October 16, 2019 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting
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1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance
Discussion:
President Gould called the meeting to order at 6:04 PM and the Pledge of Allegiance was said.
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2. Motion to Excuse Board Member's Absence
Discussion:
All members were present.
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3. Open Meeting Law
Discussion:
President Gould reminded the audience that the Open Meeting Laws are displayed in the back of the room for their review.
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4. Consent Agenda
Discussion:
Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Blanchard to approve the consent agenda as presented, regular meeting minutes of September 11, 2019, September Financial Statement and October monthly bills as presented. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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4.1. Regular Minutes of September 11, 2019
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4.2. Financial Statement/Report
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4.3. Monthly Bills
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5. Correspondence/Recognition
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Discussion:
We applied for and were granted a matching grant from SFM to purchase three new snowblowers.
Congratulations to Cheryl for becoming street legal in a bus! We appreciate all of her time and energy to support our drivers. |
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6. Public Forum
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7. Discussion Items
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7.1. Administrative Reports
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Discussion:
Submitted by Allison Stansberry, 6-12 Principal/Curriculum Director
Class Intercom and Digital Media Class: Mrs. Reinert’s digital media class is starting to create content for social media. Once they create the content and hit submit, it requires approval from Mrs. Reinert, Mr. Gralheer, or myself. After we approve it, it will upload to social media. I am excited about the opportunity for students to get more involved with this piece of social media and taking us to the next level. Homecoming: Congratulations to Katelyn Komenda and Isaac White for being named our 2019 Homecoming Queen and King! This year we added a few things to our homecoming celebration: we did Hall Decorating and played music in between passing periods that tied in with our daily theme. There are things that we may discuss changing for next year such as moving the dance to Saturday, but overall, it was a great week! Standard Based Grading/Curriculum Rewrite: Science met on October 9th with Gary Nunnelly from ESU2 to continue their curriculum rewrite and discuss moving towards standards based grading. This was a productive meeting and they will meet again on October 31st to continue their rewrite. Congratulations to Tasha Osten on being one of two finalists for Nebraska Middle School Counselor of the year! The winner will be announced at the Nebraska School Counselor Academy on November 7th and 8th. We appreciate everything Tasha does for the Jr/Sr High and are extremely proud of her for being a finalist! Teacher Leadership Team: We have created a Teacher Leadership Team that has five Focus areas that we will be discussing and creating a plan for as well as Professional Development. These five areas are: 1) Attendance Policy, 2) Rewriting Student Handbook, 3) Best Practices in Grading and Assessment, 4) SpEd, 5) Behavior and Classroom Management. The team members will consist of Brian Gralheer, Tasha Osten, John Kliment, Madeline Shomos, Greg Wilmes, Adison Kenning, and myself. Data Team: We have also created a data team that consists of teachers, Ms. Osten, and myself. We meet to discuss students on the down’s list and look at trends for grade levels and students that are on the list for more than one week. We will also be discussing interventions for students that are consistently on the F list. Intervention Advisory: After reviewing data from students on our down’s list, we have created an "intervention advisory". Any student that is not on an IEP is required to attend intervention advisory if they have an F. There are currently 3 teachers and one para that are supervising. We are piloting this intervention with students in grades 9-12 and once we have data collected, we will have discussions about grades 7 and 8. UNL Math Day Competition: Mrs. Newman will be taking a group to UNL on November 14th to compete at the UNL Math Day. Submitted by Brian Gralheer, Activities Director/Assistant Principal The shed out back is still a work in progress with the concrete and roof being completed. They are nearing halfway done with the tin on the sides. I will meet with Mr. Jedlicki to determine bay sizes and assignments. The track has been patched in locations, but still waiting to be sprayed with the latex coating. It will have to sit for ten days before it can be painted. The weather affected our timeline with this project. An unfortunate casualty to this process was our rescheduled JH football game vs North Bend. Cross Country has been busy over the past few weeks with meets at Malcolm (Branched Oak), the RC Invite, and NCC Conference Meet in Wahoo. Notable performances include a 9th place finish for Nelle Serrano and a 4th Place finish for Wyatt Svoboda at the RC Mustang Invite. The Mustang Invite held on Kevin Wolfe’s property was a success because of all the help that was there for us. A big thank you to the following individuals: Kevin Wolfe for allowing us to use his property (it was very nice to have it next door); David Potter for researching and mapping the routes for the runners - comments from coaches and athletes described it as a fun and challenging course; Phil Carlson and Jared Shanahan who mowed, flagged, and set up the course; and Hamilton Equipment Co. for allowing us to use a Kubota UTV for the course. Volleyball continued to improve throughout their season. They went 2-0 in the triangular against Conestoga and Weeping Water, went 2-1 in our home Mustang VB Invite, and defeated Arlington before losing to Platteview and Ashland-Greenwood. They will begin the NCC tournament in Wahoo on October 15. Softball finished their season at districts in Fairbury with two hard-fought games against Malcolm and Wilber-Clatonia. The girls end their season 5-25. Football has a 2-5 record after a tough loss to Wahoo last Friday. They still have games at Hastings St. Cecilia, Wahoo Bishop Neumann, and Sr. Night against Columbus Lakeview. JH football currently is 1-3 with a win against Syracuse and losses to Ashland-Greenwood, Wahoo, and Logan View. They will wrap up their season at Lincoln Lutheran on October 15. JH Volleyball has gone 4-2 in their last 6 games with wins against Lincoln Lutheran, Milford, Lincoln Christian, and Malcolm. Their final game will be October 15 in David City. Submitted by Shelly Dostal, Elementary Principal at Valparaiso/K-5 Curriculum Director School Improvement/AdvancED - The group met on October 1. Agenda items included Professional Learning time on October 14, planning for Professional Learning time the rest of the semester, SMART goal planning, and surveys for stakeholder groups. Assessment - Results from the spring 2019 NSCAS and ACT have been released. Individual student assessment results (ISR) are scheduled to arrive from the NDE the week of October 21. The results will be distributed to parents during Parent-Teacher Conferences if we have them in time, otherwise we will mail them out. Students in grades 3-8 completed fall NWEA MAP testing on line. The NDE is hosting assessment updates in October; I will attend as there are new changes coming again. Professional Development - On September 25, teachers met in professional learning communities. Professional learning on October 14 will include data discussions, technology training, and other curriculum information about "Move this World" and nutrition kits for grades K-5. Curriculum - I attended the State Curriculum Directors meetings on October 3 and 4. Presenters included NDE staff: Jeremy Heneger-Statewide Assessment; Marissa Payzant-English Language Arts Specialist; and Abby Burke-Reading Specialist. There was a lot of information! Many districts are having similar discussions across the state about implementing the Reading Improvement Act, the MTSS process, and results from NSCAS, ACT, and AQuEST. Report Cards and Parent-Teacher Conferences - Elementary conferences will be held on October 22 and 24 from 4:00-8:00 PM. Parents will sign up for conferences via an on line program. You can go to https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/Raymond_Central to see how it works. First quarter Report Cards will be given to parents at conferences. PTO - Fall fundraising items will be delivered for distribution during Parent-Teacher Conferences. All students who sold 20 or more items were in a drawing for a Hoverboard. Students who sold 20 or more items were: BerLynn Gotchal, Bennet Johnson, Mayliana Johnston, Kameron Karber, Preston Zugmier, Cortni Lovell, Skyler Springer, Adalynn Masek, and Adam Jamison. Skyler Springer was the winner of the Hoverboard at Valparaiso. Thank you to all who ordered and purchased items from the fundraiser! PTO facilitated a Kokyo Taiko drum class led by Maureen Brase-Houchin in October at both elementary sites. PTO hosted Mustang Night Out at Runza on October 8. Mustang Day Out will be held at Martin’s Hillside Orchard on October 14 when students have the day off of school. The PTO earns a percentage of the sales (10-20%) at these businesses during set hours. A family game night is planned for elementary families on October 17 in Valparaiso from 5:30-7:30 pm. The FFA is partnering with the PTO to provide some special fall activities to include decorating pumpkins and a meal for a nominal cost. Meals will be provided to teachers during Parent-Teacher Conference nights on October 22 and 24. PTO is planning a multi-cultural night for November 15 at the High School from 5:30-7:00 PM. Grandparent/Special Person Day is also scheduled for that afternoon at school. We hope you can join us for one of events. Fire Safety - Fire Prevention Week was October 7-11. Students participated in an afternoon of activities on October 11 facilitated by the Valparaiso Rural Fire District. A big thank you to Fire Chief Derek Matulka, Assistant Fire Chief Skyler Leggett, and all the volunteer firefighters from Valparaiso and Raymond for helping our students learn about fire prevention and safety. Students who wanted picture retakes were photographed on October 10 by Inter-State Studies. The Scholastic Book Fair will be at school in October in conjunction with Parent-Teacher Conferences. Thank you to Mrs. Andrea Rockemann and Mrs. Trisha Fletcher for facilitating the Book Fair. Fifth Grade Student Council members will be attending the Student Leadership Conference hosted by Region I Principals Association at Doane University in Crete on October 22. The Raymond Central Food Bank BackPack Committee will host its 10th annual fundraiser on October 19. The Hustle run/walk and pancake feed raise the needed funds to provide backpacks filled with food for student families on the weekends. We hope you can join us from 9:00-11:00 AM in Valparaiso. We will be observing Red Ribbon Week the week of October 23-31. Fall/Halloween Class Parties will be held October 31. Submitted by Ann Egr, Elementary Principal at Ceresco/Special Education Director School Fundraiser: The students did a fantastic job with the fall fundraiser. The estimated total participation for both buildings is 33%%. Great job!! Finally, thank you PTO for all that you do for our students! MUSTANG Award Winners: At our September/October awards celebration the following students were honored for the MUSTANG award: Zane Cerny, Cambrie Nelson, Addison Pytlik, Emmett Spangler, Chloe Wells, Gus Benes, Ryker Hille, Lita Rushing, Henry Bryan, Sarah Fisher, Addie Miller, Caden Bass, Jacob Grundin, Justin Grundin, Evlynn Kelly, Easton Lubischer, Thomas Norlen, Wesley Bryan, Allyson Tvrdy, Lynsey Christensen, Mason Mumm, Michael Basel, Lindsey Morris, Marissa Tvrdy. P.O.P. (Positive Office Pass) drawing recipients were: Lily Dukesherer, Camila Castillo, Emma Mager, Cartwright Pebley, Kashdyn Novak, Mason Mumm, Aliviah Ceja, Isaac Zobel. PTO Fundraiser Winners: Hover Board - Hannah Sklenar, Principal Taxi for a Day - Coleman Fields. NWEA MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) wrapped-up last week. MAP provides educators with detailed information they need to support curriculum and meet students’ needs. Fire Safety was October 7. The fire department presented fire safety information to each of the classrooms. The 4th and 5th grades walked to the station, tried on gear, put out fires, and enjoyed some pizza. Thank you to all the volunteer fire fighters who donated their time. Parent-Teacher Conferences at the elementary are scheduled for October 22 and 24. The elementary schools continue to use the online system, PTCFast, for scheduling. The 10th annual Hustle run/walk and pancake feed is scheduled for Saturday, October 19. Thank you, in advance to all the volunteers! Students Served Through Special Education: Early childhood special education (ECSE) special education 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: Grade Level Total Numbers Birth-5 (Home-ECSE) 6 Non Public 3 Pre-K 5 K 2 1 5 2 5 3 7 4 10 5 9 6 10 7 7 8 9 9 9 10 13 11 4 12 4 Total 108 (10 are NEW to the district) Verification Distribution: Specific Learning Disability 51 Developmental Delay 10 Other Health Impairment 24 Hearing Impairment 2 Autism 6 Emotional Disturbance 1 Intellectual Disability 2 Speech-Language Impairment (only) 12 Services: 14 - Re-Evaluations since August 26 23 - Served through Speech Services 10 - Served through Physical Therapy 25 - Served through Occupational Therapy 8 - Served through Incidental Benefits (Regular education students may incidentally benefit from special education services and delivered 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 - 26 Students Served through SAT Process Elementary - 7 Secondary - 1 |
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7.2. Curriculum Report
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7.3. Superintendent's Report
Discussion:
Nebraska ranked Raymond Central a "GREAT" school district, one below the top score of "EXCELLENT." For 2018-2019 Raymond Central’s district snapshot looks like:
Raymond Central has been awarded the EIR Grant to be shared with Schuyler Public Schools ($4 million over 5 years). More information to come in the near future.
ELO Update and Partnership with Civic Nebraska (Before and After School Program) - A few Foundation members and I sat down with Civic Nebraska to iron out the details for our RC ELO Program. First, there will be a before and after school option at both elementary school sites. We are preparing for a Fall 2020 implementation with several community meetings and early enrollment between January and May 2020. The Foundation will work with the PTO to help spread the word and also be part of the upcoming meetings. If all goes well in the fall, RC will look at offering a summer program as well to provide structured programming for families. The ultimate goal is to get 60-80 students enrolled in the ELO program. Civic Nebraska will be hiring a full time program director that will be shared between sites and four staff member (2 at each site) to work with students. The agenda for each day is a balance between homework, reading, STEM activities, movement, and snack. This is a fantastic opportunity for our district! 2019-2020 Option Numbers - We continue to run our option numbers to look for patterns and trends. We have seen an increase in our option numbers for the 2019-2020 school year, however, there is still work to be done to get to net positive. Overview:
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7.3.1. Goal 1: Continue a visible presence within the schools, the school community, and state.
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7.3.2. Goal 2: Continue the creation of a 10-year facilities strategic plan for implementation that addresses maintenance and improvements for existing building assets.
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7.3.3. Goal 3: Develop progress monitoring tools to evaluate the effectiveness of district initiatives to ensure sustainability over time.
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7.3.4. Goal 4: Create a two-way proactive and cohesive communications plan to inform and educate students, staff, and community members on district issues.
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7.3.5. 2019-2020 Raymond Central Strategic Plan
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7.4. Student Board Report - Isaac White
Discussion:
Isaac White reported on recent happenings at RC including fall sports, FFA, FBLA, Speech, Journalism and Advisory Period.
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7.5. Facilities Report
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Discussion:
The Facility Priority List is continually reviewed and updated as needs arise. A Board of Education Facility Committee Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 23.
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7.6. Review of Technology Plan
Discussion:
We had a meeting with Kidwell on October 16 to discuss the onboarding process and the SAN Project. They will install the SAN in the next few weeks. A representative from our wireless provider (Ruckus) and an engineer came to the high school to troubleshoot problems we have been having with the wireless internet. We made some changes to help improve internet access around the school building. Teachers were offered technology training on Monday, October 14. Topics included Google Classroom, GoGuardian, and Chromebook 101. |
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7.7. Update of Raymond Central Crisis and Safety Protocol
Discussion:
Deputy Piitz and I spent two days in Kearney at the 2nd Annual NE School Safety and Security Conference. It was a great experience from both a learning and networking perspective.
It is unfortunate that our students will continue to grow up and live in a society where crisis can happen anywhere at any time. The first speaker, Carly Posey, Mission Director of the I Love You Guys Foundation and also a mother of children who were attending Sandy Hook when the tragedy happened on December 14, 2012, stressed for schools to discuss safety and security and adopt the mindset of "anticipating the unthinkable." Jolene Palmer, State School Security Director, presented on preparing for "it won’t happen here." She started by celebrating the accomplishment of completing security site visits at all public schools in Nebraska. The state security team will be working with schools to unpack the data from site visits. NDE is going to use the data to make our Nebraska schools more safe. She encouraged ALL schools to adopt the Standard Response Protocol and practice, practice, and practice some more. Nick Chernoff, Safer School Together, spent time as a School Resource Officer in Canada. He shared an interesting standpoint on how he approaches his work - relationships. He told the story of going into his job with the mentality of finding thugs, drugs and weapons. What he discovered is that he learned more about everything by building positive relationships and connections with students. He also talked about how important digital resumes are for our students. For example, if a college/university/employer looks at social media, what won’t they see? Will they see the student volunteering on the weekend? Will it see them helping someone in need? Great perspective! At the end of the day, nothing is private anymore. Overall Takeaways: -A focus for NDE and school safety is developing a threat assessment protocol. We have sent several staff members to training and have our protocol in our Standard Response Protocol. -School safety is not a checkoff list, but a continuous learning cycle. As a district we have a solid foundation with our Standard Response Protocol, but we need to continue keeping school safety conversations going. -Mental injuries need just as much, if not more, than physical injuries. Students who see and hear crisis need support to overcome the event(s). -Data point - 81% of incidents had at least one other person knowing of the attackers plan. -Classroom doors need to be locked at all times (they were not at Sandy Hook). This was the #1 point noted in the follow-up report from Sandy Hook. -We have purchased magnetic strips and lock blocks that allow for a quick lock. -We need to think through what supports we need to provide for parents waiting for reunification. -In our reunification plan, we must understand media management and how to control the message and avoid "fake news." Carly shared that there was a lot of fake news coming out in regard to the Sandy Hook event. -We need to practice our standard response protocols at "inconvenient" times during the day. After this we then need to follow up with honest conversation around what to do in a crisis event. We as adults cannot be a barrier to these conversations and practice. -We need to teach and train everyone to watch and report the abnormal. -Once every school district has a threat assessment team there will be a STATEWIDE REPORT LINE based out of Boys Town in Omaha. -Instead of focusing on teaching students the DON’TS, we need to flip to teaching how to DO responsibly. For example, social media. Check out https://thesocialinstitute.com/. -Use Ted Talks by Tristan Harris to spur conversations with students. How do we embrace technology instead of resisting it? If we continue to say no to technology use, how do we teach students to use technology for good? -Top Applications for students - do we know what our students are using? This is something we should have conversations with students about. (SnapChat, Instagram, and TiKTok-multiple accounts for each-kids are not using Facebook and Twitter.) -Start the conversation with, what is one positive and one negative about the app/game they are playing/using. |
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7.8. Committee on American Civics (Breitkreutz - chair, Springer, Burklund)
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7.9. Transportation Committee (Black- Chair, Breitkreutz, Springer)
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7.10. Finance Committee (Springer- chair, Blanchard, Breitkreutz)
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7.11. Facilities Committee (Blanchard- chair, Springer, Burklund)
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7.12. Negotiations Committee (Black- chair, Gould, Blanchard)
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7.13. Curriculum Committee (Gould - chair, Black, Burklund)
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7.14. Policy Committee (Springer- chair, Gould, Black)
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7.15. NASB Monthly Update
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7.16. School Nurse Position - Consider, discuss, and take all necessary action
Discussion:
Dr. Joel shared information received from several local and conference schools in regard to a school nurse. Out of all of the schools, we are the only district who currently does not have a school nurse on staff. The possibility of adding this position at Raymond Central is something we need to think about as we begin negotiations and budgeting for next year.
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7.17. Random Student Drug Testing Policy - Consider, discuss and take all necessary action
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Discussion:
The Board agreed to move forward with the Random Student Drug Testing Policy and will put together a timeline so that communications with parents/students may begin in the spring.
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7.18. Raymond Central's Appeal of Special Permit 19035 Location to Jr/Sr High School - Consider, discuss, and take all necessary action
Discussion:
We have submitted an appeal to Special Permit 19035 for the proposed Commercial Feedlot for up to 380,000 chickens in 8 barns near the Jr-Sr High School. The Board continues to be concerned with the location and the negative impact on student/staff safety and well-being, water quantity, water quality and air quality.
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7.19. Review Public Forum Presentation(s) - Consider, discuss, and take all necessary action
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8. Action Items
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8.1. Approval of Substitute Teacher(s)
Discussion:
Motion by Black, second by Burklund to approve Jim Marsh, Peggy Breitkreutz and Jenifer Highstreet as substitute teachers and Eileen Scovil as a local substitute teacher. RCV 5-0, Abstained-Breitkreutz. Motion carried.
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8.2. Approval of Staff Resignation
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Discussion:
Motion by Black, second by Burklund to accept the resignation of Ben Svehla as Asst FBLA. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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8.3. Approval of Staff
Discussion:
Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Springer to approve the appointment of Madeline Shomos as Asst FBLA. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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8.4. Approval of Raymond Central's Leadership Encompass 360 Agreement
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Discussion:
Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Black to approve the NASB Leadership Encompass 360 Agreement for $400.00 to evaluate the performance of the Superintendent. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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8.5. Approval of Surplus Items
Discussion:
Motion by Springer, second by Burklund to surplus a 1998 Snapper Snowblower 7HP 24inch width (value $100), a 2008 Yard King Snowblower 8HP 27inch width (value $100), a 1999 Wood chipper Vacuum (value $100), and a Millermatic 252 MIG Welder (value $1800). RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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8.6. Approval of Next Regular Board Meeting - Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Discussion:
Motion by Burklund, second by Breitkreutz to approve the next Regular Board Meeting on Wednesday, November 13, 2019. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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9. Adjournment
Discussion:
Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Springer to adjourn the meeting at 8:08 PM. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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10. Important Upcoming Dates:
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