Public Meeting Minutes: October 9, 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 7:06 p.m.
Board President Desh led the board members and 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 Open Meetings Act Poster on the wall in the meeting room.
- Please note that no changes to the Open Meetings Act occurred during the last Legislative session and the current Open Meetings Act information will stay current until further notice.

3. Staff and Student Presentations

Discussion:

Aspire Academy students and program staff presented information to the board about our transition program for our 18-21 year-old special education students.
The students shared their program experiences and program staff provided a comprehensive overview of the activities, curriculum, and social and career readiness skills being developed and implemented.
Special thanks to our local businesses and district staff for partnering with the program to create positive "real-world" experiences for our students. This program, in its first year, has shown great success.

Attachments: (1)

Board Presentations 2023-2024 School Year.Draft. Updated. 10.9.2023

4. Option Enrollment Overview

Discussion:

Mr. Bryce Wilson from NDE gave a presentation on option enrollment and the impact of option enrollment in relation to our district.

Attachments: (1)

5006 Option Enrollment Policy.Reviewed.4.10.2023

5. Consent Agenda

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. This motion, made by Dean Busch and seconded by Dee Moore, Passed.

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

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

Discussion:

No further discussion.

5.1. Approval of Board Agenda

5.2. Approval of minutes of previous meetings

Attachments: (8)

5.3. Approval of Claims/Payment of Bills and Payroll

Attachments: (3)

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

5.5. Financial Report

Attachments: (3)

6. Public Comment

Discussion:

No public comment was presented at the meeting.

7. Administrative Reports

7.1. Superintendent's Report

Discussion: The topics presented for the Superintendent's Report are listed below:

Annual Audit:
- The district's annual audit was conducted the week of October 2nd. The district's Annual Financial Report will be finalized in November.
Bond Update:
- The second issuance of the 2022 General Obligation Bond will be distributed sometime in November. The second issuance will be for $5,675,000.
  - A third issuance will be completed sometime in 2024 as needed.
January 2024 Regular Board Meeting Date Adjustment Proposal:
- Moving the date of the January 2024 regular and special board meetings was discussed due to the timing of the New Year and holiday break.
- Monday, January 1, 2024, falls on the first Monday of January 2024. Normally, the regular board meeting is scheduled for the second Monday of each month.
- The timing of the new year and the holiday break often causes delays in vendor billing, and our support staff needs additional time to process bank statements and reconcile accounts.
- The discussion involved moving the meeting to Monday, January 15th, or Monday, January 22nd, 2024. This proposal was listed as an action item later in the agenda, but the item was moved to the November regular board meeting agenda.
Student, Staff, and Community Kudos:
- Special congratulations to the following teachers for their nominations for the B-107 Thank an Early Education Teacher contest.
  - Mrs. Sullivan, Mrs.Wusk, and Mrs. Eisenhauer were all nominated for this recognition! We are blessed to have such outstanding teachers in our district!
Option Enrollment Review:
- Mr. Bryce Wilson presented information about the option enrollment process, NDE guidelines, and the impact of option enrollment on our district.
Guest Speaker: November 8th at PHS:
- There will be a guest speaker at Palmyra High School on Wednesday, November 8th. This speaker (Casey Molifua) sponsored by our high school FCCLA chapter, will talk about "The Real You" with our students. Casey's talk includes a discussion about resiliency, mental health, and Casey's tagline "You vs. You".
Community Service Workday:
- FFA and FCCLA will organize a school-wide community service day for all of our middle school and high school students on Friday, April 26, 2024.
- This will be an excellent opportunity for our students to practice "volunteerism" and support our local businesses and community patrons.
NSCAS Spring Assessment Results:
- The state-standardized NSCAS assessment results from NDE have been communicated to parents this fall.
Bennet Town Hall Meeting: October 10, 2023:
- There is a town hall meeting scheduled for Tuesday, October 10th to discuss future planning and economic development in Bennet. A flyer was shared with information pertaining to that event.
SEL Screener Information:
- Our guidance counselors at both levels continue to develop resources to assist our students with mental health resources and the "screener" helps to identify students who may need additional support.
Early Completion (December 2023) Eligible Students:
- Eight high school senior students have qualified for early completion.
Highway Safety Letter:
- A letter was written on behalf of the district to the Nebraska Department of Transportation expressing concerns about highway safety in the area of Palmyra.
- A copy of the letter is currently posted on the district website.
"Community Unity" Panel Update: Douglas:
- The last "community unity" panel (Douglas) is now complete and the panel was on display at the meeting.
- Special thanks to our local community historical experts and Ms. Gill and her students for their great work on this project!
Superintendent Evaluation:
- Board members discussed the evaluation instrument and timeline for the superintendent evaluation process.
- A committee of board members will review the NASB document used last year to make revisions as needed for this year's evaluation process.

Attachments: (7)

7.1.1. 2022 Bond Update

7.1.2. Annual Audit Information

7.1.3. Highway Safety Letter

7.1.4. Bennet Comprehensive Planning and Downtown Revitalization Town Hall Meeting Information

Attachments: (1)

Bennet Comprehensive Planning and Dopwntown Revitalization Plan

7.1.5. "Community Unity" Panels and Display Update

7.1.6. Superintendent Evaluation

7.2. Administrative Team Report

Discussion: The admin report included the following topics:

Continuous Improvement process training.
MAP’s and NSCAS student assessments and results
High school graduation
Staff congratulations
School safety
Behavioral Committee update
Upcoming Staff Development: November 14th.
2024-2025 building class schedules and possible staffing
Report cards
Upcoming student and community events

Attachments: (3)

7.2.1. Safety Audit and Safety Plan Update

Discussion:

Mr. Johnson discussed the upcoming district safety audit scheduled for Wednesday, October 18th.

8. Discussion Items- Committee Reports

Attachments: (1)

2023 Board Committee Assignments_ District OR.1. Updated and Approved. January 16.2023 (2)

8.1. Curriculum: Committee on American Civics Update

Discussion:

The Americanism Committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, October 11th, 2023.
The committee needs to meet at least twice each school year to comply with Nebraska Department of Education requirements.

8.2. Negotiations Committee

Discussion:

The Negotiations Committee is scheduled to meet again prior to the next regular board meeting which will take place on November 13th, 2023.
This year's certified staff negotiation process will follow standard practices and align with required deadlines.

Attachments: (1)

2023 Board Committee Assignments_ District OR.1. Updated and Approved. January 16.2023 (4)

8.3. Transportation Committee

Discussion:

Members of the Transportation Committee provided feedback on district transportation needs.
- Additional discussion involved prioritizing vehicle purchases, driver recruitment, and re-clarifying the purpose of the Transportation Committee.

9. Policy Review

9.1. Policy #1300 Community Relations Fundraising Activities

Discussion:

Policy #1300 was reviewed and potential changes to the policy were suggested to clarify policy guidelines related to fundraising for all activity groups.
Some minor changes were suggested to update our fundraising policy.

Attachments: (1)

1300--Fund Raising.Revised.10.9.2023

10. Action Items

10.1. January 2024 Regular Board Meeting Date Reschedule Proposal

Discussion:

This agenda item was moved to the November 13th, 2023 regular board meeting.
No action was taken at the meeting.

10.2. Discuss, consider, and take action to approve the purchase of a diesel school bus.

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion to approve the purchase of a diesel school bus. This motion, made by Josh Penterman and seconded by Dean Busch, Passed.

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

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

Discussion:

Additional discussion included confirmation of standardized vehicle features by transportation personnel.
No further discussion.

Attachments: (1)

District OR-1 Bus Purchase Agreement.10.9.2023

10.3. Discuss, consider and take action to approve an updated passenger van.

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion to approve the purchase of a passenger van as listed. This motion, made by Tim Cheney and seconded by Dee Moore, Passed.

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

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

Discussion:

No further discussion.

Attachments: (1)

Chrysler Pacifica Purchase Agreement.October 9.2023

10.4. Discuss, consider and take action to appoint one Board member to serve as our district voting delegate at the Nebraska Association of School Board's Assembly Delegate coming up in November 2023 at the State Education Conference in Omaha.

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion to appoint Board Member Desh as Voting Delegate for the 2023 State Education Conference. This motion, made by Josh Penterman and seconded by Dean Busch, Passed.

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

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

Discussion:

Board President Brandon Desh was elected to be the voting delegate at the upcoming State Education Conference.

Attachments: (1)

State Education Conference Flyer.November 16 through 18. 2022

10.5. Discuss, consider and take action with regard to Option Enrollment Appendix

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion to approve the Option Enrollment Resolution and Appendix as discussed. This motion, made by Tim Cheney and seconded by Josh Penterman, Passed.

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

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

Discussion:

After additional board member discussion, the attached appendix was approved.
See the updated attached option enrollment appendix.

10.6. Discuss, consider and take action to approve changes to Policy #1300: Fundraising Activities

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion to approve proposed changes as discussed. This motion, made by Dee Moore and seconded by Tim Cheney, Passed.

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

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

Discussion:

No further discussion.

Attachments: (1)

1300--Fund Raising.Revised.10.9.2023

11. Board of Education Development

Discussion: No further discussion.

Area Membership Meeting: This event was held on Wednesday, September 27th in Nebraska City
Labor Relations Conference: Wednesday, October 4th and Thursday, October 5th, 2023 in Lincoln:
NASB State Education Conference in Omaha:
- Wednesday, November 15th, Thursday, November 16th, and Friday, November 17th, 2023 in Omaha: Please see the attached flyer for more information.
- Please let Mr. Hart know if you would like to attend this event.
The NASB Board Notes for October 2023 are also attached.

Attachments: (3)

11.1. NASB Area Meeting Summary

Discussion:

No further discussion.

Attachments: (1)

NASB Area Membership Meetings Flyer 2021

12. Closed Session

Discussion:

No closed session occurred.

13. Topics for Next Month’s Agenda

Discussion:

NSAA Football Classification Discussion for 2024-2026
Policy Review
District Calendar Draft Review
Superintendent Evaluation Update
Negotiations Update
AFR Update
Other items as requested

14. Adjournment

Discussion:

The meeting was adjourned at:10:12 p.m.

October 9, 2023 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Web Viewer