September 14, 2026 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

1.4. Oath of Office — Student Board Member — Kreighton Barger

2. Public Participation, Presentations, and Reports

2.1. Board accepts public comments

2.2. Presentation from Jordan Lewis, Counselor, McCook Senior High, on the awarding of the Education Quest College Access grant for the 26-27 through 29-30 school years.

2.3. Student Board Member Report

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

3.1. Approval of Expenditures/Payroll for August

4. Reports from Staff Members and Committees

4.1. Finance Committee Report

4.2. Facility Committee Report

5. Board and Administrative Comments

5.1. Written Administrative Comments — Please review prior to the regular Board of Education Meeting. 

5.2.

Executive Summary: Superintendent’s Monthly Report

Reporting Period: August 2026 (For the September 2026 Board Meeting)

Financial Performance & Project Management

The district has concluded the fiscal year.

• General Fund: With 100% of the fiscal year elapsed, General Fund revenue is 105% YTD, while expenses ended at 104.5% YTD.

• All Funds: Combined district funds show total revenue at 107% YTD and total expenditures at 1.1% YTD.

• Current Focus: 

  • The business office is actively engaged in budget preparation for the upcoming 2026–2027 fiscal year. 

  • CLA, Inc is on site for the 2025-2026 audit.

• NASB: Mr. Hays, Mr. Langan Mr. Bednar and I attended the NASB area membership meetings on Sept 3rd, 2026 in North Platte.  Key takeaways are the state budget shortfall, the 2026 legislative elections, and the 2027 legislative session.  We attended several breakout sessions.

Facilities & Infrastructure Updates

Progress continues across multiple scheduled campus improvements:

• Senior High School: 

  • Main hallway renovations are complete.

  • New Mini-Split Air conditioners are being installed at LIFT due to storm damage.

• Junior High School:

  • The roofing project is complete

  • Gym renovations complete

  • HVAC front-end upgrades are nearing completion for classroom reheat coils, boilers, and chillers.

• Storm Damage August 19th, 2026:

  • We received hail damage to several vehicles.

  • We received some hail damage to HVAC units and vents

  • All roofs checked out OK.

Compliance & Operations

• Food Services: The District Food Services Management company OPPA served 7,973 meals.

• State & Federal Reporting: Full compliance has been maintained with three major August filings successfully completed:

  • The 2025–2026 Title Grants reimbursements have been submitted.

  • The 2025–2026 IDEA Grants reimbursements have been submitted.

  • The 2025–2026 CTE Grants reimbursements have been submitted.

 

Key Dates

• Red Willow County Pink Postcard meeting, September 22nd, 2026 @ 6:00pm, McCook Junior High Board Room

• Budget Hearing, September 25th, 2026 @ 12:00 pm, McCook Junior High Board Room.

• Tax Resolution Hearing, September 25th, 2026 @ 12:00 pm, McCook Junior High Board Room

• B. of E Special meeting, September 25th, 2026 @ 12:00 pm, McCook Junior High Board Room

• October 8th and 9th, Parent Teacher Conferences

• October Board of Education Meeting: October 12th, 2026 @ 5:30 pm.  

5.3.

Policy Platform Update

NASB has completed the migration of all current district policies to its online policy platform. I have reviewed each policy and I am following up with NASB on a few formatting issues. We will also conduct internal training to learn how to manage policy updates and ensure the online information remains accurate and current. Our goal is to demonstrate the new online policy platform at the next regular Board of Education meeting.

Emergency Operations Plan Update

The district’s Emergency Operations Plan is being updated this year and will be submitted to the Nebraska Department of Education. As part of this process, we are also reviewing and renewing our Emergency Assembly Agreements, many of which were last signed in 2017.

Updated agreements are being developed with several community partners, including the City of McCook, the YMCA, and local churches. These agreements identify locations that may be used as emergency assembly sites and state that the district will be responsible for damages and will reimburse the organization for reasonable expenses incurred during an emergency.

School Improvement 

Just a reminder, we are in year 2 of our 5 year school improvement cycle.  We have an achievement goal in reading and one in math. We've already done a lot with Literacy PD and implemented some new materials.  We need to look at some math PD and hone in on a few instructional pieces to make a jump forward.  This will be an ongoing focus for us as we focus on incremental progress to meet our goals. 
 

6. New Business

6.1. Approve changes to Policy 9300.   Board meeting time change to 5:30PM on the regularly scheduled board meetings on the 2nd Monday of each calendar month.  

6.2. Approve an increase to the school district’s property tax request authority by an additional six percent, or other maximum amount as permitted by law, above the base growth percentage.

6.3. Approve changes to Policy 2331.  The superintendents Evaluation tool.  

6.4. Accept a donation from CTE Construction in the amount of $2,140.00 for the Bison Kids club snack program.

7. Positive Comments

8. Adjournment

9. Items for Review