November 14, 2022 at 6:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

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

Notice of this meeting was given in advance according to State Law 84-1411, by giving notice of the meeting to the public.  Notice of this meeting was also given in advance to all members of the Board of Education

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

Rationale:  Discuss, Consider and Take Action on the consent agenda

Rationale:  See attached policies on public comment at school board meetings.

Rationale:  See attached information.

Rationale:  This committee is responsible for recommending the annual district calendar, strategic planning process, technology, and promoting positive public relations and communications program.

Rationale: 
     Schuyler Central High School has accepted the request from NSAA to host the Class B District One-Act Play Contest in our new auditorium.  The date for the contest is Tuesday, November 29th.
     Administrators are asking the board to amend the calendar and cancel classes for the high school as many of the rooms and staff will be needed to host this event.  When not working the contest, staff will be involved in group meetings as scheduled.
 

Rationale:  This committee is responsible for budget, finance, and contract negotiations with administration, certificated staff, and support staff.

Rationale: 
Members of the finance committee (Rich, Chuck and Brian) met with Pekny and Associates to discuss the 2021-22 AFR and Audit Report.   If other members of the board would like to have a more formal review, we will arrange a time to meet and review this information.  The two reports were reviewed and submitted to the State Auditor of Public Accounts and Nebraska Department of Education by November 1st and 5th as required by law. 
          The board should go on record ACCEPTING the reports as filed.  See the attached electronic copy of the 2021-22 Audit and Financial Reports as filed with the Department of Education.
 

Rationale: 
1. Noelle White:  SMS Nurse (Effective 11/21/2022)

Rationale: 
1.  Jessica Prusa:  Para Educator - Fishers
2.  Brenda Mejstrik:  Moved from full-time substitute teacher to SES Teacher
3. Maria E Arciva:  SMS food service

Rationale: 
Safety Committee Meeting
Thursday, November 10, 2022
Board Members:  Brian Vavricek, Dr. Renee Sayer, Nina Lanuza
Administrators:  Dan Hoesing, Joey Lefdal, Samantha Ladwig, Travis Steinhoff, Jesse Zavadil, Bill Comley, Alicia Keairnes, Heather Bebout, Kady Arps

Agenda
1.  Review District/Building Safety Programs (not all-inclusive)

1. Emergency Management Systems, Protocols, Annual safety/compliance reviews
2. Controlled entrances, secure buildings,
3. Employee background checks, safety/iD badges, etc...
4. Annual Safe Schools Training for all employees
5. Safety Companies that provide services and training
6. Building/District Safety Teams, Threat Assessment Teams
7. Student discipline/management programs, APL, CKH, E-Hall pass, etc...
8. online resources to manage cyberbullying, online threats, suicide prevention, mental health resources, etc...
9. Outside resources:  mental health counselors, local law enforcement, probation officers, etc...
10. Internet filters, cameras, surveillance, detectors, etc..

2.  Review Threat Assessment Data

1.  Administration/Board/Law Enforcement Threat Assessment Training
2. Administrative review of 2021-22 Threat Assessment for each building.

3.  Second Semester Staff Training Schedule

1. Staff and law enforcement training program for second semester.
2. Upgrades to telephone systems (5 bids submitted, currently verifying systems)
3. Upgrades to building camera systems through ESSER Funds

4.  Review Research Data on Safety

1. Parent’s Guide to School Security:  School Resource Officers (SRO’s)
2. The Prevalence and Price of Police in Schools
3. Pros and Cons of SRO Programs
4. Cops and No Counselors

*See attached documents
 

Rationale:  Preschool/3-5 SES Principal's Report:  Mr. Comley
Program/Staff Member Spotlight:  This month I would like to highlight Brenda Allgood. Mrs. Allgood has been an outstanding teacher for Schuyler for many years. Mrs Allgood is devoted, ethical, and does the right thing for our children. For all these reasons and many more I would like to thank Mrs Allgood for all you do for Schuyler and SES!

SES K-2 Principal's Report: Mrs. Keairnes
Program/Staff Member Spotlight:  I would like to highlight Stephanie Pearson! She is a music teacher at the Elementary School and she has been doing an exemplary job at inspiring her students in the classroom. She provides hands-on experience with instruments that students may not have any knowledge of and may never have exposure to outside of a school setting. When students leave her classroom, I know they are in awe of her musical talents along with the content and experience she provides them. THANK YOU Mrs. Pearson. 

Dual Language, Fisher’s & Richland Principal's Report:  Ms. Bebout
Program/Staff Member Spotlight:  This month I would like to highlight my DE Innovators!!!  Rachel Stuehmer, Lisa Terrell, and Evelyn Recinos are all innovators and have spent a lot of time learning about the Four C’s; Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Communication and how that ties into the Five Essential Elements; Standards, Career Connections, Real-World Challenges, Real-World Applications, and Interdisciplinary & Transdisciplinary Inquiry.  They also use SOS strategies which help with student engagement.  Asking the big questions and students leading their own learning has led to a deeper understanding of the state standards and learning targets the students need to master.  Each of these innovators has also brought on a First Follower to begin to learn these steps.  Our First-Followers are Guadalupe Ramirez, Jennie Stutzman, and Maria Bonilla.  I am very excited about the amazing things happening in their classrooms and the excitement students are showing while learning!  It’s a GREAT Day to be a Schuyler Warrior!!!

Middle School Assistant Principal's Report:  Mr. Banahan
Program/Staff Member Spotlight: This month I would like to recognize the work of Mr. Truman Lauck. Mr. Lauck has been a great addition to our SMS family. He does a great job working with our students and explaining information to them in a way that they understand and he makes math fun for them. But even more importantly, Mr. Lauck shows up to their events to support them outside of school. If he is not busy, he can often be found cheering on the Warriors from the stands. He is not afraid to help out when needed, he helps with the Striv.tv broadcast for sporting events, works in the Field House as a supervisor, and has willingly helped with SMS concessions, and supervises students who are doing community service hours. Mr. Lauck has been a great new addition to our school district, and we look forward to seeing him continue to build those positive relationships in our community. 
Spotlight Upcoming Event:  As we move through the month of November, we enter into a busy time of year with holidays and our Winter Testing windows. When students return from Thanksgiving break, they will begin taking their winter MAP and NSCAS exams. We are excited to see the growth and improvement each of our students has made in the first 4 months of school.

Middle School Principal's Report:  Mr. Zavadil
Program Spotlight:  Two weeks into November and our students and staff are working very hard.  Last month our SMS student council hosted red-ribbon week with our students.  All week, students participated in dress-up days focused around drug prevention.  Students and their R-times have just completed an R-time volleyball tournament. Congratulations to Mrs. Graefs R-time family as they won the volleyball tournament in front of our staff with a nailbiter finish, barely beating Mr. Schultz R-time.  The R-time families then turned right around completing a door decorating contest in which they decorated their R-time room doors with anti-drug slogans and messaging.  A big thank you to Mrs. Kment and Mr. Banahan for organizing these great events that brought our SMS Family together.  Schuyler Middle School also worked with Dr. Hoesing and the High School to bring in an anti-drug speaker, Mr. Ricky Simmons who shared his story with our students.  Schuyler Middle School will also be hosting an anti-vaping speaker on December 15th to give presentations to both our students and our parents.
Staff Member Spotlight:  This month I would like to highlight the exceptional work of Mr. Jonathan Bos.  Mr. Bos is our new 6-8th grade PE teacher. He is also on the high school football coaching staff and on our Junior High track coaching staff.  Mr. Bos works very hard to push our students and has worked with Mr. Wiseman and Mr. Prososki to implement workout Wednesday and is working to implement weight training with our middle school students.  Our students are both sore and excited about the work that they are doing. 
Upcoming Events:  Schuyler Middle School is   preparing to start administering the Winter NSCAS growth assessment along with the Winter MAP assessments.  Those assessments will start November 30th.  Mr. Banahan and Mr. Zavadil continues to work with KLK consulting to build collective teacher efficacy through individualized teacher coaching as well as utilizing our new teacher orientation programming to work regularly every month with our new staff to help them feel supported in our system.  This system utilizes staff input and adjusts to fit the needs of our new staff based upon feedback from them and from observations in the classroom.

High School Asst. Principal's Report:  Mr. Steinhoff
Program/Staff Member Spotlight:  My staff spotlight on the month is Mr. Trotter.  Mr. Trotter teaches art class and is a true asset to our school.  Mr. Trotter does a fantastic job of teaching at all different levels and experiences.  His room is filled with amazing student work.  Mr. Trotter recently led a few of his students, a former student, and members of the FCCLA organization in creating a mural on the Schuyler campground shower facility.  There will be a sister mural created in Guatemala.  Mr. Trotter is always willing to go above and beyond for his students.

High School Assistant Principal's Report:  Mrs. Ladwig
Program/Staff Member Spotlight:  I would like to highlight the work of Mr. Erik Kravig. Mr. Kravig currently teaches Alternative Education, Space Science, and Introduction to Education at SCHS. Mr. Kravig is an experienced teacher who is always looking for ways to make learning more meaningful for students. With the Introduction to Education class, he has provided the students with multiple field-based learning experiences, such as driving the students to elementary school multiple times a week in order for them to serve as paras at SES. This course has sparked an interest in education as a career for multiple students, and I am excited to see where Mr. Kravig takes the program in the future.

High School Principal's Report:  Dr. Lefdal
Program/Staff Member Spotlight:  I would like to highlight Mr. Hlavac in our PE department.  Mr. Hlavac is an advocate for our students and fights to help every student.  His ability to create relationships with students is a strength and his support of the staff here at SCHS is greatly appreciated.  
Notable Topics:  I am excited about our FOCUS classes and the support that our teachers provide to our students.  Watching teachers have conversations regarding attendance, grades, scheduling, and even discussions about college is empowering for me as an instructional leader. Looking ahead:  I am very excited to see our One-Act Play performance this year.  We have so many talented students and we have an amazing staff leading them.  Our set looks great and the practices that I have seen look amazing.  It really is a great day to be a warrior.

Rationale: 
Youth Sports Director's Report: Mrs. Keairnes
Program/Staff Member Spotlight:  I would like to highlight our Youth Boy's Basketball program! Our program is coached by Tyler Petersen. Last Thursday, our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade boys participated in their first scrimmage practice where the athletes experienced the pace of a basketball game. The improvement that was made and the knowledge that the athletes gained throughout that practice was exciting to see first hand.

Warrior Academy - AfterSchool Program Director's Report:  Ms. Bebout
Spotlight Program: 4th annual Trunk or Treat -We would like to highlight our 4th annual Trunk or Treat. This year there were 43 businesses that participated. In our first year, I believe we only had 7 businesses, so it was amazing how many businesses we had come together for our community. We also had close to 600 kids stop by our trunk for candy. With the high number of trunks this year, it was hard to narrow down the top 3 decorated trunks, so we had to go with the top 5. All of them were decorated so nicely! Can’t wait to see how next year will be. 
Top 5 trunks
1st Place : Ultimate Image
2nd Place : Schuyler Home & Building
3rd Place : Rocha Design
4th Place: Bank of the Valley
5th Place: Rosa’s Plaza

Middle School Activities Director's Report:  Mr. Banahan
Program/Staff Member Spotlight: I would like to highlight our MS Wrestling program and the hard work of Mr. Mark Wemhoff.  This wrestling season we have 49 girls and 37 boys out for wrestling. Much of that is attributed to the hard work that Mark Wemhoff has put into building a high school girls wrestling program at SCHS, and the success they had last season in the first season of NSAA sanctioned Girl's Wrestling. Mr.Wemhoff has done a great job of building positive relationships with these girls and we are excited for the future of girls wrestling here in Schuyler!
Spotlight Upcoming Event:  We host three wrestling events in Schuyler this year, and we are excited to have an opportunity for our wrestlers to wrestle in front of a home crowd. On 11/10 we host a Triangular with York and Crete and on 11/22 a dual with David City.  We wrap up our home meets with our Invite on Saturday 12/3. So come support our wrestlers.

High School Activities Director's Report: Mr. Steinhoff
Program/Staff Member Spotlight:  In this month’s program spotlight, I would like to first recognize the boys and girls cross country teams and their success this season.  Coach Carter and Coach Beebe led four individuals to state.  Gabby Rodriguez, Sinai Sanchez, and Mirium Deanda qualified on the girls side and Gavin Bywater qualified on the boys side.  Throughout the season, both the boys and girls players and coaches worked together, creating competitive practices and sharing team and school pride.  It was great to see their success. 

Looking Ahead:  Our winter sports seasons are about to begin and our defending state qualifying One-Act Play production team has just begun their season.  Winter sports include girls' and boys' basketball and girls' and boys' wrestling.

Special Education Director's Report:  Mrs. Vrba
Program/Staff Member Spotlight:  This month I am spotlighting an Amazing Educator: Blake Neumann did not realize coming into the 2022-2023 school year his assignment as a Special Education teacher was going to grow in several aspects. Along with Blake covering all of the Kindergarten students' needs, which includes two medically fragile students, he is providing services at Richland and Fisher's #24. Blake has always shown his commitment to SCS through his determination to work hard, provide the best learning opportunities and being tremendously trustworthy. Due to the fact that he sets high expectations for our students, his students have always been able to achieve substantial growth on their MAPs and STAR 360 assessments, but more importantly, they are successful in their own classroom. (There is nothing more valuable than having students leaving Kindergarten with solid foundations.) A little gentleman at one of our rural schools shared in his IEP that "Mr. Neumann was the best Special Education teacher that he has had in his WHOLE life." When asked to explain...he simply stated that "Mr. Neumann is a boy like me and he knows it is hard to sit still and learn or to pay attention ALL of the time"!! Just priceless...I have always loved kids' honesty!

Curriculum/Instruction/Assessment Director's Report:  Dr. Gibbons
Program/Staff Member Spotlight: I’m going to continue to shine a light on our School Improvement teams.  We will be hosting a Cognia Engagement Review on March 30, 2022.  Cognia was formerly known as AdvancED and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) previous to that.  Schuyler Central High School was first accredited by the NCA in 1914.  Schuyler Grade School achieved regional accreditation in 1979. The entire district earned Systems Accreditation in 2013. 

Curriculum - Our 6th - 12th Grade Math teachers spent a day looking at the instructional shifts that the new standards are calling for and spent time discussing the most productive activities to engage in to help students be successful.  This information was used to develop criteria for rating instructional materials and to develop a mission statement for the math department: 

"The mission of the Schuyler Community Schools Math Department is to engage students with high-quality instruction. Students will be problem solvers and communicate mathematical ideas through collaboration, critical thinking, and reflection while utilizing a variety of strategies and technologies. Students will believe in themselves as mathematically literate citizens"

We have begun the process of rating four sets of materials: Reveal Math from McGraw-Hill, EnVision Math from Savvas, Into Math from Houghton-Mifflin, and Illustrative Math.

Also, the Financial Literacy Act requires that an annual financial literacy status report be delivered to the school board.  This requirement doesn’t actually go into effect until December of 2024, but I thought it would be best to start including it in my November notes now.  Financial literacy was already a graduation requirement at SCHS and was already offered at SMS.  In elementary grades, financial literacy is incorporated into math and social studies classes.

Committee on American Civics - We are required to have two Committee on American Civics meetings a year.  One of these meetings needs to accept public testimony.  The last meeting was held in April, so we need to schedule a meeting again now.
 

Rationale: 
Program/Staff Member Spotlight: With the annual audit completed, I want to recognize the great work of Penny Janousek, Sally Jakub, Shelly Friesz, and Kady Arps on their work on all finances for the district.  The annual audit is a two-month long process where this team provides the audit team from Pekny and Associates with all the required documents, statements, accounting records, accounts receivable and payable, etc... along with our process for segregation of duties and fraud protection.  Great job on another clean audit.

1.  COVID-19 Return to Learn Protocols:  This past week the district hit 5% absences.  Our COVID protocols at 5% illness move the district to the yellow level.  After consultation with our school nurse and building administrators, we settled on notifying parents and  staff to increase efforts to disinfect/sanitize at home and in school.  In the past, we generally waited until the Monday morning meeting to make recommendations, but felt notifying the staff and parents ahead of possible changes was in our best interest.
2.  North Drive and Drop-off Zone: We were notified that Platte Valley may be moving forward on the Dual Language School main entrance and drop off area this fall.  We don't have a date, but weather permitting, we may be moving forward on this project.
3.  Dual Language Building Renovation Update: The pumps for the heat system were shipped today, 11/14.  The plumbers are completing the piping and will retrofit the old pumps if there is any further delay.  The wall coverings for the K-1 hallway are scheduled for installation over Thanksgiving break.  The second grade wing is painted and cabinets are installed in the classroom. Bathroom tiles will be completed this week, along with the electricians working on the lights and outlets.  Fire systems will follow these sub-contractors.  We are looking forward to the punchlist in December and occupancy approval before the first of the year.
 

Rationale: 
1.  Foundation Meeting:  See website - Brian Vavricek, Nina Lanuza
2.  NASB Board Meeting Reports:  See attached