January 9, 2012 at 6:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Discussion:  Those present included Principals Pavlik, Comley, and Grammer, Assistant Principals Cunningham and Cline, Curriculum Administrator Gibbons, Activity Administrator Egr, Director of Facilities Mundil, and Superintendent Stevens.

Discussion:  All present participated in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Discussion:  President Jedlicka declared this meeting had been preceded by advance notice.

Discussion:  Superintendent Stevens presided as the election of officers for 2012 began. He asked for nominations for the office of President of the Board of Education. After Lumir Jedlicka was nominated, Misek made a motion, seconded by Semerad that the nominations cease.

Discussion:  President Jedlicka resumed presiding over the meeting and called for nominations for the office of Vice President of the Board of Education.

Discussion:  President Jedlicka called for nominations for the office of Secretary of the Board of Education.

Discussion:  President Jedlicka called for nominations for Treasurer of the Board of Education. A motion by Misek and seconded by Brabec to nominate Vavricek. A second motion by Vavricek and seconded by Brabec to nominate Misek. Board members voted by ballot with Misek being elected.

Discussion:  Vavricek requested that the wording in the December 2011 minutes which reads "Motion by Misek, second by Vavricek to revisit the issue before the December 2012 board meeting to have 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students from District 504R, Fishers #24, and Richland attend Schuyler Middle School" be corrected to read "Motion by Misek, second by Vavricek to revisit the issue on or before the December 2012 board meeting to have 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students from District 504R, Fishers #24, and Richland attend Schuyler Middle School"

Discussion:  Steve Bailey, representing Folda and Company Insurance, presented the school board members with a complimentary meat and cheese platter in recognition of School Board Recognition Month.

Discussion:  Student Council representatives Cesar Gonzalez and Rudy Pineda reported on current activities at SCHS.

Discussion:  Colfax County Commissioners met on January 9th to hear a decision made by the TERC (Tax Equalization and Review Commission) regarding the request from Cargill for a reduction in their tax valuation. The Colfax County Treasurer will receive the final results and relay that information to Superintendent Stevens.

Discussion:  Larry Wennekamp was present to update the school board on the water-testing report from Fishers #24. He explained that the selenium content is over the maximum contaminant level at .06 milligrams per liter. This is the third violation; notices will be send to all families affected. If an additional violation occurs, then an order from DHHS will demand that a corrective action be taken. In his opinion, SCS should be proactive to correct the problem in advance of the fourth water test. Options discussed to correct the problem include: drilling a new well, point-of-use treatment devices, and a whole-system treatment. Ron Mundil will get price quotes and present them to the building committee.

Discussion:  Discussion regarding repairs to bleachers at SCHS centered on the labor to be provided by Meyo Enterprises, the labor to be provided by the SCS maintenance staff, and on the necessary safety for spectators and participants. Suggestions for providing a safe and ADA approved area for handicapped spectators offered two solutions. Board members would like to see a visual depiction of these solutions before a decision is made.

Discussion:  The Schuyler Education Association is willing to meet with the negotiations committee to begin sharing ideas on upcoming negotiations.

Discussion:  It was suggested that SCS, and in particular, SCHS, do a better job of "selling" our school system to patrons and that February or March is too late to invite 8th graders to visit SCHS. SES has created an invitation and will invite ten people per month for lunch a a tour of their building. SMS is going to invite rural 6th,7th, and 8th graders to visit their school. Principal Pavlik he will cooperate with the school board's suggestion and extend invitations to 7th and 8th graders and their families.

Discussion:  The SCS Foundation continues to work on ways to kindle the fires of sharing. There has been an article written to the Schuyler Sun and numerous websites, a brainstorming session with the foundation members, economic development and Schuyler Chamber of Commerce regarding recruiting new members. According to the Constitution,the Foundation Board is to be made up of six members with three of these members being Board of Education members. A tentative plan was made to begin meeting monthly rather an annually.

Discussion:  The modular classroom was moved from 504R with the donation of volunteer hours and equipment.

Discussion:  The NeSA-W (statewide writing test) will be given to 4th, 8th, and 11th graders between January 23 and February 10. Students in the 8th and 11th grade must complete the test online. A survey was mailed to graduates of the classes of 2007 and 2011 which included questions about how SCHS prepared class members for college and life after graduation.

Discussion:  Each year, we send football helmets on a rotating basis to be NOCSAE certified. This year we had eight helmets rejected. We also had several helmets that had to be retired this year. We ordered twenty new helmets. The NOCSAE test standard involves mounting a football helmet on one of three different size and mass biofidelic head models that has been specially instrumented to measure the impact forces on the head, then dropping the helmet and headform onto a steel covered anvil with a ½-inch hard rubber pad. The helmet is dropped a total of 20 times, including: two drops from a height of 60 inches onto seven different locations, including one random location; two drops from 60 inches at high temperatures; and two drops each from 36 inches and 48 inches. A 60-inch drop is approximately the equivalent of a player running at 17.9 feet per second – more than 12 miles per hour – and hitting the helmet into a flat surface that stops the head in less than ? inch. Impact force measurements are recorded by the test software to determine if the helmet passes the SI threshold and can be certified to the NOCSAE Football Helmet Standard.

Discussion:  Environmental Services Inc. has installed the Radon Mitigation system at District 504-R. Derry Stover from the DHHS will do the radon testing; we will not have the results until March or April. Our maintenance staff caulked and sealed the cracks in the basement and storage room. We also installed a electrical circuit for the radon fan. A cost estimate for a new cam shaft and hydraulic pump to repair the Ford tractor was received from Richie's Repair. The school board approved the repair.

Discussion:  Enrollment at the Schuyler Preschool is currently at 85 children.

Discussion:  SMS was notified that a grant from the EducationQuest Foundation was received that will allow 8th grade students to take a college visit. This is a great opportunity for 8th graders to go to a college campus and hear about the programs and courses offered at college. The Middle School Incentive Day was held on Wednesday, December 21st and 73% of students earned a day off due to academic work, good behavior, and excellent attendance.

Discussion:  A brief explanation was given to the school board explaining the Explore and PLAN tests results. A price quotation was included for the purchase of a Read 180 Next Generation system (60 licenses) and System 44 Secondary Program along with the recurring annual costs.

Discussion:  Superintendent Stevens listed the following items of importance for the future: 1.Curriculum alignment 2. Increased NeSA scores 3. SCS Foundation 4. Save for future facility needs 5. Positive public relations 6. Increase parent involvement

Discussion:  The superintendent reminded the school board of these important election dates: February 15th - Incumbents file, March 1st - Non-incumbents file, May 15th - Primary election, November 6th -General Election, and January 14th, 2013 new term begins.

Discussion:  The following resignations were received effective at the end of the 2011-2012 school year: Shanda Hall – Junior High Volleyball coach, Eleanor Pelan – Food Service Coordinator, Lois Kramer – SMS administrative assistant/erate coordinator/USDA school lunch coordinator, Judy Zelenda and Glenetta Misek, teachers.