March 14, 2022 at 5:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale:  March 10, 2022

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:  ESSER III Grant Update -- Thompson
Safety Updates -- Wilson
Building Visits -- Board members
 

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

Rationale:  Westside Panther Pride

Rationale:  Kris Anderson--4th Grade Teacher at Woodland Park Elementary School

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: 

The total amount of claims to be approved on the consent agenda for the month of March, 2022 by specific fund are listed below:

General Fund = $947,611.41

Nutrition Services Fund =$307,963.74

Cooperative Fund = $84,664.36

QCPUF = $204,406.35

Student Fee Fund = $2,154.72

The total amount of claims for the month of February, 2022 in the Activities Fund is listed below:
Activity Fund =$166,692.95

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

Rationale: 

• The Teaching and Learning Department is completing all of the last minute details for spring assessment season. This year our scores will be a part of the accountability classifications which were put on pause for two years throughout the pandemic.
• The piloting of ELA materials for 6^th through 11^th grade is nearly complete. We will be reporting our findings to the Curriculum Committee and seeking permission to purchase a program next month.
• Plans for solidifying spring training on newly purchased programs for 5^th through 7^th grade Social Studies and K-5^th grade ELA Wonders program is just about complete.
•  Details for summer school instruction is well underway as well.
• The updated Career and Technical Education standards have been released. Teachers will review them this spring and make a timeline for their upcoming curriculum work.

Rationale: 

Nurses-CPR was held February 28 and March 1, 2022 for staff in our buildings. ELVPHD- donated COVID Tests to our district which are available to our students and staff at no cost, but not required.

The state English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) for our English Language Learners (ELL) closes Friday, March 18, 2022. We will receive results in early May. 

I will be attending the spring NASES conference at the end of this month. Topics of the conference include MTSS, teacher shortage and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).  

Rationale: 

Reminder that Kindergarten enrollment for the 2022/2023 school year is in full swing. Registration is being held at neighborhood schools. Parents must have a birth certificate and a copy of immunizations to begin the enrollment process. Kindergarten Round Up will be held Wednesday, April 20th at your neighborhood elementary school. We are encouraging families to start the registration process early to avoid complications.

Parent/Teacher conferences were held last month. We operated in a similar fashion to our 1st semester conferences and offered in person conferences with some virtual options as needed. Our attendance with our elementary and middle school is historically very high because those are scheduled meetings. Information about those conferences is posted below.

 

	Attendance at P/T Conference including Zoom	# Zoom Conferences	Total School Enrollment	% attended
Little Panther Preschool	214	28	219	98%
Bel Air	341	63	349	98%
Jefferson	225	22	226	100%
Grant	213	4	218	98%
Lincoln	179	21	179	100%
Washington	214	15	215	100%
Westside	214	45	214	100%
Woodland Park	189	43	191	99%
Middle School	612	Not tracked	651	94%
Junior High	307	132	642	48%
Senior High	349	0	1343	26%
District Results	3057	373	4447	68.74%

 

Rationale: 

HR Update:

Letter of Intents were sent out to all NPS certified staff on March 1 and are due back tomorrow, March 15.  At that time, we should know all positions that need to be filled.  Quite a few teachers have been hired for the 2022-2023 school year and we continue to advertise and search for the best teachers for Norfolk Public Schools.

On March 22-23, NPS will host an external team for our accreditation review through Nebraska Framework.  The team will consist of 8 external reviewers from 8 different districts and ESUs.  The team will meet with a variety of administrators, staff, students, parents, and School Board members.  At the end of the two day visit, the team will present us with the great things they saw and heard throughout the district, along with suggestions for improving and moving forward.  The board will receive a summary presentation at a future School Board meeting.

Rationale:  Monthly Enrollment Report (see attached)
Election Information (see attached)

Rationale:  The committee met at 12:00 today.  The claims for the month of March and activity claims for February were reviewed.  Mark Hall, board member with the NRD, presented a check to NPS for playground improvements at the district's elementary schools.  These additional pieces of equipment were installed this past fall.  The NRD grant of $25,000 made the project possible.  The committee then reviewed the following items:

• Updates on other projects
• Review of proposed compensation increases for the other district employee groups
• Review of BA and JH bids
• Review of RFP request for uniform and equipment vendor agreement

The next meeting will be Monday, April 11th, at 12:00 noon.

Rationale: 

The Policy Committee met on February 25, 2022 to review  policies 5417-5602 related to Students.  Minor, non-substantive revisions have been recommended, largely to correct formatting issues.

Rationale: 

The Government Relations Committee met on February 11th and 18th.

Opposition:

Dr. Thompson sent a letter of opposition regarding LB 1211 and 1212 related to option enrollment and sped funding. 

Dr. Robinson sent a letter of opposition regarding LB 1250 related to budget and tax levy notification timelines.

Sandy Wolfe testified in opposition to LR 278CA related to the dissolution of the state school board.

Support:

Dr. Thompson and Sandy Wolfe sent letters of support for LB 1167 related to funding for our internships, including our teacher internship and residency program with Wayne State College. 

Hearings have been completed for the 2022 session. Our committee will now focus our attention on floor debate and send emails when deemed prudent.

Rationale: 

On February 21st, Mr. Erwin and Mr. Beranek provided the committee with an update on Winter Activities.  A few highlights include:

• Girls Wrestling:  State Runner-ups; District Champions
• Boys Wrestling:  7th Place at State; District Runner-ups
• Boys Swimming/Diving: 7th Place at State and Conference
• Girls Swimming/Diving: 17th Place at State; 4th at Conference
• Speech: District Runner-Ups
• One Act: 4th at State; Runner-ups at District
• Pink Panthers: 3rd at State
• Boys Basketball: 3rd at Districts
• Girls Basketball: 6th at Districts

Mr. Erwin shared a coaching proposal for cross country. It would eliminate one assistant at the senior high and add a head and assistant coach at the junior high. The committee discussed and advanced the proposal.  It will be discussed and voted upon later this evening. 

Mr. Erwin shared a Girls Wrestling proposal, which would add this as an official/permanent sport and add an assistant wrestling coach. The committee discussed and advanced both proposals.  They will be discussed and voted upon later this evening. 

Mr. Erwin shared a proposal regarding an exclusivity agreement for name-brand uniforms.  The committee discussed this, but determined that additional information was needed.  That information was provided at a meeting on 2/28/2022.

On February 28th, the only agenda item was to discuss the proposal regarding an exclusivity agreement for name-brand uniforms.  The breakdown of expenses was shared and pros and cons were discussed. The committee decided to bring this proposal forward for discussion by the full board.  Additional information will be provided and voted upon later this evening.

Rationale: 

The Norfolk Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors met on February 21, 2022 at 4:30 p.m. at the NPS Administration Building. Thirteen board members and 2 guests were present.  Board President Jake Claussen called the meeting to order and welcomed the two new board members in his opening remarks. 

During the Executive Director’s Report, Callan Collins shared with board members that the traditional scholarship application for the NHS Class of 2022 is now open and students are currently applying. There are 64 scholarships available totaling over $75,000. She has been actively promoting the scholarships through social media, NPS website, in signage at NHS, and via the NHS Counseling Office. She reminded the board that the deadline for scholarship application submission is 3/16/2022 at 4:00 p.m. 

Rationale:  Minutes of the March 1, 2022 Nurses and Student Health meetings are attached.

Rationale:  Minutes of the February 14, 2022 and February 24, 2022 are attached.

Rationale: 

Melisa Bettin

• 2022-2023 Early Childhood Classroom Teacher, Little Panthers Preschool
• Bachelor of Science, Wayne State College, Wayne, NE
• 2017-present - Preschool Teacher at NENCAP/Head Start, Norfolk, NE

Emily Korth 

• 2022-2023 Language Arts Teacher, Norfolk Senior High
• Master of Arts, Teaching-Language Arts, College of St. Mary, Omaha, NE
• January 2022-Present - Full-Time Substitute Teacher with Norfolk Public Schools

  Diamond Moraga 

• 2022-2023 Early Childhood Special Education Teacher, Little Panthers Preschool
• Master of Education, Concentrations in Global Studies & Higher Education, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL; Certifications: Arizona Teaching Licensure for Preschool to Third Grade General Education; Arizona Teaching Licensure for Preschool to Third Grade with children with special needs
• 9/2021 to present, Substitute Paraprofessional, Norfolk Public Schools

Regan Ramaekers 

• 2022-2023 Kindergarten Teacher, Grant Elementary
• Bachelor of Science, Early Childhood Education, University of Nebraska at Kearney
• 2019-Present, K-5 English Language Teacher at Madison Public Schools, Madison, NE

  Keri Severson 

• 2022-2023 6th Grade Teacher, Norfolk Middle School
• Bachelor of Arts, Elementary Education, University of Nebraska at Kearney
• 2015-Present, Head Teacher at St. Mary’s School, Osmond, NE

  Alyssa Smith 

• 2022-2023 Special Education (Emotional Disturbance, Behavior Skills Program) Teacher, Norfolk Middle School
• Bachelor of Science, Special Education, University of Nebraska at Omaha
• Westside Community School, Omaha, NE, Special Education Teacher

  Beth Werner 

• 2022-2023 School Counselor, Jefferson Elementary
• Master of Science, School Counseling & Preventative Mental Health, University of Nebraska at Omaha
• Aug. 2021-Present, K-12 Virtual School Counselor, Grand Island Public Schools, Grand Island, NE

Ashley Woitaszewski 

• 2022-2023 Special Education Teacher, Norfolk Middle School
• Master of Science, Special Education, University of Nebraska at Kearney
• August 2021-Present, Resource Teacher, Grand Island Public Schools, Grand Island, NE

Rationale:  Taryn Retzlaff--Theatre, Yearbook and English Teacher at Norfolk High School--accepted another position
Karen Drahota--4th Grade Teacher at Jefferson Elementary--retiring
Tatiana Moore--History Teacher, Debate Coach and Student Council Sponsor at Norfolk High School--attending graduate school fulltime
Mackenzie Lamp--.5 Substitute Teacher/. 5 Art Teacher at Norfolk High School--accepted K-12 art position at a smaller school
Ronda Spanel--Title I Teacher at Washinton Elementary--retiring
 

Rationale:  Attached are the claims for the month of March, 2022.  These claims were reviewed earlier today by our Finance and Facility Committee.  There is a conflict statement for this month that will need to be read before voting.

Rationale: 

Norfolk Public Schools piloted Girls Wrestling during the 2021-2022 school year.  The program was extremely successful.  We had 11 girls participate, and we anticipate even more in the future.   Two girls placed 2nd at State, and the team placed 2nd at state, after winning our district.  They had a very successful inaugural season!

We are recommending that the Board add Girls Wrestling as an official activity, starting with the 2022-2023 school year.  

We are also recommending that the Board add an assistant coach for the wrestling program. That will be discussed further in the next agenda item.

Rationale: 

As mentioned previously, our pilot/inaugural season for Girls Wrestling was very successful, and we anticipate participation in this sport to grow in the future.

During the inaugural season, parent volunteers helped run the Girls Wrestling program.  However, now that it is an official sport, we are recommending that we hire an assistant for this purpose.  Justin Grey will serve as Head Wrestling Coach for both girls and boys.  Tony Brown, Kodiak French and Jeremy Eusterwiemann will continue as the Boys Assistant Coaches and Jeremy Eusterwiemann along with the new assistant will be Girls Assistant Coaches.  

We believe that this is necessary in order to adequately and equitably serve our Boys and Girls Wrestling program. 

The cost for this addition would be $4,537.

Rationale: 

We are recommending that we add one paid head junior high cross country coach and one paid assistant junior high cross country coach for the 2022-2023 school year.  

At the present time, we have a head boys, assistant boys, head girls, and assistant girls coach at the senior high - but we do not have any coaches at the junior high level.  We have actually utilized one of the senior high assistant coaches (Mr. Mueller) for the junior high program.  

The number of participants at the junior high level has grown from 11 in 2007 to around 40 each year.  In order to best utilize our coaches, and to provide the best supervision of our athletes, we believe that it would be best to eliminate one of the paid senior high assistants and add two junior high coaches (one head and one assistant).   

The end result would be:

Senior High: 1 head boys coach, 1 head girls coach, 1 assistant coach

Junior High:  1 head coach and 1 assistant coach.

The total cost to the district would be $2,269.00.

Rationale:  It is recommended that the board approve the "Request for Proposals" (RFP's) for equipment and athletic uniform purchasing.  The agreement would provide the district with better pricing for brand name athletic uniforms and potential future cost savings for equipment and other items.  Moving to brand-name uniforms will allow the district greater design and color options as well as the length of time a specific color or design is produced.  Overall, uniform fit and quality are also factors in this purchasing change.  Attached is the RFP document that will be released if approved.

Rationale:  We have received our new laptops and will begin the process of exchanging them for current outdated laptops in April.  I am requesting permission to sell the outdated laptops back to the teachers they were checked out for. Any laptops not sold to teachers will be placed on the 2022 tech sale.

Rationale:  It is recommended that a 3.5% compensation increase is approved for all hourly staff for 2022-2023.  This is the same percent increase that was approved for non-supervisory certificated staff.

Rationale:  It is recommended that a 3.5% total package increase is approved for all salaried classified staff for 2022-2023.  This is the same percent increase that was approved for non-supervisory certificated staff.

Rationale:  It is recommended that a 3.5% total package increase is approved for all district nurses for 2022-2023.  This is the same percent increase that was approved for non-supervisory certificated staff.

Rationale:  It is recommended that a 3.5% base increase is approved for district substitute teachers for 2022-2023.  This is the same percent increase that was approved for non-supervisory certificated staff.

Rationale:  It is recommended that a 3.5% total package increase is approved for all district administrators for 2022-2023.  This is the same percent increase that was approved for non-supervisory certificated staff.

Rationale:  It is recommended that a 3.5% total package increase is approved for the superintendent for 2022-2023.  This is the same percent increase that was approved for non-supervisory certificated staff.

Rationale:  The district received the following bids for the Jr. High addition and renovation.
Otte Construction $4,374,600
Hespe Construction $4,453,300

It is recommended to accept the bid from Otte Construction.

Rationale:  The district received the following core bids for the Bel Air addition and renovation.

Huff Construction $4,820,000
Perry Reid Construction $5,177,500

It is recommended to accept the bid from Huff Construction

Rationale:  The alternate bid for the additional 5 classrooms (4th track) at Bel-Air school from Huff Construction came in at $1,800,000.  This price was very competitive and provided us a lot to consider.  After reviewing current enrollment trends and reviewing past numbers provided by RSP it is still difficult to justify moving forward with that part of the addition, even with the pricing we received.  It is recommended not to accept the alternate bid from Huff Construction.

Rationale:  As stated by Brenda, the Policy Committee has reviewed these policies.  They are recommended that their first reading is approved this evening, with minor, non-substantive revisions.

Rationale:  See the attached calendar.

Rationale:  The 2nd monthly meeting of the Board of Education has been tentatively scheduled for noon on Thursday, March 24, 2022.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Monday, April 11, 2022. The Study Session will begin at 5:30 PM. The regular business meeting will start at 6:30 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.