June 14, 2021 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

• Meeting called to order by Board of Education President Desh.
• Board President Desh will lead the board members and patrons in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance.

• The meeting was called to order at 7:03 p.m. 

• Minutes will be available to the public and meeting information will be posted in the Voice News and on the school website.

• A brief summary of the highlights from the meeting will be posted on the district website following the meeting in addition to the meeting minutes. 

• This month, Mr. Johnson will present information on the three-week grading window initiative implemented at the high school this spring. 

• Additional discussion included the benefit of clear expectations and specific deadlines for students to complete work, increased and proactive communication with parents, and the importance of self-advocacy for students. 
• The implementation of the three-week grading window will continue into the new school year as positive results have been observed thus far.
• Additional questions focused on PowerSchool settings and notifications for parents, consequences for failing grades relative to activities, and the level of student engagement in the grading process. 

• No further discussion on the Consent Agenda. 

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

• Susan Royal offered public comment.

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

• Superintendent Hart will present the information contained in the attached Superintendent's Report.

• Superintendent Hart presented information on End of the School Year items, The American Rescue Act, the purchase of a track timing device at the Olson Complex, notification of Strategic Planning and upcoming community engagement opportunities, science curriculum, student handbooks, and a Legislative update. 
• Questions revolved around whether students could choose to wear masks at their discretion at the beginning of the school year and clarification of our district student learning platform (Canvas).  

• Ms. Walter and Mr. Johnson provided an update on high school and elementary school information. 

• Topics included Accelerated Reading awards, distribution of report cards, elementary track days, summer enrichment opportunities, multicultural report, data analysis, high school activities, and information about the upcoming elementary Open House on Monday, August 7th from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.  

• Discussion on this topic revolved around clarification of what activities an early completion student could attend (only graduation) and clarification on the age of student independence regarding educational decisions. 
• Additional discussion centered around possibly adding a statement to the revised policy that states that: "The Superintendent will notify the Board of Education in advance of any students seeking early completion." 

• Discussion centered around possible updates to the policy regarding bullying terms and definitions. 

• Board member Maahs and Superintendent Hart presented information on the maintenance status of district vehicles and options for possible bus purchases.
• These purchase options include a variety of bids from different vendors on used and new buses.
• Transportation Committee members will continue to discuss these options, decide upon a final recommendation, and provide more information to the board at the next regular meeting in July. 
• The additional discussion revolved around the condition of county roads and the impact on the "wear and tear" of vehicles, turnaround times on vehicle repairs and parts availability, providing additional flexibility in vehicle seating configurations, and safety concerns about various area railroad crossings. 

• Board President Desh updated the board members on current projects still pending at the Olson Complex. 
• A letter summarizing progress and community activities at the complex was recently sent to the Olson Foundation. 

• Board President Desh provided an overview of the attached comprehensive enrollment study.
• The additional discussion revolved around the services provided with this type of study, the overall cost of the study, and the alignment of the study with our district strategic planning process and our recent facility audit.

• No additional discussion on this topic. 

• The additional discussion revolved around the rationale for choosing the Savvas curriculum, the collaboration involved in the selection of materials, and the integration of the curriculum and supplemental materials with Chromebooks and our district student learning platform (Canvas). 

• Further discussion revolved around information regarding specifics on district demographics, and a timeline for payment and completion of the study.  

• Board President Desh provided a summary of the feedback submitted by board members on the second superintendent evaluation for this school year.
• Additional discussion revolved around moving to the NASB Superintendent Evaluation for next year. Board members were asked to submit recommendations for changes to president Desh no later than Friday, July 2nd.  
• More information about changes and recommendations for the Superintendent's evaluation document for the 2021-2022 school year will be discussed again at the July regular meeting. 

• No further discussion on this subject. 

• Special thanks to the folks at Transformation Marketing for the use of the facility for our recent board retreat on June 1st 2021.
• No further discussion on this topic. 

• Highlights of Board President Desh's summary included: the history associated with the Nebraska school funding mechanism (TEEOSA), changes to Open Meeting laws, school dress code information, 1st Amendment rights, and a proposal sent to the legislature about including educational personnel on a task force to study school finance.

• No further discussion. 

• Board members are encouraged to sign up to participate in any of the following professional development opportunities. 
• No further discussion. 

• Review recommended changes to 4000 and 5000 policies. 
• A Policy Committee meeting will be scheduled prior to the next regular board meeting.