December 11, 2017 at 6:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting
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I. Call Meeting to Order
Rationale:
STRIVE - COMMIT - SUCCEED - District Mission Statement Schuyler Community Schools in partnership with parents, students, and the community is committed to educate students to become skilled, knowledgeable and responsible citizens in a global society - District Vision Statement
Discussion:
President Brabec called the meeting to order at 6:38 PM. Board members present were Brabec, Misek, Hild, Hernandez and Vavricek; absent was Semerad. Semerad arrived at 7:05pm. Others present were Principal Grammer, Assistant Principal Kovar, Directors Dr. Gibbons and Ms. Bebout, Superintendent Hoesing and Student Council Representative Carlos Alarcon. |
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I.A. Pledge of Allegiance
Discussion:
President Brabec read the District Mission Statement and declared the meeting was posted in advance and the meeting was in open session. All those present participated in the Pledge of Allegiance.
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I.B. Declaration of Open Meeting
Rationale:
This meeting has been preceded by advance notice and is hereby declared to be in open session. A copy of the Open Meetings Act is posted in the hallway outside the Media Center. |
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II. Approval of Consent Agenda
Rationale:
Discuss, Consider and Take Action on the consent agenda
Recommended Motion(s):
Motion to approve the consent agenda Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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II.A. Agenda
Attachments:
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II.B. Minutes
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II.C. Acceptance of Claims
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II.C.1. Bills of $5,000 or more
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II.D. Financial
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II.E. Other Listed Reports
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III. Public Forum - We ask that all presentation be limited in their length.
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III.A. Recognition of visitors and guests
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III.B. Other topics (limited to 5 minutes - subject to guidelines of the Board Participation Policy)
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III.C. Student Representative's Report
Discussion:
Carlos Alarcon reported that the Culture club at high school hosted a blood drive at the school on December 6th. The Project S group hosted a soup supper during the Plattsmouth boys and girls basketball game on December 9th. The funds raised will go to local families for Christmas. The 1st semester is ending and everyone is looking forward to Christmas break. |
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IV. Action Items
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IV.A. Governance: Public Relations, Technology, and Planning
Rationale:
This committee is responsible for recommending the annual district calendar, strategic planning process, technology, and promoting positive public relations and communications program.
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IV.A.1. Consider, discuss, and take action to move the January School Board Meeting to Monday, January 15, 2018.
Rationale:
With the first Monday in January landing on the 1st, and school resuming for staff on January 3th, we are requesting the January board meeting be moved from January 8th to January 15th. This will give us some time to organize bills and reconcile bank statements prior to the meeting.
Recommended Motion(s):
Motion to move the January Board Meeting to Monday, January 15, 2018 Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Discussion:
With the first Monday in January landing on the 1st, and school resuming for staff on January 3th, we are requesting the January board meeting be moved from January 8th to January 15th. This will give us some time to organize bills and reconcile bank statements prior to the meeting.
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IV.B. Budget, finance, negotiations, and personnel
Rationale:
This committee is responsible for budget, finance, and contract negotiations with administration, certificated staff, and support staff.
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IV.B.1. Consider, discuss, and take action to approve staff resignations
Rationale:
1. Patty Muhsman: SCHS Food Service
Recommended Motion(s):
Motion to accept Patty Muhsman's resignation and thank her for her service to the district Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Discussion:
The board members thanked Patty Muhsman for her service to Schuyler Community Schools. |
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IV.B.2. Consider, discuss, and take action to approve new hire recommendations.
Rationale:
1. Sheila Trainer: SCHS Food Service 2. Juventina Moran: SCHS Food Service/After school snack program
Recommended Motion(s):
Motion to approve administrative recommendation to hire Sheila Trainer and Juventina Moran for the high school food service positions. Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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V. Discussion Items and Reports
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V.A. Review and discuss 2017 Superintendent's evaluation
Rationale:
Board members completed the annual superintendent evaluation following the regular November board meeting. The results of the evaluation have been compiled and are generally shared at the December board meeting. The board budget and finance committee will meet before the January board meeting to set expectations and review 2018 contract recommendations.
Discussion:
Evaluations on the job performance of the Superintendent were completed and discussed by school board members. Comments shared included: an appreciation of his clear communications with the board and the public, addressing policy, always improving staff development, key data he provides for negations, always open and willing to have dialogue with patron of the district to discuss their concerns, his strong budget plans and addressing current facility needs of the district as well as looking ahead to the future, and seeing things that that can bring strength to the staff and district trying to make them happen. Continuing to work on student participation in activities but have seen growth and improvement. We have not accomplished everything we want to but we keep working to improve the district. |
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V.B. Principals Reports
Rationale:
SES Principal's Report: Mr. Comley Observations are in full swing and things are going good! I have been spending a lot more time observing After-school program and have seen some really good things going on. Ms. Bebout does a good job running that program. Traffic is going smooth. We will see how it goes when winter comes. Kindergarten through 5th Grade Enrollment
K- 135 1- 122 2- 122 3- 155
4- 130 5- 118 Total- 782 Preschool- 105
SES K-2 Principal's Report: Mr. Kovar
The school year is flying by, I don't think having a Senior in the house is helping time slow down. I believe things are going well at the Elementary School. All probationary teachers have completed their first formal observations, as well as many other tenured teachers as well.
School improvement is ready for our Engagement Review, and many, many IEP's have been taking place. We are excited to get the results of our Strengths Finder review, to see how we can best utilize the information that will be given to us.
Rural School's Principal's Report: Ms. Bebout Enrollment Numbers Fishers: K-6, 1st-12, 2nd-6, 3rd-10, 4th-9, 5th-10, 6th-8, 7th-5, and 8th-7 Total: 73 Richland: K-6, 1st-3, 2nd-3, 3rd-5, 4th-5, 5th-2, 6th-8 Total: 32 I have completed a number of walk-throughs in the classrooms and have begun the formal observations. It is enjoyable to watch students engaged in their learning. You are invited to attend Fisher’s Christmas program December 14th at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. and/or Richland’s Christmas program Dec. 18th at 2:45 and 7:00 p.m. Fishers: Fisher’s staff would like to thank you for the new outside lights. It is much nicer when arriving and leaving school in the winter. Fisher's mom Susan Muhsman led a Thirty-one bag fundraiser and donated her sales commission to the school. The Fisher’s family was saddened by the death of longtime Fisher's substitute teacher Donna Weimann. Richland: Richland staff would like to thank family and friends who attended their Thanksgiving dinner. The students were excited to eat with their families. SMS Assistant Principal's Report: Mr. Zavadil We are continuing a busy time with supervision of instruction and we have been conducting many Formal observations on staff and giving feedback to help improve instruction. Mrs. Burton and myself are working hard to focus on culture and climate pieces within our building making sure that Capturing Kids’ Hearts initiatives are being followed within SMS classrooms. SMS Principal's Report: Mrs. Burton SMS Enrollment 6-131 7-146 8-124 Total Enrollment-401 SMS has been busy this month! We have a number of activities and special events to report on: SMS Students of the Month: 6th Grade-Sierra Zelasney 7th Grade-Sergio Cristobal 8th Grade-Edgar Diego Upcoming Special Events: December 11th-6th Grade Band and Choir Concert at 6:30 p.m. December 15th-SMS Night at the Colfax Theater at 7:00 p.m. ***We welcome all of our families to watch the movie, "Wonder," that weekend! December 18th-7th & 8th Grade Music Concert at 6:30 p.m. December 20th at 2:00 p.m. SCS 6-8 Holiday Dance We had our first Parent Coordinating Council meeting in November. We discussed digital citizenship and internet safety, as well as how to make the meetings both efficient and accessible for our patrons that are both English and Spanish speaking. We are thankful for the ideas that parents shared with us and look forward to strengthening our partnership with one another! Mr. Zavadil and the coaching/activity staff have done an excellent job for our home events. The home SMS Wrestling Meet was a success! Student groups have also decorated the building with holiday decorations and promoted special projects and competitions to assist students with the further development of their skills. I would like to especially thank the SCS School Board Members for stopping at our SMS Student Showcase presentation at the NASB Conference. Our SMS students did an excellent job exhibiting their high level coding skills to adults and students from across the state! We are thankful for the previous school improvement grant and the leadership of Mr. Droge and Mrs. Prescott to implement this opportunity for our young Warriors! SCHS Assistant Principal Report: Mr. Kasik
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V.C. Directors Reports
Rationale:
Youth Activities Director's Report: Mr. Kovar Our first season of Volleyball is in the books with many positive results. We look forward to those numbers to increase next year, similar to those of flag football from year 1 to year 2. Flag football is halfway through their season, and we are seeing some very positive improvements from those students who are in their 2nd year of competition. The games have been very competitive, and the attendance is very good. Basketball forms will be going home before Winter break, and upon return, teams will be formed. We are making positive gains in youth sports, and look forward to continuing to strengthen those programs by gaining support from Jr. High and High School coaches. After-School Program Director's Report: Ms. Bebout Warrior Academy Attendance: SES - 240 SMS - 39 The Boy Scout Club took Christmas cards to the Schuyler Care & Rehabilitation Center. The 4th & 5th grade boys stayed and read books with the residents. This was a fun activity. Warrior Academy is excited to announce band had been added as an option for a club at the middle school. They will also be offering soccer and flag football in the 3rd quarter. We have completed our self-assessment for the after-school program and would like to thank the parents, community members, and administration who participated in this activity. Looking at our program and setting goals helps our program become better. SMS Activity Director's Report: Mr. Zavadil We have two more events left in Middle School Girls Basketball on Tuesday and Thursday this week Vs. Clarkson-Leigh and Columbus Middle School. Our girls have been working hard and improving, picking up a win Vs. Madison earlier this season. We are also planning on hosting our younger teams in our second scrimmage of the year tomorrow after school. This is an attempt to get more court time for our younger/less experienced athletes while the older athletes compete out of town. Parents and community members are welcome to attend the scrimmage, which will be officiated by Mr. and Mrs. Burton. Our Middle School wrestling season just ended with our last tournament in Newman Grove Saturday. The team was quite successful this year placing second as a team in the Wayne meet. Last week we held our own SMS wrestling invitational with 14 teams in attendance and over 230 athletes wrestling. We changed the format of the tournament from a round robin style to an 8-man bracket. This cut down the number of brackets and medals handed out, but our team still did a great job taking home 6 gold medals 3 silver medals, four athletes placed 3rd and 3 placed 4th. This tournament is a large undertaking and I hope to share my appreciation to all of the parents, staff, and community members that offer up their time to make it a success. Especially Mr. Sucha, Teammates, our wrestling parents that worked tables, our support staff that help set up the gym, and my wife Brandi for helping run the hospitality room. Mr. Kovar, Mr. Kasik and myself have been formalizing our strategic planning action plans for the 2018-2019 school year. Many good ideas have come from our staff and we are looking forward to getting more ideas from our community soon. Mr. Kasik and myself are currently attending the National Athletic Director conference in Phoenix, at which we plan to gain even more ideas that we can add to our action plans. SCHS Activity Director's Report: Mr. Kasik
Special Education Director's Report: Mrs. Vrba Current special education students served: Birth to 5: 28 (with 13 more pending) SES: 110 (with 6 more pending) Rural: 19 SMS: 48 SCHS: 39 Parochial Schools: 6 Total: 247 (with 19 more pending) *We do have one student attending school in Olathe, KS. Now my focus is on writing my evaluations of my Special Education teachers! I have only two teachers left at SCHS to observe. Once I am done writing everything up, the first semester will be officially done. Unbelievable! On Wednesday morning, Jeanne Heaston will be leading the NDE Special Education Monitoring Onsite Visit. Earlier this fall, our SPED department went through a desk review which involved NDE officials to review randomly chose files on SRS. The results on that desk review will be used to develop the content of our monitoring onsite student file review mostly dealing with the implementation of specific regulations from Rule 51 and the implementation of specific procedures and practices. Monday, the 11th, I will be attending a workshop entitled, "Oppositional, Defiant, and Disruptive Children and Adolescents: Non-medication Approaches to the Most Challenging Behaviors" in Kearney. I am really hopeful to bring back classroom strategies that teachers may put in their "toolkit"! I wish all of you the Merriest Christmas and the Happiest of New Years!! Director of Teaching and Learning Report: Dr. Gibbons 2017 - 2018 State Assessments - State assessment results are published. Please see my full attached report for data. For anyone who wants to explore deeper, this information can be found at http://nep.education.ne.gov/ School Improvement Grant - We had six days of onsite training with Discovery Ed in November and another two days in the first part of December. One of the consultants, Dacia Jones, was in the building for a whole week doing STEM Project Based Learning activities with our teachers. She spent time observing in classes and offering coaching to those teachers. She also had day-long workshop with teachers. Accreditation - Just a reminder that the Accreditation Engagement Review will take place January 28 - 31. The team will want to interview board members. I would like to find a time for you to come in on Monday, January 29. It would be awesome if you could come in that afternoon, please let me know. January 3 Inservice - You should have all received an email with a link and an access code to complete Gallup’s Clifton Strengthsfinder Assessment. In this assessment, you are given two statements and you need to decide which is statement best fits you. Let me know if you need another copy of the login information. On the morning of January 3, we will have a Gallup presenter talk about the information that you learn about yourself.
Discussion:
Dr. Gibbons shared state assessment results.
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V.D. Superintendent's Report
Rationale:
1. NASB State Convention: Thank you to the board members who attended the NASB State Convention. 2. Gallup Survey: Please make sure you complete the Gallup Strengths Finder Survey. We will have a representative from Gallup present to survey participants on the morning of January 3rd. 3. School Accreditation Visit: Schuyler Community Schools is required to host an Accreditation visit in January. The board of education will be interviewed by the accreditation team. Mr. Gibbons is coordinating the schedule and will be visiting with you about your scheduled appointment with this team. 4. Holiday Season: Thanks for all your work and support as board members throughout the year. Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous and Happy New Year.
Discussion:
Dr. Hoesing thank the board member for taking time to attending Nebraska School Boards Association conference in November in Omaha. Dr. Hoesing invited the board members to attend school on January 3rd when the Gallup representative will be here. The Accreditation visit will be January 29-31 and they will need to schedule some time with all board members for an interview with accreditation team.
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V.E. Board Member/Committee Reports
Rationale:
1. Foundation Meeting: See attachment
Discussion:
The foundation is helping to honor the 1967 Boys Basketball team known as the Jolly Green Giants with a hometown welcome on the Monday December 18th at SCHS home basketball game with Blair.
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VI. Correspondence Items
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VII. Adjournment
Recommended Motion(s):
Motion to adjourn Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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