March 9, 2015 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:  Early Childhood/Preschool Update
  *  Research from First Five Nebraska
   * NPS Program Enhancements and Expansions
* 4 Year Old Program
* Birth to 3 Sixpence Grant

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

Rationale:  Jefferson Elementary Students--Chromebook applications

Rationale:  Jefferson Elementary Student Achievement/Data Report

Rationale:  Pat DeLay, ELL Para at Westside.

Rationale:  This is the time during the board meeting when the public may request to address the board regarding an agenda item. If you wish to comment, we ask that you identify yourself and indicate the agenda item to which you will be speaking.

Rationale: 

Total amount of claims approved in the consent agenda for the month of March, 2015 by specific fund are as follows:
General Fund = $414,440.45

Cooperative Fund = $50,657.04

Student Fee Fund = $3,938.32

Special Building Fund = $70.24

QCPUF Fund = $211,750.61

Nutrition Services Fund = $204,131.86

The total amount of claims for the month of February, 2015 in the Activities fund are as follows:
Activity Fund = $118,332.97

The Facilities and Finance Committee reviewed all claims for the month of March, 2015 as well as all activity claims for the month of February, 2015.  We are currently 6 months through our 2014-2015 fiscal year and everything seems to be on par.  NDE has started releasing preliminary budget information for 2015-2016.  I will be starting that process in more depth as we get final TEEOSA numbers as well as some other grant information.

Rationale: 

CURRICULUM & ASSESSMENT:

There’s not a lot of new curriculum items to report as we are tying up loose ends for next month’s curriculum presentation and approval.

MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) Testing is in process. This involves 3-8 & 10th grades. It’s a national test that shows us growth and progress from the beginning to the end of the year, as well as year to year.  You can expect to see data from me later in the spring.

NeSA training sessions are being held across the district to prepare for the statewide assessment in Reading, Math and Science.

TECHNOLOGY:

I’m in the midst of working toward the new web design with IdeaBank. We are just in the beginning phases but should be able to meet our deadline for launching the new site this summer.

Pat Wolff and I have been meeting and working on the needs of the district for technology updates.

The technology department is preparing for their move to a different building. We are trying to make it as smooth and seamless as possible. 

Rationale: 

1. The attached chart reports the attendance at Spring Parent Conferences in our district schools.

Little Panther Preschool	100%
Bel Air	99%
Grant	98%
Jefferson	97%
Lincoln	100%
Washington	95%
Westside	98%
Woodland Park	98%
Middle School	80%
Junior High	62%
Senior High	50%

 2.  Norfolk Public Schools completed their 5 year NDE Monitoring of Special Education to support School Improvement and Outcomes for Students with Disabilities on February 25, 2015.  We have received a follow-up letter stating we completed the review successfully.

 3.  Preparations are being made for our district’s Kindergarten Round-up for the 2015-2016 school year. Activities for students and information for parents/guardians will be scheduled in all of our elementary buildings on Wednesday, April 22nd.

 

Rationale: 

School Improvement/Professional Development
On March 10 at ESU 8, Beth Nelson, Angie Hausmann, Jennifer Lohrberg, Bruce Strong and I will participate in the last Principal Cadre training. The training will be facilitated by the ESU 8 staff and topics will include the collection of quantitative data, continuous improvement tools and level-appropriate data collection. 

Safety
On February 3, the Norfolk Public School’s LB757 Safety Committee met to review safety topics and district incident reports. Topics to be reviewed by all NPS employees during the months of March, April, and May include:  coughing/sneezing, using an AED protocol, protection from the sun, and stings/bites from insects. Our last meeting of the school year is scheduled for April 7. 

Human Resources
On Wednesday, March 4, Angie Baumann and I interviewed fourteen Wayne State College students who are currently engaged in student teaching across Northeast Nebraska. The interview arrangement allowed pending May graduates to communicate their talents, insights and appeal to Norfolk Public Schools. It also allowed both of us to share the excellent opportunities that are available with NPS. Information on how to apply for jobs using our on-line application process was also shared. 

Michelle Indra of Norfolk and William Schellen of Meadow Grove have been approved as local substitute teachers.

Current NPS Openings:
SPED-Resource
SPED-LIFE
Art
K-6 Teachers
School Psychologist
Guidance Counselor 

Public Relations
The Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) announced Norfolk High School as the Pump & Pantry School Spirit Award recipient for the month of February. As the February honoree, Norfolk High School will also receive a $250 gas card provided by Pump & Pantry to support team and fan travel. 

Mickie Mueller was selected to receive the NETA (Nebraska Education Technology Association) Excellence in Leading with Technology Award for 2015. Mickie has been invited to attend the NETA Board of Directors dinner on the evening of Wednesday, April 22 at the Century Link Center, where she will receive a plaque and briefly present her approach to providing technology leadership.

Rationale:  Security upgrades have been made to Grant Elementary and the Central Office Administration Building.  Both buildings now have secured entrances. The equipment chosen for Central Office will work now, during construction, and after the remodel.

Mary Hoien has started as my new Administrative Assistant and Maria Austin has taken her position as the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Teaching and Learning.  Both Mary and Maria are doing an excellent job.

Dr. Larry Dlugosh will be here March 30th to conduct a Strategic Planning Review/Update Session.  During this meeting our Strategic Action Planning Committees will report their progress to the original Strategic Planning group that set our goals. This is an opportunity for us to review how we are doing and evaluate whether we are "on track" with the group's original intentions.  

Strategic Planning updates will then be shared with the Board during our April and May Study Sessions. The April Study Session will focus on Curriculum and the May Study Session will focus on Technology and Career Awareness/Preparation.

Rationale:  The committee met today at 12:00 noon in the Central Office Board Room.  As stated earlier all the claims for March and Activity claims for February were reviewed.  We also discussed upcoming RFP's for milk, bread, pest, and sanitation services for 2015-2016.  We began some discussions on RFP's for insurance services as well as discussions about the nutritional services program.  I updated the committee on current facility projects and Dr. Thompson reviewed contractual information with the group.  The next committee meeting will be on April 13th at 12:00 noon in the Central Office Board Room.

Rationale:  Bob Waite, Sandy Wolfe, Bill Robinson and I attended GNSA in Lincoln on February 18th. We heard presentations by Governor Ricketts and First Five Nebraska (a non-profit organization that advocates support for Early Childhood Programs).  A copy of the GNSA Legislative Report was attached for your review.  It outlines the bills that the GNSA has agreed to support or oppose.

Sandy Wolfe and I attended the Legislation hearing on LB601, where Sandy testified in opposition of the bill. She did a nice job of explaining that a bill prohibiting a board member's family member from being employed by his/her school district is unnecessary (because there are already legal safeguards in place to protect districts against conflicts of interest), and it would reduce the number of quality candidates for school board.

The last section of our new Board policy manual is ready for approval tonight and will conclude our 1.5 year revision process.

Board Policy 9200 indicates that all Board Policies will be reviewed every four years and as required by law. I will develop a schedule so that we review X number of policies every month to ensure that we review each policy within this time frame.  In addition, Perry Law Firm will send us proposed changes and additions for consideration as needed, each year after the Legislative Session has concluded. 

Rationale: 

The Activities Committee held a special two-hour meeting on February 16^th to review the findings of the Title IX Activities Review Committee, which is a Superintendent Advisory Committee formed to evaluate our district’s activities programs, specifically regarding Title IX compliance. 

Title IX is the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in schools and other educational programs that receive federal funds.  It applies to all aspects of educational opportunities, but is especially well known for its success in opening the door to athletics for women and girls. Title IX requires schools to:

• Offer male and female students equal opportunities to participate in activities
• Treat males and females fairly in all aspects of the program

The Title IX Activities Review Committee conducted an anonymous survey of staff, students, parents, and community members. Nearly 600 people responded. Review of the data indicated that there is a strong belief by certain groups that gender inequity exists within some of our programs.  However, when this committee studied the areas identified as concerns, they could not find any major issues with gender equity within our programs.

The committee did identify a concern regarding gender equity within club activities. Club activities are not directly supervised or financed by NPS but they do have a strong affiliation with our school. Therefore, the committee recommended that the district improve its support and guidance to club activities to assist them with transparency and gender equity compliance. Specific areas that they would like us to help club leaders with include:

• Finances
• Facility use
• Transportation
• Equipment and supply purchases

  In addition, the committee indicated that a comprehensive public relations and communication plan would be helpful -- especially when discussing club activities and the district’s role with those clubs.  The committee suggested that NPS coaches and sponsors have the opportunity to present information regarding their activities to our Activities Committee -- similar to what is done through our Principal’s Reports and Focus on the Students at regular board meetings.  They also suggested that we clearly articulate how our programs work and are managed, to avoid inaccurate perceptions within the community.

  Additional recommendations made by the committee include:

• Develop scheduling parameters and procedures for facilities that includes due dates for requests for each season.
• Clearly articulate how the budget process works within the public relations plan, and encourage patrons to donate as equitable as possible.
• Clearly articulate our procedures regarding uniform replacement, team meals, transportation, and student fees within the public relations plan.
• Develop scheduling parameters and procedures for transportation, including when and how coach buses are assigned.
• Prioritize the update of the female P.E. locker room at the Sr. High.
• Initiate conversations with the City of Norfolk concerning city facilities used by the district that have some gender equity issues (i.e. facilities for softball versus baseball).

Our Activities Director (Dennis Dolliver), Student Services Director (Mary Luhr) and Title IX Compliance Office (Bill Robinson) will develop Action Plans related to each of these recommendations and begin implementation as soon as possible.  They will share these plans with the Title IX Activities Review Committee in the fall, noting areas where progress has been made, as well as areas where additional work may still be needed.

Internal audits of our programs will be completed each year in the future to ensure that we provide quality programs to boys and girls on an equitable basis.

Board members or patrons who have questions may address them to me or to Bill Robinson, Chair of the Activities Review Committee and District Title IX Compliance Officer.

 

 

Rationale:  Barb Paloma-K-12 Behavioral Consultant (retiring)
Deb Navratil- MS Guidance Counselor (retiring)
Paige Rambour- HS FCS (obtained a position in Columbus, which is where she lives)

Rationale:  4005: Weather Related Absences
4026: Appropriate Dress
4110: Contract
5302: Student Organizations (including Restriction on Wednesday Events)
5304:  Cooperative Activities
5416: Student Fees Policy (including National Trips)
6113: Limitations on Minimum Class Size
6118: Attendance Area Boundary Line Review
6119: Attendance Districts
6271: School Activity Trip Drivers
8201: (Board) Vacancies and Resignations

Rationale:  At this point we want to repeal any old policies that we may have missed listing previously to avoid any contradictions or confusion, as we move forward with our new (and complete) Policy book.  This will conclude our 1.5 year policy revision project.

Rationale:  The Superintendent's Proposed Contract/Compensation Package was attached for your review prior to tonight. It was also posted on the NPS Website for public information.

This contract places Dr. Thompson at mid-point of our array (utilizing the same array that was used for our teaching staff).

Rationale:  These ipads are no longer useful to the district.  

Rationale:  I am recommending to the board of education to make a motion to seek bids for bread, milk, pest and sanitation services.  The RFP's for these items were discussed today in our Facilities and Finance Committee Meeting.

Rationale:  These computers are due for replacement.

Rationale:  The second meeting of the month is scheduled for Thursday, March 26th at noon at the Central Office Administration Building.

Our next regular board meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 13th. The study session will begin at 5:30 PM and will be followed by the business meeting at 6:30.  All components of the meeting are open to the public and will be held at the City Administration Building.