March 26, 2024 at 6:30 PM - Board Work Session
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1. Call the Meeting to Order
Speaker(s):
Board President or Designee
Rationale:
LEADERSHIP • SERVICE • SUPPORT Notice of this meeting was given in advance according to State Law 84-1411, by giving notice of the meeting to the public on ESU 7 website www.esu7.org and posted at location of meeting. Notice of this meeting was also given in advance to all members of the Board of Education of Educational Service Unit 7. Availability of the agenda and purpose of the hearing was communicated in the advance notice of the meeting and in the notice to the members of this hearing. All proceedings of the Board of Education of Educational Service Unit 7 were taken while the convened hearing was open to the attendance of the public.
Discussion:
Roll call was taken at 6:32pm.
Board President conducted the meeting. Staff present: Mindy Reed, Secretary to the Board of Directors |
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1.1. Notification of Open Meetings Law
Speaker(s):
Board President or Designee
Rationale:
This meeting has been preceded by reasonable advance notice and is hereby declared to be in open session. A copy of the Open Meetings Act is posted in the meeting room.
Attachments:
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1.2. Roll Call
Speaker(s):
Board President or Designee
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1.3. Absent Board Members
Speaker(s):
Board President or Designee
Rationale:
Include any absent board members.
Recommended Motion(s):
Discuss, consider and take action to approve the Board member absences as presented 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:
Board member Richard Stephens was absent for personal reasons. He notified the Administrator prior to the meeting.
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1.4. Pledge of Allegiance
Speaker(s):
Board President or Designee
Discussion:
All members present participated in the Pledge of Allegiance.
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2. Approval of Agenda
Speaker(s):
Board President or Designee
Rationale:
The sequence of agenda topics is subject to change at the discretion of the Board.
Recommended Motion(s):
Discuss, consider and take any necessary action to approve the agenda as presented 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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3. Welcome Visitors
Speaker(s):
Board President or Designee
Discussion:
One visitor present.
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4. Public Comment
Speaker(s):
Board President or Designee
Rationale:
The Board has the discretion to limit the amount of time set aside for public participation.
Citizens wishing to address the Board on a certain agenda item must complete the Request to be Heard Document prior to the start of the board meeting. Citizens wishing to present petitions to the Board may do so at this time. However, the Board will only receive the petitions and not act upon them or their contents.
Discussion:
No public comments provided.
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5. Administrator Search Process Discussion
Speaker(s):
Board President or designee
Rationale:
Discussion:
Shari Becker, Director of Search Service from the Nebraska Association of School Boards (NASB) attended to go over the Administrator search process and determine what the ESU 7 board would like to do for the Administrator search. Shari reviewed her background and gave additional details to the board regarding the search process fee and what is included. If the ESU 7 board decided to move forward with an interim Administrator and conduct a full search in the Fall, that would be included in the fee as well. There may be additional costs for advertising depending on where ESU 7 would like to advertise the open position. Shari sent out a survey to ESU 7 staff and ESU 7 area superintendents asking for feedback on what they are looking for in an Administrator. The survey is due Monday, April 1, 2024, at noon. After the survey deadline, Shari will send the results to the board via email.
Mrs. Becker handed out packets to all board members present, which included the Chief Administrator's job description, the vacancy notice, draft timeline, draft interview questions, leadership profile, and salary information. The vacancy announcement previously published was for the permanent Administrator position and Shari wanted to see if the board would like to continue with that direction or search for an interim Administrator now and a permanent Administrator in the Fall. There was much in depth discussion regarding the pros and cons of hiring a permanent Chief Administrator or hiring an interim Administrator and waiting until the Fall to do the full search. Waiting until the Fall to do the full search could allow more candidates to apply. Shari encouraged the board to look for external candidates if the board decided to move forward with an interim. If there is an interested internal candidate, the board should encourage that person to apply and go through the permanent process. There is another ESU looking for an Administrator, and they are only interviewing three people, which leads Shari to believe they may not have had an abundance of interest. An interim Administrator would be on contract from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. If the board decided to continue with the permanent search, there would be the option of stopping the search and going with an interim Administrator if the number or quality of applicants is not to the board's liking. The board talked through some potential interim Administrator ideas. The concerns about moving forward with the full search at this time include: having limited candidates due to the time of year, asking people already on contract to make split decisions regarding the position, and making a quick decision and hiring a warm body and not the best candidate. The concerns about having an interim Administrator and doing the full search in the Fall include finding a good external candidate, concern that staff may not continue with big projects under an interim Administrator, and ESU 7 will not move forward much for the year. Shari has had some contact with individuals who are interested in the Chief Administrator position, and they would apply in the Fall if the position were available then. Shari made very clear the decision on who is hired is the board's decision. The interview process for an interim Administrator would include a tour of the facility, an interview with the three ESU 7 Directors, and an interview with the Board. The interview process with a permanent Chief Administrator would be the same as with an interim Administrator with the addition of ESU 7 area Superintendents being invited to ask questions. The timeline for advertising and hiring would be quick no matter which decision is made. After much deliberation, it was decided to move forward with hiring an interim Administrator and conducting the full search in the Fall. The board is confident in the ESU 7 Directors to keep the culture going with an interim Administrator in place. The deadline to submit the applications for the interim Administrator position will be April 8, 2024. There will be a special board meeting on Monday, April 15, 2024, at 2:00pm to review applications and make a decision on the candidates who will be interviewed. After the board decides on who to interview, Shari will call references and make additional inquiries. She will also speak with the people who have already reached out and let them know the position will be for an interim Administrator until the Fall. The board wants to make sure the interim Administrator will be a great advocate for the Directors and ESU 7 plus have finance and budget experience. An Interview Question Committee was created, consisting of Board President Doug Pauley, and board members Dawn Lindsley and Gary Wieseler. The committee will compile a list of 15 interview questions and send those to Shari. The interviews will be scheduled on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, starting at 1:00pm and will consist of three sections: an ESU 7 tour with Chief Administrator Polk, an interview with the three directors, and an interview with the board. |
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6. Adjournment
Speaker(s):
Board President or Designee
Discussion:
Meeting adjourned at 8:52pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Mindy Reed, Recording Secretary to the ESU 7 Board. |
