November 20, 2017 at 6:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Theresa Seipel read the Mission Statement.

No one spoke to the board.

CHS Principal Steve Woodside said there are three unique and talented individuals to recognize in STEM. Joe Massman, a senior, and Jesse Osborn, who is now in college, finished third in the nation in mechatronics at the 53rd annual National Leadership and Skills competition in Kentucky. Woodside said they had to be prepared to compete in variety of skill sets. He said they competed against vocational high schools, and CHS is a comprehensive school. Woodside said CHS never had anyone place third in the country in this event.

Woodside also presented Sara Kwapnioski with the STEM Star Award. The award recognizes exemplary students who through their accomplishments are finding success in the STEM Academy. Woodside said Kwapnioski has become an ambassador in the STEM Academy. Last summer she was one of 20 students in the country selected to go to the PREFACE program at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. The program provided her with an experience in engineering processes with opportunities to develop leadership and team-building skills while exploring career opportunities in engineering. She also was interviewed for an article in the Peter Kiewit Foundation newsletter on the STEM Academy and opportunities for students in STEM education.

Skills USA - Woodside said each different career has its own organization, and Skills USA is specific to vocational careers. The organization has a fall leadership event and skills contests in the spring. The organization tries to re-enforce skills necessary in the workplace. Woodside said last year when the mechatronics team came back, advisor Adam Whitmore had some ideas on how to improve, and they made some changes and finished in third place. Whitmore said in mechatronics he sets the precedent, and lots of students meet it. He said those who go to the competition make a little more effort. Whitmore said it builds a lot of character, and the students always find a new challenge when competing.

Lost Creek Principal Jeff Bartels said Lost Creek received a Recess Reboot grant to purchase physical education equipment and provide every student with a jump rope and water bottle. Bartels said Lost Creek has been raising money for Jump Rope for Heart for nine years, and last year raised about $6,000.

Executive Director of Business Operations and Human Relations Dave Melick said these bills are ones that needed to be paid prior to the board meeting. RVW was paid $10,867.67 for the final payment of the conversion of the former high school to new a middle school. The $38,600.72 paid to Tyler Technologies was for annual maintenance and service fees. The CHS Activities Account was paid $4,000 for the board’s contribution to Close-Up. Control Management Inc. was paid $16,981 for HVAC work at North Park. Inland Truck Parts and Service was paid $7,773.30 for a transmission and starter replacement on bus 312. Truck Center Companies also made repairs to bus 312 for air brakes and bus 318 on the door latch.

The board questioned the amount of money being paid to send kids to Duncan. Executive Director of Student Services & Special Education Jason Harris said most of the students at Duncan are in regular education, and this is the first year an elementary student has been added. He said there are also a lot more middle school kids than in past. Harris said the number of students at Duncan will change as three are being removed from the program. He said these students will be expelled because there is nowhere left for them to go within CPS. Harris said this year there are more expulsion from Duncan than in the past. He said some of this could be stemming because Boys Town is reviewing how they are handling things.

Executive Director of Business operations and Technology Leonard Kwapnioski said the four acres up at the high school have been sold, and the for sale sign has been put in front of the old middle school. Dr. Loeffelholz said the administration felt this would be a good way to see if there was any interest in the property. He said the cost to renovate the building would be expensive, and it would be $500,000 to $600,000 to tear down the 1924 building. Dr. Loeffelholz said there is a lot of land with the building, and it is located in the middle of town. He said the value of the land must be factored in when considering selling it and not just thinking of the building.

The preschool program fits in elementary schools right now, and the district office can stay where it is at as long as student services/special education doesn’t need to get out of the Student Center. He said if all administration is under one roof, a larger facility will need to be found. Dr. Loeffelholz said the board told the community it would be two years before a decision will be made on the middle school property. If someone offers a price for the building, the district must consider it and look at uses for the building. He said the district could decide to just sell the building and not the land around it. Dr. Loeffelholz said if the district keeps the building, the 1924 section will need to be torn down, and this is a cost that the district must pay because renovating that section would be too costly. He said there are potential partners even if CPS stays in the building.

Dr. Loeffelholz thanked the board members who went to Omaha for the conference. He said it was a good event. He said the building and sites committee will be meeting with the group that is interested in the acres the school owns on the east side of town. He said they will potentially want some TIF financing for some of the project but not all of it. Dr. Loeffelholz said the high school musical was awesome and the performances were outstanding. He wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and told them to enjoy the time with their families. He said there will be school on Wednesday.

Tim Pospisil said he is still recovering from last week's national two-day drill at work. He said the drill went well. Mike Goos said the speakers at the conference were excellent, and the break out sessions were good as well. He said it was a great conference, and he enjoyed every minute. Candy Becher said it was interesting to see what Scottsbluff was doing with their career academy. She said she also enjoyed the supper with LunchTime Solutions. Doug Willoughby said the keynote speaker was very lucky to be alive, and he had a nice message about counting your blessings. He said it is Thanksgiving, and hopefully people will take time to count their blessings. Becher said two of the speakers talked about journaling and thinking about all of the blessing a person has. Seipel wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. She said her daughter will graduate this December from UNL with a degree in teaching, and she already as a long-term sub job lined up. She also wished everyone safe travels and good weather.

The board did not go into executive session.

The board adjourned at 7:01 p.m.