May 13, 2024 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

• Board President Desh called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
• The Pledge of Allegiance was conducted at the CMAR special board meeting earlier in the evening.

• Board President Desh identified the location of the Open Meetings Act Poster on the wall in the meeting room.
  • Please note: An updated copy of the Open Meetings Act poster will be distributed to public entities for public distribution sometime during the summer of 2024.
  • Until the posters arrive, the attached document will be displayed in the meeting room to accommodate the current changes.
  • The changes are reflected in the currently posted materials: revised April 2024.

• We will have a local vendor present information related to the third issuance of the 2022 General Obligation Bond. 
  • Representatives from Western National Bank presented a proposal for securing the third issuance of the 2022 General Obligation Bond 
  • Special thanks to Western National Bank for taking the time to come and present at the meeting.

• Graduation Video: 
  • A short video of our graduating seniors was played at graduation and highlighted to our board members at the meeting. 
• "End of the School Year" Student and Staff Video Highlights.
  • An "end of the year" student video was shown to the board members during the meeting. 
    • Special thanks to all of our students and staff for their hard work and service to our district this school year!

• No further discussion.

• Madi Dvorak of Bennet
• Sofia Gartzke of Bennet
• Dylaney Georges of Palmyra
• Justin Georges of Palmyra
• Ashley Hammon of Palmyra

"Community Unity" Project Update:

• Kempkes Plaque Relocation:
  • The Bob L. Kempkes plaque previously located under the flagpole at the west football field in Palmyra will be relocated at the Olson Complex. 
  • Please see the attached document for more information
• Bennet Elementary School: 1918 Cornerstone Relocation:
  • The 1918 cornerstone at Bennet will be relocated at the Bennet site in alignment with construction completion deadlines. 
  • Please see the attached picture for more information. 
• School District Time Capsule:
  • A time capsule was unearthed during the recent building renovations.
  • This artifact will be secured in the community unity section display at Palmyra High School. 
  • Please see the attached picture for more information. 

• Staff Appreciation Week was May 6th - May 10th.
• Special thanks to our staff members for their outstanding service and dedication to our students and families. 

Staff Kudos:

• PHS Graduation Summary:
  • Graduation occurred on Saturday, May 11th, at 2:00 p.m. at Palmyra High School.
  • Please see the attached pictures. 
• Staff Award:
  • Mrs. Michelle Paxton has won the Association of Career and Technical Education of Nebraska: 2024 Outstanding FCS Teacher of the Year!
  • Mrs. Paxton will receive her award on Tuesday, June 4th in Kearney at the NCE Conference. 
  • Congratulations Mrs. Paxton! Well done!
• Aspire Community Presentation:
  • Please see the attached document. 
• Transition Services Parent Meeting Flyer: June 11.202
  • Please see the attached document.
• Mr. Mac Celebration: 
  • Congratulations to Mr. Thomas McChristian for his section as a finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), the nation’s highest honor for K-12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teachers.
  • Mr. Mac (a 5th-grade teacher at Bennet Elementary) is one of three Nebraska teachers receiving this award, and he will be officially recognized by the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) for his selection at an upcoming state board meeting this summer. 
  • Congratulations Mr. Mac for a well-deserved award.
• 2nd Grade Letters to the Board Summary
  • Board President Desh provided a summary of the letters from the students.
  • Mr. Desh also personally visited the students in their classrooms to thank them for their letters and innovative thinking.
• ACT Test Results and Summary:
  • PHS students scored well on the recent Pre-ACT, ACT, and NCSAS assessments.
  • Congratulations to our students for their hard work in preparing for these assessments. 
• Olson Complex:
  • Our annual field grooming appointment is scheduled for Tuesday, June 18th.
  • This annual grooming helps to keep our turf football field well-maintained and safe for participants. 
• Possible Board Meeting Change of Date for July 2024:
  • The board considered a few possible options:
    • Keep the date as Monday, July 8th, or consider Wednesday, July 10th, or Thursday, July 11th as possible dates to reschedule.
  • Board members were provided additional time to decide on options that best accommodate all schedules.
  • This item will be discussed again at the June 3rd board retreat and June regular board meeting.  
• LB 71 Webinar Highlights:
  • Superintendent Hart summarized the webinar sponsored by NDE on Monday, April 22nd. 
  • Please see the attached document for more information. 
• Legislative Summary:
  • Please see the attached documents
• Policy Updates:
  • Please see the attached documents
• Communication Audit:
  • Superintendent Hart summarized the results of the staff and parent communication survey distributed this spring. 
• Personnel Update:
  • Superintendent Hart provided a summary of personnel updates.
• NDE Safety and Security Grant Update:
  • Please see the attached document
• Tuesday, May 14th Primary Election Update:
• Pre-School Update:
  • Ms. Walter provided an update on pre-school. 
  • The district will be offering a full-day preschool section in the fall. 
  • Additional information and district actions aligned with recent legislative action allowing school-aged children (5 year olds) to attend preschool will be discussed at an upcoming meeting. 
• District Wellness Meeting Summary:
  • Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, June 5th, from 12:00–1:00 p.m. at Palmyra High School 
  • More information will be provided at the Monday, June 10th, 2024 regular board meeting. 
• PHS Store Update
  • Riverstone Bank will present a donation to design and implement a school store at Palmyra High School on Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
  • We are grateful for our strong community partnerships and appreciate the engagement and support of our local and area businesses. 
• Math Curriculum Update:
  • Math committee members are finalizing a recommendation for an updated math curriculum.
  • More information and a bid will be discussed at the Monday, June 10th regular board meeting. 
• 2024-2025 Budget Planning Update:
  • Superintendent Hart discussed current budget reports and more information will be addressed in the June 3rd board retreat.
• Staff and Student Handbook Update:
  • Due to the amount of new policy revision needed from the last legislative session, the items will be on the board agenda for approval at the June 10th regular board meeting.
• Summer Building Projects Update
  • End-of-Year Logistics 
• Schedule Summer "Board Retreat":
  • Board members decided to meet on Monday, June 3rd, 2024 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Transformation Marketing in Panama, Nebraska for the board retreat work session.
  • FYI: Notice of this public meeting will be posted on our school website, district social media outlets, and in the area newspaper. 

Highlights from the admin report shared by Mr. Johnson (High School Principal) and Ms. Walter (Bennet Elementary Principal) is listed below:

• Graduation highlights
• NSCAS and MAPS testing process summary from both the Elementary and HS
• Elementary Track Days and AR Awards for grades (1-4) ceremonies at the Olsen Complex. 
• 5th Grade graduation will be at PHS on Tuesday, May 14th at 1:30 pm.
• The last student day for Elementary students will be Wednesday, May 15th,  and the last student day for JH/HS will be Thursday, May 16th
• Summer Enrichment for KDG and 1st grade will be at Bennet and 2nd-5th grade at PHS.

• The Board Committee assignments for the 2023-2024 school year are attached to this agenda item.

• The Facilities Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, May 21st at 8:00 a.m. at PHS in the conference room.
  • A summary of this meeting will be provided at the June 10th regular board meeting. 

• Committee members summarized the Budget Committee meeting that occurred on Monday, May 13th that began at 5:45 p.m. at Palmyra High School.

• The updated Policy Review Schedule is attached to this agenda item. 

• Board members discussed the attached policies and the documents will be reviewed again at the Monday, June 3rd, 2024 board retreat and the Monday, June 10th, 2024  regular board meeting.

• Superintendent Hart summarized the attached document. 

• This curriculum will provide updated math materials for students K-12.

• Just a reminder to vote on Tuesday, May 14th. 
• No further discussion. 

• No closed session occurred during the meeting. 

• Math Curriculum Update
• 2024-2025 Budget Planning Update
• Board Retreat Summary 
• Student Handbook Update and Approval
• Staff Handbook Update and Approval
• Building Projects Update
• 3rd Issuance Update for 2022 Bond
• Summer Enrichment Update
• MTSS Update
• Preschool Update
• Start of School 2024-2025 Update

• The next CMAR special board meeting will be Monday, June 10th, 2024, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Palmyra High School in the media center. 
• The next regular board meeting will be Monday, June 10th, 2024, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at Palmyra High School in the media center. 

• The meeting was adjourned at: 9:30 p.m.