November 27, 2012 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale: 

Notice of the time and place of the Lincoln Board of Education meeting was e-mailed to an extensive list of local and regional news media.  A mailing list is maintained at the Lincoln Public Schools District Office.  A public notice was published in the LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR.

The Lincoln Board of Education is empowered to act on any item listed on the Agenda at any time during the meeting, irrespective of the time or order listed. Pages listed, or further detail, are available upon request. The Open Meetings Act requires and the intention of the Board is that agenda items be sufficiently descriptive to give the public reasonable notice of the matters to be considered at the meeting. The Lincoln Board of Education releases its agenda well in advance of most meetings and desires that all interested persons are fully informed. Any interested person who has a question or needs clarification about the sufficiency of a descriptive item should contact the Office of the Superintendent of Schools.

Rationale:  The attached minutes are intended to accurately reflect the action of the Board at its previous meetings.

Explanation
The minutes have been prepared for Board approval.

Rationale:  Special Recognition for American Flag Donations:

• American Disabled Veterans
• Grand Lodge at the Preserve
• Northeast Sertoma Club

Rationale:  In keeping with Policy 8420, a time limit of five minutes will be allotted for any speaker. At the discretion of the Chair, the speaker may be allotted additional time.

Rationale: 

Rationale: 

Rationale:  At each meeting, the Board of Education is asked to approve certain items of routine business of the school district.

Explanation
The items included in routine business for this meeting are:

a.    REGULAR CLAIMS – Claims for the periods ending November 27, 2012, were previously provided.

        Federal Tax ACH Deposit of $29,448.04.

        State Income Tax ACH Deposit of $703,848.56.

        Procurement Card ACH Transfer of $86,549.21.

        Office Depot ACH Transfer of $6,325.01.

        Vendor ACH Transfer of $289.08.

b.    PAYROLL FOR RATIFICATION – Payroll for the periods ending November 5 and November 15, 2012, in the amount of $194,710.56.

c.    GIFTS – Approval for the gifts listed on the attached gift report.

d.    BIDS/CONTRACTS/OTHER ROUTINE BUSINESS – Bids/contracts/other routine business will be presented for approval for bakery products; and any other bids/contracts/routine business as presented.

Proposal
That the Lincoln Board of Education approve the following items of routine business:*

a.    The regular claims for periods ending November 27, 2012.

b.    Payroll for the periods ending November 5 and November 15, 2012.

c.    Gifts for Beattie, Kloefkorn, McPhee, Park, Sheridan, and the district.

d.    BIDS/CONTRACTS/OTHER ROUTINE BUSINESS – Bids/contracts/other routine business will be presented for approval for bakery products; and any other bids/contracts/routine business as presented.

*That the Board is approving routine business and the listed bids and contracts with the information and in the form as presented, and except as to amount bid or total contract price, in such other form as may be approved by the Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs, or his designee, and that the Board hereby authorizes the Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs, or his designee, to sign, execute, and deliver necessary documents or contracts, and to take or cause to be taken any and all other action as may be necessary to complete the transaction as contemplated, for and on behalf of this school district.

Rationale:  On January 24, 2012, the Board adopted a resolution to accept option students for the 2012-13 school year.  Applications have been received from students requesting that they be accepted as option students for the 2012-13 school year.  Staff recommends that the students referred to in this agenda item be accepted for enrollment as they are in compliance with the Board resolution of January 24, 2012.

Explanation
Staff has examined the applications of the students included in this proposal.  The students meet the criteria set forth by the Board in its resolution of January 24, 2012.  Staff recommends approval of these applications.

Proposal
That the Board adopt the following resolution:

WHEREAS the students who have been assigned student numbers 253057, 239931, and 226020 (for purposes of confidentiality, assigned numbers are being used) meet all criteria of the Board resolution of January 24, 2012, with regard to such option students;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the aforementioned students be accepted as option students on the condition and with the express understanding that all programs, all classes, and all buildings of assignment, except as otherwise required by law, shall at all times and from time to time during attendance at Lincoln Public Schools be determined solely by Lincoln Public Schools.

Rationale:  March 15, 2012, was the deadline for enrollment option applications to be completed for students wishing to attend school in a district other than the one in which they reside for the 2012-13 school year.  The Lincoln Public Schools Board of Education has authority to waive the deadline for late enrollment option requests (NDE Rule 7, Section 004.05).

Explanation
A request from a student who resides in the Lincoln Public Schools District and wishes to attend school outside of the Lincoln Public Schools District has been received after the March 15, 2012, deadline.  The Lincoln Public Schools Board of Education may deny or approve this request.  If this request is approved by the Board of Education, it will be forwarded to the option school district for their approval.

                                    Student Number                                    Option District

Proposal
That the Board approve this request for option out for the 2012-13 school year.

Rationale:  *The Lincoln Board of Education is empowered to act on any item listed on the Agenda at any time during the meeting, irrespective of the time or order listed. Pages listed, or further detail, are available upon request. The Open Meetings Act requires and the intention of the Board is that agenda items be sufficiently descriptive to give the public reasonable notice of the matters to be considered at the meeting. The Lincoln Board of Education  Board releases its agenda well in advance of most meetings and desires that all interested persons are fully informed. Any interested person who has a question or needs clarification about the sufficiency of a descriptive item should contact the Office of the Superintendent of Schools.

Rationale:  Since 1934 the Cooper Foundation has invested its capital in support of people through education, human services, the arts, the humanities, and the environment. The mission of the Cooper Foundation is to support strong, sustainable organizations, innovative ideas and ventures of significant promise.  The Foundation makes grants to non-profit organizations located in and working in Nebraska, primarily Lincoln and Lancaster County.

Explanation
The ‘Hear to Learn’ grant application supports Lincoln Public Schools’ Strategic Plan by addressing Action Step 4 (early intervention, beginning in pre-school, and effective instruction practices at all grades) of the strategic goal to raise the graduation rate.

The purpose of ‘Hear to Learn’ (a parent-initiated, teacher-supported LPS pilot program) is to improve learning outcomes for all students by installing 100 classroom amplification systems in four Lincoln elementary schools: Prescott, Sheridan, Kloefkorn, and West Lincoln. These systems consist of a main speaker with one microphone for the teacher and another for students. The systems project sound evenly across classrooms; making every desk a good place to hear and learn. This project responds to several problems associated with classroom noise and children’s often fluctuating ability to hear: inadequate signal-to-noise ratios (where instruction is drowned out by background noise), behavioral concerns, (where distracted students act out) and decreased academic achievement. Problems affect all learners, especially those with hearing loss, learning disabilities, attention disorders, English as a second language, poverty, and other needs.

Lincoln Public Schools requests $10,000 from the Cooper Foundation.  Monies from the Cooper Foundation will purchase ten soundfield systems for use at West Lincoln and Prescott Elementary Schools. 

 Multiple funding sources are being sought for this $130,000 project. 

• $10,000 Cooper Foundation (approval for application being requested)
• $25,000 Woods Charitable Fund (application pending)
• $3,000 Sheridan PTO
• $3,000 Kloefkorn PTO
• $49,000 Corporate, Private, Individual and Foundation donations (pending)
• $40,000 Lincoln Public Schools (approved by Board on10/30/12 as part of the application for the Woods Charitable Fund application-source of funds:  Strategic Planning Initiatives Budget)

Proposal

That the Board discuss the Hear to Learn Grant application to the Cooper Foundation for $10,000. 

Rationale:  At the second Board meeting of the month, information regarding the district’s monthly financial report is presented.

Explanation
The monthly financial report for the month ending October 31, 2012, is attached.

Proposal
Information item; no Board action required.

Rationale:  State Law Section 79-1089, Chapter 1, of Title 92 of the Nebraska Administrative Code, Board Policy 3600, and other state and federal laws and regulations require an annual financial audit for Lancaster County School District 001 (Lincoln Public Schools) and Educational Service Unit No. 18.

Explanation
The 2011-12 audits for the school district and Educational Service Unit No. 18 have been completed.  A representative from Orizon CPAs, LLC will be present to discuss the audits.

Proposal
Information item; no action is required.

Rationale:  December 5- 8:00 a.m., Chamber Coffee, Chamber Office

December 11 - 6:00 p.m., Board Meeting

Rationale:  In keeping with Policy 8420, a time limit of five minutes will be allotted for any speaker. At the discretion of the Chair, the speaker may be allotted additional time.

Rationale:  The Lincoln Board of Education is authorized by state statute to hold closed sessions.  Closed sessions may be held when clearly necessary for the protection of the public interest or for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual.  Reasons that meet this standard include but are not limited to:  (a) strategy sessions with respect to collective bargaining, real estate matters, pending litigation, or litigation which is imminent as evidenced by communication of a claim or threat of litigation to or by the public body; (b) discussion regarding deployment of security personnel or devices; (c) investigative proceedings regarding allegations of criminal misconduct; (d) evaluation of the job performance of a person when necessary to prevent needless injury to the reputation of a person and if such person has not requested a public meeting; and (e) legal advice.