August 16, 2017 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

President Gould called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM and the Pledge of Allegiance was said.

All members were present.

President Gould reminded the audience that the Open Meeting Laws are displayed in the back of the room for their review.

Motion by Black, second by Urbom approve the consent agenda as presented, regular meeting minutes of July 12, 2017, August Financial Statement and monthly bills as presented.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

There was no correspondence/recognition.

Cicely Pickel was introduced to the Board as the Student Board Member for 2017-18.

     The first day of school begins on August 16.  We have had a big jump in number of students at Raymond Central with 72 more than at the start of 2016-17.  We are looking forward to the start of a great school year.

     Meet and Greet Night is scheduled for Monday, August 14.  Kindergarteners and their families will start the evening at 5:30.  Grades 1-5 will visit from 6:00-7:00.  Students will meet their teachers, bring supplies, and enjoy a treat from PTO.  We will have 6^th, 7^th grade and new student Open House on Tuesday, August 15 from 6:00-7:00 pm.  

     The PTO is hosting a pool party at the Aquatic Center in Wahoo from 6-8pm on August 12.  PTO had the first planning meeting for the year on August 8.  Items discussed included the Meet and Greet Night, first day snacks for students, the annual fundraiser, Fall Festival, Multi-Cultural Night, and other event dates for the school year.  They also plan to provide lunch for the elementary staff on August 16.  Raymond Central is very lucky to have such a supportive group!

    We will have a "safety day" on August 18 to practice all the various emergency procedures that we hope we never have to use.  We will hold bus evacuations, a fire drill, a tornado drill, and a lockdown drill.

    The Food Bank Backpack Program will again offer backpacks of food at RC.  The RCEF helps with the accounting and a committee including staff, parents, and community members is in charge of oversight.  Backpacks filled with food are distributed to families at the end of each week at each elementary school.  Families may apply for the program similar to the Free and Reduced Lunch Program and Student Fee Waiver.  Funds for the program are from private donations by organizations and individuals, the Hustle Fun Run and pancake feed.  Mark your calendars for the Hustle on October 28 this year.  A big thank you to all the organizations and individuals who have donated their money, time, and energy to make this program successful.  A special thank you to Immanuel Lutheran Church for housing the food and all volunteers who pack the bags each week.

Submitted by Kolin Haecker, 6-12 Principal & Curriculum Director

     A new beginning in the history of Raymond Central as we begin another 50 years of education for our students.  We bring the 6^th grade students together for the first time at the high school building now making it the Middle/High school building.  

     Students in grades 6-8 will be going to the Haymarket Park for fun activities learning about the eclipse on Monday, August 21.  Students in grades 9-12 will go outside at the appropriate time to observe the eclipse from the school property.  We want to thank Mike Unverferth for providing glasses for all the high school students and staff.  We would also like to thank Mrs. Trautman for organizing the day for the middle school students.  She applied for a grant that supplied the glasses for students.

     Mrs. Dostal and I will be presenting NeSA & ACT data from this past school year at the September board meeting, granted they have lifted the embargo by our next meeting.

     Mr. Luke conducted band camp August 7-11 at the high school. 

Submitted by Greg Wilmes, Assistant Secondary Principal/Activities Director

     Fall sports practices starting on Monday, August 7.  Volleyball will have a jamboree game on August 21 and their opener will be August 29.  First contest for softball will be Thursday, August 17 against Wahoo.  First meet for cross country will be at East Butler on August 24, and first football game will be August 24 at Aquinas.  Preliminary numbers for sports are CC: 15-18, SB: 16, FB: 39, VB: 24.  Due to low numbers in softball, some JV games will be shortened or even cancelled depending on # of games in a short time span.  Junior high football will start Thursday, August 17, with their first game September 7.  Junior high VB will start the week of August 21, with their first game September 7 as well. 

      Gym floors were refinished this summer, with the main gym getting sanded down and repainted as well.  Final pads for the pillars next to the stage will hopefully be here the first week of school.  Special thanks to CSI for their work with the pads, as well as Mr. Harrington’s construction class for installation of the doors and wall pads.  

      We are in the process of hiring a baseball coach to represent Raymond Central in the co-op with Malcolm.  Lincoln Lutheran will continue to co-op with Wahoo and Neumann. 

      Schedules have been posted for the 17-18 school year with other events as well.  Please visit "rcentral.org" and go to the "Activities Calendar" for the most current schedules and events.

Submitted by Shelly Dostal, Elementary Principal at Valparaiso, and Curriculum Director for K-5

      Enrollment at Valparaiso - Total enrollment K-5 is 173 students as of 8/10/17.  We are watching the 1st grade class size and the 5th grade class size closely with 26 and 28 students respectively.

      Summer Learning - Staff attended various trainings this summer.  English Language Arts (ELA) teachers participated in a day long training for Study Sync (gr 6-8) or Wonders (K-5) in August.   We will continue to learn together throughout the year.  Many teachers also attended graduate level classes.  Our teachers continue to grow and learn and we appreciate their efforts to continue their lifelong learning journey.    

      Opening Workshops - All staff workshops will begin on Monday, August 14.  We are excited to begin a new year!   Agenda items include Curriculum/Instruction/Assessments, Advanced Ed/School Improvement, Board Policies, Health/Safety Procedures and training, and a guest speaker.  

      District Curriculum and Assessment - We have been informed that data will be made public in late August.  Mr. Haecker and I will plan to share data at the September Board meeting.  All results are embargoed until made public.   Districts have seen NeSA Math and Science data, but we are awaiting ELA results as well ACT.

Submitted by Ann Egr, Elementary Principal at Ceresco and District Special Education Director  

     Enrollment at Ceresco - Total enrollment K-5 is 123 students as of 8/10/17.  Last year at this time the enrollment was 108 and the school year ended with 115 students.  There are 22 kindergarteners registered.  It is exciting to see the increase! 

     Administrator Days were held in Kearney on July 26-28.  NDE reviewed changes made in Rule 51:Regulations and Standards for Special Education Programs.  The district is currently serving 98 students with 15 of them falling in the B-5 category. 

     Meredith Hoxmeier and I spent an entire day on August 10 receiving new curriculum training.  Unique Learning System® is an award-winning, online, standards-based set of interactive tools specifically designed for students with special needs to access the general curriculum.  Unique Learning System provides preschool through transition students with rigorous, standards-based materials specifically designed to meet their instructional needs. The Special Education Department would like to extend a HUGE thank-you to the PTO for this generous contribution!!

    NDE and NASES annual fall conference will be held the end of August.  The focus of the meeting will be updates regarding rules, regulations, and IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act) grant. 

    Dr. Joel and I will attend a meeting hosted by NDE regarding Medicaid Reimbursements on August 30, 2017. 

    ESU2 Updates: The service unit’s new Director of Student Services is Daniel Bombeck.  Mr. Bombeck is now the contact person for CASES (National Council of Administrators of Special Education).  For the 2017-2018 school year, the following personnel will serve our students and staff: Jodie Sams - Special Education Student Services Supervisor; Heather Walla - Speech Pathologist; and Phillip Scherer - School Psychologist. 

No additional information.

The federal government re-opened the REAP Grant, which allowed for us to complete the application.  We could receive $40,000 depending upon how many school districts applied. 

We will be running 6 bus routes for the 2016-2017 school year.  After reviewing the routes and times, we could have added a 7th route if another driver was available.  We continue to search for substitute bus drivers. 

Dr. Joel attended Open Meetings Law Workshop Topics that included
an interactive analysis of factual scenarios based on Attorney General disposition letters and questions received by NASB.  It was a great night of learning and networking. 

Administrator days were held in Kearney July 25-28.  The three keynote speakers were: Margaret Buckton (IA, 3rd grade retention), Eric Sheninger (Digital Leadership), and Jon Gordon (author of the Energy Bus and many others).  The last speaker, Jon Gordon, did an outstanding job promoting the importance to always stay positive and other leadership advice.  It was also nice to spend time together as an administrative team discussing priorities for next year.  Dr. Joel was able to attend a vareity of learning sessions: Personnel Rights and Issues A to Z, The Changing Workplace: Improving Communication and Collaboration, What Do School Leaders Need to Know About Early Childhood, and an update on Nebraska's legislation.

The School Improvement Team met Wednesday, August 9 to discuss goals for the 2017-2018 school year.  Our primary focus for professional development will be on differentiated instruction.  Preliminary data analysis indicates high levels of proficiency, however, growth is needed to get more students to the "exceeds" category.  We will again be working with Dr. Nunnally who will focus on both differentiation through the use of research based instructional practices. 

We have applied for a grant through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Division of Water System Security to purchase a security camera that will give us eyes over the pump house, gas pump and bus barn. We have also asked for money to construct a fence around the pump house to secure the building. Total dollar amount asked for was $9,000.

There was a meeting to discuss removal of the portable building and semi-truck off school grounds. In order to remove both, a new storage facility will need to be constructed to hold one act, track and other school related supplies and material. Kolin, Greg and I met with Mr. Harrington and Mr. Carriker to build a storage shed on the northeast side of campus. The project would connect to the curriculum of Mr. Harrington's construction class and provide a hands on experience for students. As we continue the conversation, more information will be provided along with cost estimates. 

Dr. Joel met with Terry from Air Fluid Management to go through the balance report. The report is attached, however, is very difficult to read. Terry is going to replace a part on one of the exhaust fans in the kitchen. The next step in the process is to contact an engineering firm recommended by Terry, Davis Design, who can use the balance report and issues we have had to create action steps we can take to keep the humidity and mold out. 

Dr. Joel has a meeting with Dave Bayne, the mold expert, Monday August 16th to take more samples and discuss ways to be proactive in making sure the building stays mold free. 

An open house has been scheduled for the new addition Friday September 1st from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM. Our goal is to catch as many people going to the first football game as possible. 

Motion by Springer, second by Breitkreutz to approve the 2017-18 Activity Handbook as presented.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

The 2017-19 Cooperative Baseball Agreement was tabled until the next meeting to refine some of the pieces.

Each building has been updated with new wireless.  We will be getting bids for two exterior cameras that are still needed for the Pre-Kindergarten playground and the 6th Grade basketball court.

Motion by Urbom, second by Blanchard to approve the district's annual insurance premium policy from EMC for $111,776.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Blanchard to approve substitute teachers Randy Wilmes, Sandra Spangler and Barb Ohnoutka and substitute cook Alicia Schweitzer.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Motion by Blanchard, second by Urbom to approve the addition of Rhonda Madsen to work in the kitchen for 2 hours in the afternoon.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Motion by Black, second by Springer to hold the hearing for the 2017-18 budget summary and to review the system wide tax request on Wednesday, September 13 at 7:00 PM.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.  

Motion by Springer, second by Blanchard to approve the next Regular Board of Education Meeting on Wednesday, September 13.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Urbom to adjourn the meeting at 8:25 PM.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.