January 11, 2021 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

• The meeting was called to order by the Board of Education President.

• The most current Executive Order is attached to this agenda.

• Newly elected board members recited the Oath of Office and signed Oath of Office documents.

• The temporary chairperson will call for nominations for the board president until one is elected.  

• Upon the call for nominations for each office by the Chair, nominations shall be made by written or oral ballot.
• Voting will be by oral or written ballot on all members nominated and repeated until a majority is achieved for a nominee.
• If the tie is not broken after five ballots, the Chair will determine the winner by the flip of a coin, followed by a vote ratifying such selection.
• The vote may be taken by secret ballot, but the total number of votes for each candidate shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting
• Nomination, selection, and the election of the 2021 Board President 

• Clayton Maahs nominated Brandon Desh for Board President.
• There were no other nominations presented.
• Voting was taken on the nomination of Brandon Desh for Board President.
• The motion passed 5-1 with Desh abstaining.

• Nomination, discussion, and the election of a new board Vice President. 
• Additional discussion:
  • Board member Calfee was nominated by board member Maahs for Vice President.
  • Board member Church was also nominated for vice president by board member Wilen, but Church declined the nomination.
  • No other nominations were presented.
  • Motion was made for Calfee for VP.
  • Motion passed 5-1 with Calfee abstaining. 

• Motion was passed 6-0 to accept Karen Hatcher as Board treasurer. 

• Motion was presented to accept the superintendent as the board secretary.
• Motion passed 6-0. 

A motion was made to accept the
Updated 2021 Committee Assignments: As of January 11, 2021

• Negotiations Committee: Policy # 8152 
  • Purpose: Policy # 8152: 
  • Meetings: Several meetings in November -January 
  • Need: 3 members: Calfee, Maahs, Penterman
• Curriculum, Committee on American Civics: Policy #8153
  • Purpose: Policy #8153 
  • Meetings: At least twice a year -- one where public testimony is accepted:
  • Need: 3 members: Wilen, Church, Calfee
• Transportation / Facilities Committee:
  • Purpose: Discuss and analyze the transportation and facility needs of the district, as well as vehicle replacements and maintenance proposals.
  • Meetings: At least quarterly; more frequently when needed: 
  • Need: 2 members: Church, Maahs
• Budget Committee: 
  • Purpose: Studies financial documents of the district, as well as finance and facilities proposals.
  • Meetings: Suggested once per month; more frequently if needed 
  • Need: 2 members:   Maahs, Penterman
• Policy Committee:
  • Purpose: Reviews proposed policy revisions and adoptions and make recommendations to the full Board.
  • Meetings: as needed. 
  • Need: 2 members: Penterman, Desh 
• Administration Review Committee: 
  • Purpose: Completes the annual evaluation of the Superintendent, with input from the Board as a whole. 
  • Meetings: 1-3 times prior to the Superintendent’s evaluation. 
  • Need: 1 member: Board President: Desh 
• Foundation for Knowledge: 
  • Purpose: Serves as the BOE representative on the Foundation for Knowledge Board.
  • Meetings: As needed
  • Need: 1 member: Calfee

• School Improvement Steering Committee:
  • Purpose: Assist in the SIP goal-setting process.
  • Meetings: As needed during the school accreditation and goal setting process. 
  • Need: 2 members: Wilen and Calfee
• Government Relations Committee:
  • Purpose: Participates in government relations activities, such as attending NASB meetings, visiting with State Senators, and testifying before the legislature if needed. 
  • Meetings: Varies as needed during the legislative session (January - May)
  • Need: 2 members: Penterman and Desh 
• Strategic Planning Committee:
  • Purpose: Serve on the district strategic planning committee (when in the SP process) and report meeting progress back to the full board. 
  • Meetings: As needed during the strategic planning process
  • Need: 2 members: Desh and Wilen 
• The Board President appointed committees and the updated information was sent to board members after the meeting. 
• The names have been added to the committees on this item to be reflected in the board minutes. 

• Discussion centered around the comparison of various legal firms, policy update services, and availability of services.
• Perry Law was accepted as our district legal counsel. 

• Resolution is attached. 
• Board member Wilen read the official resolution.
• Board President Desh signed the resolution. 

• The Voice News was approved as the district newspaper of record. 

• Conflict of Interest documents were distributed to the board members. 
• Board members will disclose possible conflicts of interest and abstain from voting on these identified items.  

• Select a place and time to go over the board self-evaluation.
• Discuss various available self-evaluation instruments.
• Discuss possible Board retreat date (March)
• The discussion centered around examining various board self-evaluation documents (NASB, Gallup, etc.) and options to consider for the next board meeting (February 2021).

• Policy review schedule was approved. 
• Some committees do have specific policies attached to them. 
• 8000's and 9000's of the board policy document will be up for review in February 2021.
• Policy Committee will share input on policy changes, etc.

• Susan Royal provided public comment on board of education service and communication.  

• There were no staff or student presentations this month. 
• Please note: Elementary technology will be the focus of the Staff and Student Presentation section at the February 8th regular board meeting. 

• Motion passed 6-0 to accept voluntary resignations from the following certified staff members: Char Church, Becky Hall, and Nichole Ourada.
• These staff members will continue their employment throughout the rest of the 2020-2021 school year. 
• On behalf of the Board of Education and District OR-1, we would like to thank these outstanding educators for their service and commitment to our students and families. 
• We will work diligently to find the best possible replacements for these staff members.

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

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

• Some of the topics covered in the reports included: Activities update, Report cards, NSCAS (state) testing, COVID-19 Response Days, Strategic Planning, Bond refinancing, Legislative information, February board meeting location change, and Food Service updates. 

• Negotiations Committee - Thursday, January 28th at 6:00 p.m. at Bennet Elementary School 
• Transportation / Facilities Committee - Tuesday, February 2nd at 10:00 a.m.  at Palmyra
• Strategic Planning Committee: Monday, January 18th at 4:30 p.m. at Bennet Elementary 
• Budget Committee: Friday, February 5th 10:00 a.m. at Palmyra

• Brandon Desh gave an overview of the items related to the Olson Complex Project 

• Board member Maahs went over the superintendent evaluation document.
• The document was accepted 6-0. 

• Discussion centered around various salary arrays of surrounding / comparable school districts.
• The final recommendation was for a 2.9 % salary increase for 2021-2022. Motion passed 6-0. 
• The adjusted compensation will be documented in the Superintendency Transparency Act document and posted on the District OR-1 website and uploaded to NDE in accordance with department guidelines. 

• The proposed 2021-2022 Calendar is attached.
• The calendar meets NDE Rule 10 accreditation requirements for instructional time and teacher contract days. 

• No Olson Complex bills were submitted this month so no action was needed on this topic.  

The criteria listed below would be the designated reasons we would extend the FFRCA leave to qualified staff members until March 31st, 2021:  

• Proof of a confirmed positive COVID-19 test from a certified testing facility.
• The employee has been advised to quarantine by school officials. 

• The discussion centered around the positives for each organization and proposal.
• Determining factors for making a final selection include cost, experience, knowledge of the district, diverse perspectives, the proximity of the entity to our district, and follow up after the process has been implemented.
• The board decided to table the motion until February.
• The Strategic Planning Committee will schedule interviews with both organizations to gain additional insight into each proposal. 
• The committee will make a recommendation to the full board in February. 

• The discussion centered around the following topics:
  • Remote Learners: Numbers at the HS/ Elementary: The numbers of remote learners have decreased for the second semester. More students are back for in-person learning. 
  • "Return to School" Plan Update: The plan will be updated in the near future (Version 2.0) and the updated version will be posted on the district website when it is complete. 
  • Vaccine Update: Vaccines for educators could be delayed until sometime in February, 
  • "Cares 2 Act" Information:  There may be some additional "Cares Act" reimbursements to assist in defraying COVID related expenses. More information should be forthcoming prior to our next regular meeting.  
  • PPE resupply / Mitigation Strategies: Our district continues to utilize and resupply PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) resources as needed and we continue to promote best practice mitigation strategies (social distancing, hygiene expectations, and mandatory wearing of masks) to minimize the transmission of the virus. 
  • Temperature Checks: We will continue to utilize the daily temperature checks across the district, but we will also monitor the effectiveness of this strategy to ensure it remains effective moving forward.

• We will need to reschedule a "new board member" orientation meeting for sometime later in January. This meeting was scheduled for Monday, January 18th. 
• Board members will summarize these leadership opportunities at the next board meeting in February.

• The date and time of the next board meeting is Monday, February 8th, 2021 beginning at 7:00 p.m. 
• Please note: The meeting location for February will be changed.
• The February regular board meeting will be held at: TCA (The Career Academy) located at 8800 O street in Lincoln.
• This building is located on the campus of Southeast Community College. 

• There was no closed session. 

• The meeting was adjourned by Board President Desh at  9:34 p.m.