April 10, 2017 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

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1. The Board of Education reserves the right to enter into Closed/Executive Session for 1) the protection of public interest or 2) the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual, and the individual has not requested a public meeting. When making a motion to enter into Closed/Executive Session, the member making such a request should be as specific as possible keeping the previously listed stipulation in consideration. 
2. If the Board is in agreement, a motion maybe to enter into Closed/Executive Session to 1) discuss a personnel matter, or 2) for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of the individual, or 3) to discuss litigation and for the protection of the public interest.
3. Action concerning matters discussed in Closed/Executive Session will be acted upon in open session

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Welcome to the Dundy County Stratton Public Schools Board of Education Meeting.  The Board welcomes citizens to attend board meetings to become acquainted with the programs and operations of the district.  Members of the public are also encouraged to share their ideas and opinions with the Board during the agenda item labeled “Public Items”.  Comments or questions from the audience at any other time during the meeting except for the agenda item “Public Items” will out of necessity be declared out of order.

The Nebraska Open Meetings Act prevents the board from speaking to a matter that is not on the agenda.  Please understand that the board may be unable to address your issue during the meeting.  It is not permissible for the board to comment on items not listed for the protection of the public’s right to know and participate in the discussion of items that do come before the board and stated appropriately in the meeting agenda.  

During this agenda item “Public Items” we ask that you abide by the following rules:

Public Comment Protocol and Procedures

1. Anyone wishing to speak to the board on specific agenda items or on other topics relevant to board business must complete a Public Comment Request Card and submit it to the Board President prior to the opening of the meeting.   The public will only be recognized and their comments heard at Item “Public Items” on the board agenda.  The total time allotted for the public comment will not exceed thirty minutes and each member of the public will be allotted not more than five minutes to address the Board.  If a group wishes to speak, please designate one spokesperson for the group.
   
   
2. Please state your name and the topic you are addressing before you begin.  
   
   
3. Speakers are asked to direct their questions and comments to the chair.  A member of the Board of Education or the Superintendent may direct clarifying questions to the chair, but the board will not under any circumstance enter into a debate with any the member of the public.
   
   
4. Speakers may offer objective criticism of district operations and programs, but the Board would encourage members of the public to address complaints concerning individual district personnel through the proper chain of command.  The chair may direct the member of the public to the appropriate means to address concerns brought before the Board; however, the board will not respond with action but will take comments under advisement and direct the comments to the appropriate staff member to address outside of the board meeting.
   
   
5. Please remember that is a public meeting for the conduct of business of the Dundy County Stratton Public School District. Offensive language, personal attacks and hostile conduct will not be tolerated. You should further be advised that there is no legal protection for any comments that are made. 
   
   
6. As stated in NEB. REV. STAT. § 79-570 Class I, II, III, IV, or VI school district; president; meetings; maintenance of order.  

   If any district meeting of a Class I, II, III, IV, or VI school district any person conducts himself or herself in a disorderly manner and persists in such conduct after notice by the president or person presiding, the president or person presiding may order such person to withdraw from the meeting and, if the person refuses, may order any person or persons to take such person into custody until the meeting is adjourned.

7. As stated in NEB. REV. STAT. § 79-571 Class I, II, III, IV, or VI school district; meetings; disorderly conduct; penalty. 

Any person who refuses to withdraw from such meeting on being so ordered as provided in section 79-570 or who willfully disturbs such meeting shall be guilty of a Class V misdemeanor. 

Rationale:  To verify that notice of the meeting was given by publication in the Benkelman Post, a legal newspaper for Dundy County Stratton and by written notice to each member of the board, the designated method of giving notice

Rationale:  To adopt the agenda of this meeting. The board reserves the right to change the order of items within the agenda.

Rationale:  We will be required to have a policy to address this situation specifically. Attached is a policy prepared by legal counsel. We will need to make a decision what to do with students when the account balance is negative. 

Rationale:  We have a wellness committee ready to roll and are looking at some examples of plans and policies. We are on a timeline because the policy must be approved by the board and must be in place by June 30. We will have it on the agenda for approval at both the May and June meetings. Susan Dishman was part of the development at Thayer Central and will be her to discuss with the board. 

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We need to discuss the farm to school program and devise goals and strategies to maximize the effectiveness and longevity of the program. Items to consider include a community leader to help with the program, donor recognition, educational opportunities and publicity/kickoff events. 

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A year ago we were set approve the new language in the teacher contract. At that time the union was waiting to hear from NSEA about some of the wording. The negotiations committee and teachers agreed to the wording as part of negotiations, however I believe that the board should be on record as approving the contract document in a separate motion. This new version of the contract gives the district permission to collect or garnish for any unpaid balances and un-returned equipment.

Keep in mind that the Nebraska is a continuing contract state for teachers. By law their contracts roll automatically unless the administration notifies them otherwise. The board takes action on new hires and when a teacher has been informed that their contract will not be renewed and they request a hearing before the board.

In the future only new teachers will sign this contract, each year after they will sign an "intent to return" form in lieu of the three page contract. 

The contract document is attached. 

Rationale:  Presentation of the financial status of the district, balances in various funds, recent/impending activity therein, anticipated expenses and planning for future considerations.

Rationale:  Mrs. Hinojosa submitted her resignation just after last month's meeting. She had not signed her contract for next year so accepting her resignation is a formality but one which we should do. At this time we do not have further resignations. 

Rationale:  We have offered Ryan Zuhlke a contract to teach math next year. Mr. Zuhlke is a graduate of Sterling (NE) High School, has helped supervise the summer weightroom there and is a Teammates mentor,. He was on the Dean's List at Peru State and a 3 year member of their Student Athlete Advisory Council, including one year as Vice President.  Mr. Zuhlke is currently student teaching at Johnson-Brock and will graduate from Peru State in May of this year. 

Rationale:  There are some items I would like to discuss regarding our contract with ESU 15 or 2017-2018. The contract is attached. 

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After the committee meeting we are in the process of developing a policy for fundraising that will contain rules prohibiting the money going into accounts outside our school when our school name and students are involved. It will also state that all fundraisers must have a stated objective in terms of amount of funding sought and the purpose/use of those funds. 

As an offshoot of this discussion we will also be developing a list of what the district provides per sport. Generally we will not provide items that are specific to a person. Examples of things we will not provide include shoes, undergarments, golf equipment or anything that is measured, fitted or labeled to a specific person. Anything we provide is property of the school district and will be checked in at the conclusion of the season. Examples of things we will provide are the required generic uniform, required equipment that is not person specific. The sports of Volleyball, Football, Track, Cross Country, Basketball and Wrestling have specific rules from their governing body for uniforms and those we will provide. When we pay for items with district funds the participants have limited say in the size, color, style, fit, etc of the item. 

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The transportation met last week to discuss vehicle needs. After that discussion the administration recommends that we purchase a new route bus and dispose of several vehicles. About 4 years ago we reduced the fleet from 40 vehicles to 34. At this time I would recommend reducing by another 4 to 7 vehicles. We are running fewer routes than in the past. I believe our peak was 14 routes. We are now running 10 with the shuttles (If we count Tami as having two routes). we also only have 3 drivers who live near the end of their route and are taking small vehicles home during the day (wear and tear on a Taurus is cheaper than a Blue Bird).

I don't recommend disposing of any of the suburban/expeditions. They are too handy and too expensive to replace. 

The recommendation is to purchase a new 35 passenger route bus. 

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During this agenda item Sandy will provide an update from the NASB Executive Board and Legislative Committee.

Rationale:  Attached is the mid-term bill summary from NCSA and Mike Dulaney. It is the basis for both NCSA and NASB as they look at bills affecting or potentially affecting education as a whole. We can discuss those which are of interest to you at the meeting. 

Rationale:  This item is intended to allow for Mr. Fette and Mr. Rotherham to present to the board changes they are looking at for curriculum, class schedules, etc for the 2017-2018 school year. Staffing needs and levels along with class configurations will also be discussed.