November 12, 2012 at 7:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale:  If any board member is absent, there will need to be a  motion to excuse the absence.

Rationale:   

It is the vision of the Norfolk Public Schools to actively engage all students in learning
through a relevant and comprehensive standards-based curriculum that integrates
 21^st century skills, tools, context, and assessments.  

• Goal #1:  All students will succeed at each grade level and graduate from high school well-prepared for a variety of post-secondary pursuits.

• Goal #2:  All students will feel connected with the school and the learning process.

• Goal #3:  District resources, programs, and departments will be aligned to attain high levels of student achievement and instructional excellence.

• Goal #4:  The community will be engaged to support high levels of student achievement.

  The mission of the Norfolk Public Schools is to prepare studentswith the skills and knowledge to meet the challenges of a complex, global society.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rationale:  Mrs. Kwapnioski, representing the Visitor's Bureau, will be presenting a check to the Norfolk Public School District for $15,000. This money will be used to assist with upgrades to Johnny Carson Theatre. 

Rationale:  Becky Lechner, Media Specialist, Junior High School

Rationale:  Challenge Program - iMovie

Instructor:  Amy Casey

Washington Students Presenting: 

Rationale:  The total amount of bills approved in the consent agenda for the month of October by specific fund are as follows:

General Fund=$330,882.65; Cooperative Fund=$10,127.51; Lunch Fund=$130,765.50; Special Building Fund=$3,376.50; Student Fee Fund=$10,317.04; Employee Benefit Fund=$1,594.00

The Finance and Facility Committee reviewed all bills for this consent agenda.  Bills unique to this month were discussed for clarification.

Our receipts and expenditures have been somewhat consistent over the past few months.  We continue to have adequate cash flow in all of our funds while keeping up with essential needs of our staff and students.  I will be submitting for our first reimbursements of Grant and Title funds in the next few weeks and expect to receive final allocations of IDEA dollars sometime in December.

Rationale:  State Reporting

Later this month, the Nebraska Department of Education will release the State of the Schools Report.  Contained within this report will be information about NeSA and ACT testing that has previously been released along with other information including demographic information, Adequate Yearly Progress, and a new accountability system created by the NDE called NePAS (Nebraska State Accountability System).  NePAS will rank schools across the state on various measures related to NeSA testing including average scale scores, growth, and improvement.  Additionally, reports of four-year graduation rates will be ranked as well.  

Once the State of the Schools report is released publicly, the district will be better able to comment on our results.  However, as is generally the case with the State of the Schools report, new data will not be released with this report.  Teachers and administrators are already working diligently with the information that is available to make the necessary changes and improvements to instruction.  

The release of this report will again show that that academic performance of Norfolk Public Schools students continues to improve.  Our district some some significant improvement in the areas of reading and math and will expect to see the growth continue over the coming school years.  

Until all students coming through our district achieve proficiency and better, we will not be satisfied with our performance.  Rankings, AYP results, and other accountability measures put forth by state and federal officials will not change that.  We will continue to make the necessary improvements to meet the need of all of our students.  

Rationale: 

• Parent/Teacher Conference Attendance

School	Fall 2010	Fall 2011	Fall 2012
Bel Air	100%	100%	99.6%
Grant	97%	97.7%	98.7%
Jefferson	99%	99.6%	99.6%
Lincoln	100%	100%	100%
Washington	98.3%	98.1%	95.9%
Westside	95.3%	96.1%	96.4%
Woodland Park	99%	100%	99%
Middle School	92%	84.7%	82%
Junior High	73%	69.4%	67.7%
Senior High	71.7%	73.2%	68.4%

 

• Norfolk Public School’s annual safety inspection was conducted on November 6, 7, & 8 by Dave Lutt from Wayne. We await his final report.

• Norfolk’s School Nurses—Blair Brink, Cindy, Fox, Cori Pena, and Diane Schilling--will be completing the annual student health screenings by the end of November. Norfolk’s Immunization Summary, detailing the status of all students’ immunization compliance, has been compiled by the nurses and submitted to the Nebraska Health & Human Services Dept.

• Mid-2nd quarter progress reports for elementary students will be sent home on November 16. 

Rationale:  The Finance and Facility Committee met at 12:00 noon today at the Central Office Board Room.  The committee received updates from Scott Williams who handles the districts insurance coverage on a couple of different options to consider for 2013 calendar year.  Our current carrier (Indiana Insurance) is no longer covering school districts in Nebraska.  All committee members had a chance to review the information from Mr. Williams as well as ask any questions about the proposed carriers for 2013.  The committee then received an update from Mr. Witte concerning district roof projects and Mr. Robinson reviewed all claims for the month of October.  The committee will next meet on Dec. 10th at 12 noon. 

Rationale: 

Rationale:  This is a new policy required by statute.

Rationale:  The board of education received a letter on October 26, 2012 from the Norfolk City Education Association regarding contract negotiations.

Rationale:  The board will consider approving Guidelines for the Conduct of Board/NCEA negotiations for the 2012-2013 and 2014-2015 contract years.

Rationale:  The District is looking to move ahead with a contract for management and supervision of district roofing repairs, replacement and renovation.

Rationale:  The District will be approving a contract for a lobbyist for this legislative year.

Rationale: 

A second meeting of the month will not be conducted due to the Thanksgiving holiday break. 

The next regular meeting of the board of education is scheduled for Monday, December 10, 2012. The study session will be held at 4:30 p.m. at the central office board room and the regular business meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the city council chambers.