June 14, 2021 at 5:30 PM - Regular Meeting

Discussion:  Mike Jeffryes read the Mission Statement.

Discussion: 

Kaye Kormann, 3474 53rd Avenue addressed the Board regarding the new health standards and her concerns being proposed by the Nebraska Department of Education. 

 

Discussion:  The board went into executive session for personnel and contract information.

Discussion: 

Cathy Kwapnioski shared information on the new novel the English Department would like to add to the curriculum. All other novels that were purchased recently will be used. The "House on Mango Street"would be an addition to an open spot in the Honors English 10 curriculum. She said this book speaks to our students in a way they haven’t seen before. This book is written by a Latin author and it is a good fit with the changes that are being made with the standards regarding a multicultural perspective. The vocabulary is at a 5th grade level, however, the content identifies with a more mature student.  Dr. Amy Romshek, Director of Curriculum, said there will be 3 copies available to check out at the Administration Building. The Board will be asked to approve this novel at the July board meeting. 
 

Mrs. Kwapnioski was also asked to speak regarding MLA vs. APA styles of writing for our high school students. She explained that the English Department at CHS strongly teaches MLA and this give students a good foundation, and they know what questions to ask when writing for college. There is one class that introduces APA. The Board discussed whether CHS should be teaching more of the APA style of writing for more experience before they go off to college. Mrs. Kwapnioski also said APA style of writing would be more likely used in the sciences or math for a research paper. CHS English teachers also introduce resources for students to research other styles of writing. 

Discussion:  The board did not take action on this item.  It will do so at the regularly scheduled July business meeting.

Discussion: 

The Superintendent’s Contract was discussed and reviewed with the array of districts. The Board proposed a 2.124% salary increase overall. The board asked a question regarding year 2 and 3 of Dr. Loeffelholz’s contract, Chip Kay, Director of Finance and Human Resources, said that it is unknown at this time and just projects total cost of contract if nothing changes. This increase is in the same range as the teachers' salary increase of 2-2.1%. Teacher's salaries are higher on the array than the superintendent.

Discussion: 

Dr. Loeffelholz said all the policies being reviewed stem from the discussions with the Suspension/Expulsion Committee and the Attendance Committee. Some have significant changes, some have few changes.  In this policy GED was added and there was clarification of the minimum school age for kindergarten.  The policy also speaks to early withdrawal at age 16, it must be signed by a parent and sent to the commissioner.

Discussion: 

Policy 503.03 gives information on the steps that will be taken before an attendance letter is sent to parents. Also discussed was the timeframe to turn in missed work after an absence. The student handbook states you have two days to turn in work for each day absent.

Discussion: 

The discussion on Policy 503.04 Absenteeism/Barriers to Attendance included information on how absenteeism will be handled as reviewed by the Attendance Committee. Once a student has 8 absences, barriers to attendance meeting will be scheduled with the building principal, the counselor, and teacher to develop a plan to get the student to school.  Before a letter is sent to the County Attorney, the family will be notified. The County Attorney has been very supportive.

Discussion: 

Dr. Loeffelholz said this policy should be reviewed annually. There was discussion on the two areas in each building to display the student conduct code. Each floor of a building should have a copy displayed.

Discussion: 

Policy 505.02 Suspension and Exclusion of Students including all exhibits was discussed.  The exhibits are checklists provided to confirm that each item is completed. Dr. Loeffelholz said there were some wording changes, explanation regarding each rule, policy or statute that has been violated must be listed in the recommendation letter. Emergency Exclusion is explained in detail, the reasons, and the procedures are included in the policy. Discussion regarding hearings and how that looks when it is requested. Dr. Loeffelholz said it is not a court of law, we hire a Hearing Officer. The next step is to request a hearing in front of the Board of Education, hearings are required to be scheduled within 5 days. 

Discussion: 

This policy shares the steps that must be taken to expel a student. The Superintendent’s letter includes the investigation and the recommendation for the action to be taken.

Discussion:  Policy 504.01 Student Due Process Rights should be annually reviewed. Dr. Loeffelholz said this is a guarantee that a student is entitled to tell their side of the story.

Discussion:  There were no items removed from the Consent Agenda.

Discussion: 

Mr. Kay reported that cash balances reflect the end of the school year. He feels good about the balances being above last year with students being in school all year.  The Bond Fund reflects that one of three payments has been made. He also talked about the 2012 bond being finished next year. The question was asked regarding how that looks with monthly expenditures, Mr. Kay said it will be a smaller portion because of the refinancing and the declining balances. This will also reduce tax asking set from the bond election. The board discussed being grateful for the refinancing.
The money from the lease purchase agreement has not been used yet and is gaining interest nicely in an investment account.  Mr. Kay also spoke about the receipt of 80% our revenue. August and September will bring the tax draws and reimbursements from NDE. CPS has received about one third of the FEMA funds. He said CPS will not see ESSER I or II funds until next year. Mr. Kay also reported on Financial Report M4, invoices paid to Barens-Tate Consulting Group for an outside audit, which is required with our bond funds. Stealth Broadband was paid along with Cognia for our accreditation, this is similar to a membership fee. 

Discussion:  Mr. Kay gave a brief summary of the M5 financial report, a payment went to County Title to perform a title check on descriptions for all CPS parcels to approve a rezoning for the Kramer addition.

Discussion: 

Discussion on certified personnel included Mr. Kay sharing that there are openings for a middle school science teacher, a high school math teacher, and a couple of SPED positions. Questions regarding what CPS will do if we can't fill the SPED positions were discussed. The Board approved an extra SPED position, so really only looking for one of those positions to be filled, a long-term sub may be used for the first semester. Mr. Kay said he is working with Jason Harris, Director of Student Services and Special Education, to get the position filled. 

Discussion: 

Mr. Kay noted that the classified resignation list is long, he said some people waited until the end of the school year to put in their notice. Classified employees were asked not to wait until the end of July with this information. Discussion regarding LSI and how and when CPS will address that to staff. He also mentioned that all classified staff get an exit interview as well as certified staff.  

Discussion: 

Dr. Loeffelholz said things are opening up and there is a little more travel showing on the report.

Discussion: 

Dr. Loeffelholz said the end of year has a decent number, with scholarships, staff appreciation, and events. May contributions are $28,218.34; $545,781.39 for the year.

Discussion:  Mr. Kay said the update was approved in January. This is the annual review for next school year. We will not need to bring it back for a second reading because there are no changes being made.

Discussion:  Mr. Kay said he is recommending 21-22 meal prices at a .05 increase. This will offset the LSI increase. There will be no increase for breakfast. Questions on the Summer Food Program and the free lunches for all students are being checked on, Mr. Kay said he has reached out to get information.

Discussion: 

The rate that is being proposed is a jump from last year, there was no increase last year. Other districts have increased substitute pay and we want to stay ahead of the pack. There have been some changes for retirees to sub more which is very positive for CPS. Mr Kay said there will be some additions to the sub handbook, and the Board will be approving the additions and the clarifying information.

Discussion: 

Mr. Kay shared the changes to the Certified Handbook with a listing of the changes to be approved. The changes included where to find the calendar, where to find information regarding school closing. One of the changes clarifies who is considered immediate family to match the negotiated agreement.  He added information on the Emergency Leave Bank and rules regarding cash in buildings. Also included was use of devices to videotape staff, students, parents, it is the same standards for the adults as for students. The facilities rental agreement was updated for staff. COVID-19 supplement from last year will be changed to a pandemic supplement for the future.

Discussion: 

All items were deemed surplus property and disposed of accordingly.

Discussion: 

There are a few applications, two for the sale of fireworks this summer. Mr. Kay is trying to simplify the process of approving fundraising with the plan of voting at one board meeting for all fundraisers throughout the year.

Discussion:  Mr. Kay reviewed the Spring Teacher Engagement Survey with the Board. 

Discussion: 

Leonard Kwapnioski, Director of Building/Sites and Technology, shared information regarding updating our bus fleet. He is proposing a lease with Nebraska/Central Equipment which includes 11 total vehicles, 30 and 14 passenger buses. There will be some training that will need to take place for coaches and sponsors. These vehicles will have a district wrap put on them. Two executive coaches, 56 passenger buses are included. At the end of the 5- year lease we will keep these two vehicles. This is a large dollar amount, however, that amount is being spent on maintenance for our old fleet anyway. The district has done well putting funds away to acquire vehicles when needed, annually enough money has been set aside to pay for this lease. There is a trade-in option in 5 years that would be better because you will spend less in the ongoing maintenance costs as vehicles get older, need more work and have more miles. Fiscally this is responsible, you could purchase the 9 vehicles for $300,000.00. There was some discussion regarding the addition of seatbelts in buses, Mr. Kwapnioski said you are required to wear them if you have them. There is some negative information regarding wearing seat belts on school buses. We will keep the 4 vans and the 1 suburban. Coaches could get paid to drive, which would help tremendously with our student travel. 

Discussion: 

Mr. Kwapnioski is asking for approval for a contract that would evaluate every building for HVAC maintenance and air quality.  The HVAC in all buildings have been on the strategic plan. A big project is to add air conditioning in all elementary gyms where the students are eating lunch.  This is a great opportunity to get these projects started.  There are other districts looking at using ESSER III funds for these projects. The evaluation will label everything out with the report. Discussion regarding CMS and the CHS renovations and the equipment purchased, Mr. Kwapnioski reminded the group that air quality standards have changed exponentially. Many of the elementary buildings have very old systems now, and we need to think about improving air quality in those buildings. CMS equipment was purchased in 2007, he said even the equipment at CHS was purchased 7 years ago, and standards are very different today. He said this is the only company that will do the evaluation the way that is best for CPS. The report will give an idea of what needs to be done to improve air quality. This company has guaranteed to get this done in our time frame. A final date of completion should be added to the contract. This will be funded from the maintenance budget.  

Discussion:  Mr. Kwapnioski updated the board on Kramer and tearing out the kitchen floor. The North Park parking lot is gone, the recent rain did not help.  Platte Valley precast staff have been turning dirt over to dry it out so they can perform the soil testing. Neighbors to that building are ecstatic that this will help to get cars off the street. Mr. Kwapnioski spoke about the Safety Committee receiving an email about LB322 passing on the Safe2HelpNE. This is an anonymous call in hotline, this is similar to what GI and Kearney have been using.

Discussion: 

Dr. Loffelholz said the End of Year Convocation was well received. Our office has been receiving thank you notes from some of the retirees with a lot of appreciation. He said summer school is going strong, along with camps. Many of the administrators are taking vacation before the July deadline. Graduation went smoothly. 

Discussion: 

The Board is very thankful that so much was accomplished through the school year, and really happy we are moving forward without masks right now and hopeful that continues. All feel very glad we have made it to summer break and staff is getting a well deserved break, as well as principals getting some time off. Encouraging everyone to recharge and be ready for next year. So grateful to be able to see faces. They have heard a lot of good comments about the convocation and graduation. 

Discussion:  Meeting adjourned at 9:01pm.