January 12, 2026 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

• Board President Desh called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
• Board President Desh led the board members and patrons in attendance at the meeting in the Pledge of Allegiance.
  • Special welcome to our senior students here tonight as part of their social studies class requirements.
  • We greatly appreciate our students' attendance and attention to civic responsibilities.

• Board President Desh identified the location of the Open Meetings Act Poster on the wall in the meeting room.
  • Special note: Copies of the updated (2025) Open Meetings Act documents were available at the meeting. 

• Superintendent Hart took over temporary duties to solicit nominations for Board President. 
  • Upon nomination recommendations from the other board members, Brandon Desh was nominated and selected as the 2026 Board of Education President. 
    • Congratulations Brandon!

• 2026 Board Election Officer Results
  • Board President:  Brandon Desh 
  • Board Vice-President:  Jaimi Calfee 
• No further discussion. 
• All documents will be revised according to the updated assignments and designations. 

• Ms. Linde Walter (Director of Student Services and Programs:
  • Ms. Walter provided an update on the Aspire Program.
• Mr. Jared Haag (Bennet Elementary School Principal):
  • Mr. Haag presented information from the MTSS Winter Data "Deep Dive" document that is attached to this agenda item.

• The board would like to welcome Ms. McKenna Webel as one of our High School English Teachers at Palmyra Junior / Senior High School.
  • This assignment will be effective at the beginning of the 2026–2027 school year. 
• No further discussion.

• No public discussion was presented at the meeting. 

• Palmyra Softball Field Usage Request and Update:
• MUDECAS Basketball Tournament:
• NDE Rule 10 Compliance Visit Summary:
• Rule 10 Report Update:
  • An updated Rule 10 report was shared at the meeting. The document is also attached to this agenda item. 
• Student and Staff Kudos:
  • FCCLA (CTE Newsletter):
  • Girls Wrestling
  • Quiz Bowl Teams:
  • Preschool Pillow Project
  • Seal of Biliteracy Award
• Baseball Field: College World Series Grant
  • The College World Series "Restore the Diamond" Grant Committee provided a generous donation of nearly $10,733 to Palmyra High School to redo the infield surface at the Olson Complex.
• Highway #2 Traffic Safety Update:
  • The project was awarded and is scheduled to start in the spring of 2026. 
• Board Meeting Location Rotation Discussion:
  • The April 13th, 2026 Board of Education regular monthly meeting will be held at Bennet Elementary School. 
• Board Election Information:
  • Board members up for re-election in 2026: 
    • Dean Busch
    • Dee Moore
    • Josh Penterman

• Projected Legislative Priorities 
• Policy Updates
• Upcoming Training and Board Member Professional Development Events: 

• Board members discussed options for replacing the media center (and the middle of the high school building area) air handling unit and boiler unit at Palmyra.

• Discussion centered on other short-term options to correct this issue.
  • The following policies aligned with this process are listed below:

• Policy # 7020: Guidelines for Building New Schools

• Policy # 7030: Selection of an Architect or Engineer

• Policy # 7050: Facilities — Bids and Contracts

• This calendar meets all NDE Rule 10 requirements. 

• The calendar attachment was shared at the meeting and will be posted on the school website at www.districtor1.org as soon as possible. 

• Administrative Topics Discussed:
  • Monday, January 5th Professional Development Day.
  • Bennet Elementary December Activities
  • Parent-Teacher Conferences.
  • Report Cards 
  • Power of the ICU program at PHS.
  • PHS: Principal Advisory Committee
  • NEE Teacher Evaluation System
  • Student Cell phone policy and student Chromebook usage update
  • MAPS Reading and Math testing
  • Aspire Academy
  • Junior and Senior School Schedules 
  • Special Education Update
  • Preschool Update

• No further discussion. 

• The deadline for negotiations to be completed is Sunday, February 8th, 2026.
• A new Negotiated Agreement is projected to be approved at the Monday, February 9th, 2026, Regular BOE meeting. 

• The next committee meeting will be on Wednesday, February 18th, 2026 at Palmyra High School from 12:00-1:00 p.m. 
  • FYI: This will not be a public meeting. 

• Our Strategic Planning Committee will meet three times throughout the second semester to review our mission, beliefs, driving goals, and action statements.
• An updated Strategic Plan is scheduled to be available before the start of the 2026-2027 school year.

Strategic Planning Committee Meeting Schedule: 

• Monday, January 19th, 2026, from 5:30- 8:00 p.m. at Palmyra Junior Senior High School in the media center.

• Monday, February 16th, 2026, from 5:30- 8:00 p.m. at Bennet Elementary School in the main commons.  

• Monday, March 16th, 2026, from 5:30- 8:00 p.m. at Palmyra Junior Senior High School in the media center.  

• Softball Update
• Panther Baseball
  • Baseball Infield
  • Baseball Storage Shed
• Fencing Upgrades
• Track Season Update
• West Discus Area

• Committee members summarized the latest meeting held on Tuesday, January 6th, 2026, at PHS.
  • The next committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. at PHS. 

• Anaphylaxis Policy: 2026-2027 School Year 
  • The school district must adopt a policy to address anaphylaxis by July 1st, 2026.
• Behavioral Intervention Training:
  • Each school district must implement a Behavioral Intervention Training program in the 2026-2027 School Year.
• Behavioral Intervention and Awareness Training:
  • Beginning with the 2026-2027 School Year,
• School Media Center and Library Policy:
  • Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year
    • This is an "opt-in" policy requirement for parents if they would like to be notified of what materials are being checked out by their children from the media center. 
• Annual Computer Science Report

• No further discussion

• No further discussion. 

• No further discussion. 

• No further discussion. 

• No further discussion. 

• This proposal was withdrawn after additional discussion.

• No further discussion. 

• No closed session occurred during this meeting. 

• No further discussion. 

• The meeting was adjourned at 7:32 p.m.