June 15, 2023 at 7:30 AM - Board of Education Regular Monthly Meeting

Discussion:  President Lutkemeier opened the meeting at 7:30 am.  The meeting notice was advertised in the June 1st publication of the Blue Hill Leader.  "The Open Meetings Act" poster was displayed in the meeting room.

Discussion:  Notice was provided according to district policy.

Discussion:  See attached document.

Discussion:  There were no guests in attendance.

Discussion:  Mr. Bauer reported to board members that there were possibly 3 students interested in cheerleading and we currently had no sponsor.  He inquired if board members wanted to keep or cut the program.  General cleaning in both buildings is going well.  The budget is at a standstill.  The state auditors office has made assurances that we would have our workbooks by late June.  Current constraints have put building projects on a need vs want basis due to budgeting and tax request legislation.  Mr. Bauer would like to hold off on buying CD's until he can see how the budget workbook will be formulated and how much of an impact the recent legislation will affect us.  The transaction for the Holstein property has been approved and we've received payment.  Our rental property in Bladen saw a valuation increase of $20,425.  Mr. Bauer attended the KSB policy update webinar, the school finance updates meeting with Bryce Wilson of NDE, the ESU-9 Superintendents in Action meeting and the Legislative Legal Impacts on Schools session offered by NCSA and the Perry Law Firm.  The School Leaders and Law Conference is in Kearney today and Mr. Bauer will be heading there shortly after this board meeting.  Board members are asked to stay after the meeting for a quick picture.   Mr. Bauer summarized the many legislative updates addressing education and how they will impact our school.   Some of the updates discussed were the property tax limitations, private scholarships / tax credit, state aid, CTE grants, student dress code, teacher certification across states, Special Ed enrollments, option enrollment and extracurricular activities, teacher recruitment and retention, teacher apprenticeship, school safety & security report, behavioral & mental health training, discipline, FAFSA requirement, STEAM development, youth activity groups, suspension, and the textbook loan program for non-public students.   The graduation dress code was also discussed.   At July's regular board meeting, Mr. Bauer will report on what can be expected moving forward into the next legislative session.

Discussion:  Mr. Drake was not in attendance, but had submitted a written report.  Mr. Bauer reported that on May 17th, the Honors Program and Field Day were well attended and the kids had a great time.  May 18th was the last day of school with a 12:30 pm dismissal and report cards were sent home at that time.  A teacher in-service was held on May 23rd and STEAM Room activities were discussed.  Upcoming events include Jump Start:  July 31 - August 11th from 8:30 - 11:30 am and PreK Summer School:  July 31 - August 11th from 9:00 - 11:00 am.  Administrative items include results for year-end testing. See attached document.  Summer cleaning is underway and Tori Karr and Sheila Rupprecht are handling this.  Mr. Drake attended an MTSS workshop with Caitlin Crowe, Shelby Rupprecht and Jacob Lovejoy on June 1st.  South Central State Bank is interested in partnering with us on a school savings program for our students.  Mr. Drake feels that this is a wonderful opportunity for our kids to be introduced to basic finances.  He has attached a link that explains the program and gives some insights from other schools that have utilized the program.  Feel free to watch at your convenience.  (See attached link:  https://business.unl.edu/outreach/econ-ed/nebraska-council-on-economic-education/student-programs/in-school-savings-program

Discussion:  Mr. Arntt was not in attendance.

Discussion:  See attached.

Discussion:  See attached.

Discussion:  With new paint and new floors in the bathrooms at the Roseland site, Mr. Bauer asked board members what they would like to see done with the stalls in the commons women's restroom and the east hall men's and women's restrooms.  They are pink/yellow.

A quote for new heavy duty stalls in gray is attached.  

We have been trying to get someone to bid a spray finish coating pain over the top of them and have not had a lot of luck.  

Or we can just hang up the ones we were previously using and leave them as is.

Board members indicated they would like to see more quotes, with this quote being the highest they would take.

Discussion:  Recommended Amounts for 2023-2024
Pre School - 1/2 Day = $3. All Day = $5
K-6 - Breakfast = $2.25. Lunch = $3
7-12 - Breakfast = $2.25. Lunch = $3.25
Extra Milk = $.50
Seconds = $1.75
Adult/Staff Breakfast = $2.50
Adult Lunch = $4

Discussion:  We need to set classified wages for the 2023-24 school year.

Discussion:  Bus pay proposal for the 2023-24 school year reflects the usual incremental increase for route, shuttle and trips.  We have moved the wait time to reflect the minimum wage change effective on January 1, 2024.  

See attachment.  

Discussion:  See attached policy updates.  Some decisions made with the policy updates include:  the credit card policy would have a spending limit of $5,000 spent on one purchase in a day (keeping in mind airline / travel arrangements for student trips); and in case of damage to a tech device where replacement was required, to accept a single payment for actual cash value of the device.  And the cell phone policy was discussed.

Discussion:  N/A

Discussion:  Board members decided on a budget workshop in early August to be scheduled on a different night than a regular board meeting.  Long-term goals to be discussed.  The Building Committee would like to meet in July and would do a walk-around both school building sites.  The next regular board of education meeting will take place at the Elementary in Bladen on Wednesday, July 12th at 7:00 am.