• Middle School: SPED Para with Driving
• School Bus Activity Drivers
• Senior High: Achievement Center Para
• Sixpence Facilitator

Current Certified Staff Openings:

• No openings at this time.

Current Coaching Openings:

• JH Wrestling

Rationale:  Good News:
I am happy to report that the City's budget was approved with the addition of a School Resource Officer for the Junior High School.  The Junior High Principal, Jennifer Robinson, will be reaching out to Police Chief, Bill Mizner, to see what the hiring process will look like and how she can be involved.  Norfolk Public School and the City of Norfolk will split the cost of this additional SRO 50/50, just like we do the Senior High SRO.

More Good News:
Our Savior Lutheran Church is in the process of moving to their new building.  We will actually take over their current facility on September 17th, which is two weeks earlier than anticipated.

OpenSky Symposium:
I attended the 2018 Fall OpenSky Policy Symposium last week.  OpenSky is a non-partisan, non-profit think tank that researches and analyzes Nebraska state fiscal policy.  Their mission is to improve opportunities for every Nebraskan by providing impartial and precise research, analysis, education and leadership.  

Topics covered at the symposium included:
* a budget overview with members of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee
* discussions regarding recent teacher strikes and ballot initiatives across the country
* a panel discussion regarding the changing demographics in Nebraska

At the conference, I obtained a great resource that explains Nebraska's Education Funding System, which Bill and I will be using to plan an upcoming Study Session. It is the most comprehensive and "understandable" explanation of school funding that I have ever seen.

Upcoming Events:

Traditions Breakfast at LLC October 25th

Negotiations with NCEA begins October 30th 

NASB State Education Conference: November 14-16; Delegate Assembly Representative needed Friday morning.

GNSA Annual Membership Meeting: November 15th at State Education Conference

 

Rationale: 

The committee met today at 12:00 p.m. and reviewed all claims for Sept, 2018, Activity claims for August, 2018 and current fund balances.  There was also a review of the end of year claims for August, 2018 that was approved at the previous meeting.  The committee also discussed the following items:

• Updates on the 25th Street property
• Updates on summer projects that have closed out
• Update on track resurfacing

Our next meetings will be at 1:30 p.m. on October 8th, 2018

Rationale:  The Policy Committee met on August 30th to begin the 2018-2019 Policy Revision Cycle.  

The Administrative Rule related to Policy 5202 (Student Records) was revised to indicate the the Norfolk Police Department is our designated law enforcement unit. This matches the statements in our Student Handbooks and allows us to share information with our School Resource Officer.

Policy 6370 (Multicultural Education) was reviewed, as required annually by state statute.  No changes were recommended.

"Social media posts" were added to Policy 1000 (Statement of Intent/Community Relations) as a method of communication that will be used to keep our public informed.

Policy 1010 (Visiting School) was revised to indicate that parents must provide reasonable advance notice and be granted permission by the principal in order to attend classes and other educational activities at school.  It was also revised to indicate that all visitors must sign in at the principal's office.

Policy 1020 (Citizen Communication to the Board of Education) was revised to indicate that the Board will not respond to or take action on personnel matters unless the appropriate grievance procedure has been utilized first.

Policy 3131 (Procurement Plan-School Food Authorities) was revised to match changes in Federal Law regarding the purchasing of food. NPS currently utilizes an outside vendor, so we are not affected by these changes; however the policy is still required  

No changes were made to the following policies:
1050: Public Access to School Records
1060: Advertising and Promotion
1070: Publications, Radio and Television
1080: School Directory

Rationale:  Property Tax Forum:
Members of our Government Relations Committee attended the Public Forum on Property Taxes held on August 28th. Members of the panel included Dave Domina (prominent Nebraska attorney), Linda Richards (Nebraska Association of School Boards representative), Tom Briese (Nebraska State Senator), and David Wright (President of the Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska (ICON)). 

The conversation's primary focus was the need to reduce property taxes and the need for an alternative State funding source to assist with the costs related to public education. This is a critical concern for many in the State of Nebraska, particularly those with ties to the agricultural industry. We are likely to see a variety of attempts to address this in the near future, including some approaches that could be detrimental to public education.  Our Government Relations committee will continue to advocate for any reduction in property taxes to be accompanied by an alternative funding source for public schools. 

GNSA:
Members of the Government Relations Committee also attended a GNSA meeting in Lincoln. Rob Winter (Executive Director) shared information regarding Invest in Nebraska and the work that Nebraskans United has been doing over the summer.  He expects the 2019 Legislative Session to be very interesting and challenging, with a variety of approaches offered regarding tax reform and school funding.  We will need to watch this very closely and be prepared to advocate for our needs. 

Public Hearings will be held by the Judiciary Committee on Friday, September 28th at 9:30 regarding the following topics:

*Allowing school employees to carry handguns on school property

* The appropriate use of and need for School Resource Officers

* General security measures/school safety

Dr. Thompson is in the process of moving prior commitments so that she can attend these hearings and testify, if needed.

 

Dr. Thompson was elected Vice President of the GNSA, which will allow her to attend all Executive meetings.

Rationale:  Minutes of the Sept. 4, 2018 Student Health Fund and Nurses' meetings are attached for review.

Rationale:  See the attached minutes for the August 13, 2018 and August 23, 2018 meetings.

Rationale:  Attached are the end of the year claims for the month of August, 2018 in the General Fund (A-1a) as well as claims for the month of September, 2018 in all Funds (A-1).  Also attached are conflict statements for the September, 2018 claims which can be publicly read after a motion is made.

Rationale: 

Public notice was given at least five days in advance of the district’s Special Public Hearing called for the purpose of discussing and approving or modifying the District’s Tax Requests for the 2018-2019 school's fiscal year for the General Fund, Bond Fund, Special Building Fund, and Qualified Capital Purpose Undertaking Fund of Madison County School District 59-0002.

The Special Public Hearing was held before the Board of Education of Madison County School District 59-0002 at the time, date, and place announced in the notice published in a newspaper of general circulation, a copy of which notice and proof of publication of which is attached hereto as Exhibit A-1, all as required by law.

The Board provided an opportunity to receive comment, information and evidence from persons in attendance at such Special Hearing; and, the Board, after having reviewed the District’s Tax Requests for each said fund, and after public consideration of the matter, has determined that the Final Tax Requests as listed below are necessary in order to carry out the functions of the District, as determined by the Board for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

NOW BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that (1) the Tax Request for the General Fund should be, and hereby is set at $25,312,865.57 (2) the Tax Request for the Special Building Fund should be, and hereby is set at $1,265,643.28; (3) the Tax Request for the Bond Fund K-8 should be, and hereby is set at $1,152,272.72; (4) the Tax Request for the Bond Fund 9-12 should be, and hereby is set at $817,424.28; (5) the Tax Request for the Qualified Capital Purpose Undertaking Fund should be, and hereby is set at $1,010,101.00.

Rationale:  The 2018-2019 budget has been reviewed in depth by our Finance and Facilities Committee.  The entire board had a chance to review the budget at a public meeting on August 23rd with the opportunity for public comment and input at our hearing earlier this evening.

Rationale:  State statute now required that this policy be reviewed annually. No changes are recommended at this time.

Rationale:  The second monthly meeting of the Board of Education has been tentatively scheduled for Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 12:00 noon at the NPS Central Office Administration Offices.  

The regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Monday, October 8, 2018. The Study Session will begin at 5:30 and will be followed by the Business Meeting at 6:30. All components of these meetings will be held at the NPS Central Administration Offices and will be open to the public unless an Executive Session is needed in order to protect the interest of the district or the reputation of an individual.