September 13, 2023 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Monthly Meeting

Discussion:  President Lutkemeier opened the meeting at 7:00 pm.  The meeting notice was advertised in the August 31st publication of the Blue Hill Leader.  "The Open Meetings Act" poster was displayed in the meeting room.

Discussion:  None at this time.

Discussion:  Guests in attendance were Ashley Kral and Adam Klein.  Public comment time was used by Ashley Kral.

Discussion:  Mr. Bauer shared financial information with board members comparing the years back to 2012-13.    He also reported on budget and tax request information and the issues involved with the late mailing of post cards.  The State Education Conference will take place from November 15th - 17th at the CHI Center in Omaha.  Superintendent evaluations will be given to board members at the October monthly meeting so that they can be completed and discussed at the November meeting.  The External School Review will be held on October 4th and 5th.  Mr. Bauer would like 4 board members to be able to meet with the external review team if possible.  Daren Niemeyer, Shaun Fisher, Todd Bartels and Leon Lukemeier all expressed an interest.  Mr. Bauer asked board members if they'd be interested in having a holiday staff / board meal, as attendance had been declining.  Board members felt it should be held at least one more time.  A possible location would be the Roseland Community Center.

Discussion:  Mr. Drake thanked the Silver Lake FFA and all presenters who helped with Farm Safety Day on August 30th.  DIBELS testing is complete.  MAP and NSCAS testing is underway and will be completed in the next 2 weeks.  Upcoming events include:  Grandparents Day (Sept 15th), Mustang Branch Kick-Off Asssembly (Sept 15th), Progress Reports will be sent home on September 15th; Parent / Teachers Conferences are set for September 20th; Picture Retakes (Sept 21st), Water Jamboree for 5th / 6th grade (Sept. 21st), Fitness Day in Hastings for 4th grade (Oct 3rd) and Animals Inside and Out at the Webster County Fairgrounds for 4th grade (Oct. 4th).  Due to students entering the district, an ad is being run for a preschool Para / bus monitor.  An ad is also being run for the Title 1 position.  The study hall program on Thursdays is off and running again and is well attended.  The NeMTSS Conference is set for Oct 12 - 13.

Discussion:  Mr. Jones submitted his report on professional development events, academic assessments, percentage of students taking a college class, current enrollment, Computer
Science / Technology Act update, and the Financial Literacy Act update.  He also reported on picture day (Aug 24th), after school study hall started (Sept 6th) and will take place every Wednesday; Parent-Teacher Conferences from 1 - 7 pm (Sept 20th) and make-up picture day (Sept 21st).  Fall sports / activity participation numbers were shared along with the Homecoming date of September 29th.  Fire drills and a lockdown drill are planned.  College and career-ready events are being planned for juniors and seniors.  They include taking the ACT and ACT prep classes.  Proposed that one ACT can be paid for by the school for juniors, if taken before the April 9th deadline.  Prep classes include the John Baylor Test Prep along with presenter, Chad Cargill (in-person workshop) during the 2nd semester.  College visits are planned for each grade, including junior high.  Resume writing, a trip to Hastings High for a college fair (Oct 10th) and a guest speaker from Mary Lanning are also planned.  Building repairs include Precision Heating & Air repairing 3 A/C units and quoting a new unit for the HS commons area.  Additional note:  Giltner Public Schools have joined the TVC conference and updated banners are hung in both gyms.

Discussion:  N/A

Discussion:  The Silver Lake Education Association is requesting that the Board take action to recognize them as the exclusive bargaining agent for the district's non-supervisory certificated staff for the 2025-2026 contract year. (see attachment)

Discussion:  Some people have indicated they would like to discuss the potential of pushing over the trees or potentially having the stumps removed. 
The lowest bid is for $3,000 from J & L Yard and Tree for tree removal and stump grinding.  
Mr. Bauer has attached information within their contract. 

Discussion:  Bats have been an on-going issue at the Roseland site.

Discussion:  The next regular board of education meeting is set for Wednesday, October 11th, 7 pm at the high school in Roseland.  A special hearing to set the final tax request is set for Wednesday, September 20th, 7 pm, at the elementary in Bladen.

Discussion:  The board meeting adjourned at: 8:20 pm.