August 15, 2016 at 5:00 PM - Work Session Regular Meeting

Discussion:  Mike Medlar from Hausmann Construction gave an update on the construction of the new high school. Executive Director of Technology and Operations Leonard Kwapnioski said for a year and half there have been problems with the middle school intercom system. The system is over 35 years old, and the district can't put any more time or resources into trying to get it fixed. Kwapnioski said CMS Principal Jordan Anderson and he looked at what could be done to help with safety. Kwapnioski said they looked at several notification systems. He said many of the systems that are being used in colleges are moving to other schools. In addition to having staff notified, students can be notified as well. He said the main focus is on the middle school, but this is only a starting point and this is something that could be used district wide. Kwapnioski said even if a person is out of the district, the message will still show up on his or her computer. Anderson said this system has a dual platform. He said they wanted something that could be used with the equipment that CMS already has. Anderson said they needed something that could be noticed when teachers aren’t near their computers. A lot of teachers don't have laptops in front of them all the time. With this system, a beacon can be placed wherever there is ethernet cable. The areas that beacons would work best are in the gym, cafeteria and band room. The beacons will tell a person what is going on and send a report to the computer. This system can also tie into the Emergency Management alerts. The cost is $9,905. Anderson said the beacons can be taken to the high school when the middle school moves. He said there is a wireless solution but it is antiquated. He said there is an app that people can set that alerts their phone in emergencies. Anderson recommended having a committee determine if the alerts should be pushed out to parents as well. He said the fire alarms aren’t good to use as a warning because people are trained on what to do when they go off. Theresa Seipel asked where the main computer would be located? She said it can't be just in the main office. Anderson said this is also something a committee should explore. He said there can be multiple administrators. Kwapnioski said when it was tested and a message was sent, the alert showed up quickly. Superintendent Dr. Troy Loeffelholz said this is an extra layer of security. He said with cameras you only find out after the fact. Dr. Loeffelholz said at the middle school, there isn't intercom system that works, and there needs to be a way to alert everyone. CMS Principal Amy Haynes said most classrooms have wall phones, and the bells can manually be run and work most of the time. The staff is aware if the bell rings in a certain way, it is an emergency, and they should go to their computers. Candy Becher said there needs to be something reliable.

Discussion:  The board did not go into executive session.

Discussion:  The board adjourned at 6:28 p.m.

Discussion:  Candy Becher read the Mission Statement.

Discussion:  Deb Allen, 2203 16 St., spoke to the board regarding softball pitchers being required to wear a face mask during a game. She asked why this couldn’t be up to the coach to determine. Allen said her daughter is an experienced pitcher, and she can’t play as well with a mask on. Alana Allen, 2203 16, said she struggles with it when she pitches. She also said the mask could hurt her chances when being looked at by college coaches. She said getting hit is part of the game. Alana Allen said baseball players don't wear masks, and the softball goes about the same speed as a baseball. She said getting hit in the chest is worse, and the face mask doesn't guarantee a person won’t be hurt. Dr. Loeffelholz told her the board will consider the request. He said the policy was put in place last year for the safety of student athletes.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz said that this policy is required so people have a course of action to report fraud, waste, abuse, misuse or mismanagement of taxpayer funds to the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Education. This can be done by calling 1-800-Mis-Used.

Discussion:  There were no recognitions.

Discussion:  No items were removed from the consent agenda.

Discussion:  There was $35,051.31 donated by the Foundation through umbrella organizations, Sports Boosters and CMS PAC. Year to date donations are $163,472.24 as compared to approximately $97,000 last year at this time.

Discussion:  Executive Director of Business Operations and Human Relations Dave Melick said there is not a state aid payment this month because it is only given for 10 months, and this is not one of the months.

Discussion:  There was $1,152.73 paid to Seipel Repair. The cost to replace the wheel bearings on the bus was $300 and $852.73 covered the cost of repairs to the mirrors and lights of a bus after an accident.

Discussion:  Melick said there was $635,000 moved to depreciation from transportation, lunch fund, and general fund.

Discussion:  The child safety seats are too old to use, so they will be thrown away.

Discussion:  There are several items that were declared surplus by LunchTime Solutions because they don’t use these types of products. Melick said there are about $2,800 worth of items and now these can be sold.

Discussion:  Melick said he will give a budget briefing at the September meeting. He said the district just received the valuation from Platte County and the valuation increased by $128 million, which is an increase of 7.4 percent over last year.

Discussion:  Kwapnioski said the bid from Seipel Repair was for $35 an hour. There was only one bid received. Kwapnioski said in 2012-13, the district was charged $27 an hour. The new contract will start on Sept. 1.

Discussion:  There were no updates.

Discussion:  Romshek said she has tried to tie what she is doing in curriculum to the strategic plan. The new math standards are called career and college ready math standards.

Discussion:  Dr. Romshek presented to the board that there are four categories, Number, Algebra, Geometry and Data. Romshek said students are not just solving the problem on the page, but they must now take it further. She said they need to create a model, so students can see how it works. The students must also tell a peer how they solved the problem and connect to other areas. Romshek said the new standards are more rigorous then the old ones.

Discussion:  The new Guidance Curriculum is based on the American School Counselors National Standards. She said in the elementary grades, they will use targets for each unit that the students should meet. At the middle school, it will focus on school, emotional areas, careers and college readiness. These standards will be K-12. The counselors worked with principals and teachers to come up with the skills students need to work on.

Discussion:  There were no updates.

Discussion:  There are a few grades that are closed at the elementary level, Executive Director of Students Service and Special Education Jason Harris said. At Lost Creek first and fourth grades are closed; Emerson first and fifth; and West Park first and fifth. There are currently 160 enrolled in Preschool with a total enrollment of 190 because of the partnership with Headstart. Harris said the enrollment numbers at preschool could change because some parents enrolled in both places. He said if this happens, there is a waiting list. Dr. Loeffelholz told the board that Lakeview Community Schools is denying options that happen after August 1. Dr. Loeffelholz said CPS bases the closing of a grade on capacity.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz said the district will be having a new mobile app coming out that will send notifications to a person’s phone or desktop. He said websites are nice, but the person must actively pursue the information. Anything that the district pushes out can be received on the phone. He said people can decide what they want to be notified on. Dr. Loeffelholz said it can tie to the website, Facebook and Twitter. There is also a link to each school along with a map of the school. There is a PowerSchool link that will go directly to the parent sign in page. The app is free to parents. The cost is $4,700 for set-up plus $500 a year. Dr. Loeffelholz said there was a STEM presentation this morning, and the new STEM coordinator Heidi Elliott was introduced. After the meeting, BD pledged $100,000. This brings the total amount raised to $678,175 from companies that have committed to the project for the next four years. In order to get the Sherwood Grant, the money must be in the bank and not pledged over a period of time. Teachers came back on Friday. Dr. Loeffelholz said it is an exciting time. Melick and Dr. Loeffelholz went to listen to Gov. Pete Ricketts talk about the state budget. He said Gov. Ricketts surprisingly didn't hammer education. Dr. Loeffelholz said Gov. Ricketts told him that CPS runs a very efficient district. Dr. Loeffelholz said in softball, the pitcher is only 60 feet away from the batter versus 90 feet away in baseball. CPS requires the first, third basemen and pitcher to wear the protective mask. Ken Curry said most young kids don't have a problem wearing the gear because it becomes habit. He said he could not support not having CPS kids wear one. Candy Becher said there can't be just one student not allowed to wear one. Dr. Loeffelholz said it just takes one wicked pop to injure a person. He said there is not a lot of reaction time. Dr. Loeffelholz said Mark Brown tried to get the state to mandate that first, third basemen and the pitcher wear the masks, but he didn’t succeed.

Discussion:  Theresa Seipel said she enjoyed serving the food at the convocation and welcoming everyone back. She said the breakfast this morning was also very good. Candy Becher agreed. She said it was really good to see Heidi (Berlin) Elliott again. She said Elliot will be a good addition. Ken Curry said he hopes everyone has a great year. Mike Goos said he was sorry he missed convocation and breakfast this morning. He said he spent three days at a conference learning that CPS is not alone. Diversity is here, and it is alive and well.

Discussion:  The board did not go into executive session.

Discussion:  The board adjourned at 7:30 p.m.