Public Meeting Minutes: May 8, 2023 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance

Discussion:

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

2. Announcement of the Open Meetings Act Posting

Discussion:

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

3. Staff and Student Presentations

Discussion:

A student-created 2022-2023 school highlight video was shown at the meeting. Board members appreciated the "community feel" of the video.
Special thanks to Mrs. Gill Rose and her yearbook students for putting together a year-end video of student activities.
Ms. Walter also shared information about projects that the elementary students were engaged in at Bennet. Writing letters to soldiers, raising money to improve the playground, and other things highlighted examples of the great things our students and staff do in the district.
The staff and student presentations were highlights this year for our board members and we plan to continue these student and staff presentations in future board meetings.

4. Consent Agenda

Discussion:

No further discussion.

4.1. Approval of Board Agenda

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion to approve. This motion, made by Josh Penterman and seconded by Tim Cheney, Passed.

Busch: Yea
Calfee: Yea
Cheney : Yea
Desh: Yea
Moore: Yea
Penterman: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

4.2. Approval of minutes of previous meetings

Attachments: (2)

4.3. Approval of Claims/Payment of Bills and Payroll

Attachments: (2)

4.4. Certificated/Classified Hire(s)/Reassignment(s)/Resignation(s)

4.4.1. Presentation, discussion, and or official action to approve Sadie Conn's Letter of Resignation

Attachments: (1)

Conn.Sadie.Letter of Resignation.4.25.2023 for Board approval May 8.2023

4.4.2. Presentation, discussion, and or official action to approve a teaching contract for Cody Pester

Attachments: (1)

Pester.Cody. District OR.1. Bennet Elementary School.Teacher Contract .2023.2024 School Year.May 8. 2023

4.5. Financial Report

Attachments: (1)

Financial Report for Regular Board Meeting.District OR.1. May 8.2023

4.6. Updated Information on the 2022 General Obligation Bond

Attachments: (1)

2022 Bond Construction Budget.Updated. May 8.2023

5. Public Comment

Discussion:

No public comment was provided at the meeting.

6. Administrative Reports

6.1. Superintendent's Report

Discussion:

Superintendent Hart discussed the following topics during the Superintendent's Report:
Teacher Appreciation Week: Teacher Appreciation was Monday, May 8th- Friday, May 12th, 2023.
- A special flyer was placed in the "Voice News" newspaper honoring the work of our district educators and various Booster groups provided other opportunities for appreciation of our staff, such as sponsored lunches and other activities.
"End of the Year" Activities
- Graduation - Scheduled for Saturday, May 13th at 2:00 p.m. at Palmyra High School
- Teacher Meetings: Our staff will be meeting with representatives from BIC Construction at the end of the school year to get updates about summer construction details and back-to-school planning.
- Summer Enrichment Update: Summer enrichment for students in Grades 1-5 is scheduled for Monday, June 5th to Thursday, June 29th, 2023 from 9:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. at Bennet Elementary School.
  - Please note that there is no summer enrichment on Fridays during this time.
Schedule "Board Retreat": A board retreat will be scheduled for sometime this summer. This topic will be discussed again at the Monday, June 12th regular board meeting.
Student and Staff Kudos: Superintendent Hart discussed a variety of outstanding accomplishments by our students and staff this school year. More information is contained within the attached document.
Legislative Update: Please see attached document.
Student Enrollment Update: Superintendent Hart provided an update on the final student enrollment count for the 2022-2023 school year.
- The total student numbers were:
  - Bennet Elementary: Grades Pre-K - 5: 407
  - Palmyra High School: Grades 6-12: 313:
  - Total District Enrollment: 720
Continuous Improvement Process Summary Document. Our district recently hosted an external review team visit on Wednesday, April 12th, and Thursday, April 13th, 2023 to assess our district's readiness and compliance with state school accreditation requirements. More information about this review and a summary of the visit is attached in the document below.
Economic Development Opportunity for Early Childhood Programs: Superintendent Hart will be attending a problem-solving meeting on Wednesday, May 24th in Bennet to discuss potential solutions to an area-wide shortage of available early childhood and childcare options for families and communities.

Attachments: (4)

6.1.1. Building Expansion and Summer Construction Update

Discussion: Items discussed during this section of the meeting are listed below:

Special Board Meeting: We will have a special board meeting on Monday, May 22nd at 6:00 p.m. at Palmyra High School to discuss and approve the building expansion project's GMP. Guaranteed Maximum Price.
Beginning and End of School Logistics:
- Upcoming Staff Meetings
- Entrances / Exits
- Safety
- Communication and Community Updates
Bennet Elementary School:
- Gym Floor Update
- Parking Lot Discussion: Stalls / Traffic Flow / Concrete Cost and Options
- Bus and Parent/Staff Traffic Flow/ Efficiency
- Parking and Parking Lots/ Stall Counts
- Playground Renovation and Upgrade
- Alleyway Closure City Meeting (5/8/23) Request
Palmyra High School:
- CTE electrical logistics, equipment (placement and overall projected costs).
- Perkins Grant Additional Equipment: see attached documents.
- Flooring

Attachments: (3)

6.1.2. "Community Unity" Panel for Palmyra

Discussion:

Community members from Palmyra and Bennet who are very knowledgeable and passionate about the history of each community have collaborated with our students and staff to create an informational panel for each of the following communities (Palmyra, Bennet, and Douglas). The Palmyra Community Unity Panel is attached to this agenda item.
These panels will eventually be displayed in the commons area outside of the main gym at the high school (and possibly at the elementary school) once they are finished.
- The panels for Bennet and Palmyra have been completed and were on display at the meeting. The Douglas community panel is nearing completion and is expected to be on display at the Monday, June 12th regular board meeting. More information about these "community unity" panels is listed on our school website.
Special thanks to our high school students, community members, and Ms. Gill Rose for their amazing work on these unique and very informative projects.

Attachments: (2)

6.1.3. Legislative Update

Discussion:

Superintendent Hart summarized recent legislative bills and the potential impact of current legislation on school funding and school operations and planning.
See the attached documents for more details.

Attachments: (3)

6.2. Administrative Team Report

Discussion:

Ms. Walter and Mr. Johnson discussed the following items in the administrative report:

High School Graduation: Graduation is May 13th, 2023 at 2:00 p.m: at Palmyra High School
Student Assessment and Testing Update: All NSCAS and MAPS testing has been completed for both the Elementary and HS.
Elementary School Activities: Track Day for elementary students will be held at the Olsen Complex on Friday, May 12th, and Monday, May 15th. The Accelerated Reading awards ceremony for 1st-4th grade will be held Wednesday, May 17th at 8:45 a.m.
End of Year Activities: The last student day for elementary students will be Wednesday, May 17th and the last student day for JH/HS will be Thursday, May 18th.
- Elementary student transition meetings will occur on Thursday, May 18th.
School Safety: Mr. Johnson and Ms. Walter provided information on school safety and school security: Various topics included: Discussion and Planning for Future Expansion Projects: employee and visitor security fobs and keys, cameras, access, and infrastructure capacity, entrances/ exits, threat assessment apps (E-3, Raptor, etc.). safety plans, digital hall passes, and student traffic patterns in and out of Palmyra.
Student Technology: Social media, technology, and student cell phone usage during school hours (committee, survey, etc).
- Additional discussion on the subject of technology included:
  - Creating a district-wide Technology Committee, initially made up of admin, teachers, and board members. Additional discussions regarding security cameras, safety film on outside entrances, policy revisions, re-keying the buildings, and restricting student cell phone usage at school were also discussed. The first meeting of the Technology Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, May 16th, at 4:30 p.m. at Bennet Elementary School.
  - A follow-up discussion with all staff members will be facilitated at the end-of-the-year meetings. The school board members on the Technology Committee are Brandon Desh, Jaimi Calfee, and Dee Moore.

Attachments: (3)

6.2.1. Continuous Improvement Information for District Accreditation

Discussion:

Please see the attached document for more information.

Attachments: (1)

Continuous Improvement Process.External Report - District OR-1 (1). May 1.2023

7. Discussion Items- Committee Reports

7.1. Olson Complex Update

Discussion: Superintendent Hart updated the board on the following items:

Youth Track Information: This community event was held on Saturday, May 6th. High school student-athletes and high school coaches helped coach the younger athletes.
Team Room Drywall: This project has been completed.
Concession Stand West Door Weatherproofing: This project has been completed.
Panther Club Summer Baseball: Panther Club baseball has begun its spring season and will soon be heading into the summer season. Special thanks to all of our youth coaches who help organize and coach the young athletes.

7.2. Facilities and Transportation Committee Update

Discussion:

Transportation and Facilities Committee members provided information about driver certification and coaches driving school vehicles.

8. Policy Review

9. Action Items

Discussion:

There were no action items this month other than those listed in the consent agenda.

10. Board of Education Development

Discussion: No further discussion.

The NASB Board Notes document for April 2023 is attached.
The NASB Board Quicks document for May 2023 is attached.
Schedule Possible "Board Retreat" for June: The date, time, and location will be discussed in more detail at the June 12th, 2023 regular board meeting.

Attachments: (3)

11. Closed Session

Discussion: No closed session.

12. Topics for Next Month’s Agenda

Discussion: The following items are scheduled to be on the agenda for the June 12th regular board meeting.

Policy Review:
- Annual Hearing (Parent Involvement, Student Fees)
2023-2024 School Meal Prices
Building Expansion and Construction Update
Curriculum Reports
Board Retreat: We will need to schedule a specific date and time at the June 12th regular board meeting.
Option Enrollment
Strategic Planning Update
2023-2024 Budget Information and Projections
Staff and Student Handbooks
Other items as applicable

13. Adjournment

Discussion:

The meeting was adjourned at 8:44 p.m.

May 8, 2023 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

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