January 13, 2020 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:  Supt Goal Updates 
Board Visits

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

Rationale:  Grant Elementary--"Guys in Ties"

Rationale:  Mrs. Sandy Claussen (Special Education Paraprofessional at Norfolk Junior High School)

Rationale: 

Dr. Thompson will call for nominations for Board President.

Rationale:  The newly elected President will call for nominations for Vice President.

Rationale: 

It is customary for the District's Business Manager to serve as the Board Treasurer.  Therefore, I am recommending that Dr. Bill Robinson be appointed as the 2019 Board Treasurer.

Rationale: 

It is customary for the district's Superintendent to serve as the Board's Secretary. Therefore , I recommend that you appoint me as your 2019 Board Secretary.

Rationale: 

For numerous years, the district's primary legal counsel has been provided via the attorneys at Perry Law Firm.  We continue to be satisfied with their advice and performance. Therefore, I recommend that we continue to use their services on an as needed basis.

Other legal firms may be used from time to time for special cases with extenuating circumstances.

Rationale: 

Negotiations Committee:

Purpose: Represents the full BOE in negotiations with recognized labor organizations

Meetings: Several meetings in November-January

Required Members: 2 Board members; no other specifications

Current Members: Arnie Robinson and Bruce Mitchell

Curriculum Committee:

Purpose:  Reviews major proposals regarding the adoption of new textbooks, instructional programs, and graduation requirements.

Meetings: At least once a year; more if Social Studies textbooks are being reviewed

Required Members: 3 Board members; no other specifications

Current Members: Bruce Mitchell, Dr. Patti Gubbels, and Tammy Day

American Civics Committee

Purpose:  To ensure the district meets all guidelines set forth in State Statutes 79-724 to 79-727

Meetings: At least twice a year -- one where public testimony is accepted

Required Members: 3 Board members; no other specifications

Current Members: Bruce Mitchell, Dr. Patti Gubbels, and Tammy Day

 

Finance and Facilities Committee:

Purpose: Studies financial documents of the district, as well as finance and facilities proposals

Meetings: At least once per month; more frequently when needed

Required members: 3 Board Members, including the President and/or Vice President

Current Members: Sandy Wolfe, Arnie Robinson, and Dr. Patti Gubbels

 

Policy Committee

Purpose: Reviews proposed policy revisions and adoptions and makes recommendations to the Full Board

Meetings: Typically once per month

Required Members: 2 Board members; no other specifications

Current Members: Bob Waite, Sandy Wolfe, and Dr. Patti Gubbels

 

Government Relations Committee:

Purpose: Participates in government relations activities, such as attending GNSA meetings, visiting with State Senators, and testifying before the legislature

Meetings: Varies-typically 2-3 times per month during the legislative session

Required Members: 2 Board members; no other specifications

Current Members: Tammy Day, Sandy Wolfe, and Dr. Patti Gubbels

 

Superintendent Evaluation Committee:

Purpose: Completes the annual evaluation of the Superintendent, with input from the Board as a whole

Meetings: 1-3 times prior to the Superintendent’s evaluation

Required Members: 3 Board Members, including the Board President, Vice President, and one other member

Current Members: Arnie Robinson, Sandy Wolfe, and Dr. Patti Gubbels

 

Activities Committee:

Purpose: Reviews activities budget, participation, and proposals

Meetings: 4-6 times per year

Required Members: 3 Board members; no other specifications

Current Members: Arnie Robinson, Bob Waite, and Tammy Day

 

Staff Member of the Month:

Purpose: Helps to select the Award for Excellence recipient

Meetings: 4-6 per year

Required Members: 1 Board member; no other specifications

Current member: Bruce Mitchell

 

Foundation Board:

Purpose: Serves as the BOE representative on the NPS Foundation Board

Meetings: Typically once per month

Required Members: 1 Board member; no other specifications

Current member: Sandy Wolfe

 

District Wellness Committee

Purpose: Serves as the BOE representative on this district committee

Meetings: 4-6 per year

Required Members: 1 Board member; no other specifications

Current member: Bob Waite

 

School Liaisons:

School	Board Member:
Bel Air	Dr. Patti Gubbels
Grant	Tammy Day
Jefferson	Sandy Wolfe
Lincoln	Arnie Robinson
Washington	Tammy Day
Westside	Arnie Robinson
Woodland Park	Bruce Mitchell
Middle School	Bob Waite & Sandy Wolfe
Junior High	Arnie Robinson & Bruce Mitchell
Senior High	Patti Gubbels & Bob Waite
Alternatives For Success	Sandy Wolfe & Tammy Day

Rationale:  RESOLVED, that the official depository of school funds for Madison County School District 59-0002 is hereby designated to be at Bank First, Elkhorn Valley Bank & Trust, Midwest Bank and Nebraska Liquid Asset Fund, and that the designation of any other institution as the depository of school funds is hereby withdrawn.  Bank First will be the primary depository for the General Fund; and Elkhorn Valley Bank & Trust will be the primary depository for all other district Funds except the Bond Fund which Midwest Bank will be the primary depository.  Nebraska Liquid Asset Fund will serve as a depository for cash reserves in the General, Bond, QCPUF, Special Building, and Depreciation Funds.This resolution specifically recognizes the financial institutions where district and taxpayer's dollars are deposited.  This resolution also meets the requirement of full public disclosure of financial institutions used by the district.
I am recommending that we use the following financial institutions:  Bank First, Elkhorn Valley Bank and Trust, Midwest Bank, and the Nebraska Liquid Asset Fund. All of these institutions provide banking services to the district at no charge, while also fully securing district funds.

Rationale: 

According to Policy 3130 the Board of Education shall be presented annually the list of recommended administrators and staff who have the authority to use school district issued credit cards and purchasing cards.  The credit cards are issued through Elkhorn Valley Bank and have the school districts name and card number on them, not individual names. The district Voyager fleet cards for fuel can only be used by organizations that qualify for the state fuel rate. These cards are also numbered with the school district name on them.  All cards are initially checked out through the Business Office and returned to the Business Office when they expire or a listed employee leaves the district.

Rationale:  This is the newspaper that we utilize to post official Board notifications, such as bids and meeting notices.  I recommend that we continue to use our local newspaper, the Norfolk Daily News.

Rationale: 

State statutes require that School Board members disclose any Conflicts of Interest that they may have related to contracts and employment issues, as well as any other matters that may have a financial impact on the Board member or his/her family.  The procedures for conflict disclosure and reporting have been provided to all Board members for their review.

All Board members understand their duty to disclose potential conflicts of interest and refrain from voting on such items.  Potential items that may be a conflict include: reimbursement of expenses and the payment of wages for activity workers. Our Finance Office will notify Board members if such items appear on the monthly claims and assist them in preparing a conflict of interest disclosure statement.

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 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: 

Total amount of claims to be approved in the consent agenda for the month of January, 2020 by specific fund is listed below:

General Fund = $556,106.49

Nutrition Services Fund =$209,367.37

Cooperative Fund = $5,261.19

Depreciation Fund = $29,905.65

Special Building Fund = $233,917.72

QCPUF = $1,418.28

Student Fee Fund = $3,607.54

Employee Benefit Fund = $122,853.00

The total amount of claims for the month of December, 2019 in the Activities Fund were:
Activity Fund =$68,690.29

All of these claims were reviewed earlier today by the Finance and Facility Committee.  The business office will begin the process of preparing the 2019 W-2's and 1095 C's for employees next week. They should have them early next month.

Rationale: 

• The Teaching and Learning Team along with Special Education Leaders planned, organized and carried out professional development on Friday, January 3^rd.  We had a few outside guest presenters from NDE and ESU 8. The day was designed with multiple sessions that were either expressed as a high interest/need area from fall teacher surveys or they were a spin off from professional development in October.
  • Professional Development topics included:
    • Flexible Pacing to Embrace Students’ Differences (7-12)
    • Writing Instruction with Six Traits Model
    • Defining Essentials of Math (K-2), (3-8) 
    • Claim, Evidence, Reasoning in the Science Classroom (K-4), (5-8), (9-12)
    • Making Sense of Behavior
    • ACT Data Driven Instruction
    • Effective Parent Teacher Conferences and Parent Communication Methods
    • Classroom Instructional Closure
    • Designing Blended Learning in Your Classroom (7-12)
    • Student Goal Setting Using MAP Data
• Sub-Committee work is in motion. One piece to our large parent/student/teacher/admin committee is to work through the pieces and parts of a conversion chart that will translate and communicates better on the NPS transcript. While the senior high transcript is a byproduct of course grading, it is related to the work being completed by the larger group. It is only a part, but a major part to all students regardless of grading practices. The first meeting was held Thursday, Jan. 9^th.  The scope of the work will require more than one meeting.
• The Winter MAP testing window is open as of today. The data gathered from Winter MAP can help teachers to drive their instruction throughout the rest of the year by identifying where students are at and where they need to go yet to meet end of year benchmarks.
• The first steps are in motion for the social studies curriculum revision that reflects the newly adopted standards. 

Rationale: 

1. January 17, 2020, I will attend another NDE/SPED liaison meeting regarding the special education teaching shortage.
2. The window for our ELL students to be assessed with the ELPA  will open the week of February 3rd through March 13, 2020. 
3. Parent Teacher Conferences will be held the week of February 3, 2020.  We encourage parents to use this opportunity to visit with their child’s teachers.
4. February 3, 2020, Elementary, Middle School and Jr. High administration will be attending a continuation of PBIS training at ESU 8.  
5. February 6-7, 2020, I will be attending the Nebraska Association of Special Education Supervisors (NASES) Legislative Conference in Lincoln.  At this conference we are given the opportunity to meet with our State Senators on the expectations for special education. 

Rationale: 

ESU # 8 Winter Workshop: 

• The Winter Workshop (a collaborative staff development day with a multitude of area schools) will be held at Norfolk Senior High School on Monday, January 20, 2020.
• The keynote presentation for the 2020 Winter Workshop will be Rachel’s Challenge. For more information on the Winter Workshop, please go to: esu8winterworkshop.weebly.com. 
• On Monday, January 20, 2020 NPS will also be hosting a Rachel’s Challenge student/parent event at the Johnny Carson Theatre beginning at 7:00 p.m. This event is free to the public and students (grades 5-12) and parents from the Norfolk area are encouraged to attend. The evening event information is also posted on our school website. 
• For more information about Rachel’s Challenge, please go to: https://rachelschallenge.org/

Hiring Season: 

• The certified staff hiring season will begin in earnest this spring as we are currently busy updating job descriptions and posting our current and upcoming positions. We are committed to positively promoting our district and hiring the best staff possible. We will continue to advertise and recruit as needed until all of our spots have been filled. 

Personnel Update:

Current Openings:

• Director of School Safety and Student Services
• Junior High: Special Education Paraprofessional
• Westside Elementary: LIFE Paraprofessional
• Jefferson Elementary Special Education Paraprofessional
• Little Panthers Preschool:  Special Education Paraprofessional/Driver
• Speech/Language Pathologist (Part/Full-Time)
• Deaf Education/Sign Language Interpreter (Full-Time)  
• TBA - Elementary Special Education Teacher
• Aftershock Club Facilitators
• School Bus Activity Drivers
• Substitute Custodian (on-call)

     The following positions begin Fall 2020:

• Junior High - English Teacher
• Junior High - Science Teacher
• Junior High - Social Studies Teacher
• Senior High Social Studies Teacher
• Montessori Elementary Teacher
• Instructional Leader (Secondary Level) 
• SPED/ Behavioral Specialist
• Middle School - Special Education Teacher

Coaching Opportunities (2020-21 school year):

• HS Assistant Boys Basketball
• HS Assistant Baseball
• HS Assistant Girls Soccer
• 8th Grade Assistant Boys Basketball

Rationale:  Career Academy Highlight:
I have a fun fact to share regarding our Career Academies: Our Career Academy students in a Skilled and Technical Sciences (STS) capstone class complete the 10 hour OSHA certification. When one of our early grads enrolled at NECC this semester, he discovered that he will not have to take one of the classes in his program,  because he has already completed the 10 hour OSHA certification. This saved our student $400 in tuition, course fees, and books.  

Westside Award:
Westside Elementary School has been designated as an ESEA Distinguished School for their academic excellence...for the second time.  They received this award in 2015 and again in 2019.  This award is given to schools that "demonstrate a wide array of strengths, including team approaches to teaching and learning, focused professional development opportunities for staff, individualized programs for student success, and strong partnerships between the school, parents, and the community."

We will be hosting a community celebration in their honor on January 29, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at Westside Elementary School in the gym.  The community is invited to join us.

 

Rationale:  The committee met at 12:00 today.  The claims for the month of January and Activity claims for December were reviewed.  The committee was able to discuss in detail with Cody Wickham from D.A. Davidson about QCPUF bonds and potential general obligation bonds.  The following facility and business items were discussed as well:

• Update on closing out the pre-school building with the general contractor
• Review of the HVAC projects at Jefferson and Jr. High
• Reviewed the request to release an RFP for chromebooks and desktops in the district
• Review of the Banking Resolution, credit card and fleet card list
• Review on the RFP for architectural services and upcoming interviews

The next regular meeting will be on Monday, February 10th at 12:00 noon. 

Rationale: 

The Policy Committee met on January 2nd to review Policies 4001-4012 related to Personnel.  Following are the committee’s recommended changes:

• Outdated weather-related absences information (prior to 2018-2019) in Policy 4005 was removed.

• Statements referencing students were removed from policies 4003 and 4009, because these policies relate to personnel rather than students.  Similar policies are included in the Student section of the policy manual.

• Minor, non-substantive changes were made to several other policies to improve wording.

No changes have been made since the first reading of Board Policies 2220, 2222-2226 related to Administration. 

The Committee recommends the approval of the First Reading of Policies 4001-4012 and the approval of the Second Reading of Policies  2220, 2222-2226.

Rationale:  The Greater Nebraska Schools Association held a special meeting in Elkhorn on 12/5/2019.  Bryan Slone, President of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, shared information with the group regarding economic incentives and the ImagiNE Nebraska Act. Mr. Slone also shared information with the GNSA regarding workforce issues. 

Property taxes, school funding, and economic incentives are anticipated "hot topics" for the 2019 Legislative Session, which will reconvene on 1/8/2019. 

Rationale:  The Activities Committee met on 12/16/2019.

NSAA Update:
   * Norfolk will continue in Class A for all activities in 2020-2021.
  *  Bowling and Girls Wrestling continue to be discussed as potential additions at the state level.
   * Summer guidelines may be adjusted.
  *  Class A Girls Golf will continue to be held in Norfolk for 3 more  years.

HAC Update:
*  Columbus has joined the HAC.

NHS Update
  * Unified Bowling Championship
  * State Play Production Runner-up
  * Hosted State One-Act 
  * Hosted the NCA Leadership Summit
  * Hosted the State Student Council Convention
  * Storage -- Trophy digitalization

Junior High Update:
* Mr. Viergutz is looking for additional basketball and wrestling competitions.

Facilities Update 
*  Planking on the Carson stadium has been started
*  Annual re-coating of gym floors will continue
*  Activities components are included in the Comprehensive Facilities Plan

 

Rationale:  Minutes from the January 7, 2020 Nurses and Student Health meetings are attached.

Rationale:  Minutes of the 12-9-2019 School Board meeting are attached.

Rationale:  John Erwin--2019-20 Senior High Mathematics Teacher, 2nd semester

Rationale:  Paige Andrijeski--Middle School Special Education Teacher
Shari Johnson--Bel Air 2nd Grade Teacher
Conda (Connie) Haglund--Bel Air 3rd Grade Teacher
Beata Burkink--Bel Air 4th Grade Teacher

Rationale:  Attached are the claims for the month of January, 2020.  These claims were reviewed earlier today by our Finance and Facility Committee. 

Rationale:  These projects would replace the steam boilers at both buildings with new efficient systems.  The projects will have the engineering oversight from KPE engineering and would take place late this spring and throughout the summer.

Rationale:  The regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Monday, February 10, 2020. The Study Session will begin at 5:30 and will be followed by the Business Meeting at 6:30. 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.

The second monthly meeting of the Board of Education has been scheduled for Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 12:00 noon at the NPS Central Office Administration Offices.