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

Discussion:  Lost Creek currently has 372 students with new girls starting at first and third grades this week. Twenty-one percent of the students qualify for special services. Lost Creek also has the fewest minorities at 30 percent. The school also has the lowest percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch at 42 percent and is the only elementary school in the district that is not a Title I school. Some of the activities the school is focusing on are: The Behavior Committee focuses on positive versus negative feedback. The fourth grade teachers developed a writing rubric for first through fourth grades. This will help students become familiar with what is expected of them on the writing assessment in fourth grade. Math – In this area, this is the first year fourth grade students can do fifth grade math if they are ahead of the class. At the primary level, the teachers use a lot of manipulatives such as clocks, coins and other items. Intervention in reading and math - Teachers meet once a week to discuss what to do for two grade levels. The idea is to look at the data and see where kids are struggling and then decide on the best approach to help. A specific plan is established for each child’s needs.

Discussion:  Nothing was discussed concerning a facility plan.

Discussion:  The traffic study involved looking at a 5-8 middle school, 6-8 middle school or new high school at 33rd Ave. and 38th St. The district commissioned RVW who in turn subbed out to HDR to conduct a traffic study. For a new 5-8, middle school and new high school, recommendations were made for the intersections at 33rd Avenue and 38 Street., 41st Avenue and 38th Street. and 35 Avenue and 38 Street. There were no recommendations for a 6-8 middle school. The City is not making any decisions at this point, and officials are gathering information just like CPS. Dr. Loeffelholz said a 6-8 building does not have that much less traffic than a 5-8 building. This does not mean a light can’t be installed.

Discussion:  The board went into executive session to discuss personnel and real estate.

Discussion:  Alan Dostal read the Mission Statement

Discussion:  Ray Pilakowski asked the board a couple of questions regarding repairs made at CMS and the amount and rate of the bonds. He also thanked Middle School Principal Doug Kluth for the tour of the building.

Discussion:  West Park second grade teacher Sandi Seckel was one of four Award of Excellence winners and had the opportunity to attend a banquet with the governor, commission of education and many others. At the banquet, she had the opportunity to talk to the group. Seckel read what she said. Seckel said she told them she appreciated the support, and it was an honor to be able to teach in front of the panel.

Discussion:  There were no certified hires, but the CMS guidance secretary and a Lost Creek para educator did resign. Dr. Loeffelholz said there is a lot of travel for professional development.

Discussion:  Executive Director of Business Operations Dave Melick said this is the cleanest audit report he has ever seen. Jodi Prochaska with Kruse, Schumacher, Smejkal and Brockhaus said the past inadequacies have been resolved by the new accounting software, which allows for more control.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz said the CEA has already been approved for this year, but many school districts are entering into two-year agreements, so the bargaining agent must be approved for both years.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz said this will give the board a little more control over what is built in the area and to make sure it follows the same style as other things. He said East Central Health District’s covenant must be amended and will be approved by the board next month. The changes were minor.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz said last year 12 students went on the trip, and this year 19 students have signed up. He said the $4,000 will be divided between those on free and reduced lunch, but some money will also go to the others attending. Dr. Loeffelholz said before any student receives money, he or she must participate in all the fundraisers. Ken Curry said this is a tremendous opportunity.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz said between the PACs and PTOS, Foundation, Sports Boosters, and Band Boosters the donations totaled around $20,000 in equipment and other items. Dr. Loeffelholz said the parents are donating back to the school district in areas that the district can't afford.

Discussion:  Executive Director of Technology/Building Operations Leonard Kwapnioski informed the board the new storage building will be located east of the administration building and will be large enough to store the trailer. It will also serve as a concession stand for track meets at CHS. Electricity will run from the high school to the building. Students will once again be building this storage shed. Dr. Loeffelholz said the money for this will be coming out of the building and site fund.

Discussion:  Included in the list of items that are surplus are CHS machines from the machining program, the disposal of technology equipment, office furniture, machining equipment and cabinets in the most expeditious way possible in the 2012-13 school Year. Kwapnioski said much of this equipment has been stockpiled for years, and he would like to have a garage sale on Dec. 6 and 7. Kwapnioski said the value of everything is less than $100 maximum. Most items are worth $25. For anything that is over $100, the district will go out for bids. The list of items will be published in the paper with a price range.

Discussion:  Give the superintendent and directors permission to amend any policy that uses a person’s name to be changed to a position.

Discussion:  Centennial second graders will be selling candy canes with the profits being given to Holiday Spirit Co-op to be used for purchasing gifts for those in need at Christmas time. West Park second graders will be decorating and selling cookies to purchase items for the children they adopted from the Holiday Spirit Co-op.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz also went over the highlights from the fall activities. The tennis team took first place in the first ever Columbus Invite. Girls golf had 11 girls participate and had two outstanding senior leaders on the team, Emie Hasumann and Hannah Pauley. The season ended with the team posting one of the lowest team averages in 11 years. The softball team was young and had many ups and downs this season and will be stronger in the future. The following athletes were Academic All Conference: Elizabeth Braun, Madison Burger, Allison Smith, Shelby Study, Nikki Wagoner and Teresa Tremel. In football, the team completed the eighth successful year in Rockin Readers. In the eight years, there have been 160 athletes in 128 classrooms and around 2,500 elementary students have participated in the program. The team also donated 65 pairs of cleats to Central High School in Kansas City, an inner city school that struggles financially. The senior grade point average was 3.37 and a team GPS of 3.01. In cross-country there were 20 girls and 26 boys, which is the second biggest team. The girls qualified for state for the 10th time in the past 11 years. In the music department, more than 350 students have the opportunity to participate in the art of making music. The volleyball team competed hard this year with their shining moment being the GNAC conference champions.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz said students in the musical did an excellent job. He encouraged the board members to attend events when possible to see the kids excel.

Discussion:  The State of the Schools Report comes out Wednesday with a press conference at 10 a.m. Dr. Loeffelholz said the data cannot be shared until Wednesday. He said people can go to the Nebraska Department Education and check scores. Dr. Loeffelholz said the governor is trying to treat academic scores like athletics and ranking them without taking into consideration demographics and other things. NeSA is the avenue to get to NePAS. The point of NePAS is to inform educators, parents and community members about the learning progress of Nebraska Schools. NePAS wants to show a growth measure and rank of a district. The rankings are based on an average score for four grade-levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 and 3-12. NePAS uses four areas to show learning progress in state testing: 1) Status, 2) Improvement, 3) Growth, and 4) Participation. Status simply lists the average scale score from the NeSA test in the given year.

Discussion:  Dostal said he also attended the conference, and it was very good this year. He listened to the head football coach at Boys Town talked about challenges of dealing with kids who come from challenging backgrounds. Frances Kuehler said these are some of the best classes that have been at the conference. Mike Goos said he attended the one with Greg Adams, and he predicted things will look better in the next couple of years. Goos also went to the one on poverty. Melick said the speakers were good as well as the quality. He said he learned that some of the costs are expected to increase in the future. Curry said he attended the session where kids spoke, and they talked about all the testing that must be done, and they only focus on the ones that matter to them like the ACT.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz said the teachers at the high school have talked extensively about college and career readiness. CHS is one of eight pilot schools for the ACT. CHS students are performing better than the other pilot schools. He said he is proud of the results when compared to the other eight districts. The goal for the high school is for students to have a four-year plan. Dr. Loeffelholz said research shows students in eighth grade need to start thinking about what they want to do. This STEM Academy could have many different features such as one for manufacturing, healthcare, and other areas. Dr. Loeffelholz said a lot of the careers involve science, mathematics and engineering. He said NDE is interested because of the strong manufacturing base and growing healthcare in Columbus. He said the area is kind of a hub. Dr. Loeffelholz said the staff is looking at what a STEM Academy at CPS could look like and what could be done to make students college ready.

Discussion:  Barb Lehr offered her congratulations to Sandi Seckel and told her she enjoyed listening to what she told the group.

Discussion:  No one spoke.