March 19, 2012 at 5:00 PM - Work Session and Regular Meeting of the Board of Education

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz asked each of the departments at the Administration Building to give information to the board regarding their services throughout the year. Superintendent’s Office – Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent Gail Placek, Communications Coordinator Michelle Cruise, Technology Department – Suzanne Stevenson, Doug Zoucha, and Chris Chvala gave presentations. Business/Finance – Sandy Krings works with accounts payable and is helped by Linda Staroscik, Dianne Mapes said she works in payroll with Shirley Nelson, and Kathy Leischner from the Human Resources Department handed out a registration and application packet to the Board. Curriculum – Curriculum/Assessment Specialist Betsy Rall said she will focus on data collections. She said she is trying to make something systematic, so teachers can make changes to help students. Foundation – Executive Director of the CPS Foundation Jessica Kuehler said the Foundation has had an executive director for a year and a half. This is the first year a complete financial audit for the fiscal year was done.

Discussion:  The Board recessed from the executive session @ 6:30 p.m. and will reconvene at the end of the board meeting.

Discussion:  Theresa Seipel read the mission statement.

Discussion:  CHS Principal Steve Woodside recognized Calvin Mustard for being the recipient of the NSIAAA Outstanding Service Award. Mustard said he loves his job and that is why he is here. Board member Ken Curry said Mustard displays everything that an employee should be. Barb Lehr said the students also think very highly of Mustard. Chelsea Haack was recognized for being the recipient of the 2012 Prudential Spirit of Community and Award/Certificate of Excellence. Haack was among the top 10 percent of all applicants from Nebraska in this year’s program.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz said there are currently 19 resignations or retirements for certified staff. There are two resignations and new hires for classified staff.

Discussion:  Interim Executive Director of Business Operations Bob Waite said there are a couple of different reports for the board. He said the new reports should be easier to see and will show the board where the district was last year at this time. Waite said this will also allow him to explain why items have changed. He said there will need to be a budget hearing in June to modify the budget.

Discussion:  Jay Spearman from Ameritas said he is working to refinance bonds that will be callable in December of 2013. He said the district has confirmed an Aa2 rating. Currently there is $11,955,000 in outstanding bonds. He said the refund maturities for 2017-2033 is $8,640,000. Spearman said the idea is to push the principal forward as far as possible and taking the bonds off earlier. He said there will be a net savings of $1,734, 000.

Discussion:  Spearman said once the bonds are issued, the rates are fixed and won’t change.

Discussion:  Principal Doug Kluth said the middle school is doing something different this year. He said in the past, the information was arranged only alphabetical, and thanks to a template provided by CHS, a better document has been created. The new guide includes a course description but also includes information on staff and guidance and the philosophy of the principal. Kluth said for each department, it sequences classes students have available at sixth, seventh and eighth grades.

Discussion:  Dostal said Dr. Loeffelholz has done a lot of good things while he has been here. Curry agreed and said he is looking forward to working with Dr. Loeffelholz for years to come.

Discussion:  CHS Activities Coordinator John Krogstrand said some of the ambiguity questions regarding cheerleading and the dancers have been removed. Cheerleading and dancers are now considered varsity sports. Krogstrand said this will put the district in a better position.

Discussion:  Kwapnioski said this will help streamline the process because work can be done at the district facility, and there is enough work for all routine maintenance to be done on all CPS vehicles. Kwapnioski said Seipel will track his time and charge the district $25 an hour, which is a good rate. In July, the repair contract will be opened for bids.

Discussion:  Bid tabs for the concrete work were opened last Tuesday, and dwb Inc. of Madison won the bid with a base bid of $34,803. Dr. Loeffelholz said there was one alternative for ramps and stairs, but the district thought this work could be done in-house to save money. Hornbacher House Moving was awarded the bid to move the portable for Centennial. Dr. Loeffelholz said Lincoln Public Schools already had Hornbacher put this on a trailer, so the $12,000 bid was cheaper than having another company take it over and start over. Hornbacher House Moving also won the bid for moving the two portables to the middle school for $19,800.

Discussion:  Executive Director of Student Services/Special Education Jason Harris said there were 247 calls that were made to prospective kindergarteners. Dr. Loeffelholz said the projections were based on moving each grade forward and figuring the kindergarten enrollment to cap at 275 students.

Discussion:  There were 19 certificated resignations or retirements, and right now only six will be replaced. Dr. Loeffelholz said as of right now, he wants to reduce 6 certified staff for next year, and coupling this with hiring less experienced teachers should result in a savings of $600,000 to $700,000.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz said last year the plan was to spend $1 million out of the cash reserve, but this did not need to be done. He said the budget was reduced by limiting travel, reducing classified staff hours and doing other things. He said in a sense, the budget went down $600,000 or so this year. Dr. Loeffelholz said for next year, the buildings’ budgets will be reduced by $100,000. He said if the district watches spending, he believes there can be $1 million reduction. Dr. Loeffelholz said this will leave an additional $800,000 to cut. He said it is going to be challenging. Dr. Loeffelholz said the board could spend $1 million out of cash reserve, but this can’t keep being done year after year as staffing is a recurring cost. He said the Board could gain an additional $750,000 by raising the levy to the maximum of $1.05; however, even if the levy goes to $1.05, this will still not be enough to cover the shortfall.

Discussion:  The district is currently looking at other vehicles. Kwapnioski said the blue van was purchased in 1988 from state surplus. He said many of the used vans that were looked at had high mileage and were expensive. Kwapnioski said a better investment might be in a brand new vehicle from the state contract. He said right now there are no surplus vehicles. The in-district mail route is 50 to 60 miles a day.

Discussion:  None

Discussion:  The board came out of executive session @ 9:02 and adjourned.