October 7, 2013 at 6:30 PM - Board of Education Meeting Agenda

Rationale:  A motion will be necessary if a member of the elected Board is absent.

Rationale:  The Bellevue Board of Education abides by the Nebraska Open Meetings Law.  A copy of the law is posted on the wall of our Board room.

Rationale:  Approve by consent items in section B of the Agenda identified with an asterisk and receive the information and proposals in section D identified with an asterisk.

Rationale:  The attached Minutes of the September 9, 2013, Board of Education meeting were sent to all members of the Board of Education for review.

Rationale:  Acknowledge receipt of the Treasurer's Report for September, 2013.

Rationale:  Approve the payment of claims totaling $1,294,359.20.

Rationale:  Release (1) Joseph Blackstad from his contract effective September 25, 2013.

Rationale:  Each year Bellevue Public Schools develops a Poverty Plan which outlines what the District does to provide for students from poverty and/or diverse backgrounds.  The plan addresses the areas of attendance, transportation, parental involvement, access to Early Childhood programs, after school programs, extended year programs, summer school, mentors for new teachers, professional development for working with students from poverty, coordination with the Elementary Learning Center, and access to social workers.

The District has implemented many measures to meet the needs of students in poverty and from diverse backgrounds.  With the Board's approval, the proposed attached 2014-2015 Poverty Plan will be submitted to the Learning Community for approval.

Rationale:  The Limited English Proficiency Plan provides specialized instruction that develops a student's ability to read, write, speak and understand English.  The purpose of the program is to prepare students to participate fully in the curriculum of the school, while supporting the cultural heritage of each student. 

The District develops a Limited English Proficiency Plan to include an explanation of how the school district is addressing the needs of the ELL students.  The plan is submitted to the Learning Community for approval.  The plan focuses on the identification of students with limited English proficiency, instructional approaches, assessment of students' progress toward mastering the English language, and the methods to assess the effectiveness of the Limited English Proficiency Plan.

The proposed 2014-2015 Limited English Proficiency Plan is attached. 

Rationale: 

The Board reviewed revised Board Policy 410.01, Certificated Employees-Annual Leave, at the September 9, 2013, Board meeting. The attached proposed Board policy is presented tonight for final approval.

Rationale:  Bellevue East competed in the Omaha North annual math competition on September 10.  The following students competed in several parts from team challenges to individual math challenges:  Tommy Casart, 10; Nathan Crawford, 12; Trevor Fellbaum, 10; Mary Francis Laporte, 11; George Timmins, 11; and Rebecca Zawistowski, 12.  In the individual test, Trevor Fellbaum finished 4th among all sophomores.

Rationale:  Bellevue East High School competed in the annual Plum Creek Literature Quiz Bowl in Seward, Nebraska, on Thursday, September 26.  They took first place.  The following students competed:  Nathan Crawford, 12; Sydney Hanson, 11; Mary Francis Laporte, 11; Noah Madrigal, 11; and George Timmins, 11.

The quiz bowl consists solely of literature and English-related questions, and a total of 20 high school teams from across Eastern and Central Nebraska competed.

Rationale:  Tonight, District HAL staff will provide a report highlighting the scope and depth of K-12 high ability learning services in Bellevue Public Schools.

Rationale:  The administration annually updates the Board about student performance as measured by various indicators.  Tonight's update will include results from NeSA, MAP, ACT and AP testing.

Rationale:  Tonight the Board will be presented with the first draft of the 2013-2014 Board Goals.  This is a continuation of the process that the Board has used for the last two years.

The first draft of the 2013-2014 Board Goals is attached.

Rationale:  There are several Legislative Hearings taking place this fall that will discuss issues that could have a significant impact on Bellevue Public Schools.  Tonight the Board will receive information about these hearings and begin a discussion about the Board's thoughts on taking official positions on any of the topics.

Rationale:  Attached is Administrative Regulation 407.05, Salary Protection, provided for your review.

Rationale:  An oral report will be provided on the recent meetings of the Learning Community.

Rationale:  Michael and Kathleen Caldwell - Address specific policies regarding violence in Bellevue Public Schools
Libby Caldwell - Bully at school or Avery School
Joshua and Lindsay Hurst - Violence at Avery School
Roseann Slattery - Violence at Avery in the 4th Grade

Rationale:  November 4, Board of Education Meeting, Welcome Center, 6:30 p.m.

Rationale:  Adjourn to executive session to consider matters relating to strategy sessions with respect to personnel and collective bargaining which are necessary to be considered in closed session for the protection of the public interest and for the needless injury to the reputation of an individual.