December 11, 2023 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

1. Call to Order

1.1. Roll Call

1.2. Recognition of Open Meeting Law

1.3. Pledge of Allegiance

2. Reports, Communications & Public Participation

2.1. Board accepts public comments

2.2. Student board member report

3. Approve the consent agenda which includes the minutes and financials

3.1. Approval of Expenditures/Payroll for November 2023

4. Reports from Staff Members and Committees

4.1. Negotiations committee

4.2. Finance committee

5. Administrator's written reports: Please review prior to the board meeting

6. Superintendent's comments

Bus Driver Survey

• We provided a survey to our bus drivers concerning the type of route bus they would prefer to drive. The results of that survey were clear; Thomas buses were selected as the favorite manufacturer of buses. This input from our bus drivers is very important due to the insignificant difference between the two bus company bids. 

State Assessment Results

• I wanted to share some information about the state assessment results. Based on the assessment outcomes and other quantifiable factors, McCook Public Schools is classified as a 'Great' school district, a designation we have consistently held for several years. Although we are still analyzing some of the data, the preliminary findings are highly positive. McCook's students continue to surpass both the state of Nebraska and our peer schools (those similar to us). In fact, McCook outperformed the state on every single assessment at every grade level. While we have come close in the past, this marks the first instance of such an achievement since the state began assessing students.
• I will have a much more thorough report on student achievement, which will include detailed state assessments results, early in the spring semester. 
• Information concerning the state assessments and classifications can be accessed on the Nebraska Department of Education Website. 

Meeting with Senator Murman

• The administrative team had an opportunity to sit down with Senator Murman recently to discuss legislation that has the power to impact school systems, students, teachers, and communities. The conversation was very positive, both Senator Murman and the school administrators had a chance to share their positions on potential school legislation. While the administrators and Senator Murman did not perfectly align on all the issues, they did find common ground on many of them. It is our hope that once the legislative session opens and bills begin being discussed, we will be able to access the Senator so that we can continue to share our thoughts and ideas. 

New Webhosting Service

• The District's website will be receiving an upgrade in the late spring and summer. We will be moving to a new webhosting service called Apptegy. Currently, the district contracts with SOCS for most of its webhosting needs. The new webhosting service provider is designed to be more user-friendly and will allow us to improve communications between the classroom and the home. It will also allow us to easily add new and updated media content, which currently is a little cumbersome. 
• Training with special education teachers will begin in January, with those teachers gaining access to the communication portions of the service before the end of the year. Everyone else will receive training on the new hosting service in April and May. 
• It is our intent to have the new service up and running by August 2024. 

Teacher Application Process

• In an effort to make it even easier to apply for a teaching position with McCook Public Schools, we are changing our online application service provider from Frontline to TalentEd. While we will continue to use Frontline for many of their other services, the administrative team decided to move to TalentEd for applications purposes, because it is easier, more common, and better suited for our needs. 

7. Business Manager comments

8. Board member comments

9. New Business

9.1. Approve the Financial Report (Audited) from KSO CPAs + Advisors

9.2. Discuss, consider and take all necessary action with regard to approving the construction manager at risk agreement with Sampson Construction for the proposed new Junior High School addition and Senior High renovation project

9.3. Approve the purchase of a new bus

9.4. Accept resignation from Norabel Chessmore, Sr. High Journalism

10. Positive Comments

11. Enter into executive session to discuss negotiations with the McCook Education Association. The reason for the executive session is to protect the public interest during the negotiation process.

12. Executive session for the purpose of discussing the Superintendent's evaluation Any public body may hold a closed session by the affirmative vote of a majority of its voting members if a closed session is clearly necessary for the protection of the public interest or for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual and if such individual has not requested a public meeting. 

13. Adjournment

14. Items for Review