October 14, 2019 at 5:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

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.

Total amount of claims to be approved in the consent agenda for the month of October, 2019 by specific fund are as follows:

General Fund = $456,278.21

Nutrition Services Fund =$275,481.62

Cooperative Fund = $21,116.30

Depreciation Fund = $3,744.66

Special Building Fund = $16,025.21

QCPUF = $2,373.00

Student Fee Fund = $17,283.99

The total amount of claims for the month of September, 2019 in the Activities Fund are as follows:
Activity Fund =$153,341.21

All of these claims were reviewed earlier today by the Finance and Facility Committee.  The 2018-2019 audit of district financials is near completion.  A complete audit report will be presented to the board at the October 24th, Board of Education meeting

• The Teaching and Learning website has been updated to include the addition of the district explainer video on Target Based Grading, NPS approach and grading, definitions on Target Based Grading, proficiency scale information, and frequently asked questions. In addition, a parent information session has been set for Wednesday, October 23^rd at the Johnny Carson Theatre at 7:00 p.m. There will be a presentation of information on Target Based Grading and a few teachers will be available to speak specifics to Target Based Grading in the classroom. 
• The Teaching and Learning Department has met with several curricular groups this last month. Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, K-5 Writing, and 4^th grade assessment work. Several more are planned for the second quarter.
• The Fall MAP window is closed. Parents will be able to review their child’s data with their teachers at conferences.
• Spring 2019 Statewide NSCAS test results for last year’s 3^rd through 8^th grade are expected to be sent home within a couple of weeks.  
• AQuESTT classifications were made public and can be found on the Nebraska Department of Education Website under the Nebraska Education Profile tab.

Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department provided on-site flu shots at the end of September and start of October, for staff at each building in the district. 

This past Friday, October 11th marked the end of our First Quarter of the 2019-2020 school year.

Today begins our week of Parent Teacher Conferences; 
Schedule: 

Monday-Thursday,  October 14th through October 17th as follows:

Monday, October 14th K-12 normal dismissal.  
K-8 parent-teacher conferences from 5:00-8:00 p.m.

Tuesday, October 15th K-12 normal dismissal.
K-4 and 9-12 parent-teacher conferences from 5:00-8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, October 16th K-12 students dismissed at 2:00 p.m.
 5-12 parent-teacher conferences from 5:00-8:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 17th K-12 students dismissed at 11:30 a.m.
 K-12 parent-teacher conferences from 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Friday, October 18th No school for K-12 students.  

"CPR/AOA" training will be provided for selected staff from all of our NPS attendance centers.  The training will be here at Central Office on Monday, October 28th and Tuesday, October 29th. 

District Safety and Security Audits:

• October 22nd through October 24th we will have another round of district security audits completed by an external visitation team. This audit gives us an opportunity to gather additional feedback on ways to make our schools as safe as possible and it provides our safety teams another option to share and reflect on the things we have accomplished since last year’s audit. We have made many district improvements since last year’s audit and we are excited to share the results of these updates and improvements.

Safety and Security Summit:

• On October 9th and 10th several members of our District Safety Team attended the (NDE sponsored) Safety and Security Summit in Kearney. 

• During the two day conference, our team heard powerful testimonials about lessons learned from Sandy Hook survivors. We also spent time discussing data from the state security self assessments, collaborated on "best practice" policies and protocols designed to improve school safety, and participated in activities to enhance the skills of our district Threat Assessment Team. 

• We currently have 324 certified staff members (not including administrators) in our district. Here is a quick breakdown of certified staff experience in our district:

  • 1-5 years of experience in our district: 118 staff members: 36% of our staff

  • 6-10 years of experience in our district :  54 staff members: 22% of our staff

  • 11-20 years of experience in our district: 90 staff members: 28% of our staff

  • 21+ years of experience in our district:  62 staff members: 19% of our staff

    • Note: We have seven staff members with over 30 years of experience and three staff members with over 40 years of experience.

• On Thursday, October 10th NPS participated in a community event at the Norfolk Arts Center that showed a powerful film detailing student mental health issues and the impact of social media on today’s youth. The film was followed by a "question and answer" panel discussion with NPS school staff and local community service providers.

• The event highlighted our district and community commitment to helping our students and families with these issues. 

• Special thanks to the staff and community members who participated in (and organized) the event! 

•  Aftershock Club Facilitators

• Aftershock Site Manager

• School Bus Activity Drivers

• Special Education (High Needs) Paraprofessional (Bel Air)

  • Starts January 2020

Coaching Opportunities:

• HS Assistant Boys Soccer

• IM Football

Mental Health Issues:

As part of our continued efforts to address students’ mental health issues, we collaborated with various community organizations to premiere "The Mind Inside" for our community last week.  This is a very powerful film that looks at students’ mental health issues and how social media impacts/exasperates them. The film is now available on the Nebraska Loves Public Schools website.  I would encourage anyone who hasn’t seen it to take 30 minutes to watch it.

Norfolk Public Schools will do a follow-up presentation regarding the dangers of social media on November 26th.  Student presentations will be conducted during the day, with a special parent presentation that evening. I would encourage all parents to attend this, as it is very eye-opening and, I dare say, scary to learn what is out there on social media.

Although it is very early in our implementation, I have received a great deal of informal feedback regarding the positive impact that our Licensed Mental Health Practitioners are having in our schools. It appears that these services are being utilized on a regular basis.  In fact, SRO Dave Lichtenberg, said, "I hope we don’t burn Shawn out. She is already very busy, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. She will get a lot busier as the year goes on."  

We are collecting more formal data that we can analyze at the end of the year, but I wanted to give you that initial feedback regarding the positive impact that this partnership and investment is making for our students and staff.  Thank you for understanding the need for these services and making that investment.

Board Retreat:

This is just a reminder that we have a Board Retreat scheduled from 8:00 to noon on October 31st to discuss enrollment, staffing, facilities, and finance options.  Your attendance and participation is very important as we plan strategically for the future.

• Review of upcoming HVAC projects at Jefferson, Jr. High and Sr. High.
• One year service agreement for mechanical and control systems throughout the district
• Proposed timeline on upcoming strategic planning in facilities and finance
• Addition of Unified Track
• Possible simulator for career academies

The Policy Committee met on Tuesday, September 24, 2019 to review Board Policies 3130-3220 related to Business Operations.

The committee is recommending substantial revisions to policy 3130 (Purchasing Policies) in order to make the policy consistent with policy 3540 (Procedures-Bidding Construction Projects) and state statute.  These revisions would allow the Superintendent or designee to approve purchases in the amount of $1-$49,999 (previously $1-$10,000). The Superintendent or designee would also be able to approve purchases from $50,000 to $99,999 (previously $10,000 to $90,000), after the submission of at least two proposals. Purchases of $100,000 or more (previously $90,000 or more) will require a formal bidding process and approval by the Board of Education.

Minor, non-substantive changes were made to Policies 3131.1 and 3180, and Policy 3220 was reworded to make it easier to understand.

No changes were made to Policies 3010-3120 since their first reading.

The Committee recommends the approval of the first reading of policies 3130-3220 and the second/final reading of policies 3010-3120.

The next policy committee meeting is scheduled for 11:00 on October 24, 2019.

The Government Relations Committee has not met.  However, Tammy Day, Sandy Wolfe, Dr. Bill Robinson, and Dr. Jami Jo Thompson attended the Greater Nebraska Schools Association meeting on Wednesday, September 18, 2019.  

Members of the GNSA discussed their concerns with Senator Groene and Senator Linehan’s current legislation regarding property taxes and school funding.  Those concerns included:

• The reduction of property valuation within the TEEOSA formula

• The elimination of the averaging adjustment

• An additional spending limitation, set at 2.5% of the Consumer Price Index

• An additional growth limitation, based upon the Consumer Price Index

• The inclusion of Foundation Aid at the expense of equalized school districts.

Senator Groene and Senator Linehan have indicated that their goal is to reduce property taxes, and be fair to public schools. However, at this point, this legislation still funds non-equalized districts at the expense of equalized districts. The GNSA has provided the Senators with this feedback are are hoping for a compromise.

Tammy Day was elected to serve as President Elect of the GNSA. She will take Dr. Thompson’s Vice President seat in 2020-2021 and follow Dr. Thompson as President in 2021-2022.

Activities Committee Report 10-14-2019

Mr. Ries and Mr. Viergutz shared participation numbers, annual highlights, and Booster contributions with the Committee.  He also provided an NSAA and HAC update. Several proposals have been made to the NSAA for consideration including changes to summer participation rules and the possible addition of girls wrestling.  

Unified Track has been sanctioned as an NSAA activity in the Spring. It will run in conjunction with the existing Boys and Girls Track season.  Mr. Ries reviewed a proposal (including costs and benefits) with the Committee, and the Committee decided to recommend that NHS add this as a 2019-2020 activity at Norfolk Senior High.  

Mr. Ries indicated that we will be hosting the NCA Leadership Summit on November 21st in the Johnny Carson Theatre, and he shared a letter from Dustin Wood, thanking us for letting him combine his two show choirs into one group.

Dr. Robinson shared the following information regarding our athletic facilities:

1. New wrestling practice mats were ordered and installed in the practice room

2. Softball improvements are in process --pressbox and restrooms still need updates

3. Field drainage at Carson Field has been completed

4. Stadium planks are to arrive soon and be installed

5. Concession monies to fund concrete by the concession stand

6. 6th Street track and tennis courts surfaces have been updated

7. Hudl camera mounted in gym, easy to record any activity

8. Will need to look at purchasing/leasing a bus

Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday December 16, 2019.