December 12, 2022 at 5:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale:  December 3, 2022

Rationale:  We will swear in our newest Board member, Beth Shashikant, immediately proceeding the meeting (at approximately 5:25 PM).

Oath:

I, ____________________do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Nebraska, against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely and without mental reservation or for purpose of evasion; and that I will faithfully and impartially perform the duties of the office of school board member of Norfolk Public Schools, according to law, and to the best of my ability. And I do further swear that I do not advocate, nor am I a member of any political party or organization that advocates the overthrow of the government of the United States or of this state by force or violence; and that during such time as I am in this position I will not advocate nor become a member of any political party or organization that advocates the overthrow of the government of the United States or of this state by force or violence. So help me God.


 

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:  Grant Elementary--Panther Partners
 

Rationale:  This is the last meeting for current Board members:
Tammy Day
Jake Claussen
Leann Widhalm
We would like to express our deepest gratitude for their service.

Rationale: 

This is the time during the meeting when the public may request to address the Board. According to state law, if you wish to comment you must identify yourself, including your address, the name of the organization you represent and the topic that you wish to address. "Public Comment" cards are located at the Media table, in the back of the room.  Please pick up a card and provide the required information, if you plan to speak.  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:  Strategic Planning Steering Committee members will summarize the work they completed on November 7th and 8th, including their proposed Strategic Planning Goals.

Rationale: 

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

General Fund =$709,074.84

Nutrition Services Fund =$310,714.83

Cooperative Fund =$10,017.96

Depreciation Fund =$428,106.00

Special Building Fund =$28,802.00

QCPUF = $5,608.97

Student Fee Fund = $4,653.32

The total amount of claims for the month of November, 2022 in the Activities Fund is listed below:
Activity Fund =$144,637.51

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

Rationale:  Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment

• December is an important midyear point for the K-8 buildings. Key midyear assessments are administered in December. These assessments range from statewide assessments to progress monitoring assessments as well as in-class assessments. The data collected from the midyear assessments are critical pieces of information for teacher teams to analyze and make instructional decisions. The success of our work on behalf of student’s achievement requires accurate, reliable, and valid information paired with appropriate analysis and discussions among teacher teams. The time used during our upcoming PLC and teacher workdays involve this intentional and deliberate work.
• There are continued conversations surrounding the math materials that are being piloted and reviewed by teachers. The process for textbook selection has several steps. Just to briefly mention, before a program can be considered and taken to the attention of teachers, the Teaching and Learning team researches the program’s effectiveness and potential alignment to state standards. The best matched programs are brought to teachers and administrators to review, rate and rank the programs as well as listen to presentations by product consultants. At this point, a decision can be made to pilot a program. During the program pilot, teachers provide feedback on program components. All data is closely reviewed before a recommendation is made to the Board of Education Curriculum Committee for approval. I anticipate a recommendation will be ready in February. 

Rationale: 

Our nurses will wrap up their annual health screenings this month.  Students in grades Pre-K-4, 7th, and 10th grade are screened annually. We had some UNMC students through NECC assist us as well. 

Our special education leadership team will be providing professional development to our district special education staff on January 25th at PLC.  

Our ELL staff will be meeting on January 4th to review ELPA changes and discuss programming needs. 

Rationale: 

Members of our district safety team and I attended the "I Love You Guys" Presentation of Standard Response Protocols (SRP) and Standard Reunification Method (SRM) on Nov. 17th. The training helped to reinforce a lot of the things we are doing in our district to keep our students and staff safe. The district reunification team and I will discuss recommendations from that training on ways to make our process smoother and more efficient.

I have served on the board for the Norfolk Family Coalition (NFC) as the school representative for the past 3 years. At our last meeting, I was nominated and confirmed as vice president for the 2023 year. The partnership with NPS and the NFC helps to provide assistance to families in need within our community. An example of that assistance is the donations that help support our Panther Pack program, which provides weekend food for families with food security concerns and also our Early Childhood Education connection. I look forward to growing our relationship with the NFC and continuing to make a positive impact within our community.

Rationale: 

An additional full time sub has been hired for the second semester of the school year.  This brings our number of full time teacher substitutes to three and full time paraprofessionals to one.  

Tomorrow I will be at the WSC Education Interview Day.  Throughout the day, I plan to interview over a dozen potential teacher candidates in a variety of endorsed areas.  These are students that graduate in both December and May and will potentially be applying for open positions we begin advertising during the second semester.

Rationale:  A monthly update provided by the Superintendent regarding the district.

Rationale:  The committee met at 12:00 today.  The claims for the month of December and activity claims for November were reviewed. Other items reviewed and discussed:

• Updates on current district projects
• Review of action items for Insurance and Compensation packages 

The next meeting will be Monday, January 16th, at 12:00 noon.

Rationale:  Dr. Jami Jo Thompson and Sandy Wolfe met with Senator Dover on December 6, 2022 to share information with him about Norfolk Public Schools. We discussed issues that are likely to be debated during the upcoming 2023 Legislative Session. We also explained TEEOSA and how it affects public schools across the state. And, we offered our assistance whenever needed. 

Rationale: 

The Norfolk Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors met on November 11, 2022 at 4:30 p.m. at the Middle School Makerspace, where members were able to explore the school’s incredible STEAM program. STEAM teacher, Mr. Dreher, shared his enthusiasm on how he helps students connect and collaborate in the classroom. The Rudolph R. Elis Fund gave a grant to the Foundation to help fund the new Makerspace, creating endless opportunities for students. 

Vice President, Metka Kolm, called the meeting to order at 5:02 p.m. Board members discussed the Traditions Breakfast, and were happy with its success, raising over $33,000 of unrestricted funding. 

The Foundation will now serve as the fiscal agent for the new Panther Packs program, formerly known as Blessings in a Backpack. This backpack program is designed to provide weekend meals for NPS students whose families have limited resources. 

Three new board members were voted on and approved by the board. They will begin their terms as voting directors in January 2023. The NPSF Annual Meeting will be held on January 16th where the slate of officers, scholarships, and budget will be presented for 2023. 

Rationale:  Minutes of the November 14, 2022 board meeting are attached.

Rationale: 

Sydnie Schilling

• 2022-2023 (2nd semester), 1st grade Teacher, Grant Elementary
• Bachelor of Arts, Elementary Education, Clarke University, Dubuque, IA
• Student Teaching experience, Fall 2022;  Special Education-Behavior, Farley Elementary
• Student Teaching experience, Fall 2022; 1st Grade, Resurrection Catholic School

Rationale:  None at this time.

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

Rationale:  Introductory Remarks by Dr. Thompson--followed by an explanation of the financial details by Dr. Robinson.

Rationale:  It is recommended that a 4.47% base increase is approved for district substitute teachers for 2023-2024.  This is the same percent increase that was approved for non-supervisory certificated staff.

Rationale:  It is recommended that a 4.47% compensation increase is approved for all hourly staff for 2023-2024.  This is the same percent increase that was approved for non-supervisory certificated staff.

Rationale:  It is recommended that a 4.47% total package increase is approved for all salaried classified staff for 2023-2024.  This is the same percent increase that was approved for non-supervisory certificated staff.

Rationale:  It is recommended that a 4.47% total package increase is approved for all district nurses for 2023-2024.  This is the same percent increase that was approved for non-supervisory certificated staff.

Rationale:  It is recommended that a 4.47% total package increase is approved for all district administrators for 2023-2024.  This is the same percent increase that was approved for non-supervisory certificated staff.

Rationale:  It is recommended that a 4.47% total package increase and contract is approved for the superintendent for 2023-2024 through 2025-2026.  This is the same percent increase that was approved for non-supervisory certificated staff.

Rationale:  It is recommended to hire CMBA  Architects to design, create specifications and bid documents for the Middle School Project.  CMBA has been our Architect on many of our projects over the past several years and has done a good job of creating efficient functional designs at a good value.  They are also very familiar with our district, community and local vendors.  The Middle School project would enhance safety with a new entrance that has a transaction window similar to those at all of our other buildings.  This addition would also create additional classrooms, commons and fine arts spaces for band, orchestra and music.  Funds for this project would come from the district special building fund and ESSERS III.  We will also apply for and, if approved, use grant dollars from upcoming opportunities with federal safety dollars. Once designs have been finalized and reviewed by the board, an estimated budget will be provided before approving going to bid for this project.

Rationale:  Attached is a summary of the RFP process that I will now reference in presenting rationale.

Rationale:  Typically, all payments are approved via our consent agenda. That was not possible with this item as the Board first needed to determine and approve our insurance carrier(s). At this time, I recommend that you approve payment of premium(s) for 2023 as outlined in action item 11.10 to vendor approved in action item 11.10 for the district's property and workman's compensation insurance for 2023.

Rationale:  No changes have been made to these policies since their first reading in November.

Rationale:  There will not be a 2nd monthly meeting of the Board of Education in December.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Monday, January 16, 2023.  This is a date change from our regular board meeting.  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.