November 18, 2013 at 5:00 PM - Work Session and Regular Meeting of the Board of Education

Discussion:  Begins at 4:30 p.m. and is intended for building staff and appointed board members.

Discussion:  West Park Principal Paula Lawrence shared some demographic information. The poverty rate is between 65-68 percent; ELL 17 percent; and HAL1 percent. There are 96 percent of the kids who come to school every day, and 95 percent of the students have two or fewer office referrals. Ninety percent of the parents rate West Park at an A or B. West Park surpassed the district goal in Dibels Fluency. They surpassed the goal by 10 percent or more. The West Park staff is happy with these higher scores. In the MAP reading scores RIT 2-5, West Park students went up in all categories. There is upward progress in the scores in the categories of all, poverty and special education students on the NeSA reading scores. This fall Lawrence sent letters to children who met or exceeded their scores in reading, math, and science saying the staff is proud of them. ELL is going up in all areas as compared to last year. NeSA writing – This was the first year in the change of scoring. West Park staff has been concentrating on ideas and content of the language. MAP Math grade level RIT 2-5 has gone up in every area of the percentage of kids that met that goal. The growth area in math has also exceeded the goal in every category. The NeSA Math scores went up in all areas from the previous years except for ELL. All fifth graders were tested on NeSA Science. In all student categories, they exceeded the district goal. Ken Curry said the data shows improvement on all sides except for ELL. ELL Coordinator Melissa Jelinek said last year there was a huge increase in ELL students at West Park. Lawrence said the staff is focusing on ELL. Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Amy Romshek said across the state of Nebraska the group that scores the lowest is ELL group. She said a large part of this could be because of language and vocabulary, and the staff is working on it. Dr. Troy Loeffelholz said the district is doing an audit of the ELL program and looking at what can be done to improve. On Dec. 12-13, Joanne Gossman will be coming to CPS to evaluate the ELL program. The West Park staff also presented an iMovie on what the teachers and student are doing in the classroom.

Discussion:  Mike Goos read the Mission Statement.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz said the district is required every year to review this policy. He said there are no issues going on in CPS to merit a change. Someone from the audience asked what happens if cyber bullying does not happen inside of school or on school grounds? Dr. Loeffelholz said often times if it occurs outside of school, it will carry over to school. He said the school also serves as a mediator between those involved. Executive Director of Student Services Jason Harris said he has become involved at times and law enforcement has been contacted if there is a threat between the two parties.

Discussion:  No one spoke

Discussion:  CHS Band Director Jeff Peabody presented Board President Alan Dostal with a plaque in recognition for the support of the CHS band trailer. Peabody said the trailer has made a big difference in moving the equipment. Peabody said the band has focused on improvement this year. The band finished the year at the state marching festival, and CHS is one of only seven bands that have participated all 31 years. At a fund-raising event, the students learned to play 12 songs and had the opportunity to play the second half of the show with the Liverpool Legends. Peabody thanked the board for all the support. He said it is fun to watch these kids learn about music.

Discussion:  Chad Mustard was recently hired as the non-public resource teacher to serve Scotus and St. Bonaventure part-time. Lori Aschoff was hired as the new grant writer to replace Julie McClure. This is the shared position with the Chamber of Commerce and the Columbus Area United Way.

Discussion:  No items were removed from the Consent Agenda.

Discussion:  No one from Kruse, Schumacher, Smejkal and Brockhaus attended. Executive Director of Business Operations Dave Melick said the report is a very clean report. The report found CPS to be in a financial position that is stable and strong. Alan Dostal agreed and said it is a very clean report. He said the district has made many improvements, and he likes where the district is at currently.

Discussion:  Kwapnioski said the following items will be sold on eBay: old sewing machines, large scale and a grade transit with legs. He said the idea is to try to get additional money for these items on eBay. Kwapnioski said the other items are more disposable items. The high school is also selling a LeBlond Engine Lathe that was purchased in 1963. CHS Principal Steve Woodside said this item was still in use last year when the other items were sold. The high school does not have room for it.

Discussion:  The total contributions amounted to $23,988.66. The CPS foundation is giving $2,000 to Close-up for scholarships, $500 for motivational productions on anti-bully, $1,000 to the CHS Industrial Arts Department and $1,000 to the CMS Art Department.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz said each school’s board of education must vote on the membership. CPS is a member of GNSA, and it was formed for the purpose of state aid. Last year some schools decided to do something on their own and formed STANCE. Dr. Loeffelholz said this group is an advocate for policy and working with senators on something that is more predictable and sustainable over time. He said this group is not just about state aid. The membership costs $250 for dues the first year and $100 every year after. Right now there are 11 schools that belong. Dr. Loeffelholz said most of these schools are Class B schools.

Discussion:  Melick said there will be $1,740,000 back in bonds, which amounts to a buy back savings of $90,000. The interest rate has gone from 4.75 percent to .53 percent. Melick said the terms did not change just the amount of interest being paid.

Discussion:  Issuance of Series 2013 General Obligation Refunding Bonds were approved.

Discussion:  The economics curriculum will be implemented the second semester because it is now a required course and seniors must take it this school year. The curriculum for American History, American Government, Geography and World History will be started in 2014. Romshek said the category that has been beefed up is economics, and that is why it is now a separate course. She said students can take government and economics as a junior if they can fit it in their schedule. Romshek said between now and the next school year the social studies teachers will be refining the social studies curriculum.

Discussion:  Romshek said the printed text is not nearly as important as the digital resources that come with it. The teachers are requesting 70 books plus 40 additional online only resources. She said there are 110 students taking the course in January, and the students can share books but not online access. The cost of the books and online resources is $7,358.13.

Discussion:  Dr. Loeffelholz said back in September he presented to all staff and held two community meetings regarding facilities in October. The staff and community also both participated in a survey. He shared the results with the board. He said whatever option, there are other items that go with it such as the remodeling of middle school for STEM and remodeling of the high school to be a middle school. A new survey will go out after Thanksgiving. The next community meetings will be held Dec. 3 and 5 at the middle school. The Strategic Planning Committee will meet on Nov. 26 to decide on the survey questions. Once the surveys are done, they will meet on Dec. 9 to desegregate the data and make a recommendation to the board. After that, another survey will be conducted asking people for permission to move forward at this amount. Dr. Loeffelholz said he wants more opinions and feedback than just 100 people. He told the board if they have questions to be included in the survey to talk to Ken Curry and Alan Dostal because they are on the committee. Community members should contact Dr. Loeffelholz if they have items that they think should be asked. Alan Dostal said he would love to see more people involved. Dr. Loeffelholz said the same 300 people will receive another invited to the next round of presentations. He said he also wants other community people to come as well. Ken Curry said he thinks Dr. Loeffelholz has done a good job so far. He said the more that attend the better on informing people on the facility needs.

Discussion:  Theresa Seipel said this is a busy time of year. She said she enjoys Veterans Day, and the bank grills food for the veterans to come and eat. She said between Veterans Day and Thanksgiving people can't help but be thankful for where they live. Candy Becher thanked Paula Lawrence and her staff for the presentation. She said the district is lucky there are wonderful schools and staff. Ken Curry agreed about the West Park presentation. Curry also said the musical was excellent. He said Dr. Loeffelholz has gotten the district on the right track and is laying good groundwork for the bond. Francis Kuehler said he will be in Omaha for the state convention this week. Alan Dostal said the Foundation and umbrella groups have done a lot for the school. He said Peabody mentioned he appreciates the support of the board, but they are doing things to raise money as well such as the Liverpool Legends concert. He said the musical was well attended and the best he has ever seen. Dostal said there are a lot of good things happening.

Discussion:  The Board did not go into Executive Session