October 14, 2024 at 5:30 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.

Rationale:  Annual Report from the NPS Foundation with Executive Director, Austin Truex. 

Rationale:  Presentation on Licensed Mental Health Practitioners at NPS

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.

Additional procedural guidelines are available at the media table.

Rationale: 

The total amount of claims to be approved on the consent agenda by specific fund are listed below:

General Fund = $865,569.21

Nutrition Fund = $238,612.74

Cooperative Fund = $896.77

Subsidiary Fund = $5,433.45

Special Building Fund = $491,205.80

Senior High Activity Fund = $56,391.92

Junior High Activity Fund = $6,824.03

Student Fee Fund = $11,276.10

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

Rationale: 

CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, AND ASSESSMENT

• As we approach the end of the first quarter, we’ve had several groups meet to do curriculum work. Those included are Middle School Social Studies, Junior High Science,  Elementary Social Studies, and Senior High Business. Curriculum is an ongoing process as teams adjust to new state standards and work to meet the needs of their students.  We handle that by tackling certain subjects each year. 

• Another item that is ongoing for the Teaching and Learning department is following up with new teachers to support them with their classroom responsibilities and helping them prepare for Parent Teacher conferences.  To provide this support my team meets with new teachers individually in their buildings.  They also bring the new teachers together once per month after school.  This month’s meeting occurred last Monday and was focused on helping first year teachers prepare for P/T Conferences.  Our Instructional Coaches gave teachers some ideas for how to conduct a conference, they modeled a potential conference for the new teachers and gave them an opportunity to practice a conference on their own.  Our hope is that this preparation will help their P/T conference week to go as smoothly as possible.           

• The Spring 2024 Statewide Assessment data has been shared with administration.  The building and district results remain embargoed by the state until the completion of review in early to mid November.  Individual student score reports have been delivered to buildings and will be sent home this week.  Our local Fall assessment window is closed. We will be generating reports on that data to determine if any curricular items need immediate attention and to use in our data meetings over student progress.  

• I attended the State Curriculum and Assessment Directors Conference at the beginning of the month.  The topics of discussion included the changes being made to the State Assessment system for 2025-26, how schools were adapting to meet the requirements of the Nebraska Reads Act, the changes being made to the state’s AQUESTT accountability system and many more.  These meetings are very valuable to me as I get to network with other curriculum and assessment leaders from across the state and gain insights on what they are doing to help improve student achievement in their districts.  This organization also makes recommendations to the Nebraska Department of Education so it was also important for me to give our district a voice in those recommendations. 

 

Rationale: 

Flu shots for our staff are available to our staff on October 10, 15, and 16th thanks to Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department. 

I have been invited to attend the  Nebraska Department of Education’s stakeholders meeting for Results Driven Accountability on October 30th in Lincoln. 

The Tri-state special education law conference will be held November 7 and 8th in Omaha. I will attend the conference with some of our special education teachers.

Rationale: 

• On September 16 and 17, Mike Donahue was able to speak to our students at the Middle School, Junior High, and High School on Value Up and walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.  He did a great job with our students.  He also had a special parent session on the evening of the 16th on how to communicate with your kids and breaking down those walls they put up sometimes.  

• On September 26 and 27, I was able to take 14 teachers and administrators to the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Summit in Kearney.  Topics ranged from working with students exhibiting behaviors, foundational literacy, supporting students, and school safety.

• October 11 was the last day of the first quarter.  Principals and teachers have been working hard to schedule parent/teacher conferences.  We prefer in-person conferences but are willing to set up Zooms or make phone calls if necessary.  We encourage all parents to set up a conference with your child’s teacher or teachers.  Families and NPS Staff working together helps our students pursue their goals for the future.  

  • October 14: K-8 P/T Conf (4:00-7:00)

  • October 15: K-4 and 9-12 P/T Conf (4:00-7:00)

  • October 16: 5-12 P/T Conf (4:00-7:00)

  • October 17: K-12 P/T Conf (1:00-4:00); Students dismissed at 11:30

  • October 18: No School

Rationale: 

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be attending the UNL Educator Career Fair, Wayne State College Educator Fair and the NE Wesleyan Education Fair.  I am working to gain the interest of potential teachers to apply at NPS for current and future teaching positions.

NPS currently has five student teachers in our district.  The requests have already started coming in for the Spring 2025 semester.  I currently have 15 requests and have not heard from all colleges yet.  This group consists of placement requests in the areas of Early Childhood, Elementary, Family and Consumer Sciences, Math, Music, Physical Education, Social Science, Special Education, and Physical Education.  Although we do not yet know what openings we will have for the 2025-2026 school year, these are several of the areas that were difficult for us to fill for the current school year. 

Rationale:  Monthly Enrollment
Negotiations

Rationale:  The Facilities & Finance Committee met earlier today. Board members present were ___ . 

The committee reviewed claims and financial reports.

A facilities update was given regarding the Middle School construction project, exterior door locks, and the Tahazouka Softball Complex. The committee also discussed proposed budget cuts, nurses' contracts, and the chiller project, including payment. 

Our next Finance and Facilities Committee meeting is scheduled for November 11th. 

Rationale: 

The Policy Committee met Friday, October 4, 2024 at 8:30 AM.

Board Committee Members Brenda Carhart, Cindy Booth, and Tom Stanton were present, along with NPS Staff Dr. Thompson and Callan Collins.

The Committee reviewed Board Policy 3241- Emergency Response Mapping- which is a new policy based on LB 1329.  If adopted, it will allow NPS to apply for a grant to have new digital maps of our buildings created. These maps would then be shared with public safety agencies to be used in emergency situations.

The Committee also reviewed Board policies 2000-2440 related to administration.

The following policies are recommended for reaffirmation with no changes:  

• 2000--Functional Principle of Administration

• 2010--Hiring Administrative Personnel 

• 2100--Superintendent of Schools

• 2110--Responsibilities Of The Superintendent

• 2200--The Principal 

• 2220 --Central Office Administrators

• 2221--Associate Superintendent

• 2222--Director of Business Services, Maintenance and Facilities

• 2223--Director of HR and Accreditation

• 2224--Director of Teaching and Learning

• 2225--Director of Student Programs

• 2400--Line of Authority

• 2410--Administrative Action in Emergencies

• 2420--Staff Handbooks

• 2430--Attendance at Professional Growth Meetings

• 2440--Administrative Action in Absence of Policy

Revisions were made to the remaining policies, as indicated below:

• 2110A Superintendent Job Description-grammatical errors were corrected and the adoption date was removed.

• 2210-Duties of Principal - updated the experience statement to indicate that  a minimum of five years is "preferred" and removed the line referencing an administrative rule

• 2226- Director of Student Services and Safety - grammatical error corrected

• 2310- Certificated Administrator Evaluation- removed the line referencing an administrative rule.

• 2320- Evaluation of Superintendent

  • The Superintendent Evaluation Committee made the recommendation to update the evaluation plan to reflect the process of the Nebraska Association of School Boards (NASB). The Policy Committee reviewed the changes via email and agreed.

• 2320A-Evaluation Instrument of Superintendent

  • The Superintendent Evaluation Committee suggested utilizing NASB’s Superintendent Evaluation tool and services to help conduct the evaluation process going forward. The Policy Committee reviewed the tool and agreed. If approved tonight, it will be sent to NDE for final approval.

Rationale: 

The Activities Committee Meeting Monday, September 30, 2024 at noon.

Board Members Brenda Carhart and Tom Stanton were present, along with staff members Dr. Jami Jo Thompson, Erik Wilson, Jason Settles, John Erwin, Curt Lammers, Chuck Hughes, Jordan Hinrichs, and Callan Collins. 

Mr. Erwin reviewed senior high activity participation levels and Mr. Hinrichs reviewed junior high activity participation level.

Mr. Erwin noted that the administration had a meeting scheduled to discuss the filling of  the orchestra teacher position.

A discussion was held regarding Out-of-State Travel for Activities. Our current policy states: Norfolk Public Schools will provide no financial support to extra-curricular student groups or organizations for travel outside of Nebraska (exclusive of NSAA sanctioned activity competition in Iowa and South Dakota). However, we do participate in some activities in South Dakota and Iowa that are NSAA related and some that are not. We discussed the pros and cons of this and drafted a policy that would allow travel outside of Nebraska within a 175 mile radius of Norfolk. We decided to gather input from coaches on these proposed changes and bring their feedback to our next committee meeting for further discussion, before taking a recommendation to the policy committee. 

Our next Activities Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 2, 2024 at noon.

Rationale:  The Norfolk Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors met on September 16th at the NPS Administration Building. Eleven board members were present.

The 2024 NPS Staff Campaign is currently underway and the Foundation is grateful for the support given from current staff members who have all donated to the Foundation.

NPSF is inviting the public to attend the new Traditions Event on Tuesday, October 22nd at 5:30 PM at the Johnny Carson Theatre. This is the Foundation’s main fundraiser for the year when they plan to celebrate the tradition of academic excellence at Norfolk Public Schools. All funds raised by this event will benefit the NPS Foundation and will help support students and staff in our District. We hope you’ll join us!

The next NPSF Board meeting will be October 21st.
 

Rationale:  Minutes from the meeting held on September 23rd are attached for review. 

Rationale: 

• Retirement - Julie Daniel, visually impaired teacher, effective at the end of the 2024-2025 contract year.
• Retirement - Mary Luhr, Director of Student Programs, effective at the end of the 2024-2025 contract year.

Rationale:  Attached are the claims. These claims were reviewed earlier by our Finance and Facilities Committee. 

There are no conflict statements this month.

Rationale:  ESSERS grant funding ended September 30, 2024, along with the requirement for schools to maintain a Return to In-Person Learning Plan with COVID-19 Safety Protocols. Therefore, I am recommending that the Board rescind our COVID-19 Return to In-Person Learning Plan.  At this point, we will return to normal operating procedures, as outlined in Board policy, staff and student handbooks.

Rationale:  According to State Statute, public schools must adopt an Option Enrollment Resolution annually, setting grade and program capacities and indicating which grade levels and programs are open for option enrollment students, based upon those capacities and projected enrollments.  

For the 2024-2025 school year, our projections indicate that we will be at capacity in grades 9-12.

The grades that we will be accepting option enrollment students in next year are K-8. See the attached appendix for the number of option students that will be accepted at each grade level.
 

Rationale:  This policy was discussed during the Policy Committee Report and is attached. I would be happy to answer any additional questions that you may have.

Rationale: 

These policies were discussed earlier during the Policy Committee Report and are attached. These policies are recommended for reaffirmation with no changes.

• 2000--Functional Principle of Administration

• 2010--Hiring Administrative Personnel 

• 2100--Superintendent of Schools

• 2110--Responsibilities Of The Superintendent

• 2200--The Principal 

• 2220 --Central Office Administrators

• 2221--Associate Superintendent

• 2222--Director of Business Services, Maintenance and Facilities

• 2223--Director of HR and Accreditation

• 2224--Director of Teaching and Learning

• 2225--Director of Student Programs

• 2400--Line of Authority

• 2410--Administrative Action in Emergencies

• 2420--Staff Handbooks

• 2430--Attendance at Professional Growth Meetings

• 2440--Administrative Action in Absence of Policy

Rationale: 

These policies were discussed earlier during the Policy Committee Report and are attached. Revisions were made to the remaining policies, and are recommended for first reading.

• 2110A Superintendent Job Description-grammatical errors were corrected and the adoption date was removed.

• 2210-Duties of Principal - updated the experience statement to indicate that a minimum of five years is "preferred" and removed the line referencing an administrative rule

• 2226- Director of Student Services and Safety - grammatical error corrected

• 2310- Certificated Administrator Evaluation-removed the line referencing an administrative rule.

• 2320- Evaluation of Superintendent - The Superintendent Evaluation Committee made the recommendation to update the evaluation plan to reflect the process of the Nebraska Association of School Boards (NASB). The Policy Committee reviewed the changes via email and agreed.

• 2320A-Evaluation Instrument of Superintendent - The Superintendent Evaluation Committee suggested utilizing NASB’s Superintendent Evaluation tool and services to help conduct the evaluation process going forward. The Policy Committee reviewed the tool and agreed. If approved tonight, it will be sent to NDE for final approval.

Rationale:  We have received a formal written request by the NCEA (Norfolk City Educational Association) to be recognized as the exclusive collective bargaining agent for non-supervisory certificated staff. This action is required each year by Nebraska State Statute. We have not received any other requests; therefore, I recommend that the request be approved.  

Rationale: 

The 2nd monthly meeting of the Board of Education is scheduled for Monday, October 28th, 2024 at Noon. 

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Monday, November 11th, 2024 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.