February 14, 2022 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

• Board President Desh called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
• Board President Desh led the board and the patrons in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance. 

• Board President Desh identified the location of the Open Meetings Act Poster on the wall in the meeting room.

• No further discussion.
• During the Monday, March 14th, 2022 regular board meeting, we will celebrate specific nominations for excellence for designated District OR-1 staff members. 

• No further discussion. 

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

• Rick Wilen from Palmyra provided Public Comment. 

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

• Discussion from the Superintendent's report centered around celebrating the service and dedication of our school board members, acknowledging the work and quality of Nebraska's public school districts, analyzing the impact of several education-related legislative bills, honoring staff members leaving the district at the end of the school year, and recognizing the efforts and achievements of a variety of students and staff. 
• Additional discussion included information on the award of a Clean Energy Grant to help offset the cost of a new school bus, the next step in the district Strategic Planning process (Needs Analysis), and the specifics of a grade reconfiguration proposal that would send our current 5th and 6th graders to the high school building beginning with the next school year (2023).
• Special thanks to our patrons and staff members who attended the recent Community Engagement and Strategic Planning meetings held in Bennet and Palmyra.

• No further discussion. 

• Discussion presented by Mr. Johnson (Palmyra High School Principal) and Ms. Walter (Bennet Elementary Principal) centered around parent-teacher conferences, the Bennet Care Project, Family Reading Night at Bennet, Random Acts of Kindness week, and an activities update.

• Members of the committee summarized the Negotiations Committee report. 
• Discussion centered around the approval of the certified staff Negotiated Agreement and administrative compensation, and the need for additional discussion on the classified staff compensation increases.
• The next Negotiations Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 23rd, at 8:30 am. at Bennet Elementary. 

• In alignment with the results of a recent facility audit and in-depth analysis of our current district enrollment study, board members discussed some possible "draft" options for consideration as we look at ways to effectively and proactively address future student and district growth. 

• Additional discussion centered around specific questions regarding the Bennet Elementary and Palmyra High School "draft" options. The current "draft" options being considered for Bennet Elementary are adding some classroom space on the west side of the building, expanding the lunchroom, office, and main commons area to the east side of the building, and adding some additional student common space southeast of the elementary gym. 

• Possible "draft" options at the high school include consideration of a new Career Technical Education (CTE) wing complete with an expanded woodshop, improved metal and welding space, and an enhanced agricultural area. Possible options also include adding some additional classrooms on the northeast side of the building, repurposing the current "shop" area into a weight room/ community fitness center, and repurposing the current weight deck to accommodate our high school wrestling program and equipment. Special note: Repurposing the current weight deck at the high school, in turn, creates additional space at the elementary school because the wrestling team doesn’t have to conduct practice or store its equipment at the elementary gym. Having wrestling practice and storing equipment at the elementary school currently impacts after-school activities for our elementary students at Bennet.   

• Feedback from our staff and community members on these "draft" options has been extremely helpful, and this input has helped to provide additional information to consider which best meets the specific needs of our students and the District OR-1 community.

• More opportunities for community input on these "draft" options will be forthcoming in the coming weeks and months.

• Additional information on these "draft" options is contained in the attached presentations.

• Additional discussion centered around the Strategic Planning process and attached timeline, a summary of the Strategic Overview Committee (SOC) final report and SOC meeting held on February 2nd in Palmyra, and the need to schedule an additional special board meeting to collaboratively discuss the NASB "Needs Analysis". 
• A Special Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 1st beginning at 6:00 p.m. at Palmyra High School in the media center to discuss the results of the Strategic Planning "Needs Analysis".
• This meeting will be led by representatives from the Nebraska Association of School Boards. 

• No further discussion. The committee will meet again on Wednesday, March 9th, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. at the high school in the west conference room. 

• No further discussion 

• Additional discussion included clarifying components of the agreement that included compensation for sub coverage, summer curriculum work pay rates, and the addition of a teacher mentoring program coordinator and building-level teacher mentors to the extra duty schedule. 
• This is a two-year agreement for 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 with a 4.22% overall increase for next year.

• A 3.5% salary increase was recommended.
• No further discussion. 

• This item was tabled until the next meeting in order to accommodate requirements contained in the Superintendent Transparency Act. 
• This item will be on the next regular meeting agenda scheduled for Monday, March 14th, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at Palmyra High School.

• No further discussion. 

• Additional discussion centered around the possibility of adjusting the start dates for school in the future.
• A copy of the board-approved calendar will be posted on the school website as soon as possible.
• No further discussion. 

• Additional discussion centered on the experience and qualifications of the candidate. 

• Additional discussion centered around staff, student, and family input regarding the proposal. 
• Mr. Johnson and Ms. Walter shared a summary of the logistics that had been discussed in consideration of the move and the possible impact of the proposal on each building. 
• Transition plans have been developed to provide opportunities for additional feedback and experiences for our students to successfully prepare for this transition. More information about specific transition dates is listed below. 
  • Friday, May 6th: 5th and 6th Grade Transition Day at the high school from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 
  • Monday, June 6th: Thursday, June 23rd: Summer Enrichment for 5th and 6th graders at Palmyra High School. 
  • Monday, August 8th: 6th and 7th Grade Orientation at Palmyra High School 
• More information is highlighted in the attached presentation. 

• This item was tabled until the next meeting to provide additional opportunities for discussion.

• Policy Committee members summarized the committee meeting held on Thursday, February 9th. 
• No substantive changes were recommended. 
• The policy review dates will be updated to reflect the current review cycle. 

• No further discussion. 

• No further discussion. 

• Board President Desh and Superintendent Hart provided information relative to the various school site visits conducted over the past month and the various professional conferences that occurred over the past month. 
• Additional board leadership opportunities are included in the rationale section of this agenda item and members should contact Mr. Hart if they are interested in attending these events.

• No further discussion. 

• No further discussion. 

• No closed session. 

• The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m.