November 9, 2020 at 5:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale:  November 4, 2020

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

Rationale: 

Ms. Lorena Pantoja

Norfolk Public Schools District Interpreter 

Nomination Comments:

• Lorena does a great job for Norfolk Public Schools as our District Interpreter.  She always does a thorough and timely job when I request something to be translated for the website or other forms of communication.  She juggles multiple tasks from multiple individuals around the district daily and always does so with a positive "can do" attitude.  She is easy to work with and is a team player.  Lorena always keeps the needs of our Spanish speaking students, and their families, in the forefront and is a great representative of NPS.   

• Lorena does a fantastic job of communicating with our Spanish speaking community on behalf of the NPS staff. She is professional, discreet, and trusted by all. She can somehow listen to 2-3 min of dialog and translate it practically verbatim. She is pretty much a superhero.  Mr. Tracy Lichty

• Lorena is such a joy to work with.  She always has a smile on her face and is continuing to bring a positive vibe to every situation.  She works extremely hard to meet so many deadlines and is willing to go above and beyond when you need something right away.  Her professionalism with our families and those that she works with is second to none.  I appreciate so much how Lorena connects our community to our schools.  She continually does so much for our families that it only makes NPS a stronger and better place to be.  Mr. Ryan Specht

• Lorena is a kind servant, even when I request a quick response on a translation piece. She goes above and beyond to help us with communication to our Hispanic families.  Mrs. Beth Nelson

• Lorena is amazing.  She is always accessible and always has a pleasant, supportive attitude.  She is often given items on very short notice and does everything she can to meet the needs of each school, parent, and student.  She is wonderful and certainly deserves this award.  Mr. Bruce Strong

• Great sense of humor.  Amazed at her ability to translate as the parent or staff member is talking.  This skill allows the IEP, 504, SAT, parent meetings to run more efficiently, which all staff appreciate.  Responds to all translation requests quickly.  Has built an outstanding rapport with our Spanish speaking families.  Well deserved!  Mr. Chuck Hughes

Thank you Ms. Pantoja for your commitment to our students and our district!

Ms. Pantoja was nominated by Sarah Dittmer, NPS Foundation Director.

 

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: 

Total amount of claims to be approved in the consent agenda for the month of November, 2020 by specific fund are listed below:

General Fund = $522,446.80

Nutrition Services Fund =$272,750.37

Cooperative Fund = $4,033.27

Depreciation Fund = $52,406.00

QCPUF = $712,840.86

Bond Fund = $1,902,081.25

Student Fee Fund = $1,721.81

The total amount of claims for the month of October, 2020 in the Activities Fund is listed below:
Activity Fund =$47,598.23

All of these claims were reviewed earlier today by the Finance and Facility Committee.  The 2019-2020 audit and disclosures that were board approved have all been submitted to the state and NDE.  We are now beginning the process of end of the year tax documents for our employees and 1st quarter submissions on district grants.

Rationale:  Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment

• The last month has consisted of intense studying regarding remote learning options and programs. I’m sure that is evident due to our proposal this evening.
• On Monday, October 26^th we held professional development. The results from a teacher survey indicated that teachers were interested and needing support regarding social/emotional health for their students and themselves. Specialists shared insight to teachers that would benefit both adults and students. There was a healthy reminder to give ourselves grace. Other topics covered included understanding a growth mindset, using MAP data to make instructional decisions, designing assessments for remote learners, updates on statewide assessment, GoGuardian training, using proficiency scales with formative assessments, behavior management, creating differentiated learning experiences for students, and interpreting ACT data. The afternoon was planning and work time in their classrooms.  
• A consensus among the K-2 teachers piloting the TWIG Science program has been affirmed. They would like to purchase this program. The Curriculum Committee has been informed throughout the pilot process. The proposal is in draft form yet.
• A couple of Senior High class proposals have been submitted for the Curriculum Committee to review which may become a topic at the December board of education meeting.

Rationale: 

ELL-  A staff PD will be held on November 18th during PLC. We will zoom with a vender we use to support our students new to school in grades K-6. ELL numbers for the district as of October 1st is 203 at 4.6% of the student total population. 

Special Education- As a district we met our Target Improvement Plan for special education. As you may remember, we had switched to measurement of student growth from fall to fall through MAPS vocabulary. Special Education numbers for the district as of October 1st is 681 at 15.3% of the student total population.

Nurses- CPR classes were held November 2nd and November 3rd for the required staff in the district.  ELVPHD provided 157 flu shots to our district staff. This is up 43 from last year.

Mental Health Providers-  presented to our staff on October 26th as part of our Professional Development.  The sessions were directed at staff mental health. 

Rationale: 

Student Services and Safety

We have received the results of our yearly external safety audit conducted by Lang Safety Consulting. I am currently meeting with individual building principals to discuss the recommendations and will share with the board at our next meeting. We also just completed our fall parent teacher conferences. It was a unique year for parent teacher conferences as Covid concerns obviously did not allow us to hold in person conferences. Instead classroom teachers provided short videos that introduced themselves and explained what our students were learning in their classes. These videos were posted for parents to watch.  Families were then able to meet through Zoom or phone calls with the teacher to get more specific information regarding their students' performance in class. Attendance numbers are posted below. As a district last year we were at 73.2% attendance this year 65.7%. A noticeable drop due to Covid and the restructured format but the teacher videos were designed to give parents what they needed and many only scheduled Zoom meetings if they had specific questions. 

	Student attendance at P/T Conference	Total School Enrollment	% attended
Little Panther Preschool	215	220	98%
Bel Air	345	351	98%
Jefferson	227	227	100%
Grant	213	216	99%
Lincoln	156	156	100%
Washington	220	222	99%
Westside	204	204	100%
Woodland Park	189	192	98%
Middle School	608	654	93%
Junior High	295	632	47%
Senior High	236	1352	17%
District Results	2908	4426	65.70%

 

Rationale: 

HR Update:
Substitute Update:

The district has continued to have a high need for substitute teachers and paras.  Most days, we are unable to fill all teacher and para absences.  The Central Office certified staff members have stepped in to sub, in several instances, along with teachers covering during their plan time.  I appreciate all of their help and willingness to jump into those situations.  Interviews were held on Friday, November 6 to fill the full-time paraprofessional position advertised.  I anticipate hiring additional full-time teacher substitutes in the near future, as well.  A proposal for temporary COVID bonuses for substitutes will be addressed later in the meeting as an action item.

Job Postings Update:
Certified Positions: 

• Full-Time Substitute Teacher
• Elementary P.E. Teacher (.5 FTE) Begins 1/4/2021
• Substitute Teacher

Classified Openings: 

• Achievement Center Para (Part-Time) - Senior High
• High Needs Para/Driver (Full-Time) - Senior High
• Full-Time Substitute Paraprofessional
• ELL Para - Middle School
• Classroom Para - Bel Air
• Aftershock - Club Facilitators (Part-time)
• Aftershock - Partnership Specialist (Contracted/Part-time)
• School Bus Activity Drivers 
• Evening Elementary Custodians (Part-time)
• Substitute:  Paraprofessional, Health Tech, Secretary & Nurse
• Substitute Custodians
• Electrician (Part-time) - Maintenance

Coaching Opportunities:

• Head Volleyball Coach
• Assistant Theater (2nd Semester)

 

Rationale:  Election:
I would like to congratulate Sandy Wolfe, Jenna Hatfield and Brenda Carhart on their election to the NPS Board of Education.
I would also like to congratulate Dr. Patti Gubbels on her election to the State Board of Education.

New Board Member Orientation:
The Central Office Leadership Team will meet with Jenna and Brenda to discuss topics such as Board Members' Roles and Responsibilities, Board Procedures, NPS' Strategic Plan and Comprehensive Facilities Plan, School Safety Plans, Budgeting, Personnel Issues, Target-based Grading, Curriculum Processes, Professional Learning Communities, and Communication. 

New Board Members will be sworn in on January 11, 2020. 
Retiring board Members will be recognized on December 14, 2020. 
However, please note that, we will need our retiring Board members to attend the meeting in January, so that we have a quorum to open the meeting. 

Rationale:  The committee met at 12:00 today.  The claims for the month of November and Activity claims for October were reviewed.  The committee received an update from Agr City insurance on the 2021 renewal premium for the district property and liability coverage.  Other items that were discussed:

• Facility project updates
• Negotiations for 21-22 for all employee groups
• Staffing options with remote learning
• RFP process for a food management vendor

The next meeting will be December 14th at 12:00 noon. 

Rationale: 

The Policy Committee met on October 22, 2020 to discuss the following:

Board Policies 6283-6920

• A minor, non-substantive change was made to policy 6283 (Concussions).

• Policy 6300 (Selection and Review of Instructional and Media Materials) was revised to indicate that the selection of instructional materials is delegated to the Superintendent or designee.  It was also revised to indicate that instructional material selection would be made in accordance with State Standards and that materials would stimulate growth in factual knowledge, practical skills, concepts, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and ethical standards.  "Concepts" was added, as this is an important component of instructional materials.

Miscellaneous Policy Revision Required Based Upon the Most Recent Legislative Session:

• Policy 4025 (Professional Boundaries Between Employees and Students): Several additions were made, based upon revisions to state law including statements that:

  •  Staff may not have a relationship with a student within one year of that student graduating or otherwise leaving district.

  • Grooming behaviors are unacceptable.

  • Staff may face discipline for a violation of this policy including termination, the loss of credentials, and referral to the Department of Health and Human Services and law enforcement.

• Policy 4270 (Staff Payment During Closure) is a new policy that allows for staff to be paid during a pandemic or other extraordinary circumstances.  This policy may be needed in order for schools to collect our CARES funding.

• Policy 5008 (Attendance Policy and Excessive Absenteeism) was modified to include mental health as a basis for student absences.

• Policy 8342 (Designated Method of Giving Notice of Meetings) was revised to indicate that the Board will give notice of Board meetings in a local newspaper and on their website (if that option is available).

• Policy 4031 (Injury Leave) is a new policy that provides up to seven days of paid injury leave for an employee that is intentionally or recklessly injured while at work.

No additional changes were made to policies 6000-6282. 

Rationale: 

The Government Relations Committee met on November 3, 2020 to discuss several anticipated "hot topics" for the 2020 Legislative Session, including property taxes, school funding, school choice, option enrollment, and the Opening Meetings Act.

We also discussed our disappointment regarding the hearing that was recently held by Senator Groene.  LR 402 was presented as a hearing to "examine the impact of COVID-19 on the education of Nebraska children," but was actually a rally for school choice.  We believe that this was an inappropriate and deceptive use of this hearing. 

We will be reaching out to our new Senator, Mike Flood, to schedule a meeting to discuss these topics and share more information about our district.  We are excited to still have a senator that lives within the Norfolk community and hope that he will be a strong advocate for our school and community.

Rationale: 

The Committee on Curriculum met at 4:20pm on October 12, 2020.

The committee heard a report on the implementation of Elevate (3rd-8th Grade) science program. Teachers noted that there is increased rigor, the hands-on learning helps students attain concepts, and they like that students write responses in their books. 

Teacher feedback on the K-2 pilot of the TWIG science program, which will be completed soon, has been positive. Hands-on learning, appropriate developmental level, and crosswalk with Wonders were noted as strengths. The pilot teachers indicated a need for training on technology aspects of the program.

The senior high school is currently reviewing possible new instructional materials (updated texts and technology resources for Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy, and Physiology). 

The Social  Studies implementation timeline was reviewed. Progress on the development of targets and proficiency scales varies depending on grade-level and courses. Progress is being made on the development of the World History course. Due to staffing constraints, completion times may be extended on the timeline. The current goal is for American Studies I to be required for 8th graders as of fall 2021 with World History required for freshmen in the summer and fall of 2022. Those changes in graduation requirements will be reflected in handbook changes for 2022.

A Vertical Writing Committee that includes teachers at all levels has written their mission and vision statements to direct work on standards alignment, assessment redevelopment and other writing instruction topics. Achieving the Core is being used as a guide for developing standards aligned instruction. 

The Target-based Learning Implementation Chart was reviewed. Some of the implementation of TBG may be delayed due to COVID staffing time constraints. Decisions about grading changes on report cards will be made by January and shared with the TBG Committee and parents. 

A number of items were discussed related to assessment and accountability:

• NDE has indicated the school AQUESTT classifications will remain the same as last year because testing did not occur during the spring due to COVID.
• NDE is also working with NWEA to develop a test that would replace NSCAS and MAPS. Students would take one test to meet state standards attainment and to identify areas of academic growth. The approach to assessment would be focused on "through the year" testing. First phase pilot is taking place this year.
• Spring testing will proceed as scheduled even if there are interruptions in attendance.

Cognitive coaching has been implemented at all instructional levels. Cognitive coaching is a model that helps teachers be more reflective about their teaching processes. The strategies include preplanning, observation, and guided reflection. In some instances the coaches are rotating through buildings working with all teachers individually. At senior high the majority of coaching is being provided to beginning teachers.

Finally, the broad topics and general format for the October 26th professional development were presented.

Rationale: 

The Committee on American Civics met at 4:00pm on October 12, 2020. No public comments were provided by community members.

New committee members Stephanie Chandler and Jared Oswald were introduced.

The American Civics project, completed by students in Government class, was discussed. In the future, the results of the project will be reviewed by the committee.

The K-12 Social Studies crosswalk document, which compares prior standards with the 2019 standards was described. The crosswalk reveals increased rigor and identifies gaps in standards. The crosswalk acts as a guide for teachers and includes numerous instructional resources to help students meet the new standards.

Social Studies curriculum work is continuing and progress is being made. However, because of substitute shortages and limited teacher work time, completion timelines have been impacted.

The next committee meeting will be held in January.

 

Rationale:  Minutes from the November 3, 2020 Nurses and Student Health Meetings are attached.

Rationale:  Minutes of the October 12 and October 22, 2020 meetings are attached.

Rationale:  Layne Johnson

• January - May 2021 --  Junior High Special Education Teacher
• To be conferred Dec. 2020 - Bachelor of Science, Special/Elementary Education, Northern State University, Aberdeen, SD
• Student Teaching at Jefferson Elementary Fall, 2020.

Katelynn Weinandt

• Jan-May 2021 - English/Language Arts Teacher at Norfolk Senior High School
• To be conferred Dec. 2020 - Bachelor of Arts, English/Language Arts, Doane University, Crete, NE
• August 2020-present, Student Teaching and Teaching (simultaneously) at Norfolk Senior High School

Rationale:  Elizabeth Edmisten--4th grade Teacher at Jefferson Elementary School

Rationale:  Attached are the claims for the month of November, 2020.  These claims were reviewed earlier today by our Finance and Facility Committee.  Also attached are the conflict statements on specific claims that need to be read before voting.

Rationale:  This agreement provides an overall salary increase of 2.24%. When including benefits, FICA, and retirement the total cost is a 3.4% total package.  This is a strong agreement that keeps certified employees from going backwards with their out of pocket Health Insurance cost and a competitive base wage when hiring and competing for quality instructional staff.

Rationale:  Bel Air Caseloads

Rationale:  We are facing a significant substitute shortage due to COVID-19. We are hoping that the attached incentive recommendations will help alleviate some of that shortage.

Rationale:  This amount has not been increased in several years. I am recommending that it be increased from $20 per period to 1/7.5 of the base pay for certificated staff. Currently, that amount would be $27/hour.  However, it would automatically increase each year based upon the base pay provided to teachers.  This will insure that the amount is proportionate to their overall pay, as negotiated by the NCEA.

Rationale:  The proposed calendar was created through collaboration between the administration and the Calendar Committee.  It is very similar to our 2019-2020 calendar. There are two changes worth noting.
1. it is recommended that we only have half our students on the first and second day of school.  We did this at the beginning of this school year and it worked well. Staff and administration both indicate that it helped them develop relationships with students and teach expectations/procedures.
2.  Staff Appreciation has been moved to the first Early Out in May, rather than the last.  Staff have indicated that they are anxious to be in their classrooms on that last Wednesday and would rather have it early in the month. 

Rationale:  See Policy Committee Report for details regarding changes recommended to the following policies:
6283  -- Concussions
6284 -- Initiations, Hazing, Secret Clubs and Outside Organizations
6286 -- Return to Learn from Cancer
6290-- Dedications and Commencement
6300 -- Selection and Review of Instructional and Media Materials
6310-- Textbook Loans
6320 -- Parent Requests for Exclusion
6360 -- Recognition of Religious Beliefs and Customs
6361 -- Acknowledgement of Religious Holidays
6362 -- Religion in the Curriculum
6363 -- Purpose of Religion in the Curriculum
6370 -- Multicultural Education
6380 -- Equal Opportunity: Instruction Program
6390 -- Controversial Issues
6391 -- Controversial Issues in the Classroom
6400 -- Parental/Community Involvement in Schools
6410 -- Combined District and School  Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy
6500 -- Free and Reduced Price Meals
6600 --Special Education Policies and Regulations
6700 -- Firearm Policy
6800- Computer -- Internet Safety and Acceptable Use Policy
6900 -- Chronic Infectious Disease Practice and Procedure
6910 -- Dispensing Medications
6920 -- Student Self-Management of Asthma, Anaphylaxis, and/or Diabetes

Rationale:  See Policy Committee Report

Rationale:  See Policy Committee Report for details regarding changes recommended to the following policies:
6000: General Policy Statement
6010: Scope of Instructional Program
6020: the Program of Instruction
6021: Copyright Piracy
6110: School Instructional Hours
6111: Classroom Environment
6112: School Day for Students
6113: Limitations on Minimum Class Size
6114: Emergencies
6115: Fire Drills, Emergency Plans
6116: Emergency Dismissal or Cancellation
6117: Ceremonies, Observances, and the Pledge of Allegiance
6118: Attendance Area boundary Line Review
6119: Attendance Districts
6120: Safe schools Policy
6200: Objectives of the Instructional Program
6210: Curriculum- Development and Adoption
6211: Curriculum - Assessments
6212- Assessments - Academic Content Standards
6213: Reading Instruction and Improvement
6220: Experimental/Innovative Program
6230: Curriculum guides
6240: Homework
6250: Grades
6260: Guidance
6270: Field Trips
6271: School Activity Trip Drivers
6280: Activities
6281: Activities Fund Management
6282: School Colors 
 

Rationale:  Dr. Patti Gubbels has been elected to the  Nebraska State School Board, which is quite an accomplishment.  Unfortunately, state statute will not allow her to serve on both boards simultaneously.
Although we hate to lose her on the NPS Board,  she will be a strong addition and advocate on the State Board.

Rationale:  The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Monday, December 14, 2020. The Business Meeting will begin at 5:30 PM. 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.