October 13, 2021 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 6:00 PM and the Pledge of Allegiance was said.
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2. Motion to Excuse Board Member's Absence
Discussion:
Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Lange to excuse the absence of Derek Matulka due to a death in the family. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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3. Open Meeting Law
Discussion:
The audience was reminded that Open Meeting Laws would be followed.
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4. Consent Agenda
Discussion:
Motion by Lange, second by Breitkreutz to approve the consent agenda as presented including the regular meeting minutes of September 15, 2021; September financial statement; and October monthly bills. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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4.1. Regular Minutes of September 15, 2021
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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:
Both Jody Albrecht and Heather Potter have been nominated as the Nebraska paraeducator of the year. They will both attend the State Paraeducator Conference/Workshop in Kearney on November 9 for a day of professional development and to be honored for their nomination.
The Wellbeing Partners out of Omaha recognized Raymond Central Wellness Committee as the recipient of the Governors Sower Award in their virtual Ignite Awards Gala which took place virtually on October 5. The Raymond Central Board of Education was recognized at the NASB Area Membership Meeting with the Board of Excellence Award plaque in recognition of their commitment to achieving excellence in board leadership through continuing education. October 3-9 was fire safety week. The students at Ceresco and Valparaiso participated in safety activities during the week. A huge thank you to our local volunteer fire and emergency personnel for taking time to educate our students and for their service to our communities. |
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6. Public Forum
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7. Discussion Items
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7.1. Student Board Report
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Discussion:
Submitted by Jaci Bryce, Student Body President
This past weekend we were able to have our homecoming dance. The theme was 50’s diner and the attendance was good. During the dance we had the husker game playing. Congratulations to our homecoming king and queen, Eli White and Rachel Potter! Moving on to sports, our football team is 3-4 and Travis Nelson just recently broke the record for all receiving yards. The cross country team has been doing well, Sophie Schultz and Landon Lubisher have been placing at every meet within the top 15. The softball team finished third in the conference tournament and recently got to move forward to the district championship game, unfortunately they came short and ended the season. The volleyball team recently won their first round of conference and has been playing very well. The FBLA officers recently went to Fremont for their Fall Leadership Conference. Moving forward to student feedback. There's still some negative talk about the phone policy but students seem to be more cooperative since we're getting used to it. A suggestion made to me by a few parents is getting an all sports records board to showcase our athletes talents. Here we would keep track of and update school records. A nice place for this may be in the commons or hall way by each gym. The parking situation still seems to be a recurring problem. Some students have decided to make their own parking space and park near the flag pole or up by the designated parking for teachers. |
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7.2. Administrative Reports
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Discussion:
Submitted by Allison Stansberry, Jr-Sr High School Principal
Homecoming Week - We celebrated homecoming by kicking it off on October 1st with announcing homecoming royalty and hallway decorating. This year’s royalty court is as follows:
Monday: Pajama Day Tuesday: Construction Worker Day Wednesday: Movie Character Day Thursday: Country vs. Country Club Friday: Jersey/Spirit Day The Mustangs will take on Malcolm Friday night for the homecoming game. Game time is 7:00 with the homecoming crowning after the game due to our softball team making it to district finals! The dance will be Saturday from 8:00-11:00 inside at the Jr/Sr High School. We took our senior athletes and cheer team to the elementary schools on October 7 to lead a few cheers and engage with our students. The students seemed to really enjoy having the older students there. Professional Development - On September 29, we had a very productive Data Dive at the Jr/Sr High School. Staff were divided into 6 groups and we did the ORID Method for diving into NSCAS and ACT Data. Staff worked in small groups and then shared out whole group. After that, we had teachers fill out a survey to help our teacher leadership team develop our campus goals. On October 6 and October 8, our Teacher Leadership Team met to review the staff survey, data collection, discuss and determine our campus goal, and develop our PD for October 11, in which the teacher leadership team will lead. The campus goal we came up with was "Students in grades 6-12 will sustain or achieve growth in Reading based on varied assessments." We know that different assessments define growth at different rates and our students also perform at different levels and rates. We will define what growth looks like through varied assessments such as from the Pre-Act to the ACT, in MAP, formal and informal assessments, NSCAS, etc. During the October 11 PD, the Teacher Leadership Team will open the professional development by discussing how we got to our campus goal, sharing research behind the campus goal and how it impacts all students in all content areas, sharing out evidenced based instructional strategies that can be used in the classroom, and discuss our next steps for our October 27 PLC/PD. During our October 27 PLC/PD, we will then start developing our SMART goals within our PLC and action steps to help achieve our campus goal, which in turn would help us achieve our district goal. Stay tuned! Counseling: On September 30, Ms. Osten took all juniors to SCC-Beatrice for a campus visit and college fair. Pictures can be found on Facebook under Raymond Central College Prep Page. September 22 was apply to college day! We had 65 applications completed and our best parent turnout with 17! The day included a financial aid presentation, mini college, and college reps stayed to help with college applications. Raymond Central has won the Great Schools 2021 College Success Award for the first time! We can’t thank Ms. Osten enough for all of her hard work in preparing students for success for postsecondary whether it is preparing for college, the workforce, or the military! October 13th: PSAT November: ASVAB for juniors Other Happenings: On November 9, we will be taking students in grades 6-8 to Pinnacle Arena for the UNL Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally. Our students will have the opportunity to attend both a complimentary educational pep rally starting promptly at 9:30 AM followed by the Husker Women’s Basketball home season opener vs. Maine tipping at 12 noon. Nebraska Senior Associate Athletic Director for Life Skills Keith Zimmer and his staff will be coordinating the pep rally, which will give students a chance to hear inspirational life skills and academic messages from Husker student-athletes and staff. On October 6, we celebrated our 7th graders that have had a great first quarter of following school expectations! We had a special treat and sunshine during the advisory to show them how much we appreciate them! October 14: Teacher Leadership Team Debrief October 26: ELA Curriculum Writing November 11: Science Curriculum Writing Submitted by Brian Gralheer, Assistant Jr-Sr High School Principal/Athletic Director Fall sports have begun post-season play. Over the next few weeks, our athletes will be putting the punctuation mark on their season. There have been some tremendous efforts from our Mustang athletes this year. Our coaches have shared how proud of them they are on multiple occasions.
Heather Potter and Jody Albrecht were nominated for Paraeducator of the Year!!! They will attend the paraeducator conference on November 9 in Kearney, to be recognized for their outstanding work and have the opportunity for professional learning. We are excited that they have chosen this career for the outcome of students, rather than the income! I also want to recognize our new special education teacher, Court Croghan, for the rapport that he has built with students. He is making an impact with students who struggle behaviorally, doing what is best for our struggling students, and has great ideas on how to reach every student. We are lucky to have him on our team! I am participating in the LLW (Leadership and Learning Walks) with two special education directors from North Bend and Wahoo. This will give me the opportunity to see what other schools are doing and receive feedback on how we can make needed changes in our sped department to allow us to provide effective instruction for our verified students. The purpose of LLW is to help develop the skills in facilitating strategies to address problems of practice. Our objectives are:
Assessment - Results from the spring 2021 NSCAS and ACT have not been released to the public. The individual student assessment results (ISR) from the Nebraska Department of Education will be sent home with parents during parent teacher conferences or mailed home with report cards. Students in grades 3-8 completed fall NWEA MAP testing online. These results will also be shared with parents at conferences. The Department of Education is hosting assessment updates in October; I will attend these webinars as there are new changes coming with the MAP Growth and the NSCAS being combined into one assessment called NSCAS Growth. School Improvement - The committee met on September 22 to review district goals and action plans for the district. The district goal is for all students to meet or exceed normal growth rate on standardized tests. The committee discussed plans for moving the district forward with each building or grade band having a goal and action plan to support our overall goal. Professional Development - On September 25, elementary staff met for a "data walk" and began to develop specific goals based on this data in an objective manner. We used the ORID process to look at data using the four step process: Objective, Reflective, Interpretive, and Decisional. The elementary leadership group then met to discuss and review the compiled ORID. The elementary staff will work together on October 11 to come to consensus with goals and action plans. Professional learning on October 11 will also include training presented by the Discovery Education facilitator, Sherri. Teachers will also work on end of quarter report cards, prepare for parent teacher conferences, and make plans for the second quarter. Curriculum - I attended the state Curriculum Directors meetings on September 23 and 24. Presenters included Department of Education staff: Shirley Vargas, Cory Epler, and Jeremy. There was a lot of information! Many districts are having similar discussions across the state about implementing the new assessments called NSCAS Growth which combines the MAP Growth and NSCAS, ACT, the continued effects of the pandemic on learning, and the stress level of staff. Report Cards and Parent Teacher Conferences - Elementary conferences will be held on October 19 and 21 from 4:15-8:00 pm. Parents will sign up for conferences via an online 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 the conferences as well as the other assessment data for NSCAS, MAP, and FastBridge. Families who do not feel comfortable meeting in person will be given the option of conferencing via Zoom or phone call. PTO - PTO met on October 5. Fall fundraising items will be delivered in mid-October for distribution during parent teacher conferences. All students who sold 20 or more items were in a drawing for a $100 Amazon gift card. Students who sold 20 or more items were: Walker Hellerich, Noah Jamison, Bailey Mailand, Tommy Mayo, Norah Vech, BerLynn Gotchal, Clara McLaughlin, Chance Suchy, Paisley Virgil, Brookelyn Tilson, Rylan Hall, Kenesaw McGhee-Weeks, and Preston Zugmier. A drawing was held at both schools on Friday, October 1st for the gift cards. BerLyn Gotchal was the winner of the Amazon gift card at Valparaiso. Thank you to all who ordered and purchased items from the fundraiser! PTO hosted "Mustang Night Out at Runza on October 8. Mustang Day Out will be held at Martin’s Hillside Orchard on October 22 when students have the day off of school. The PTO will pay for admission for each student to attend. The PTO will also earn a percentage of the sales. A virtual family game night is planned for elementary families on October 26. We did these last year and had so much fun! Other Happenings at Valparaiso: We practiced our Standard Response Protocol (SRP) drills on October 1. These are procedures we hope we never have to use, but we are prepared in the case of emergencies. Bus evacuation drills were also practiced. Fire Prevention Week was October 3-9. Students participated in an afternoon of activities on October 8 facilitated by the Valparaiso Rural Fire District and the Raymond Volunteer Fire Department. A big thank you to 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 5 by Inter-State Studies. Students and staff participated in Homecoming week dress up days during October 4-8. Students were able to show their school spirit when some high school students visited on October 7 for a mini pep rally. The Scholastic Book Fair will be at school in October in conjunction with parent teacher conferences. Thank you to Janet Dannelly and Matt Smith for facilitating the book fair. Some students will be attending the Student Leadership Conference hosted by Region I Principals Association at Doane University in Crete on October 12. Mrs. Kristine White will accompany the students. The Raymond Central Food Bank BackPack Committee will host its 12th annual fundraiser on October 24-30 with a virtual run/walk. The Hustle run/walk raises the needed funds to provide backpacks filled with food for student families on the weekends. Our generous sponsors have supported our efforts. We will be observing Red Ribbon Week the week of October 24-30. Fall/Halloween Class Parties will be held October 29. Submitted by Ann Egr, Elementary Principal at Ceresco/Special Education Director Elementary School Fundraiser: The students did a nice job with the fall fundraiser. The estimated total participation for both buildings ws 38.3%. Great job!! This was up from last year. Finally, thank you PTO for all that you do for our students! MUSTANG Award Winners: At our September awards celebration the following students were honored for the MUSTANG award: Andrew Eden, Kallyn Kaiser, Lexi Rushing, Hadley Stansberry, Bryleigh Wellman, MaKinna Basel, Asher Benes, Hannah Hassebrook, Miracle Killin-Trevino, Lily dukesherer, Anthony Love, Addison Pytlik, Benson Rockemann, Cartwright Pebley, Colton Badberg, Evlynn Kelly, Hailee Benes, Lily Hudson, Cade Nelson. P.O.P (Positive Office Pass) drawing recipients were: Trae Johns, Kallyn Kaiser, Ruby McMann & Perrin McMann. PTO Fundraiser: Top sales for Ceresco were Porter Kilker, Steven Sklenar, Hannah Sklenar, and Chase Schwarting. Amazon Gift Card: Hannah Sklenar. NWEA MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) wrapped-up last week. MAP provides educators with detailed information they need to support the curriculum and meet students’ needs. Fire Safety was October 4-8. Teachers discussed fire safety in their classroom. All safety drills were conducted in September: Fire, tornada, bus evacuation, and lock down. Students and staff did a great job. It is essential that these drills are practiced on a regular basis. Parent/Teacher Conferences at the elementary are scheduled for October 19 and 21. The elementary schools continue to use the online system, PTCFast for scheduling. The Ceresco Elementary book fair is on-line from October 11-24. Second Semester the book fair will be held in person. Due to a shortage of drivers, Scholastic could only provide in person at one site. |
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7.3. Superintendent's Report
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7.3.1. Enrollment and Option Enrollment Data
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Discussion:
Enrollment and Option Enrollment numbers were shared with the Board. For the first time, we have more students optioning in versus optioning out.
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7.3.2. Quarterly Update on Superintendent Goals
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Discussion:
Superintendent Johnson reviewed her goals and progress to date: 1. Develop a visible presence within the schools, the school community, and state; 2. Foster a learning environment in which every student has the maximum opportunity to achieve academic excellence; 3. Develop an understanding of and progression for the implementation of the revised teacher evaluation model; and 4. Continue the development of a 10 year facilities strategic plan for implementation that addresses maintenance and improvements for existing building assets and new construction.
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7.3.3. Superintendent Evaluation Timeline
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7.3.4. Redistricting Impacts Wards
Discussion:
As a result of legislative boundaries being revamped, counties will have to redraw precinct boundaries which in turn may impact our local school district's ward boundaries. The schools in Lancaster, Butler, Saunders and Seward counties have been working with NASB to find a partner that will assist us in this effort to redraw local boundaries in consort with our county entities. We have landed on gWorks as being that entity. One of the main reasons that we are choosing this company is because they are already doing the work with the counties so it is a seamless interaction. The cost to our district for this contracted service is $2,250.00.
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7.3.5. Snow Removal Bids
Discussion:
We will continue to seek quotes on snow removal for Ceresco and Valparaiso and advertise to reach a broader client base.
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7.3.6. Update on Civic Nebraska - Before/After School Program
Discussion:
Based upon current enrollment projections and preliminary budget information, the revenues will fall short of meeting budgeted expenses. Generally speaking, we are striving for an enrollment of 40 students to best meet budgetary needs. Current course of action: 1. Distribute survey to parents/guardians to determine enrollment interest or limitations; and 2. Seek funding sources through grants.
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7.4. Curriculum Report
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7.5. Facilities Report
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7.6. Review of Technology Plan
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Discussion:
Submitted by Keely Schaffer, Technology Director
Researching Staff Computers - I have been in contact with some of our vendors to see what the timeline is for getting technology. We will probably have to place our order before Christmas break to receive them before next school year. Website Updates-Added October Lunch Menu; Added October newsletter; Worked on Staff Directory - In Progress; Added new staff members; Deleted staff members who have left the district; Edit the old "Staff" page under each school and transition to the Staff Directory; Moved Safe Return to School to Covid section; Moved Reopening plan to Covid Section; Added Wednesday numbers to Website - Will continue to update as needed; Updated Board of Education Committee; Posted Civic Nebraska Video; Posted Elementary Book Fair Information. |
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7.7. Board Committee Reports
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7.7.1. Committee on American Civics (Breitkreutz-chair, Burklund, Matulka)
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7.7.2. Transportation Committee (Breitkreutz-chair, Lange, Matulka)
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7.7.3. Finance Committee (Blanchard-chair, Breitkreutz, Burklund)
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7.7.4. Facilities Committee (Blanchard-chair, Burklund, Matulka)
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7.7.5. Negotiations Committee (Blanchard-chair, Gould, Lange)
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7.7.6. Curriculum Committee (Gould-chair, Burklund, Lange)
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7.7.7. Policy Committee (Gould-chair, Lange, Matulka)
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7.8. Review Public Forum Presentation(s) - Consider, discuss, and take anll necessary action
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8. Action Items
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8.1. Approval of Staff Resignation(s)
Discussion:
Motion by Burklund, second by Lange to approve the resignation of Domonique Harris, Valparaiso Paraeducator. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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8.2. Approval of Staff Appointment(s)
Discussion:
Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Burklund to approve the staff appointment of Jeff Elstun, Jr-Sr High School Custodian. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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8.3. Approval of Substitutes
Discussion:
Motion by Burklund, second by Breitkreutz to approve Mark King as a Substitute Teacher. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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8.4. Approval of purchase of cameras for JH/HS gym and hallway
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Discussion:
Motion by Blanchard, second by Gould to approve the purchase of three new cameras - two in the main gym and one in the 400 hallway. These cameras will replace old ones and will have analytics to match the rest of the cameras in the building. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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8.5. Adopt Policy 2220 Evaluation of the Principal
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Discussion:
Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Burklund to approve Policy 2220 -- Evaluation of the Principal. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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8.6. Approval of the principal and special education director evaluation instrument
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Discussion:
Motion by Burklund, second by Gould to approve the Principal and Special Educator Director Evaluation Instruments. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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8.7. Approve Policy 2315
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Discussion:
Motion by Lange, second by Burklund to approve Policy 2315 -- Administration Policy. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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8.8. Approval of job descriptions of Special Education Director, Student Services Director and Curriculum Director as regulations 2315.1, 2315.2, and 2315.3 respectively.
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Discussion:
Motion by Burklund, second by Blanchard to table due to the absence of the Curriculum Director job description. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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8.9. Approve Policy 2405 Organizational Units: Structural Relationships
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Discussion:
Motion by Burklund, second by Blanchard to table due to the absence of the Curriculum Director job description. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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8.10. Approve Regulation 2405.1 District Organizational Chart
Discussion:
Motion by Burklund, second by Blanchard to table due to the absence of the Curriculum Director job description. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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8.11. Amend Policy 3130 - Purchasing Policies
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Discussion:
Motion by Blanchard, second by Breitkreutz to amend Policy 3130 -- Purchasing. This policy will increase the maximum amount of purchases that can be made by the Superintendent without board approval from $5,000 to $15,000. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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8.12. Discuss, Consider and Take Any Necessary action relevant to safety practices inclusive of face coverings
Discussion:
The current Directed Health Measure will continue through October 28. We don’t know if it will expire or be renewed. Conditions have improved enough that the Health Department lowered its local Covid risk dial from low-orange (high risk) to elevated-yellow (moderate risk), the lowest it has been in about two months.
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8.13. Approval of Next Regular Board Meeting
Discussion:
Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Lange to approve the next Regular Board Meeting to be held on Wednesday, November 10, 2021. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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9. Executive Session
Discussion:
Motion by Gould, second by Blanchard to enter Executive Session at 6:53 PM to discuss negotiations of the Superintendent Contract for 2022-2023. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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9.1. Consider and Discuss negotiations of superintendent contract for 2022-23
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10. Return to Regular Session
Discussion:
Motion by Blanchard, second by Breitkreutz to return to Regular Session at 7:09 PM. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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10.1. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action on the superintendent contract or process for the 2022-23 school year
Discussion:
Motion by Gould, second by Blanchard to extend a Two Year Contract to Superintendent Lynn Johnson, with an optional third year. The terms of the contract will be negotiated and posted accordingly as directed by Nebraska statute. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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11. Adjournment
Discussion:
Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Lange to adjourn the meeting at 7:15 PM. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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12. Important Upcoming Dates:
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