February 26, 2019 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. The Lincoln Board of Education shall also make available for examination and copying as requested by members of the public, at least one copy of all reproducible written materials to be discussed at the meeting.

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.

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In keeping with Board Policy 8420:

1. Persons speaking during Public Comment will be called forward individually by the Board Chair to the location identified for such purpose. 
2. 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. Board members may share, address or consider comments from the public during public comment, at the end of public comment or when related business is on the agenda.
3. Each individual speaking to the Board will be required to identify himself or herself prior to giving public comment. A "Record of Appearance" card is provided for this purpose.
4. Persons wishing to appear will be heard in the order in which the Chair of the meeting determines appropriate.
5. In cases where more than one person wishes to speak on the same topic, their presentations to the Board may, at the discretion of the chair, be grouped together by topic.
6. If the number of people wishing to speak under the public participation portions of the agenda is large, the chair may rule that a public hearing be scheduled or the discussion be limited on the issue in question.
7. Persons speaking to the Board during public comment may make printed materials available to the Board but may not use any other form of media.

If at any time persons appearing before the Board exceed the time limitations set forth in this policy or on the agenda or if persons appearing before the Board or who are present at the Board meeting or public hearing become abusive in language or behavior, it shall be the responsibility of the chair to declare that person or persons out of order and to refuse permission to continue to address the Board, require a change in behavior and may require the person or persons to leave the premises of the Board meeting.

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On February 12, 2019, the Board adopted a resolution to accept an option enrollment student for the 2019-20 school year.  An application for enrollment during the 2019-20 school year has been received and is in compliance with the Board resolution of February 12, 2019.      

Explanation
The applications included in this agenda item have been examined by staff and meet one of the criteria set forth by the Board in the resolution of February 12, 2019.  Staff recommends approval of these application.  

Proposal   
That the Board adopt the following resolution:

WHEREAS, the students who have been assigned student numbers 400177, 429199, 439216, 291260, 429726, 412427, 412428, 429791, 259493, 428382, 298481, 429730, 429772, 429721, 299583, 429775, 242793, 429776, 299060, 298892, 406623, 429780, 301484, 420358 and 223806 (for purposes of confidentiality, assigned numbers are being used) meet one or more of the criteria of the Board resolution of February 12, 2019, 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, 2018, 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 2018-19 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  
Requests from students who reside in the district of Lincoln Public Schools and wish to attend school outside of Lincoln Public Schools have been received after the March 15, 2018, deadline.  The Lincoln Board of Education may deny or approve these requests.  If the requests are approved by the Board of Education, they will be forwarded to the option school districts for their approval. 

Student Number            Option District
408720                            Waverly

Proposal  
That the Board approve the requests for option out for the 2018-19 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:  BACKGROUND:
EXPLANATION:

As in previous years, the Calendar Committee has followed Board approved student calendar primary and secondary variables to design and recommend a student calendar that meets the Calendar Committee’s purpose statement, "The school calendar demonstrates the district’s commitment to learning.  It is based on sound instructional considerations and priorities ensuring the continuity, efficiency, and effectiveness of teaching and learning."

The Calendar Committee received additional input from neighborhood and parent groups and LEA faculty representatives during the process of creating this calendar.

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Rationale:  As part of Nebraska’s Every Student Succeeds Act Plan, the Nebraska Department of Education offers funding for improvement efforts at schools identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI). The AQuESTT accountability system was used to identify schools identified for CSI support, including performance on NSCAS ELA & Math, growth and progress toward proficiency, and progress toward English language proficiency.

Federal law requires all CSI schools to complete a needs assessment and develop a plan of action for improvement based on that needs assessment, which is also a competitive application for financial support from NDE.  The goal for the school’s plan of action/application is to focus resources on student academic and support services that result in schoolwide improvement over three years.

The plan of action must be submitted by early March for competitive review.  
    
Explanation
Within Lincoln Public Schools, Clinton Elementary School has completed a needs assessment and proposes to develop a Plan of Action/Support for Improvement (SFI) application for funding consideration by NDE. The additional supports available through an SFI grant would provide an opportunity to create or enhance academic and support services at Clinton. 

Proposed activities will include additional support for teacher professional development and student learning, as well as additional summer opportunities for students.

Proposal
That the Board approve the submission of a Plan of Action/Support for Improvement Grant Application to the Nebraska Department of Education for an amount up to $800,000 for a total of three years, dependent upon final funding determination. There is no match or in-kind requirement for this award.

Rationale:   

Vendor	Description	Quantity	Cost	Extended Cost
Dell EMC Inc.	Dell 5190 Standard Chromebook	3,250	$248.99	$ 809,217.50
Dell EMC Inc.	Dell 5190 2-in-1 Chromebook	3,055	$348.99	$ 1,066,164.45

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In keeping with Board Policy 8420:

1. Persons speaking during Public Comment will be called forward individually by the Board Chair to the location identified for such purpose. 
2. 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. Board members may share, address or consider comments from the public during public comment, at the end of public comment or when related business is on the agenda.
3. Each individual speaking to the Board will be required to identify himself or herself prior to giving public comment. A "Record of Appearance" card is provided for this purpose.
4. Persons wishing to appear will be heard in the order in which the Chair of the meeting determines appropriate.
5. In cases where more than one person wishes to speak on the same topic, their presentations to the Board may, at the discretion of the chair, be grouped together by topic.
6. If the number of people wishing to speak under the public participation portions of the agenda is large, the chair may rule that a public hearing be scheduled or the discussion be limited on the issue in question.
7. Persons speaking to the Board during public comment may make printed materials available to the Board but may not use any other form of media.

If at any time persons appearing before the Board exceed the time limitations set forth in this policy or on the agenda or if persons appearing before the Board or who are present at the Board meeting or public hearing become abusive in language or behavior, it shall be the responsibility of the chair to declare that person or persons out of order and to refuse permission to continue to address the Board, require a change in behavior and may require the person or persons to leave the premises of the Board meeting.

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Explanation
At this point, it is appropriate for the Board to meet in closed session for one of the stated matters and/or any other permissible closed session matters in compliance with the law.

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.