October 14, 2019 at 6:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting
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I. Call Meeting to Order
Rationale:
STRIVE - COMMIT - SUCCEED - District Mission Statement Schuyler Community Schools in partnership with parents, students, and the community is committed to educate students to become skilled, knowledgeable and responsible citizens in a global society - District Vision Statement |
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I.A. Pledge of Allegiance
Discussion:
All present participated in the Pledge of Allegiance.
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I.B. Declaration of Open Meeting
Rationale:
This meeting has been preceded by advance notice and is hereby declared to be in open session. A copy of the Open Meetings Act is posted in the front of the meeting room. Nebraska Open Meetings Act: http://nitc.nebraska.gov/documents/statutes/NebraskaOpenMeetingsAct_current.pdf |
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II. Approval of Consent Agenda
Rationale:
Discuss, Consider and Take Action on the consent agenda
Recommended Motion(s):
Motion to approve the consent agenda Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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II.A. Agenda
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II.B. Minutes
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II.C. Acceptance of Claims
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II.C.1. Bills of $5,000 or more
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II.D. Financial
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II.E. Other Listed Reports
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III. Public Forum - We ask that all presentation be limited in their length.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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III.A. Recognition of visitors and guests
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III.B. Other topics (limited to 5 minutes - subject to guidelines of the Board Participation Policy)
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III.C. Student Representative's Report
Rationale:
1. Student Council has Homecoming spirit week dress up days approved and distributed to all schools.
2. Student Council is attempting to drive community and student engagement in sporting events by attending all parents nights and giving out green necklaces, temporary tattoos, and pom pons.
3. Homecoming game and dance are both on October 25.
4. The Warrior Student Tech Fair with Mike Smith of Lincoln is on Wednesday.
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IV. Action Items
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IV.A. Budget, finance, negotiations, and personnel
Rationale:
This committee is responsible for budget, finance, and contract negotiations with administration, certificated staff, and support staff.
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IV.A.1.
Consider, discuss, and take action to approve staff resignations
Rationale:
1. Jessica Garcia: Para Educator at SES
Recommended Motion(s):
Motion to approve staff resignations. Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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IV.A.2.
Consider, discuss, and take action to approve new hire recommendations
Rationale:
1. Nida Wachal: SES Custodial/Housekeeping 2. Becky Lefdal: Fisher's SPED Para-Educator (Part-time) 3. Dr. James Watts: SCHS Science Teacher
Recommended Motion(s):
Motion to approve new hire recommendations Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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V. Discussion Items and Reports
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V.A.
Review SCHS Priority School Report
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V.B. Principals Reports
Rationale:
Pre-K/3-5 Principal's Report: Mr. Comley Staff Member Spotlight: This month I want to highlight Barbara Raya. Ms. Raya does an outstanding job with children that in many circumstances are transitioning to school for the first time. She is a great comfort to many families and children as she is the face that many families see the first time they enter school. I want to say thank you Ms. Raya for all you do for Schuyler and the children of Schuyler Community Schools. SES K-2 Principal's Report: Mr. Kovar Staff Member Spotlight: I would like to highlight the work of Alicia Keairnes 2nd grade teacher, and head of our School Improvement team here at the Elementary. Mrs. Keairnes does an outstanding job in the classroom, building relationships with her students, and giving them quality instruction every day. She also puts in a great deal of time working on data, and other responsabilities as our School Imrovement chair at the Elementary. As a member of our community, she gives all she has to make Schuyler a better place for not only her kids, but all of our kids!! Fisher’s, & Richland Principal's Report: Ms. Bebout Staff Member Highlight: Gene Barr is a classified staff member who works for the rural schools and the middle school. Gene helps with a multitude of jobs. He drives the bus route for Richland School, delivers the food to both rural schools, and helps in the kitchen at the middle school. Gene always has a smile on his face and is willing to help with whatever task is presented to him. My students love him as their bus driver. He has built positive relationships with the students over the past two years. The students also enjoy talking to him when he brings lunch out to the buildings. Whenever he enters a room all you hear is ‘Hi Gene!’ over and over! We enjoyed the positive vibe Gene brings to our buildings! Gene was born and raised in Schuyler. He graduated from Schuyler High School. He has worked for the school district for 7 years. Before working for the school district he worked in the automotive industry for 25 years! Gene moved back to Schuyler to take care of his mother. His family has lived at the same spot in Schuyler for about 75 years. He owns 3 cars and 3 pickups and likes to go to car shows! He has owned 2 of the cars for 45 year!! The rural schools really appreciate Gene and would like to thank him for all of his hard work and dedication to the students in our district! SMS Assistant Principal's Report: Mr. Zavadil Overview: Now that School has gotten into a rhythm and we have ended the 1st quarter we are very excited about how things are going at the Middle School. Our whole staff is working hard and the climate of the building still feels great! Staff Member Spotlight: I would like to point out Mrs. Paloma Arciva, she is one of our paraprofessionals in our ELL/Newcomers program. Since Mrs. Recinos had a baby three weeks ago Mrs. Recinos has a local sub certificate and has stepped into that classroom. Mrs. Recinos left amazing lesson plans behind and Mrs. Arciva is doing a great job in a classroom that is very complicated. It would be hard to imagine not having her in that role. Staff Member Spotlight: I am also very happy with the work that Mrs. Yosten has been putting in at the Middle and High School for our attendance interventionist program. She meets with me regularly to give me detailed updates and works diligently to get students to school and make sure we have regular contact with the students and parents we need to keep coming. Upcoming Events: Looking ahead we are starting our formal observations on our probationary staff and the staff is working hard with individualized intervention times on Friday afternoons using our testing data. Which is a very big task and I am glad they are doing such a good job with it. SMS Principal's Report: Mrs. Burton Congratulations to the Burtons: Bridget Kay Burton arrived October 7th at 1:46 a.m. She is 21 1/2" and weighed in at 8 pounds and 6 ounces. She also has a full head of thick, dark hair. We are so thankful and in love! See attached PDF SCHS Assistant Principal's Report: Mr. Kasik Program/Staff Member Spotlight: One of our new Spanish teachers is Blanca Alarcon. Mrs. Alarcon was born in Mexico but grew up in Ord, Nebraska. She attended UNK and currently lives in Schuyler with her husband. Mrs. Alarcon comes from a large family and has six siblings. Mrs. Alarcon says, "I love the diversity of this community!" She does a great job of providing a welcoming classroom with high standards and relates to the students very well. High School Principal's Report: Mr. Grammer Program Spotlight: Our high school has for the past few years worked hard to develop and have a solid, strong, music department. This year the Band and Flag Corp have had a very successful season. The Band started off with a bang by our marching band playing at our home football games. There are 65 band members and a dozen in the Flag Corp. On October 2nd the band received a 1-Superior rating, despite adverse conditions and the Flags received an outstanding overall best Flag team at the competition. That is the best rating the band has had in five years. Congratulations to the band, they have done a great job of growing this program and it has become a successful program. Staff Member Spotlight: The staff members to be recognized for their diligent work in the high school this month are Ben Coatney, Troy Emke, and Morgan Semerad. These three music instructors have worked hare to develop a strong and viable music program at the middle school and high school. The started working together when the marching band was 8th grade through 12th grade. They have done such a great job at building a strong music program they now have a separate middle school and high school band. They took over the marching band and developed such a strong program that they received a 1 rating and outstanding flag team awards this past week at the Pierce competition. They have shown tremendous improvement over the past few years. They come to school every day with energy and enthusiasm. They always come to school with a positive attitude and strong work ethic. Congratulations Ben, Troy, and Morgan for developing and implementing a sustainable Music program. Keep up the good work Upcoming Event Spotlights: On Wednesday, October16th at SCHS, we will be presenting our Student Tech Fair. There will be assortment of technology throughout the building. Stop by and see our students exploring many different avenues of technology. On Monday, October 21st at SCHS, we will be presenting our Faculty Tech Fair. There will be assortment of technology for our staff to utilize throughout the building.
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V.C. Directors Reports
Rationale:
Warrior Academy After School Director's Report: Ms. Bebout Upcoming Event: This month Warrior Academy is partnering with the Chamber of Commerce and the First Presbyterian Church for our annual ‘Lights On’ event. Lights On is an event that ALL after-school programs throughout the United States participate in October, spotlighting after-school programs and the help they provide their communities. This is our 1st year to partner with these two community partners for the Trunk-or-Treat activity. It will be held at Schuyler Elementary School on October 31st from 6 - 8 p.m. Hotdogs will also be served until they are gone. It will be held on the east (or back) side of the school. Everyone is invited to come and join in the fun! K-6 Youth Sports Director's Report: Mr. Kovar Staff Member Spotlight: I would like to highlight the work of Andy Hall, and Blake Neumann, our youth football coaches this year. Both coaches did a great job of helping our young men learn the game of football, in a positive and safe setting. Our coaches worked well together, and with the help of several volunteers, made this experience a positive one for our students. Their hard work and dedication made the success that we had possible!! I want to personally thank them for their work. SMS Activities Director's Report: Mr. Zavadil Staff Member Spotlight: I would like to give a special recognition to our Football Coach Mr. Burton and his 8th grade football team that went 5-1 this season with their only loss coming to David City in triple overtime. Most of the 8th grade games were blowout wins. The coaches had spent a lot of extra time with those young men the past few years and it has shown. I hope that the work our youth program is doing will continue to set the stage for further success. The 7th grade team had only four games and did not register any wins but was within one score for two of four games. -The fall sports season for SMS is already winding down for the end of the year. Our Boys and Girls Cross Country team was amazing this year getting either 1st or 2nd in all but one meet for both genders. We are sent full teams to the Middle School State Cross Country meet on Saturday. -Our Middle School Girls’ Volleyball teams had a slower start to the season but have picked up speed. We had 5 different teams this year and all but one of the teams have registered multiple wins with two of the teams showing winning records. Upcoming Events: Looking forward, Wrestling and Girls Basketball will be starting their seasons on October 22nd. We are already getting geared up for those programs and Mr. Wemhoff and Mr. Hayes already have a great plan going into the season. SCHS Activities Director's Report: Mr. Kasik Staff Member Spotlight: Shanda Hall grew up in Auburn, NE, graduated from CCC in Columbus and Wayne State College. She holds two Master’s degrees from Peru State College and UNO. She has been married to 6th grade teacher Andy Hall for 24 years and they live in Schuyler. They have three sons, Preston a student at Univ. of NE. Med. Center, Auston a student at UNK and Easton a Junior at SCHS. This is Mrs. Hall’s 23rd year teaching in Schuyler, currently teaching MS Yearbook, Broadcasting, Library Media Specialist and first year Head Girls Golf Coach. Mrs. Hall did a fantastic job of coaching these young ladies this year and I cannot wait to see where her leadership takes them. Upcoming Events: We are winding down with fall events already. 10/14 we have a home reserve FB game against Lakeview, 10/18 we have a home VFB game against Roncalli, 10/24 we have our last home VB game against York and on 10/25 our last home VFB game against SSC, this is also homecoming. Our cross country teams are scheduled to compete at districts with high hopes. We are soon concluding the Marching Band season, they recently competed getting a #1 and outstanding color guard. We will soon be ramping up Play Production with Jill Hoesing directing our play. Student Services Director's Report: Dr. Lefdal Program/Staff Member Spotlight: I would like to spotlight Kelsey Yosten in our attendance program. Kelsey has been working diligently to put plans in place for students to recover time and be consistent getting to school. We have seen some amazing success so far with the programs that we have put in place, and Kelsey is a key factor in those programs success. We have seen some great successes with students and I believe when we have students asking for ways to recover time, we are on the right track. Kelsey is a kind, yet structured person that will truly make a difference with these students and in our school!! Notable Topics: The office staff has been doing an amazing job for our school! Through sickness of family, self and others, they have pulled together to keep doing great things for kids. It is great to have a smile when you are greeted at our school. Keep it up! Looking ahead; I am excited to see the one act play. The students and coaches have been putting in some late nights and when I pick up my kids from practice, they are always excited to be part of the program and are always smiling when they leave the auditorium. Special Education Director's Report. Mrs. Vrba Staff Member Spotlight: September's spotlight is shining brightly on Lynne Rambour. Lynne works side-by-side with Ashlie and Don at SCHS. But every day, she watches their interaction with our students, looks over their "paperwork" if asked and always is ready to lend a helping hand when they have questions. Since Ashlie is on maternity leave, Lynne is watching over all of our students, helping Don through his first year along with making sure our students are passing their classes. Although she maybe a little bit of a perfectionist, Lynne brings a lot of experience to our team but most importantly her work is always very thoroughly and meticulously completed. I can't express how fortunate we are to have Lynne working with our SCHS students and being a leader to our "young" our SPED team. Notable Event: October 3rd was a huge day for our Special Education Department. Dr. Hoesing, Lynne, Doreen, Blake, Pattie, Darus Mettler, ESU #7 SPED director and I endured our NDE's Office of Special Education Monitoring Summary Meeting. We spent two hours answering a variety of questions that were pose to us and discussing their findings from their review of some randomly students' special education files. All of us shared different pieces of our SCS's "Addressing Success Gaps" document submitted to NDE last spring. I am so incredibly lucky and honored to be surrounded by such a "SPED"-tacular Team!! Curriculum/Assessment Director's Report: Dr. Gibbons Program/Staff Member Spotlight: I wish to thank Jeremy Hlavac, Alicia Keairnes and Darin Kovar for attending a Cognia (formerly AdvancED) workshop in Omaha and learning about creating a culture of school improvement. Alicia and Jeremy have taken on the challenge of being the chair of their schools’ school improvement committees. (Jeremy is co-chair with Mandy Yosten.) Upcoming Events - We have been selected to participate in a statewide instructional materials partnership. We will use the professional learning to help us select and evaluate new elementary science materials. Aimee Sigler, Lisa Terrell and I will attend a workshop in Grand Island on October 28 and 29. AQuESTT - The Accountability for a Quality Education System for Today and Tomorrow (AQuESTT) information was released October 9. AQuESTT is Nebraska’s federally mandated accountability system for public schools. It measures school and district success against six tenets: Positive Partnerships, Relationships, and Success; Transitions; Educational Opportunities and Access; College, Career, and Civic Ready; Assessment, and Educator Effectiveness. A handout with descriptions is attached. Schools are then categorized as needs improvement, good, great or excellent based on their scores in each tenet. Schuyler Community Schools AQuESTT classifications: Schuyler Elementary School - Good (is eligible for a bump to great based on some additional evidence that has been submitted.) Richland School (elementary grades) - Excellent Richland School (middle grades) - Good Fisher’s School (elementary grades) - Great Fisher’s School (middle grades) - Excellent Schuyler Middle School - Good Schuyler Central High School - Needs Improvement |
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V.D. Superintendent's Report
Rationale:
1. ESU 7 Board Workshop: November 12th at 4:00-5:30 or 6:30-8:00. This will be an opportunity for your boards to visit the ESU 7 campus, see the Cen7ter, Learning Academy, Production/Print Shop, and Data Center. A detailed invitation and agenda will be emailed to you separately. This event will replace the meetings where I have a Board Member visit your Board Meetings. 2. Negotiations Meeting: October 21 or 28. We need to meet prior to November 1st. In the past we have met on Monday evenings at 6:30 PM.
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V.E. Board Member/Committee Reports
Rationale:
See Foundation Report/Information on the Web site:
https://www.schuylercommunityschools.org/Domain/13 |
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VI. Correspondence Items
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VII. Adjournment
Recommended Motion(s):
Motion to adjourn Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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