June 14, 2021 at 5:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale:  June 9, 2021

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:  2020-2021 Multicultural Report
Norfolk Public Schools

Policy update July 2014
The mission of the multicultural education program is to prepare students to: (a) value and respect their own culture and race and cultures and races other than their own and (b) eliminate stereotypes and different treatment of others based on culture and race. The mission shall also include preparing students to eliminate stereotypes and discrimination or harassment of others based on ethnicity, religion, gender and socioeconomic status, age or disability.

Teachers provide reports to administration on:
a) instructional materials used and programs or methods implemented with their students which are supportive of the multicultural education program philosophy and mission. Building Administrators, or their designee count and record the number of educational experiences related to the below listed cultures and give the Director of Teaching and Learning the following counts for their buildings.

African Americans - 1316
Hispanic Americans - 1088
Native Americans - 908
Asian Americans - 775
European Americans - 1328

Our Board policy and reporting of this data meets the requirements of Rule 10. Our District Equity and Diversity Committee though is currently in the process of reviewing the Multicultural Education Plan to ensure we are providing our teachers with the necessary tools and understanding to provide all our students a multicultural experience where we value, respect, and appreciate each other for our individual backgrounds and cultures in an environment safe from discrimination.

 

Rationale: 

2020-2021 American Civics BOE Report 

RE: LB 399 Americanism Compliance Report 

May 2021 

In compliance with Nebraska State School Law LB 399 and the American Civics Bill, all building Americanism Compliance Reports have been submitted to the Director of Teaching and Learning Office. Teacher reports have been submitted to building administrators on American Civics and are filed within the building for review when needed. 

Compliance reports confirm that the building’s social studies curriculum stresses the required patriotic themes. Above curriculum requirements, buildings have conducted appropriate patriotic exercises for the following observations as well as the senior high required American Civics Assignment: George Washington’s birthday, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Native American Heritage Day, Constitution Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving Day.

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, including your address, the name of the organization you represent 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 2021 by specific fund are listed below:

General Fund = $605,820.93

Nutrition Services Fund =$208,514.80

Cooperative Fund = $37,131.76

Depreciation Fund = $20,430.00

QCPUF = $70,797.10

Student Fee Fund = $476.50

The total amount of claims for the month of May 2021 in the Activities Fund is listed below:
Activity Fund =$80,110.49

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

Rationale:  Training of Summer School teachers occurred on May 25-27. This went well however, there were a couple of digital road bumps on the first two days of school but nothing we weren’t able to get resolved. We will be collecting data from students and feedback from teachers to measure our summer school success.

Summer has been not been slow. A lot of attention has been given to completing annual reports to the state, preparing for next year and holding professional development with teachers. It is so great to be doing our normal work.

 

Rationale: 

ELL-  District ELPA summative scores show 83% of our students are emerging and progressing in the English Language. 18% scored proficient and no longer qualify for the ELL program.

Nurses- Our school nurses attended the State of Nebraska’s School Health Conference virtually on June 7th and 8th. The purpose is to stay current with the new health regulations and immunizations that affect students wishing to enter our public schools. 

Special Education- Special Education Directors across the state meet monthly to discuss needs and plans for the fall through a state led webinar.  We will be reviewing Launch Nebraska’s information, Ensuring Equitable Instruction, which will help us in evaluating the quality and quantity of services provided to marginalized students.

Rationale: 

We have completed a week and a half of summer school so far and will officially end summer school on June 25th. Our summer AFS graduation ceremony will be held at 6pm on June 24th at the Johnny Carson field, weather permitting. If we have poor weather, that will be moved into the Johnny Carson theater. 

June 4th our Elementary and Middle School teams participated in PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) training to wrap up year one and set goals for year 2. June 14th and 15th we are introducing Junior High and High School leaders to year 1 PBIS training. We will continue to work through June with our teams to prepare for the kick-off of PBIS in the fall. 

Rationale: 

HR Update:

An NPS Job Fair will be held on June 17 from 1:00 - 3:00 at Central Office.  This will be an opportunity for interested community members to come learn more about the classified positions that we have open for the 2021-2022 school year.  Building principals will be present to talk with interested applicants.

Plans are underway for our new teacher trainings that will be held beginning August 3.  The Return to School schedule for all staff is also being drafted.  

Rationale:  The committee met at 12:00 today.  The claims for the month of June and Activity claims for May were reviewed.  The committee then reviewed the following items:

• Updates on current district projects
• Recommendation for Lunch Table purchase
• Review of tentative Budget and Tax Request timeline for 2021-2022

The next meeting will be Friday, July 9th at 12:00 noon.

Rationale: 

The Policy Committee met electronically to review Board Policies 5008 (Attendance), 5415 (Bullying), 5417 (School Wellness), 6370 (Multicultural Education), 6400 Parental Involvement), and 6410 (Parental Engagement). 

According to state statute, these policies must be reviewed annually.  Only minor, non-substantive changes have been recommended. These are intended to correct formatting, wording, and capitalization inconsistencies.

The Policy Committee recommends these policies for reaffirmation.

Rationale: 

The Government Relations Committee met on May 19th. The discussion was brief, as the Legislative Session was nearly over and has since concluded. 

It was noted that LB 529 (The Lottery Bill) failed to pass, but LB 528 (The Education Clean-up Bill) was amended to extend the sunset on the lottery funds.  This helped protect this funding for key initiatives, such as the ACE Scholarships.

It was also noted that LB 644 (The Postcard Bill) was likely to pass, which it did.  The Nebraska Association of Business Officials will meet this summer to outline key dates and requirements included in this legislation, such as the extra notifications and hearings required prior to budget and tax levy adoption.

All in all, this legislative session went pretty well. The Government Relations Committee was very active, sharing our perspectives with Senators on several important topics and working with Senator Flood to amend some important legislation prior to final adoption.

Rationale: 

Norfolk Public Schools Foundation Meeting Monday May 17th, 2021

The Norfolk Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors met on May 17th, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. Twelve board members were present. The board reviewed the meeting minutes from April, financial reports, and the quarterly investment report.  

President Bobbi Theisen introduced Callan Collins as the new Executive Director. Callan started in her new role May 10th.  Sarah Dittmer’s last day will be May 21st. The Board thanked Sarah for her many years of service and dedication. 

Bobbi Theisen, Callan Collins, and Sarah Dittmer were all at Honors Night on May 13 to award over $70,000 worth of scholarships to deserving graduates. 

Classroom Grant applications have been reviewed and the selection committee will meet immediately following the meeting. Approximately $22,000 in grants will be awarded. Teachers and principals will be notified in June. 

Committees will be busy this summer to prepare for upcoming events taking place this Fall: Staff Campaign, Back to School Coffee, New Teacher Luncheon, and Traditions Breakfast.

Rationale:  Minutes of the May 10, 2021 and the June 1, 2021 board meetings are attached.

Rationale: 

Megin Falk

• 2021-2022, 5th Grade Math & ELA Teacher, Middle School
• Master of Science, Educational Administration & Supervision, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
• 1999-present, Literacy Interventionist/HAL Facilitator, Millard Public Schools, Millard, NE

Tammy Kallhoff

• 2021-2022, Spanish Teacher, Senior High
• Bachelor’s Degree, Missions/Elementary Education, Calvary Bible College, Kansas City, MO
• 2015-Present, Substitute Teacher for Norfolk Public Schools; 2003-2012, Arkansas, Spanish Teacher

Rationale:  Attached are the claims for the month of June 2021.  These claims were reviewed earlier today by our Finance and Facility Committee.  There are no conflict statements for this month that need to be read before voting.

Rationale:  The district received a proposal from Mid-States School Equipment for $151,134.25 for replacement lunch tables at Lincoln, Bel-Air, Jefferson, Jr. High and Sr. High.  These tables met all of our specs listed in the RFP.  Funds to pay for these tables will come from our Nutrition Services Fund.

Rationale:  The 2nd monthly meeting of the Board of Education has been tentatively scheduled for noon on Thursday, June 24, 2021.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Monday, July 12, 2021. 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.