September 11, 2023 at 6:30 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 and remain standing for a brief Moment of Silence in recognition of Patriots Day.

Rationale:  Award for Excellence awarded to: 
Mandi Dahlkoetter
1st Grade Teacher
Woodland Park Elementary

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. Individuals who make false, defamatory,  or slanderous statements during public comments may be held legally liable. Slanderous comments are not protected just because they are made at Board meetings.

Rationale: 

The total amount of claims to be approved on the consent agenda for the month of September, 2023 by specific fund are listed below:

General Fund =$1,063,425.58
Nutrition Services Fund =$239,393.45
Cooperative Fund =$1,264.48
Depreciation Fund =$4754.43
QCPUF: $59,838.05
Special Building Fund =$361,365.03
Student Fee Fund = $13,282.00

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

There are no claims for the Activity Fund, as these were approved at our August 30th meeting.
 

 

Rationale:  CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT

• The beginning of the year has been successful. In my visits to buildings and with teachers and principals, everyone has positively responded about the start of the year.
• We have had a few electronic issues which have fortunately been able to be resolved quickly.
• The Fall MAP Test window for K-8 is still open, however, most classrooms are finished. The SH Fall ACT and PreACT testing will occur on Sept. 20th.  The planning pieces are coming together smoothly for that as well.
• Instructional coaching cycles have begun.
• There is a Curriculum and American Civics Committee meeting scheduled to meet on Tuesday, September 19th.

Rationale: 

Our nurses will begin their annual health screenings this month.  Students in grades Pre-K-4, 7th, and 10th grade are screened annually. 

Our ELL teachers have screened over 72 new students based on their Home Language Survey to determine if they qualify for our ELL program. This is determined by the ELPA screener.

The special education leadership team met Tuesday, September 5 planning professional development sessions for the school year.  I will attend the fall conference for  Nebraska Association Special Education Supervisors (NASES) September 14th and 15th.  The focus of the conference is creating environments that cultivate positive behavior. 

Just a quick update on Arrow transportation for activities.  It is going well.  Arrow has placeholders on the side of each bus that has the NPS logo to give the personal touch for our students. The few issues that have occurred, have been handled professionally.

Rationale:  These first couple weeks of school, our Licensed Mental Health Practitioners (LMHP’s) provided multiple opportunities for our staff to receive suicide prevention training. It is required by law, that every staff member who works with students receive a minimum of 1 hour of suicide prevention training. September is also suicide prevention week and I want to remind our students, families, and community members that if you are concerned about someone hurting themselves or you yourself are struggling with thoughts of suicide, we offer anonymous reporting for all safety concerns, through Safe2Help. The state provides funding and offers Safe2Help at no cost to school districts. Contact information for Safe2Help is printed on the back of every student ID card, on our student Chromebook home screens, and every page of our website. The state also provides a suicide and crisis lifeline you can access by dialing 988.  Suicide can be prevented, and we want you to know we are here to help.
 

Rationale:  Half of our new NPS teachers will receive training on the NPS Instructional Model on September 14, and the other half will receive their training on September 21.  They are working hard to learn the essential concepts and strategies that will enhance learning and instruction in their classroom.

Job fairs are already beginning, and Mary Luhr and I traveled to UNK on Thursday for the first job fair of the school year.  I am recruiting for unfilled positions that we still have and recruiting and networking for the 2024-2025 school year.

NPS currently has 15 student teachers in our district.  I have received positive feedback from our administrators about their start to the year. 
 

Rationale:  Student Enrollment
Financial Audit

Rationale:  The Finance and Facilities Committee met today at noon. 
Mr. Wilson provided a facilities update on the Junior High, Bel Air, Track, and HVAC projects.
Dr. Thompson provided a business office update regarding personnel and overtime, our upcoming audit, and AgriCity Insurance review.
Dr. Thompson also answered questions regarding tonight's claims, 
 hearings and resolution.
Our next committee meeting is scheduled for October 9th at noon.
 

Rationale: 

The Activities Committee met at noon on September 5, 2023.

Mr. Erwin and Mrs. Lenton provided updates on participation numbers, contest results, and uniforms.

We discussed how music is chosen for activities.  The district utilizes a program called  Neptune to help ensure music is free from copyright issues and is appropriate for our audiences.  Player input is considered-but music must be available via Neptune.

Potential upgrades to the HS and MS fields were discussed, including lights, turf, and bleachers. Cost has been a prohibitive factor in the past. However, it is time to update our comprehensive facilities plan and budget.  This will be discussed at a future Finance and Facilities meeting.

Strategies to improve/increase school spirit were discussed.

Our current weight program was also discussed, with an emphasis on scheduling.

The possibility of inviting coaches to Activity Committee meetings to provide program updates was also discussed, although scheduling is an issue there, as well.

Our next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday, October 16, 2023 at noon.

Rationale:  Meeting Minutes from August 14, 2023 & August 30, 2023. Attached.

Rationale:  None at this time.

Rationale:  Attached are the claims for the month of September, 2023.

These claims were reviewed earlier today by our Finance and Facility Committee.

There are no conflict statements this month.

Rationale: 

Jessi Hedlund--JAG Nebraska Expansion Manager--United Way of the Midlands, will share background information regarding JAG and explain the proposed Memorandum of Understanding for a potential JAG Program at NPS starting in 2024-2025.
Jason Settles--Senior High Principal will share specifics regarding the proposed implementation of JAG at NHS, including how it would benefit our students and supplement other programs at NHS

Rationale:  Every year I make sure that all our confidential emergency contact information and building maps are updated for our building administrators. This information along with our emergency procedures is compiled in our Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) that was developed with the help of local law enforcement, emergency management, and NPS staff. I have shared the updated information with our Board Members. I am asking for approval of the 2023/24 EOP.
 

Rationale: 

In compliance with the provisions of Section 5 of  the 2023 Nebraska Revised Statute 243, it is necessary for the Board of Education to vote to approve an increase to the school district’s property tax request authority by 1.1%.  As discussed earlier in our tax hearing, this additional tax authority is necessary in order for us to levy 5 cents to the Special Building Fund for the purposes of completing an addition and renovation to the Norfolk Middle School. If approved, this renovation will include a safe and secure entrance, additional classrooms, and larger band, orchestra and vocal music rooms.

The district has saved several million dollars over the last several years via the Special Building Fund and Depreciation. However, our architect has estimated that we need to save an additional $2.1 million dollars in order to fully fund this project.  This 5 cent levy will net $1,670,783 towards that project, meaning that an additional $429,217 will need to be collected via the Building Fund next year. 

State statute allows us to exceed our property tax authority (of 4.23%) by an additional 5%. However, I am only recommending that the Board approve a 1.1% increase.  This will allow us to save the money necessary to complete the MS addition and renovation and still reduce our tax levy by 0.047 cent (nearly ½ cent).

Rationale:  Carla's husband has been relocated to Georgia by Nucor.  Although he has already moved, Carla has committed to staying in her position until January 2, 2024, in order for us to seek a mid-term graduate to fill her position.  She teaches 4th grade at Jefferson Elementary School.

Rationale:  The 2nd monthly meeting of the Board of Education has been scheduled for Noon on Thursday, September 28, 2023. This is when the budget and tax levy will be voted on.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Monday, October 9, 2023. 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.