December 14, 2020 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

• The meeting was called to order by Board of Education President Maahs at 7:00 p.m.  

• A copy of the new updated Executive Order for Open Meetings is attached for reference.

Official Board of Education minutes are available on the district web site at www.districtor1.org

• There are no resignations or hiring of new certificated staff this month. 

• The board appointed Josh Penterman to fill the vacant seat of Susan Royal.
• The attached document includes board action and voting documentation. 

• Superintendent Hart will read the Oath of Office to Josh Penterman.

• Mr. Penterman will recite the Oath of Office and document his Oath of Office. 

• A copy of the signed Oath of Office document is attached.

Administrative reports are available in their entirety at: https://meeting.sparqdata.com/Public/Organization/174

• Discussion centered around science curriculum and NSCAS (state testing) changes.
• The science curriculum committee will meet again in January to discuss options for curriculum and they hope to make a final decision in February. The final selection of materials should have a good balance of text and digital resources to support state and local standards and provide enrichment and remediation for students.  
• The discussion also centered around student remote learning and the challenges and successes associated with remote learning.  

• Discussion centered around the work of staff on Wednesday, December 9th. The collaboration amongst teachers has been very beneficial and staff greatly appreciate the COVID-19 Response workdays. 
• Updated NSAA activity guidelines now include grandparents as well as household guests for spectators.
• Capacity for indoor activity events remains at 25%.  
• The district youth activities plan (for grades PK-6) was approved by the Lancaster County Health Department. 

• No presentations occurred this month. 

• There were no scheduled committee meetings this past month. 

• New committee assignments will be discussed and voted on at our January meeting. 

• The discussion centered around projects and tasks still to be completed. The most recent Olson Complex meeting was summarized as well. 
• Questions revolved around seeding and reseeding deadlines, adequate irrigation to ensure proper tree and turf growth, and Olson Complex warranty parameters. 

• The discussion centered around developing a district calendar that provides additional flexibility for staff collaboration and extended time (full or half days) for staff to engage in staff development aligned with the district's mission and vision.

• A final calendar proposal will be presented for approval at the January board meeting.

• This policy update adds language that prohibits staff sexual conduct or romantic relationships with former students for one year after graduation or leaving the district. 

• This policy requires school districts to provide up to one week of paid "injury" leave to an employee assaulted at school.

• Policy # 4270 provides guidance for districts to be able to make determinations about staff compensation during school closures related to a pandemic. 

• This policy update adds mental health to the list for coding of attendance.

• This policy update specifies additional requirements for posting of public notices for board meetings. 

District OR-1 public notices are currently posted in the following locations:

• The Voice News

• Farmers' Merchant Bank

• Palmyra Post Office

• Palmyra High School

• Bennet Post Office

• Bennet Elementary School

• District OR1 Website 

• Our staff greatly appreciates the opportunities for collaboration these days provide. 

• Superintendent Hart will work with representatives from Piper Sandler to determine the optimal market time to refinance the bonds.

• The strength of the current market, combined with lower overall interest rates, will result in an expected savings of anywhere from $95,000 - $105,000 over the course of the refinancing. 

• Out of an abundance of caution, Board member Desh abstained from the vote.

• The discussion centered around remaining inclusive of all District OR-1 communities, the success (and future expansion) of the district SENCAP and "dual credit" offerings, and the impact of the report on future strategic planning.   
• Questions centered around the number of credits students need to accrue to finish high school.

• Superintendent Hart gave a presentation self -reflecting on the progress of the superintendent goals so far this year. 
• Board members were provided paper copies of the superintendent evaluation document and directed to provide information back to the board president no later than the end of the day on December 31st, 2020. 
• The board president will use the board feedback to complete the evaluation instrument.
• The evaluation document will be reviewed with the superintendent at the January board meeting.

• Board members shared summaries from various NASB training and leadership development opportunities. 
• Discussion included the "Fridays at Northeast" presentation at the state conference, student and community engagement, Title IX policies and compliance, NSAA "developing" activities (girls wrestling, Unified Bowling, etc. ), State Report Cards, Legal Updates, COVID-19 challenges, and Student Advisory groups. 

• Board members were able to examine two different strategic planning proposals. No action took place as this was a discussion item only.

• The board will revisit this topic at the January board meeting. 

• The discussion revolved around strategic planning being directly linked to future results (Olson Complex example). 

• The discussion centered around using this Sparq software to more efficiently organize and reference board policies and district documents. An example from another district was used for reference.

• Superintendent Hart discussed revising the "Return to School" plan over the winter break to update current procedures and further align with local health department guidelines. 

• The community updates containing COVID -19 data will continue second semester. 

• Additional discussion centered around the successes and challenges of "remote learning" for students. We will continue to look at our remote learner data second semester and make adjustments as needed to meet the needs of all learners.

• No closed session occurred at the meeting. 

• The meeting was adjourned at 9:39 p.m.