June 10, 2019 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:  Please stand and join us in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

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 June, 2019 by specific fund are as follows:

General Fund = $378,816.91

Nutrition Services Fund =$221,696.24

Cooperative Fund = $167,667.29

Depreciation Fund = $94,198.83

Special Building Fund = $819,513.99

QCPUF = $10,000

Employee Benefit Fund = $953.27

Student Fee Fund = $3,063.20

The total amount of claims for the month of May, 2019 in the Activities Fund are as follows:
Activity Fund =$81,489.36

All of these claims were reviewed earlier today by the Finance and Facility Committee.

Rationale:  Curriculum, Assessment & Instruction

• The TnL team spent a couple of days working through some details to support the transition of the new members. We worked on auditing district curriculum materials to help them become acclimated on our progress as well as discussing duties, upcoming training and some team building.
• Summer plans for Curriculum and TBG work will focus on designing proficiency scales for those classes that are piloting TBG next year.
• The instructional reports that are due to NDE are submitted.
• 21 teachers and administrators will be attending a PLC conference in Minneapolis June 23-26.
• The administrative retreats are scheduled and tightly packed with concepts of building a highly reliable school and specifically on instructional coaching and reviewing data. These will take place on June 12th, 13th and 19th.

Technology

• The orders for chromebooks and interactive flat panels are complete but shipments have not been received yet.
• Much of the technology summer work will include security camera installations, physical transferring, management and updating of CB’s, updating laptops and ensuring we are ready for the beginning of the school year including the new preschool building.

Rationale: 

• Summer school is in the second week for all grade levels.  K-8 will end on June 28th and 9-12 will end on June 26th.

• You can find the list of activity camps on the high school website under Athletics and Activities.

• Mrs. Nelson and I worked on our Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) with elementary principals, Friday, June 6th and and today, June 10th.  We will keep you posted throughout the year as we put things in place.

• Our school nurses attended the State of Nebraska’s School Health Conference in Kearney on June 3rd and 4th.  The purpose is to stay current with the new health regulations and immunizations that affect students wishing to enter our public schools.

Rationale: 

School Safety Information:

• Threat Assessment Training: Our district Threat Assessment Team recently attended this training on June 5th and 6th.

• This training focuses on identifying, assessing, and managing threats of violence toward a school community. The training is designed to help designated school district personnel understand how to best collaborate with community agencies (Law Enforcement, HHS, etc.) to identify and analyze these threats and develop action plans to effectively address them.  

• Student and staff safety is always our top priority and we continue to work hard reviewing our policies and procedures to ensure that we are prepared to immediately respond to any emergency situation.

2019-2020 School Year Information:
 

• Our "New to the District" teacher training is Tuesday, August 6th - Friday, August 9th.   

• All certified staff report on Monday, August 12th.

• The first day of school for students is Wednesday, August 14th.

  Personnel Update:
 Current Openings:

• Deaf Education/Sign Language Interpreter (Classified)
• Junior High: After Hours Custodian
• Junior High: Media Technology Paraprofessional
• Junior High:  Full Time Special Educational Paraprofessional
• Junior High: Health Tech Paraprofessional
• Junior High: Resource Paraprofessional
• Lincoln Montessori: Classroom Paraprofessional (25 hrs)
• School Bus Activity Drivers
• Senior High: Math Teacher
• Senior High: Security Techs (2) (Classified)
• Senior High: Special Education Teacher
• Senior High: Study Hall
• Speech Language Pathologist (2.5)
• Substitute Custodians
• Washington Elementary School: Media Paraprofessional
• Westside Elementary: ELL Paraprofessional
• Westside Elementary: Classroom Paraprofessional
• Westside Elementary: LIFE Paraprofessional/Driver (Full-Time)

Coaching Openings:???????

• HS Assistant Soccer (Boys)

Rationale:  Culinary Arts Career Academy Update
The Culinary Arts Career Academy will receive some much needed upgrades over the summer thanks to additional funding provided to us via the Rudolph R. Elis Donor Advised Fund of the Nebraska Community Foundation and the Perkins Grant Program.  

The Perkins grant will provide us with $20,939 for industry grade ovens, pots and pans, refrigerators, and stainless steel prep tables. 

The Elis grant will provide us with $15,000 to update our existing cabinets  and install new countertops, a tile backsplash, and a hand washing station. 

An additional $4500 will be provided out of district funds to complete this project, which will transform our outdated kitchen classrooms into an updated professional learning environment for our Culinary Arts Academy students, making it a great place to learn and perfect their career skills. 

Exit Survey (Certified Staff)
Eighteen certified staff members completed our annual exit survey,indicating why they were leaving NPS:
7 (39%) Retirement
4 (22%)  Spousal Relocation
2  (11%)  Move closer to home
1 (5.5%)  Professional advancement
1 (5.5%)  Better pay and/or benefits
1 (5.5%)  Stay at home with children
1 (5.5%)  Shorter commute and new opportunity
1  (5.5%)  Dissatisfied with current position

Seventeen staff members answered the question: Would you recommend NPS as a good place to work?  And, all 17 of them said "yes."

We also received some valuable feedback via comments, such us how to improve our new teacher mentor program, the importance of PLCs, ways we can make teachers feel more valued, and the increasing demands on teachers' time, due to behavioral issues.

In conclusion, I want to share a quote from the survey, "Most of life's happenings for me have taken place while I have worked in this district, and I have learned from every experience.  I'm not leaving a school, or a building, or a desk, but a family that I will truly miss. I am so excited for where the district is going and will miss getting to be a part of it. Change is difficult, especially for those who like things to be 'the way they have always been.' However, I think that the district is moving in a direction that is truly beneficial for students."

Rationale:  These reports are reviewed each June.

Rationale:  The committee met at 12:00 today, all claims for the month of June and Activity claims for May were reviewed.  State Aid and budget certification were reviewed for 2019-2020.  There was a lot of discussion about how school finance may possibly look going into 19-20 but at the conclusion of this legislative session, the current funding system stayed in place.  The committee then discussed the progress on the Little Panthers Pre-School facility and was also able to go to the site and get a tour with Jim Lange (Hespe).  The next meeting will be July 8th at 12:00 noon. 

Rationale: 

Policy Committee Report 6/10/2019

The Policy Committee met on May 29, 2019 to review suggestions made by the Finance and Facilities Committee regarding section 7000 board policies. Those policies relate to major construction projects. We are recommending several changes to these policies to make them easier to understand. None of the recommended changes are substantive in nature.  It should be noted, however, that the title of this section has been changed from "new construction" to "major construction," because the policies not only relate to new construction but also to large (or major) remodeling projects.

Our next meeting will be scheduled once we receive our annual policy updates from the Perry Law Firm.

Rationale: 

Government Relations Committee 6/10/2019

Although the Government Relations Committee has not officially met since our last Board meeting, we have been in constant contact with each other, and our Senators, related to LB 147 (Groene’s discipline bill),  LB 670 (Linehan’s tax credit bill), and a variety of school funding proposals.

Overall, we are pleased with how the legislative session ended.  Only one bill passed that we opposed, and it was amended to be much more palatable.  That bill will change our Americanism Committee to an American Civics Committee and add more specific duties for those committee members. It will also add requirements to our American Civics curriculum. We are still in the process of reviewing those requirements, but we do not anticipate that we will have to make many changes.

At this point, we do not anticipate meeting again until next January, when the legislature reconvenes.

Rationale:  The Activities Committee has not met since our last Board meeting.  Our next meeting is scheduled for August 26, 2019.

Rationale:  Minutes of the Curriculum Committee are attached.

Rationale:  Minutes from the May 13, 2019 and May 23, 2019 meetings are attached.

Rationale: 

Elizabeth Edmisten--2019-2020 - Jefferson Elementary- 4th Grade

• Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska.
• Recently a student teacher at the Norfolk Middle School here in Norfolk, Nebraska.

Karla Knight--2019-2020 - Norfolk Public Schools- Deaf Educator 

• Master of Arts in Deaf Education from Western Maryland College in Westminster, Maryland.
• Currently a sign language interpreter for the Norfolk Public Schools here in Norfolk, Nebraska.

Nicole Williams--2019-2020 -Westside Elementary- 3rd Grade

• Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota,.
• Currently a 1st-grade teacher at Clinton Elementary in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Rationale:  None at this time.

Rationale:  Attached are the claims for the month of June, 2019.  These claims were reviewed earlier today by our Finance and Facility committee.  Also attached is a conflict statement on a specific claim that needs to be read before voting.

Rationale:  Facilities: 
7000:  Purpose
7010:  Planning
7020:  Guidelines for Building New Schools or Major Remodeling of Existing Schools
7021:  Major Remodeling of Existing Schools
7030: Selection of Architect/Engineer
7040: Financing of Construction - Building Fund
7050: Bids and Contracts
7051: Awarding Contracts
7052: Change Orders

Rationale:  Mr. Hart has worked with our local SLPs to develop an evaluation tool that is better aligned to their actual duties and responsibilities.  It is very similar in format to our teacher evaluation tool and follows that process, as set forth in Board Policy 4150.  

Although this evaluation tool is considered an administrative rule, I am asking the Board to approve it, as it also needs to be approved by the Nebraska Department of Education, prior to implementation.

Rationale: 

Comprehensive Mental Health/Behavior Plan

Introduction/Rationale:

We have seen a drastic increase in mental health issues and behavior concerns across the state and nation.  Norfolk Public Schools is no exception. "Increasing mental health and behavior issues" has been noted in every Listening Lunch and staff survey for the last several years.  We have watched the legislature with great interest as they have debated this issue via multiple bills, hoping they would provide schools with financial assistance to hire mental health practitioners and/or social workers. Unfortunately, our Senators have not been able to agree on the best course of action, leaving school districts to address this issue on their own.

MTSS and PBIS:

Each of our elementary schools and middle school has developed a team of administrators, teachers and counselors who have been studying Multi Tiered System of Support (MTSS) and Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) over the course of the last year.  They have attended multiple training and planning sessions and will begin implementation in the 2019-2020 school year. This systematic approach utilizes a tiered system of supports and intervention strategies to prevent behavior issues and support students with mental health issues. The vast majority of student needs are met in tiers one and two via supports and intervention strategies provided by existing teachers, counselors and administrators.  However, students with significant needs require more intensive tier three interventions, which are beyond teachers’, school counselors’ and administrators’ expertise. These must be provided by Licensed Mental Health Practitioners (LMHP).

LMHP Proposal:

Licensed Mental Health Practitioners are needed at all levels (PK-12).  This need has been recognized by our community and is a priority for the Community Coalition.  They have become key players in helping us develop a plan to meet these needs. If approved by the Board, the following services will be provided:

Preschool:

The Norfolk Family Coalition has a grant to purchase the needed equipment to host Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) -- with Midtown Health providing these services to our preschool age students via a grant, at no financial cost to our district.  We simply need to provide them with a space to meet with families (services are family oriented due to the age of the students).

  Elementary:

Midtown Health will provide us with a LMHP to serve our elementary students, via a grant, at no financial cost to our district.  We will simply need to provide them with a space to meet with students in each building.

Middle School/Junior High:

Oasis Counseling has agreed to provide us with a LMHP to serve our Middle School and Junior High students, at no cost to our district. Services will be billed to the families’ insurance or covered by other community resources.

Senior High:

We will contract with ESU 8 for a LMHP practitioner for the senior high.  This will cost us approximately $86,000 (salary and all benefits included).  This person will be our lead LMHP who helps coordinate/supervise services.

Other:

It is possible that more LMHPs may be needed, but we feel that this is a reasonable and financially conservative place to start.  If additional services are needed, we will reach out to additional community partners (other counseling agencies) to see if they would be interested in providing services via the arrangement that we have reached with Oasis.

We do not anticipate hiring social workers at this time.  Although we have students who need social services, we have identified mental health services as our first priority.  We will continue to rely on our teachers, counselors, administrators, and LMHPs to refer students and families to outside agencies for social services at this time.

Strategic Growth Plan:

My Strategic Growth Plan will include the cost of the LMHP listed above, as well as a Behavioral Specialist who will coordinate and implement MTSS and PBIS district-wide AND serve as an expert who will help brainstorm appropriate strategies for students who are not responding to typical classroom behavior management strategies and interventions.  (The Behavioral Specialist would not be put in place until the 2020-2021 school year.)

Request:

I am asking you to approve this Comprehensive Mental Health/Behavior Plan, including contracts with ESU 8, Oasis, and Midtown Health for LMHPs across our district.  This is a vital step to ensuring a safe and positive learning environment for our students and staff, and another example of the strong relationships and partnerships we have throughout the Norfolk Community.

Based on our recent state aid certification, we will be able to easily accommodate this cost in our 2019-2020 budget.

 

Rationale:  The second monthly meeting of the Board of Education has been tentatively scheduled for Thursday, June 27, 2019 at 12:00 noon at the NPS Central Office Administration Offices. 

The regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Monday, July 8, 2019. The Business Meeting will begin at 5:30. 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.