September 16, 2020 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Discussion:       President Gould called the meeting to order and opened the Budget Hearing at 6:03 PM.  Budget documents that will be submitted to the Nebraska Department of Education were reviewed.  The certified budget authority of $8,845,936.00 for the General Fund is established by NDE.  The total budget includes $232,470.00 in Special Grant Funds, $1,579,586.00 for Special Education, and $138,685.00 for General Fund Lid Exclusions.  Final budget $10,796,667.00.  President Gould closed the Budget Hearing at 6:06 PM.

Discussion:       President Gould opened the System-Wide Tax Request Hearing at 6:06 PM.  The tax levy for each fund was reviewed:  General Fund - .985325, HS Bond Fund - .082837, and Special Building Fund - .063475 for a total levy of $1.131637 as compared to the previous levy of 1.133857 for a difference of -.00222.  President Gould closed the System-Wide Tax Request Hearing at 6:08 PM and the Pledge of Allegiance was said. 

Discussion:       Sydnie Blanchard recited the Oath of Office for Student Body Representative.

Discussion:       All members were present.

Discussion:       The audience was reminded that the Open Meeting Laws would be followed.

Discussion:       Motion by Black, second by Breitkreutz to approve the consent agenda as presented including the regular meeting minutes of August 12, 2020, August Financial Statement and September monthly bills.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Congratulations to the Raymond Central Board of Education for your Board of Excellence Award in recognition to your commitment to achieving excellence in board leadership through continuing education.

Discussion:  Submitted by Allison Stansberry, Jr-Sr High School Principal
     If you would have asked me at the start of school how long our doors would be open, I either would have or did say until Labor Day. Because of the work of our staff, students, and families, we are still in face to face instruction. Everyone has done their part to make this happen, it truly has been a group effort. It hasn’t been easy, but there is no doubt it has been worth it! With that being said, I want to provide a special shout out to our Paraeducators. Since we have started school, they have not had the same schedule. It is changing daily. They have always been willing to step up and step in when needed. We truly couldn’t do it without them. 
     September September 8-11 was Homecoming Week! Our Homecoming Royalty was:  King/Queen - Scott Tvrdy & Halle Heiss; Prince/Princess - Mitch Albrecht & Kelsey Hudson; and Duke/Duchess - Lucas Buresh/Grace Mueller.  Lucas Buresh was also our 2020 Mr. Mustang!
      We will be hosting the ACT for our Seniors on October 6! We are glad we are able to provide this opportunity as many test sites are filled due to make-up tests from Covid. Juniors will take the Pre-ACT in October as well. Date still to be determined. We will provide more information once we get everything locked in place!
     Currently, we have approximately 30 students on remote learning. This is for a few reasons:  1) Students are currently quarantining due to travel, waiting on tests results, or positive exposure; 2) Students chose the remote learning option at the beginning of the year. These numbers fluctuate weekly, sometimes daily. Teachers are doing a great job finding what works for them to provide both face to face instruction while also connecting with students remotely. 
     Another special shout out to Amanda Ehlers, our school nurse! She has been such a huge blessing! It makes me wonder how we survived so long without her!  She is knowledgeable, kind, patient, and definitely has a passion for what she does. She has been an amazing asset to RC and we are beyond lucky to have her! 
     We have more kids than ever this semester taking dual credit and college credit courses. Mrs. Osten does a great job of ensuring we have these opportunities for students. SCC course enrollments are 86 with 3 students having 3 different course enrollments, many students having 2 enrollments; Peru State - 10 students; and UNL's Nebraska Now Program - 4 students.
Submitted by Brian Gralheer, Assistant Jr-Sr High School Principal/Athletic Director
     I am happy to report that Fall Sports are off and running!  It is nice to get back into a sense of normalcy.  It has certainly been a transition, but one that our coaches, athletes, and spectators have handled as well as could be expected. I want to sincerely thank everyone who played a part in ensuring we provide our student athletes with the opportunity to compete.
     Softball is off to a 7-9 record currently with eight of those losses being within two runs late in the game. Our girls really play hard out there. Upcoming games this week include LoganView, DC West, and competing in the Arlington Tournament this weekend.
     Cross Country has traveled to compete at East Butler, Beatrice, and Wahoo. We currently have 4 girls and 5 boys out. We have yet to have a runner break the top 15, but Coach Brannagan is reporting consistent improvement of times on a weekly basis out of her runners.
     Mustang Volleyball is currently sitting at the top of the Conference Standings. We are 3-0 in the conference and 4-3 overall. Make sure you subscribe to rc activities to be able to tune in.
     Mustang Football is off to a 3-0 start. They will be traveling to Ft Calhoun this week. We were given an allotment of 250 tickets. Our players and coaches will be given a fixed number of tickets to be able to give out.
     On Wednesday morning, our staff will engage in a 2 hour presentation over Compassion Fatigue and Self-Care.  This is a part of our one-million-dollar disaster grant funded through ESU2. The presentation is part of a three-part Trauma-Informed Care Series put on by Project Harmony out of Omaha. With the stresses from the pandemic put on our staff members, I think this presentation will provide some much-needed information and relief.
     The NCC Athletic Directors have continued our weekly Zoom meetings to discuss how we can safely deliver upcoming conference championship events such as Softball, Volleyball, Cross Country, One Acts, Music, among others. Bouncing ideas off of this group of people has been a wonderful asset in these difficult times.
Submitted by Shelly Dostal, Elementary Principal at Valparaiso/K-5 Curriculum Director
     Curriculum/Instruction - Teachers have developed daily routines and procedures for their classrooms as well as curriculum pacing schedules for the year. Screening assessments with the new FASTBridge resources are almost completed.  Progress monitoring and interventions are beginning; Individualized Reading Improvement Plans (IRIP) for students in grades K-3 who do not meet benchmarks are being developed as outlined in the Reading Improvement Act.
     Assessment - Mrs. Stansberry and Mrs. Osten are coordinating the ACT and Pre-ACT for the fall since students in the cohort were not able to be assessed last spring.  NDE has released assessment dates for the spring and corresponding implementation schedule for modified state assessments.  
     Assessment - Students in grades 3-5 will be administered the NWEA MAP during September 14-25. These adaptive assessments help teachers better understand student academic levels and provide parents with information about their student’s academic performance. Data will be shared with families at first quarter conferences.
     The School Improvement Committee met on September 8. The group began a book study and discussion about grading and assessment practices.  
     Professional Learning - The faculty met on August 26 for the first late start professional learning time. Sixteen teachers participated in the Discovery Education Teacher Leader Training. Other staff began reading and discussing grading and assessment practices. The next late start is scheduled for September 16. PLC groups will analyze data and identify their SMART goals for the year.  
     I have been attending webinars regarding remote learning, assessment, curriculum, and instruction as the school year begins. 
     All students and staff observed Patriot Day on September 11.  Students were encouraged to wear red, white, and blue to show their patriotism, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited and the Star Spangled Banner was played.  Teachers also observed Patriot Day in their classrooms with a variety of lessons.
     RC PTO held a meeting on September 1. Maureen Brase-Houchin is the PTO chair. In conjunction with Believe Kids, the annual fundraiser kicked off on August 26 and ended on September 9. Families were highly encouraged to order online. PTO is also researching additional fundraising options. PTO will sponsor a family dine out night at Raising ‘Cane’s at 2820 Cornhusker Highway in Lincoln on Tuesday, September 15. Fifteen percent of the sales from 5:00-8:00 PM will go to the PTO just by mentioning Raymond Central when you order.  
     Picture day was on September 2. Inter-State Studios was the photographer.  
     Elementary students participated in Homecoming Dress Up days this past week.
     This is the 11th anniversary of providing food for families on the weekends. The Food Bank Backpack Program will start distribution of backpacks each Friday beginning on September 11.  Beth Nacke has secured some special grant funds to provide food for families until the food from the Food Bank arrives for distribution in October.  We thank the Methodist Church in Ceresco for storing the food for us while Immanuel Lutheran Church is renovating their basement.  The Committee is organizing the yearly fundraising event, The Hustle.  We will host a virtual  fun run/walk of 1 mile or 5K or 10K run, in October, rather than the in person event and pancake feed. Sponsorships for the event are now being solicited; we thank our many generous donors! We hope you consider participating.
Submitted by Ann Egr, Elementary Principal at Ceresco/Special Education Director Elementary
     Considering all of the new procedures, the school year is off to a great start! Teachers and students are doing an outstanding job!
     The PTO fundraiser is underway. The final date for sales is September 11. The kids are doing an excellent job and excited to see who gets to have a Principal Taxi for a day!
     The Food Bank Backpack Program started on September 11 through a grant. Thank you Beth Nacke for working on this. This program is a valuable service to Raymond Central families. Thank you to all of the volunteers who pack the bags each week, and to all who donate to the program each year. Your contributions are appreciated. Please mark your calendars for the annual fundraiser. The first Virtual Hustle will be held this year.
     The legislature passed the Nebraska Reading Improvement Act in 2018, which is designed to address student reading needs in grades K-3. The act requires that all students in K-3 are screened three times during the year in an effort to identify areas of need and determine supplemental instruction and intervention. Raymond Central Schools uses FASTBridge assessments as a screener and progress monitoring tool.
     Teachers have completed the first round of FASTBridge assessments which are used to identify benchmarks for students. Threshold levels of 15^th percentile and 40^th percentile ranges are then used to identify needs. Families of students at risk of not meeting the end of the year learning goals without additional instruction will be notified.
     Students will observed Patriots Day on September 11 by wearing red, white, and blue to show their patriotism. Boy and Girl Scouts could also wear their uniform if they chose.
     NWEA MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) testing will take place September 14-25 for grades 3-5. Understanding each student’s academic level gives teachers the power to help them excel.
     Special Education - Early childhood special education (ECSE) programs and related services are designed to serve children below age five with verified disabilities. School age special education programs and related services are designed to serve children with verified disabilities from age five through the school year in which the children reach age 21. Following are the current numbers by category:  Birth-5 (Home-ECSE)-9; Non Public-6; PK-4; K-5; 1^st-4; 2nd-8; 3rd-7; 4th-7; 5th-19; 6th-9; 7th-9; 8th-6; 9th-11; 10th-10; 11th-12; 12th-9; Total-135 (16 are NEW to the district).
     Verification Distribution:  Specific Learning Disability-55; Developmental Delay-8; Other Health Impairment-23; Hearing Impairment-3; Autism-6; Emotional Disturbance-2; Intellectual Disability-5; Orthopedic Impairment-1; Speech-Language Impairment (only)-14.
     Services:  13 new Evals; 5 Re-Evaluations since August 26; 32 waiting for Evals; 20 served through Speech Services; 10 served through Physical Therapy; 18 served through Occupational Therapy; 8 served through Incidental Benefits (regular education students may incidentally benefit from special education services according to a student’s IEP as long as no extra duties are performed on behalf of the regular education students).  Students served through 504’s: Elementary-4; Secondary-21.  Students served through SAT Process:  Elementary-13; Secondary-6.

Discussion: 

     We were excited to announce our PK-12 students would be able to eat breakfast and lunch at no cost starting September 15 through December 31, 2020. We submitted an extension application to our summer lunch program and were granted permission to serve breakfast and lunch for free to all students. Jr-Sr High students wanting additional entries or ala carte items still need to purchase these from their positive lunch accounts.  
     The Saunders County Risk Dial elevated to the line between yellow and orange. Lancaster County kept their Risk Dial the same as last week. There continues to be zero transmission from school being in session or activities. This is excellent news for Lancaster County. We had one more staff member test positive this week. The spread came from home and not school. The school has completed the contact tracing and it resulted in no other quarantines. 
     I am still in disbelief that we were fortunate enough to receive a substantial EIR grant. DiscoveryEd defines STEM as students and teachers energizing minds.  A few of my takeaways from our community DiscoveryEd forum:  Stem is a culture, not a class; We want to create problem solvers within our students; We need to teach differently. For example, Math needs to be relevant. We must move away from teaching blocks of classes, but instead combine them to solve real world problems; and We owe it to our kids to depict the actual complexity of the world.  This is extremely exciting work for us as a district. I look forward to what the future holds for our students and a shift in classroom instruction. 
     We received an email indicating Raymond Central Public Schools was selected to receive a 2020 School Bus Rebate from the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE).  This is the 2nd year we have been awarded this grant!  This program is funded through Nebraska’s share of the Volkswagen State Trust.  The Department’s Mitigation Plan (updated in January 2020) allocated 52% of Nebraska’s funds ($6.37 million) to School Bus Rebates.  After two rounds of rebates in 2018 and 2019, they had $2.008 million remaining to fund 2020 School Bus Rebates.

Discussion: 

1. Expand the community knowledge and information about equity in the district through the implementation of the Board of Education adopted resolution in response to the current racial disparity and injustice. 

2. Continue to monitor the spread of COVID-19 to make data informed decisions and communicate accordingly

3. Preserve the continuity of essential school functions through the use of research based mitigating measures 

4. Minimize educational and social disruption

5. Respond to academic losses.

Discussion: 

1. Continue partnership with First National Bank to provide visual and cost projections for the future of RC facilities using the data and results from the 2020 feasibility study.   

2. Add to the existing plan start / end dates, projected timelines, list of contractors, and a progress monitoring system.  

3. Prioritize list of projects for all building sites to ensure minimal impact on instructional practice. 

Discussion: 

1. Sustain an effective and meaningful Professional Learning Community framework at RC to drive professional inquiry among staff. 

2. Adopt the Multi Tiered Systems of Support system to ensure learning for all students through targeted interventions.

3. Create a districtwide grading and assessment framework focused on student growth and learning

4. Create a Positive Behavioral Intervention System of Supports district wide to track and reward positive behavior. 

5. Update/Modify the current teacher evaluation system (P.R.I.D.E) to emphasize teacher growth and reflection for the betterment of student learning. 

6. Model and reinforce a "fail forward" attitude among staff and students to focus on learning rather than compliance. 

Discussion:       An updated 2019-2025 RC Strategic Plan was shared with the Board.

Discussion:       We currently have 716 students enrolled PK-12 compared to 668 last year which is an increase of 48 students.  We have 94 students that option in and 120 students optioning out.

Discussion:       The Facilities Committee met on September 2 to walk through each building site and assist in creating our priority list for the 2020-2021 school year.  The last project we need to complete as a carry over from last year is to replace the exterior doors on the S and E side of the Jr-Sr High School.  Bus barn project is underway - dirt has been leveled and waiting for things to dry up from last week's rain. 

Discussion: 

     Chromebooks have been deployed to all students.  We are waiting on 2 large orders of Chromebooks to come in that have been back ordered since the beginning of the summer. When those come in we will get them out to the 3rd grade and the freshman to replace older versions of Chromebooks. 
     We submitted the contract for a new phone system and are looking forward to getting installation started.  Diode Technology is coming this week to begin initial work.

Discussion:       Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Burklund to waive the first and second reading of Policy 1211 - Title IX-Procedures for Complaints of Sexual Harrassment.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.
     Motion by Gould, second by Black to adopt Policy 1211 - Title IX-Procedures for Complaints of Sexual Harrassment.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Burklund, second by Breitkreutz to adopt the NASB Encompass 360 Superintendent Evaluation for the 2020-2021 school year.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Black, second by Springer to approve the 2020-21 budget in the amount of:  General Fund - $12,696,677.00, Depreciation Fund - $1,787,200.00, Employee Benefit Fund - $54,397.00, Activities Fund - $867,952.00, School Lunch Fund - $750,000.00, Bond Fund - $8,480,609.00, Special Building Fund - $1,934,971.00, Qualified Capital Purpose Undertaking Fund - $11,623.00, Student Fees Fund - $149,357.00 for a Total Requirement of $26,732,786.00.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Burklund to approve the resolution to set system-wide 2020-2021 property tax request for $8,661,680.00:  General Fund - $7,541,792.00, Special Building Fund - $485,848.00, Bond Fund - $634,040.00.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Burklund, second by Black to approve Emily Hauck, Makenzie Fredrickson, Doug Tice and Gem Jones as teaching substitutes; and Cherie Swanson, Amy Novak and Brianna Mincer as paraeducator substitutes.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Burklund to approve staff resignations of Jordan Buresh, Jr-Sr High School Secretary and Stacy Roberts, Ceresco Head Cook.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Black, second by Burklund to approve staff appointments of Emily Richerson, Valparaiso SpEd Para; Cindra Jensen, Tuesday/Thursday Preschool SpEd Para; Trisha Fletcher, Jr-Sr High School Secretary; and Sophia Custer, Ceresco Head Cook.  RCV 5-0, Springer-Abstained.  Motion carried.
 

Discussion:       Motion by Black, second by Springer to approve the Raymond Central Education Association as Exclusive Bargaining Agent for the District’s non-supervisory certificated staff for the 2022-2023 contract year.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Burklund, second by Springer to approve the next regular Board Meeting for Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 6:00 PM.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Black to adjourn the meeting at 7:18 PM.  RCV 6-0.  Motion carried.