October 16, 2017 at 6:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Board Member Candy Becher read the mission statement.

Mariano Menendez, 111 S Park St., said he appreciates the district allowing his home-schooled child to attend CHS part-time and participate in activities. He said his he also has a child who plays football for CMS, and he would like there to be a trainer present at the games. Menendez said the middle school kids are bigger and stronger, and there were several injuries during games. He said the high school has a trainer, so the middle school should as well.

Jeff Mulder, 4603 29 St., said his son received a concussion a few weeks ago at a game in Grand Island. He said he feels any sports should have a physician or trainer on-site to recognize the symptoms of the injury. Mulder said seventh and eighth graders are pretty big and someone could get hurt. He said everything turned out for his son, and he was cleared after two weeks. Mulder said he participated in sports in college, and there was a trainer present, so he knows the advantages of having one onsite at games.

Superintendent Dr. Troy Loeffelholz made the changes the board requested at the Committee meeting.

There were no recognitions.

Financial Report M4b was removed from the consent agenda.

Seipel Repair was paid $527.65 for doing the following work: inspections, oil changes, fixing the windows in one vehicle, and checking an engine light.

Theresa Seipel said the $57,786.07 donation from the CPS Foundation and umbrella groups was a pretty good start to the year. Dr. Loeffelholz said the STEM on the Go trailer was delivered.

Executive Director of Business Operations and Human Relations Dave Melick said a committee will study the wellness policy and update the various sections. He said this is the policy that was discussed at the board retreat. 

Centennial Elementary School added several items to the fundraising list since the Committee meeting. Melick said the administration submitted requests that were similar to other elementary schools.

The addition of a black chair was added to the surplus list from last week. 

The need for administrative personnel was enhanced due to the increasing number of formal and informal observations created by the new teacher evaluation system.  With the number of staff at both the middle school and high school, additional administrative support was needed.  A Dean of Students is on a teacher contract and cannot supervise or evaluate another teacher.  They are also limited to recommending long term suspensions and expulsions to the other building administrators, which creates another burden on them.

The recommendation is to move Deans of Students, Jason Schapmann and Adriana Carnes into these position.  Both Jason and Adriana will be placed on a 215 day contract for the remainder of this school year and be paid the regular insurance stipend.  For the 2017-18 school year, Mr. Schapmann will be placed on a 226 day contract with administrative benefits and Mrs. Carnes will be placed on a 220 day contract with administrative benefits.  These contract days and benefits are in line with the other assistant principals at the respective levels.

The total bid for the CMI contract is $40,790, which is a $1,900 increase from the previous year.

Executive Director of Operations and Technology Leonard Kwapnioski said the district received three bids for garbage services: Big Red, Waste Connection and U & I. The low bidder was U & I for $1,595 per month, which is less than the district is currently paying. Waste Connection will no longer be doing recycling for the district because their bid included the recycling services as well as garbage. Kwapnioski said he will be looking into some recycling companies, but there are not a lot out there. He said the district has used Green Fiber in previous years, but they only have one truck and are based out of Norfolk.  Kwapnioski said another company based out of Grand Island does recycling but he is not sure if they want to expand to the Columbus market. All new dumpsters will be delivered to the buildings. 

AdvancEd will be in Columbus on Nov. 5th and wants to speak to the board on the 6th at 1 p.m. Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Amy Romshek said the interviews should take about 45 minutes. She said the committee is willing to be flexible as to when to meet with the board. Candy Becher said around 4 p.m. would work better for her. Theresa Seipel said she will let Romshek know if she is available and may have to do it by a phone call.

The Grand Opening of the Inclusive Playground is tomorrow with a open house beginning at 6 p.m. and ribbon cutting at 6:30 p.m. 

Dr. Loeffelholz thanked the board for clarifying the days they will be going to the conference. He also informed them about a letter to the editor on TIF financing that ran in the Telegram on Saturday. He said the letter made some remarks about the board. Dr. Loeffelholz asked if the board wanted to respond. Theresa Seipel said the board should not respond because it just gives the individual credibility. Candy Becher disagreed. She said the person said some inaccurate things about academic performance and this needs to be clarified. Dr. Loeffelholz said the board may want to respond as group but not in the form of a letter to editor. He said the board has never came out in favor or against TIF financing. He said this could be an educational article that spans over several weeks and covers different areas each time. Dr. Loeffelholz said he will put together an article and run it past the board.

Doug Molczyk said CPS is doing great. Doug Willoughby said he is not sure what to think about the people who spoke about the CMS football program needing a trainer. He said in his opinion, more injuries happen on the practice field than at a game. Dr. Loeffelholz said the hospital hires the trainers, and the district could request that they hire someone for middle school games or hire a trainer. He said the coaches have been through concussion protocol training. Dr. Loeffelholz said if a coach or anyone is in doubt, he or she should call an ambulance. Dr. Loeffelholz said he talked to CHS Activities Director Dave Hiebner and trainer Rob Marshall and both said schools the size of Columbus usually don’t have a trainer at the middle school games. He said smaller schools will often have a trainer at middle school games because they are the only game in town that day. Doug Willoughby said it is important to have parents sign a parent permission form, so if they are not at the game, the child can be treated if hurt. Hausmann said the kid that was injured in Grand Island was treated but could not be released without a parent. Mike Goos said he found the views of the different generations a very interesting topic. He said people today don’t have the work ethic of those that lived during the depression. Theresa Seipel thanked the board for their time and commitment. She said he likes the committee as a whole meeting so far. Doug Molczyk said he likes having a longer period of time to talk to staff.

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The board did not go into executive session.

The board adjourned at 7:11 p.m.