April 16, 2025 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting
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1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance
Discussion:
President Burklund called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM and the Pledge of Allegiance was said.
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2. Nebraska Open Meetings Law
Discussion:
The audience was reminded that the Nebraska Open Meetings Law would be followed.
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3. Motion to Excuse Board Member's Absence
Discussion:
Motion by Heyen, second by Lange to approve the absence of Jason Wiig. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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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. |
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5. Consent Agenda
Discussion:
Motion by Matulka, second by Heyen to approve the consent agenda as presented including the regular meeting minutes of March 12, 2025; March financial statement; monthly bills; resignations from Maggie Niewohner-3rd grade, Andrea Hicks-Special Education, Jamie Enevoldsen-2nd grade; new hires: Jackson Hilyard-Social Studies, Ashlyn Lukasiewicz-3rd grade, Kathryn Jones-Special Education; and substitute teacher: Tianna Coffey. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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5.1. Minutes of March 12, 2025 Meeting
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5.2. Financial Statement/Report
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5.3. Monthly Bills
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5.4. Policy Review
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5.5. Certificated Staff Hire(s)/Reassignment(s)/Resignation(s)
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6. Correspondence/Recognition
Discussion:
FBLA - Excellent Showing at State FBLA
7th and 8th Grade Band- Excellent Showing at Biship Neumann JH Music Contest FFA - National Qaulifiers Evan Potter - Skills USA 6th Place - Welding |
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7. Public Forum
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8. Reports
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8.1. Administrative Reports
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Discussion:
Submitted by Troy Lurz, Jr-Sr High School Principal
Professional Development/Learning: We continue to work on the 6 Phase model principles and are tethering this new learning to the information we have learned. We shared how proficiency scales and other rating rubrics can be used to support our current efforts. As we reported in March, this is truly where we start seeing how students demonstrate that they are beginning to understand or even master learning goals. Once known, teachers can then adjust instruction to address the four questions:
Cell Phones/Technology Use in the Classroom: There is discussion occurring regarding the use of cell phones. Currently it is being vetted through the Structures committee. Several members of the leadership team created a survey that was offered to the staff for their input. This information will be working its way through the Decision Making Matrix. The administration is aware of this movement and is waiting for the information. Prom: Prom was held on April 5 at the Cornhusker. It was a fun event for the students. The venue of the Cornhusker gives students lots of eating options for the evening. Thank you to everyone who made the evening special for our students. Jay Martin Assembly: The State of Nebraska School Safety and Security Director (Jay Martin) informed our students and staff about the dangers and proper pathways to navigate in the digital world. He shared possibilities about digital wisdom, mindful practices, digital citizenship, and how we can best ensure safe and appropriate use in a digitized world. Graduation: We are planning our graduation rehearsal and making sure we are ready to go for Senior signing day. Graduation is May 10 at 2:00 PM. Counseling/Senior Experience/Scholarships (Tasha): Scheduling season is progressing, we are getting rolling, entering all student requests and the master schedule is underway. Students in grades 6-10 all were able to experience a college campus off site educational trip. A special thanks to all teachers who were chaperones and helped the day run smoothly. A Big shout out to Laura and Markie for making sure transportation was lined up and teachers had rosters that morning of kids attending. Evaluation Update: Completed and in compliance with Rule 10 (certification) and Rule 24 (certifications) with the completion of two final conversations with staff. Student Council: NHS Induction is complete. We had 15 new inductees this year. The Student Council helped with the elementary literacy night. We can’t wait to see an even bigger turnout in the fall of next year for more reading, writing, and creative activities. The new student council members will be elected this month and in May we will start planning our homecoming theme and spirit days. Summer School: Early indications are that we will run summer school at the secondary level in a similar fashion to last year. Mr. Placke has agreed to run the program. Although the plans have not been completely finalized, we anticipate summer school starting June 2 and running through June 26. Sessions will be Monday through Thursday from 9:00AM to 12:00PM and we will be using the PLP platform for credit recovery at the high school and skill development for middle school. Invitations will be sent out in the near future. JH Student Council: The Junior High world continues to be slow. Students helped with the Elementary Literacy Night on April 1. Students read a couple books by Eric Carle and had brief activities for elementary students to complete while their parents learned more from the experts. We will be making and hanging up locker signs for spring activities soon. We are in the process of determining who will be a part of the 2025-26 JH Student Council. Staff members nominated current 5th, 6th, and 7th graders who have demonstrated leadership abilities. The nominated students were sent an application that they could submit. The 5th-7th graders will vote at the end of April based on responses to fill the offices. There were over 50 students nominated from the three grade levels. We are excited to include upcoming 6th graders next year! The 2024-25 school year is quickly coming to a close. What a wonderful ride it has been. Go Mustangs! Submitted by Tony Kobza, Asst Jr-Sr High School Principal/Athletic Director Facilities Pole Vault pit has been added as a temporary solution at the north end of the track. Athletics Spring Season is half done already! We will be hosting two track meets the first week of May. Activities FBLA: Great Success at State with National Qualifiers and State Placers. Speech: The Central Players hit the ground running this month with a spectacular win at the Elmwood Murdock Silver Sword Invite. We have Bellevue West, Grand Island Central Catholic, Conference, and Lincoln East to finish out the month. We're hoping to maintain that momentum! Play Production: Students are rehearsing for the Addams Family, which will be performed May 2-4. We are so excited to begin putting this show together with grade 6-12 students, both on and off stage! Band: Melissa Nierman is working to establish the RC Band Boosters again. She is doing a wonderful job getting people excited about the future of the music programs. FFA: Great success at State with a team and individual National Qualifier! Quiz Bowl: The school will be sending a team to the National tournament in Chicago at the end of April. Students attending this tournament qualified back in November for a spot. Team members include Sarah Lange, James Liu, Liam Tvrdy, Drew Tice, and Sophia Burt. They will also be competing in the State Quiz Bowl Tournament at the end of April for the first time! Art Club: We had some AMAZING results for this month's art students! We had 27 get accepted into the State Scholastic competition this year. For the first time I was able to submit some ceramic student work into the National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition Foundation and we had Kinsley Seuferer have 2 pieces accepted!!! This is a HUGE deal! There were 1,032 total entries, across multiple states with only 150 pieces of work accepted. Submitted by Elementary Principals Steve Rose and Deb Kruse Math Adoption
Submitted by Breanne Poston, Asst Jr-Sr High School Principal/Preschool Director What a fun season we are in...full of learning, memory making, new experiences, and of course friends! To kick off April, preschool enjoyed the beauty of spring with a twist of Nebraska weather as both PK4 classes had an opportunity to spend the day at Lincoln Children’s Zoo. All families were invited to join, too! We got to hear the flamingos sing, see the cheetah run as well as red pandas roaming and penguins being fed. We even got to feed the giraffes, however, the massive indoor Treetop Adventure Park seemed to be an unmistakable highlight of our trips! Just last week, Raymond Central Preschool hosted four sessions of roundup, which allowed incoming preschoolers to get briefly acquainted with their new learning environment and amazing preschool teams. We appreciate families sharing their child with us and look forward to each "gift" being part of the RC family next year! Happening right now, our JH/HS students are hunting for Easter eggs around school this week. Each egg has been designed and colored by our little Picaso-like preschoolers and can be traded in for a prize in the PK4 room! Up next, PRESCHOOL GRADUATION on May 6th and 7th!!!! Submitted by Amanda Coufal, Director of Special Education Para Appreciation Day: On April 2, we celebrated our incredible paraeducators and all the ways they support our students, staff, and district. We are truly fortunate to have such dedicated professionals who show up every day, go above and beyond, and make a lasting impact in the lives of our students. As a small token of our appreciation, each paraeducator received a Nothing Bundt Cake. We are truly lucky to have each and every one of them as an integral part of our district! Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) State Conference: Stacey Doan, Paige Mestl, Jessica Knopp and Elayna Furasek attended a two-day autism conference in Kearney on April 3-4. The sessions that they attended were: Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Building an Inclusive Classroom for all Learners; Bridging Minds: Harnessing Neurodiversity within MTSS Frameworks; Peer Para Program; AI for Developing Meaningful Activities for Students with Disabilities; and Beyond Inclusion. There were also inspirational topics such as Tim’s Big Heart Foundation - 7 Steps to Live an Awesome Life (with a disability); a Female Autistic Panel (navigating life with autism); and Feel Great About What You Do: Enhancing Student Engagement and Wellbeing through Neuroscience and Behavior Strategies. Currently, they are creating a summary of the sessions that they attended to be shared with the staff at Raymond Central. This is always an informative conference with strategies that can be implemented in every classroom. Targeted Improvement Plan (TIP): I have submitted this year’s TIP plan to NDE with the help of Caitlin Roussan. Deb Kruse and Monica Blank also reviewed our TIP to make sure that we were not missing information on all of the great things that we are doing at RC. TIP GOAL: By the 2026-2027 school year, 40% of special education students in grades 2-5 will achieve proficiency (above the 25th percentile) on the Winter FastBridge Reading Assessment (Curriculum-Based Measurement - Reading). Baseline data shows:
Para Appreciation Day: On April 2, we celebrated our incredible paraeducators and all the ways they support our students, staff, and district. We are truly fortunate to have such dedicated professionals who show up every day, go above and beyond, and make a lasting impact in the lives of our students. As a small token of our appreciation, each paraeducator received a Nothing Bundt Cake. We are truly lucky to have each and every one of them as an integral part of our district! Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) State Conference: Stacey Doan, Paige Mestl, Jessica Knopp and Elayna Furasek attended a two-day autism conference in Kearney on April 3-4. The sessions that they attended were: Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Building an Inclusive Classroom for all Learners; Bridging Minds: Harnessing Neurodiversity within MTSS Frameworks; Peer Para Program; AI for Developing Meaningful Activities for Students with Disabilities; and Beyond Inclusion. There were also inspirational topics such as Tim’s Big Heart Foundation - 7 Steps to Live an Awesome Life (with a disability); a Female Autistic Panel (navigating life with autism); and Feel Great About What You Do: Enhancing Student Engagement and Wellbeing through Neuroscience and Behavior Strategies. Currently, they are creating a summary of the sessions that they attended to be shared with the staff at Raymond Central. This is always an informative conference with strategies that can be implemented in every classroom. Targeted Improvement Plan (TIP): I have submitted this year’s TIP plan to NDE with the help of Caitlin Roussan. Deb Kruse and Monica Blank also reviewed our TIP to make sure that we were not missing information on all of the great things that we are doing at RC. TIP GOAL: By the 2026-2027 school year, 40% of special education students in grades 2-5 will achieve proficiency (above the 25th percentile) on the Winter FastBridge Reading Assessment (Curriculum-Based Measurement - Reading). Baseline data shows:
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8.2. Student Board Member Report
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8.3. Superintendent's Report
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Discussion:
Elementary Update
Ceresco and Valparaiso will release students two days prior to the secondary school for the summer. This will provide elementary teachers with two full days to pack up their classrooms. The last day for elementary students will be Friday, May 16. This will be a full day. Classrooms of the teachers who will be moving will be packed and relocated to the gym. Boxes will be labeled with the school name, teacher name, and grade level. Maintenance work in classrooms will be completed by July 1. The move will occur the week of July 7, depending on carpet installation. We do not plan to adjust start times for the 2025-2026 school year at Ceresco or Valparaiso but we will offer supervision for students starting at 7:45 AM and extending to 3:30 PM after school. This schedule will align with normal bus routes and provide flexibility for parents who wish to drive their children to school. Teachers will be granted two paid days before the official start of their contract to set up their classrooms. Students will be assigned to classrooms based on educational factors and district goals. Parents will not have the option to request specific teachers. A transition day will be planned in the spring, allowing students to visit their new school. More details will be provided soon. Vision Committee Update We currently have 11 community members and are looking for educators. We will have administration, a certified and classified staff member from each building. April 1 Literacy Engagement Night Thank you to our staff and students who helped with this event. We were hoping for more numbers, but I believe the parents and students who went enjoyed it. |
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8.3.1. Classified Staff Hire(s)/Reassignment(s)/Resignation(s)
Discussion:
Sandy Novotny (Valparaiso Cook) and Nikki Haas (1/2 time Preschool Para) have submitted their resignations effective the end of the school year.
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8.3.2. NASB Monthly Update
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8.3.3. NRCSA Monthly Report
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8.3.4. Update on Superintendent Goals
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8.3.5. Safety Report
Discussion:
We hosted Jay Martin, Nebraska Department of Education, School Safety & Security Director on April 9. He presented Digital Wise Teens & Parents to students and staff.
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8.3.6. Facilities Report
Discussion:
Summer Project Plan: Asbestos removal and carpet installation at Valparaiso; classroom configuration at central site; Science Room at central site; general painting, maintenance and cleaning.
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8.3.7. Important Upcoming Dates
Discussion:
Policy Committee Meeting - April 30 at 6:00 PM
Graduation - May 10 at 2:00 - All Board Members are Invited Elementary Last Day - May 16 Secondary Last Day - May 21- This is a 1/2 day May BOE Meeting - May 14 |
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8.4. Board Committee Reports
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8.4.1. Curriculum & American Civics Committee (Burklund-chair, Lange, Matulka)
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8.4.2. Facilities & Transportation Committee (Matulka-chair, Burklund, Lange)
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8.4.3. Finance Committee (Burklund-chair, Heyen, Lange)
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8.4.4. Negotiations Committee (Benes-chair, Heyen, Matulka)
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8.4.5. Policy Committee (Benes-chair, Heyen, Wiig)
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9. Old Business
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10. New Business
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10.1. Discuss, Consider, and Take Necessary Action to approve the ESU 2 Contract for the 2025-25 School Year.
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Discussion:
Motion by Benes, second by Matulka to approve the 2025-2026 Special Education Services Contract with ESU #2 at a cost of $122,282.00. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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10.2. Discuss, Consider, and Take Necessary Action to approve the proposal for services regarding the second school driveway.
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Discussion:
Motion by Matulka, second by Heyen to approve the proposal from Hazard Engineering for final design, bidding & solicitation, and construction management of the second school driveway at a cost of $44,908.00. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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10.3. Discuss, Consider, and Take Necessary Action to approve the superintendent evaluation and contract.
Discussion:
Motion by Lange, second by Matulka to accept/approve the Superintendent Evaluation and Contract. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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10.4. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to Approve 2025-2026 Nurse Contract
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Discussion:
Motion by Benes, second by Matulka to approve the 2025-2026 nurse contract as presented. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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10.5. Discuss, Consider, and Take Necessary Action to Approve the Purchase of the i-Ready K-8 Math Curriculum and Resources and the Envision 9-12 Math Curriculum and Resources.
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Discussion:
Motion by Heyen, second by Burklund to approve the purchase of i-Ready K-8 Math Curriculum/Resources at a cost of $121,438.40 for 6 years; and Envision 9-12 Math Curriculum/Resources at a cost of $38,589.60. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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10.6. Discuss, Consider, and Take Necessary Action to Approve the Contract with 5T's Lawn Care for Mowing at Ceresco and Valparaiso.
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Discussion:
Motion by Matulka, second by Lange to approve the contract with 5T’s Laws Care for mowing at Ceresco and Valparaiso this summer. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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11. Next Regular Board Meeting
Discussion:
The next regular Board of Education Meeting will be held Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
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12. Adjournment
Discussion:
Motion by Lange, second by Benes to adjourn the meeting at 6:36 PM. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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