March 15, 2023 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting
| Minutes |
|---|
|
1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance
Discussion:
President Breitkreutz called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM and the Pledge of Allegiance was said.
|
|
2. Motion to Excuse Board Member's Absence
Discussion:
All members were present.
|
|
3. Open Meeting Law
Discussion:
The audience was reminded that Open Meeting Laws would be followed.
|
|
4. District Mission Statement
The Raymond Central community is committed to providing a positive, challenging learning environment which prepares each individual to be a responsible citizen in an ever-changing society. |
|
5. Consent Agenda
Discussion:
Motion by Burklund, second by Benes to approve the consent agenda as presented including the regular meeting minutes of February 15, 2023; February financial statement; and monthly bills. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
|
|
5.1. Regular Minutes of February 15, 2023
Attachments:
()
|
|
5.2. Financial Statement/Report
Attachments:
()
|
|
5.3. Monthly Bills
Attachments:
()
|
|
6. Correspondence/Recognition
|
|
7. Public Forum
|
|
8. Reports
|
|
8.1. Administrative Reports
Attachments:
()
Discussion:
Submitted by Scott Shepard, Jr-Sr High School Principal
Student Engagement - We continue to focus on struggling students in the classroom. The teachers are doing a great job of contacting parents and following up with students. This coming week we will have parent-teacher conferences on Tuesday and Thursday from 4:15-8:00 each night. We are excited to have several students qualify for State Speech as the team won the District Meet that we hosted here at RC. Community Engagement - Tasha again hosted the dual credit parent night with SECC. Almost 100 parents and students attended the event. We continue to provide great opportunities for families to jump start their college experience and prepare them for their career choices. Schedule for 2023-24 - All students have started the class selection process. Tasha and I will be reviewing request numbers and identifying how to best use our current staff to offer the classes chosen. I am excited to be part of this process and really get a good sense of how we use our staff and potential changes we can make in the future. Staffing - We have received two resignation letters. Aliya Spale, K-12 choir director, has accepted a position to be a K-5 music teacher in Millard. We have started interviewing for her position with a limited number of applications coming in. This week, special education teacher Jennifer Highstreet resigned her position to move out of state to be closer to family. On a positive note, we are recommending Taylor Vasa for the open Physical Education and Head Volleyball positions. She will be coming to us after two years at Weeping Water. Go Stangs! Submitted by Tony Kobza, Asst Jr-Sr High School Principal/Athletic Director Athletic Winter Season - Our wrestlers had two boys and one girl place at the State Tournament. Tie Hollandsworth placed 6th, Cam Shultz placed 2nd and Sophie Shultz also placed 2nd. Our Girls Junior High basketball team finished the season with a 29-1 record. Spring Sports (Track and Field, Baseball and Soccer) have started with great numbers and excitement. Activities - Speech won the B-4 district championship and will compete at State Speech on March 15. FFA, FBLA and Skills USA are preparing for their state competitions later this month. Quiz Bowl is hosting the NCC Quiz Bowl Tournament on Monday, March 13. Submitted by Amanda Coufal, Director of Special Education Special Education Procedures: Caitlin Roussan, Lynn Johnson, and myself have finalized Raymond Central’s Special Education Procedures. These procedures were uploaded into the ILCD (Improving Learning for Children with Disabilities) portal. The following procedures are a general guide for the district staff, students, and parents at Raymond Central:
SpEd Snippet: I have created a SpEd snippet that I am sending out to our special education teachers at least once a month. This allows me to communicate with all special teachers about new information or clarify past information/questions. This communication will allow us all to continue to learn about special education practices. When applicable, I will also share this information with general education teachers as well to help with the knowledge of special education information. The Use of Frequency in IEP Development: On Friday, March 10, the whole district participated in a training about how to write accommodations that include sufficient information about the frequency, location and duration of accommodations and the type of support that will be provided to the student. This will be an adjustment on how we write accommodations but it will improve our understanding of the process. Submitted by Steve Rose, Elementary Principal and Deb Kruse, Assistant Elementary Principal Targeted Professional Development - This is structured to attend to increasing our capacity of reaching our Campus Improvement Goal of 80% Reading Proficiency.
|
|
8.2. Student Board Member
Attachments:
()
Discussion:
Submitted by Madison Parham, Student Body President
March is a very eventful month for students as a large portion of them are involved in spring sports and other extracurricular activities like FBLA, Speech, Quizbowl, and the Spring Musical. On Monday afternoon, a pep rally was held to recognize students involved in non-athletic activities. State qualifiers for Speech performed a portion of their speeches at the pep rally that they used earlier today at the state speech tournament in Kearney. Quizbowl members also competed against different staff members in a round of a Quizbowl game in which the teachers ended up winning against the students. While students in spring sports were still recognized at the pep rally, students who are in non-sport activities also had the opportunity to be a part of games in order to make pep rallies more inclusive for all spring activities. One of these activities is the Spring Musical, which is the first musical Raymond Central has held in over 12 years. There are 22 students in the musical and this year they will be performing Singin’ in the Rain and are scheduled to perform May 5, 6, and 7. I talked to Josie Lahm, who is one of the leads in the musical, and she had a lot of things to say about the preparations being made to make this musical successful. She says that it is worthwhile but huge time commitment as they practice 3-4 times a week for an average of 2 hours, and sometimes even on weekends. She said that one time they even had a 6 hour practice to learn the dance choreography. She said the atmosphere is super fun and supportive where everyone is allowed to be themselves and it is a good outlet for students who enjoy musical theater. Another event coming up next weekend is prom. The theme of prom is Starry Night and many juniors and seniors are excited to have a fun and eventful night. Juniors have worked hard to fundraise money to buy decorations for prom as well. Student Council has also been working hard to fundraise for different organizations. The most current fundraiser being held right now by Student Council is for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Make-A-Wish is a nonprofit organization that has a mission to create wishes for children with critical illnesses. Student Council members have set up a booth at parent teacher conferences this week where parents coming into the school can buy a raffle ticket with a chance to win a free activity pass with all proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish organization. Overall, March has been a very exciting month for our students, who are hopeful for what the last couple months of school will bring. |
|
8.3. Superintendent's Report
Attachments:
()
|
|
8.3.1. NASB Monthly Update
Attachments:
()
|
|
8.3.2. Update on Superintendent Goals
Goal 1: Develop a visible presence within the schools, the school community, and the state. Goal 2: Foster a learning environment in which every student has the maximum opportunity to achieve academic excellence. Goal 3: Continue the development of a 10 year facilities strategic plan for implementation that addresses maintenance and improvements for existing building assets and new construction. Goal 4: Continue the development of safety and security practices for Raymond Central Public Schools.
Attachments:
()
Discussion:
Goal 1: Develop a visible presence within the schools, the school community, and the state. I continue to attend school events and visit all three campuses, submit newsletter articles, attend meetings within the district and at the state level. I recently attended the NRCSA Legislative Conference and participated in meeting Senator Beau Ballard (he met with Scott and I). Professor Langren, UNL invited me to serve on the UNL-College of Education and Human Services External Professional Education Committee.
Goal 2: Foster a learning environment in which every student has the maximum opportunity to achieve academic excellence. We continue our collaborative efforts to positively impact learning. Examples of more recent actions include reviewing and selection of ELA curriculum materials and designing the training for implementation. Support of the continued efforts to engage teachers in strategies for effective instruction, continued implementation of the EIR grant, and developing support at the 7th grade level for struggling readers. Continued support for the Early Childhood program and serve as the administrator for that program. EC Handbook in development stages and completion of our 2nd advisory meeting for the year. Goal 3: Continue the development of a 10-year facility strategic plan for implementation that addresses maintenance and improvements for existing building assets and new construction. Continued work with municipal advisors and BVH to coordinate the efforts of an informational campaign should it be necessary and to prepare the board for a resolution. Goal 4: Continue the development of safety and security practices for Raymond Central. Continued work with Officer Piitz to flesh out an Emergency Operation Plan to include reunification plans and to implement ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) training for all staff on March 10. |
|
8.3.3. Safety Report
Discussion:
ALICE Training. This is active shooter training that is delivered with a trauma-informed approach. ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. ALICE works in conjunction with our 'I Love You Guys' Standard Response Protocol (SRP). There were just over 90 staff members in the training on Friday, March 10. The training was put on by the three resource officers in Lancaster County, including our resource officer, Deputy Piitz. Staff members found the training insightful.
|
|
8.3.4. Important Upcoming Dates:
|
|
8.4. Facilities Report
|
|
8.5. Review of Technology Plan
Attachments:
()
Discussion:
Submitted by Jaxn Kobza, Technology Director
Technology Projects
|
|
8.6. Board Committee Reports
|
|
8.6.1. Curriculum & American Civics Committee (Burklund-chair, Lange, Matulka)
|
|
8.6.2. Facilities & Transportation Committee (Blanchard-chair, Burklund, Matulka)
|
|
8.6.3. Finance Committee (Blanchard-chair, Breitkreutz, Burklund)
|
|
8.6.4. Negotiations Committee (Blanchard-chair, Benes, Lange)
|
|
8.6.5. Policy Committee (Breitkreutz-chair, Benes, Lange)
|
|
9. Old Business
|
|
9.1. Discuss, Review and Consider Action on amending Policy 5306 Drug and Alcohol Testing
Attachments:
()
Discussion:
The first reading of revised Policy 5306 Drug and Alcohol Testing was presented. We will be using a third party testing agency which includes a review by a Medical Review Officer for accuracy, therefore there is no meaningful appeal past that point of the actual results.
|
|
10. New Business
|
|
10.1. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to approve a Resolution authorizing submission to the qualified voters of the School District at a special election to be held on May 9, 2023 a proposition relating to the issuance of not to exceed $41,800,000 in general obligation bonds for the purpose of paying the costs of construction and acquisition of a new school building for preschool through sixth grade, site and public infrastructure improvements, renovations and modifications to the District’s existing buildings and facilities, and providing for the necessary furniture, equipment and apparatus for such buildings and facilities, with interest and principal of said bonds to be payable from a special levy of taxes against all taxable property in the School District
Attachments:
()
Discussion:
Motion by Blanchard, second by Lange to approve a Resolution authorizing submission to the qualified voters of the School District at a special election to be held on May 9, 2023 a proposition relating to the issuance of not to exceed $41,800,000 in general obligation bonds for the purpose of paying the costs of construction and acquisition of a new school building for preschool through sixth grade, site and public infrastructure improvements, renovations and modifications to the District’s existing buildings and facilities, and providing for the necessary furniture, equipment and apparatus for such buildings and facilities, with interest and principal of said bonds to be payable from a special levy of taxes against all taxable property in the School District. RCV 5-1 (Burklund). Motion carried.
|
|
10.2. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to Approve New Staff
Discussion:
Motion by Matulka, second by Burklund to approve new staff: Melissa Graue, Band; Shae Wattjes, 1st Grade; Taylor Vasa, Jr-Sr High Physical Education and Head Volleyball. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
|
|
10.3. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to Approve Staff Resignations
Attachments:
()
Discussion:
Motion by Burklund, second by Benes to approve staff resignations: Aliya Spale, K-12 Vocal Music; Jenifer Highstreet, Jr-Sr High Special Education; Kelly Tvrdy, 1st Grade; and Todd Tenopir, Asst Softball. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
|
|
10.4. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to Approve Substitute(s)
Discussion:
Motion by Lange, second by Matulka to approve Shae Wattjes as a teacher substitute and Lynnsey Jewett as a support staff substitute. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
|
|
10.5. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to Approve First Reading of Policies
Attachments:
()
Discussion:
The first reading of updated policies were presented and will be acted upon at the April meeting: 1000-Statement of Intent; 1030A-Parent-Patron Comment Form; 1050-Public Access to School Records; 1100A-Request for Use of Facilities; 1102-Recording of Others; 1211-Title IX Grievance; 1220-Title IX Procedure for Complaints of Sexual Harassment; 1230-Building Accessibility; and new policies 1270-Therapy Animals; 1500-Emergency Closure of School Buildings; 1501-Emergency Exclusions.
|
|
10.6. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action that the 1000 policies with no changes be noted with review date of March 15, 2023
Attachments:
()
Discussion:
Remaining policies from Series 1000-Community Relations have been reviewed with no changes: 1010-Visiting School; 1020-Citizen Communication to the Board of Education; 1030-Parent-Patron Comment Forms; 1040-Annual Report; 1050A-Denial of Access Form; 1050B-Explanation of Delay in Fulfilling Request; 1060-Advertising and Promotion; 1070-Publications, Radio and Television; 1080-School Directory; 1100-Community Use of School Facilities; 1110-Bulletin Boards, Display Case and Posted Material; 1120-Tobacco Policy; 1200-Anti-Discrimination; 1210-Title IX-Discrimination; 1220A-Form for Filing Complaints; 1240-ADA and Section 504 Grievance Procedure; 1250-ADA Designation of Coordinator; 1260-Service Animals; 1300-Fund Raising Activities; 1310-Gifts; 1320-Memorial Policy; 1400-School and Community Organizations; 1410-Parent Organizations; 1420-Citizens Advisory Committees; 1430-Utilizing Community Resources; 1440-Staff Participation in Community Affairs; 1450-School Personnel and the Public; 1460-Student Production of Goods and Services; 1470-Public Performances by Students.
|
|
10.7. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to Approve First Reading of Narcan Policy 5602
Attachments:
()
Discussion:
The first reading of new Policy 5602-Opiod Overdose Prevention and Response was presented and will be acted upon at the April meeting.
|
|
10.8. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to amend policy 8320 - Adoption, Amendment or Suspension of Policy
Attachments:
()
Discussion:
Policy 8320-Adoption, Amendment or Suspension of Policy was reviewed. The Board agreed to adopt policy on one reading instead of two. The policy will be updated and acted upon at the April meeting.
|
|
11. Next Regular Board Meeting
Discussion:
The next regular Board of Education meeting will be Wednesday, April 12, 2023.
|
|
12. Adjournment
Discussion:
Motion by Matulka, second by Breitkreutz to adjourn the meeting at 6:41 PM. RCV 6-0. Motion carried.
|
