April 13, 2022 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:
All members were present.
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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 Matulka, second by Lange to approve the consent agenda as presented including the regular meeting minutes of March 16, 2022; special meeting minutes of March 14, 2022; March financial statement; and monthly bills. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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4.1. Regular Minutes of March 16, 2022 and Special Meeting Minutes of March 14, 2022
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4.2. Financial Statement/Report
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4.3. Monthly Bills
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5. Correspondence/Recognition
Discussion:
Thank you to Jaci Bryce who has served as our Student Board Member this past year.
Congratulations to the following individuals for their performance and success at State Speech: Sara Lange - State Runner-up Informative and 3rd Extemp; Eleanah Enevoldsen - State Champion Persuasive and 5th Extemp; Eleanah Enevoldsen was also chosen for NETV Best of the Best which airs on NETV at 4/24 at 1pm; Eleanah Enevoldsen, Carlee Wolfe, and Sarah Lange all qualified for National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC) which will be held via zoom on May 12-14. Congratulations to Asher Lahm who has qualified as a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship. Congratulations to the Prom 2022 Royalty: Queen-Emaree Harris and King-Elijah Nacke; Princess-Candela Manrique and Prince-Conner Kreikemeier; Dutchess-Faith Johnson and Duke-Jack Henry. Congratulations to the following who placed in State FFA competitions: Food Science Team - 4th (Aleyna Cuttlers, Rachel and Leslie Bos); Jr. Livestock Judging - 11th (Carlee Wolfe, Burke Settles, Cade Grant, Ben Kliment); Parliamentary Procedure - Silver Emblem Team (Aleyna Cuttlers, Hailee Nelson, Burke Settles, Jaelynn Kliment, Carelee Wolfe, Braelyn Christensen); Natural Resources Speaking - Silver Medal (Sarah Lange); Conduct of Chapter Meetings - 6th Place Gold Emblem Team (Sarah Lange, Elizabth Funk, Khloe Buttlers, Erika Donahue, Michael Basel, Wyatt Suchy, Jolee Kliment). |
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6. Public Forum
Discussion:
Sophia Shultz and Garrett Shultz addressed the Board in support of a Girls Wrestling program. Jim Marsh addressed the Board with concerns regarding business/technology curriculum, Technology Coordinator duties and staff evaluations.
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7. Reports
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7.1. Administrative Reports
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Discussion:
Submitted by Allison Stansberry, Jr-Sr High School Principal
On March 23rd, we met for an hour during PLC and started creating our campus goals. After doing the sailboat activity, we narrowed down our focus for the 2022-2023 school year. We will have two campus objectives: 1) Student Achievement and 2) Culture. From there, we will create goals under each objective. This is still a work in progress but hoping to have the campus goals and action plan done by the end of the year and the PD plan done this summer. All of this will be shared with the board hopefully by the June Board meeting. On March 25th, our student leadership team met with Mr. Placke and Mrs. Osten for their first meeting during advisory. Introductions were needed as several students were unfamiliar with each other. Discussion began on several topics: official name of the group, expectations of group members to be positive role models, set a date for a summer team building retreat, and potential designs for a t-shirt. We will meet again in April to discuss these topics in more detail and make decisions where necessary. The following communication will be going out to parents as we want to address some things we have witnessed occurring from our students and provide information on them so you can have discussions with your students at home as well.
Queen: Emaree Harris and King: Elijah Nacke Princess: Candela Manrique and Prince: Conner Kreikemeier Dutchess: Faith Johnson and Duke: Jack Henry March and April are the months of testing!
Seniors last day will be on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. We would like ALL seniors to be in attendance on this day. The day will go as follows:
Submitted by Brian Gralheer, Assistant Jr-Sr High School Principal/Athletic Director Spring sports are alive and well. Our athletes have been enduring this Nebraska Spring weather to make the most of their seasons.
I have also been working with Mr. Croghan on the possibility of starting up a Spring Golf team. He has been gathering some financial numbers and interest levels of some of our students. We currently have approximately 15 students that are genuinely interested in starting a Golf program next Spring. These students have been briefed on the commitment necessary to have a golf team. This will be an ongoing discussion that will also involve the administration and the new AD. I will provide numbers when they are finalized. Submitted by Amanda Coufal, Director of Special Education April is Autism Awareness Month. Raymond Central will show their acceptance and understanding of Autism by wearing neon colors on April 14. Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the CDC, Autism affects an estimated 1 in 44 children in the United States today. On March 21, Raymond Central recognized World Down Syndrome Day. Down Syndrome or Trisomy 21 happens when a person is born with a third copy of the 21st chromosome. The student body and staff were encouraged to rock crazy socks to recognize our friends that rock an extra chromosome. I uploaded the BOE special education policies section to the NDE portal. Procedure wise, we have one more year of reprieve before we need to inform the state on how we are implementing the policy. Caitlin Roussan (School Psychologist) and myself went to a training on this procedure and have started this process. On March 31-April 1, I attended the NASES/NDE Spring Conference in Omaha. The conference was about how to implement universal instructional strategies to ensure equity and access for all by using effective data, collaboration, communication, and a framework of differentiated support. The four learning objectives were: how to identify and evaluate quality core Tier 1 instruction; explore collaborative teaching strategies that are evidence-based to accelerate the performance of all students in inclusive settings; understand how universal instruction can integrate with specially designed instruction to ensure diverse learners are successful in core instruction; and how to identify data that district, building, and teacher leaders can use to determine if the use of universal instruction across the tiers is improving equitable outcomes for all students. The information presented will help guide us through implementing the MTSS process. Submitted by Shelly Dostal, Elementary Principal at Valparaiso/K-5 Curriculum Director Testing window is now open for the NSCAS Growth statewide assessments. This spring is the full implementation for the NSCAS Growth. NDE describes these as adaptive through year tests. The ELA (English Language Arts) Test and the Math Test are administered to students in grades 3-8. The students take the tests on-line for an unlimited amount of time. Students in grades 5 and 8 will also be administered the Science Test. Students who qualify for accommodations may take their test on the computer with accommodations. No paper/pencil tests will be given this year. RC also has some students who are given an alternate version of the test if they meet the qualifications. Each school has their own schedule, with all the testing completed by April 29. Makeup testing will be given the following week, May 2-6. I held training sessions for all staff who will serve as proctors for testing. I continue to attend a virtual meeting each week with NDE so they may continue to share information and districts may give feedback throughout the testing window. All juniors took the ACT on March 22; all sophomores took the Pre ACT. A huge thank you to Ms. Tasha Osten and Mrs. Allison Stansberry for facilitating all the many tasks associated with giving the ACT. Elementary Teachers met on March 23 during the late start for the last session of ELA standard shift training. Work will continue in April, May, and into next year. PLCs also met to review data and refine action plans. The Elementary Leadership Team will meet on April 11. Parent-Teacher Conferences were held on March 15-16. The home-school connection is vital for the education of our students. Our goal is always 100% attendance for conferences. We almost made it, with all conferences except for two students attended. Teacher Evaluations for probationary teachers are being finalized. Tenured teacher evaluations will be next. The new evaluation model, process, and technology tools have been an adjustment. A parent meeting for all 2022-23 Raymond Central kindergarteners was held on March 28. There are currently a total of 47 kindergarteners registered. Visitation Day for prospective kindergarteners will be Friday, May 6. Transition date for 5th to 6th grade is scheduled for May 4 with a meeting for parents to be held in August. Thank you to the PTO for providing meals for the teachers during parent-teacher conferences. Mrs. Egr and Mrs. Dostal hosted a virtual scavenger hunt via zoom on March 29. PTO is planning a Spring Carnival for April 22. Come out and join in the fun! PTO is sponsoring some end of year special events for our students. We appreciate their continued support. Students will be going on field trips soon with all funding provided by the PTO. Students are very excited for these opportunities after having a two year hiatus. We observed World Down Syndrome day on March 21. Students and staff were encouraged to wear colorful or crazy socks. April is Autism Awareness month. Students and staff are encouraged to wear neon colors on April 14 as we develop awareness, acceptance, and understanding of Autism. An online Book Fair was held from March 14-27. Ceresco hosted an in person book fair this time. We usually have a Book Fair at each school in conjunction with parent teacher conferences, but we adjusted for this year. Growth and Development will be presented to 4th and 5th graders on April 14. Nurse Amanda Ehlers will lead the video and discussion for the girls. Mr. Steve Rose will lead the discussion with the boys. |
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7.2. Student Board Member
Discussion:
After Jaci Bryce gave her report, Dr. Gould presented her with an appreciation plaque for serving as 2021-2022 Student Board Member.
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7.3. Report from School Nurse
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7.4. Superintendent's Report
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Discussion:
Jumpstart to Kindergarten - We plan to offer this program as we’ve done in past years. During the Jumpstart program we will be working on social skills such as getting a friend’s attention, asking a friend to play, sharing a toy, and giving a friend a compliment. These skills are taught with direct instruction and practice time. We then create situations for the children to integrate these skills into their play. We will also work on academic skills this summer. Letter and number recognition will be the focus. Finally, we will be working on fine motor skills to help us with handwriting. Simple routines and procedures will be taught such as where to meet in the morning, how to line up with the class, and how to get a teacher’s attention. We will offer one class in Valparaiso and one class in Ceresco and try to cap enrollment at 12 students in each class. Students are selected on parent nomination, teacher recommendation and identified need. Some role model students will also be selected. The class will run for two weeks in late July and will meet on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday for a total of 6 class sessions.
Total Budget: 2 teachers x 3 hrs x 6 days = $1,440 (General Fund) 2 paras x 2.75 hrs x 6 days = $825 (Jumpstart Fundraising) Plus potential SPED support at $40/hr or contracted rate depending upon the provider. Elementary Reading PD - Shelly has worked with ESU#2 and the Elementary Leadership Team to develop specialized reading training for our staff that will be a hybrid of the highly touted LETRS training identified as Science of Reading training. Reading is identified as our school improvement goal area based on our student performance data. Districts who have received the training have experienced positive performance results. We are in the process of developing, scheduling and affirming that the trainer can facilitate our needs. This training will cost about $11,900 and will require that teachers spend three hour sessions together in August, October/November, and March. Then they will need to have 18 total hours of development between these sessions which will be delivered in nine 2 hour sessions (morning/afternoon). This is a big investment in our teachers but it is important that we have teachers who have been provided the development to deliver quality reading instruction based on current and reliable research. Surplus Items - Jared has indicated that Big Iron will handle the sale of the surplus tractor and attachments. It is estimated that the sale on the items may begin this Friday and probably end around May 11th. Summer Breakfast/Lunch Program - Patty Hudson and I have had multiple discussions regarding the summer feed program. There are two reasons that we are leaning toward not offering the summer feed program: 1) Patty indicates that it is extremely difficult to get food supplies and particularly for the breakfast program. She is very concerned about whether they can get their hands on the supplies for summer feed and if what they can get will be well received. Our current experience with breakfast indicates that kids aren’t interested in what we have available. More ‘waste’ than ‘want’; and 2) Our second concern is staffing. The kitchen staff have had no summer break since COVID started. Added to this scenario is the fact that free meals (breakfast/lunch) will end as of the last day of the normal school year and reimbursements will go back to the regular pre-COVID levels. I think it prudent to suspend the summer feed program and reevaluate next summer. Superintendent Evaluation - Dr. Gould and I are working with Katie Coble from NASB on my final evaluation for the year. We plan to use the following timeline in order for Katie to create reports from the information provided her. April 18-24: Superintendent completes the self-evaluation April 26: Send board self-evaluation results April 26-May 4: Board members complete their evaluations May 6: Final Report & Executive Summary will be sent to the Board President Board Welcome to Visit Classrooms - As we prepare to do a long term evaluation of our campus and facility needs, it seems feasible that board members may want to visit the campuses during instructional hours. Board members are always welcome to observe learning and instruction. I would only ask that you notify me a day in advance so that I can let the principal know that you will be in the building and in classrooms. It is important that teachers know that you are not there to evaluate or critique them but to get a feel for the services being provided and how our facilities impact the services we provide. |
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7.4.1. NASB Monthly Update
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7.4.2. Important Upcoming Dates:
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7.5. Facilities Report
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7.6. Review of Technology Plan
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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 all necessary action
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8. Old Business
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8.1. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to approve calendar changes for 2021-2022
Discussion:
Motion by Matulka, second by Burklund to approve 2022-2023 calendar changes: 1) move the final student day to Friday, May 13 with same dismissal time (11:45 elementaries; 12:00 Jr-Sr High School); and 2) eliminate the late start on Wednesday, May 11. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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8.2. DIscuss and Consider progress of architect on facility needs
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9. New Business
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9.1. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to approve Staff Resignations
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Discussion:
Motion by Lange, second by Burklund to approve staff resignations: Melissa Kohl, Valparaiso Paraeducator; and Hannah Miller, Valparaiso Paraeducator. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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9.2. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to approve Staff Appointments
Discussion:
Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Blanchard to approve certified staff appointments: Abby Rood, 5-12 Band Teacher; Scott Shepard, High School Principal; and Steve Rose, Elementary Principal. RCV 6-0. Motion carried. Motion by Matulka, second by Lange to approve coaching staff appointments: Mike Henderson, Jr High Boys Basketball; Ryan Mackling, Head Girls Basketball; Mark King, Asst Football; and Nathan Sliva, Asst Boys Basketball. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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9.3. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to approve Substitutes
Discussion:
Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Burklund to approve Joseph Olivia as a substitute Paraeducator. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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9.4. Discuss, Consider and Take Necesssary Action to approve new staffing
Discussion:
Motion by Matulka, second by Breitkreutz to approve recommended new staffing: Certificated - add .3 FTE 6-12 PE/Strength and a Full Time Substitute (165 days); Support Staff - additional .5 FTE reading support upper grades Ceresco (regular education) and additional part time PK3 para for the additional SpEd needs in PK3. RCV 5-1 (Gould). Motion carried.
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9.5. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to approve new courses for middle school in 2022-23
Discussion:
We are trying to develop more of a middle school model in our 6-8 grade programming which includes a common plan time and an opportunity to further develop SPS (Student Problem Solving Teams) from our MTSS work.
In order to accomplish that we are developing a common specials time for middle schoolers. By reducing the art offering to middle school students we are able to carve out additional time for Mrs. Craig to teach high school art classes as those numbers are on the rise. The proposal is to introduce STEM as exploratory classes (also ties in with our grant work) and students will not have art every year in middle level. We will be using the Discovery Education as a curriculum resource for the STEM exploratory classes. Johanna Jackson and Jenna Winfrey will be teaching these exploratory STEM classes. Motion by Blanchard, second by Matulka to approve the addition of STEM exploratory classes I 2022-2023 for grades 6-8. RCV 6-0. Motion carried. |
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9.6. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to approve the 2022-23 Special Education Contract with ESU#2
Discussion:
We obtain Special Education services from ESU #2 which are projected to be in the amount of $88,430 for the 2022-2023 school year: Speech/Language Pathologist (B-PK); Early Childhood Services; Teacher of Vision; Administration Services; Supervision. Motion by Matulka, second by Lange to approve the 2022-2023 Special Education Services Contract with ESU #2. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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9.7. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to add a girls wrestling division in the 2022-23 school year
Discussion:
Motion by Matulka, second by Gould to add a Girls Wrestling Division in the 2022-2023 school year. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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10. Approval of Next Regular Board Meeting
Discussion:
Motion by Lange, second by Burklund to approve the next regular board meeting of May 11, 2022. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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11. Adjournment
Discussion:
Motion by Gould, second by Breitkreutz to adjourn the meeting at 7:25 PM. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
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