*Note: The total receipts on page 5 of the handout (power point presentation) in the amount of $7,672,772 is comprise of the $162,709 and $775,042 from page 4 of the financial statements and the $6,735,021 from page 5 of the financial statements (audit report).

• AQuESTT Final Classification Report (Elementary) - See Attachment
• AQuESTT Classification System Description - See Attachment
• Six Tenets of AQuESTT - See Attachment

• The 5th and 6th grade classes raised $700 during their Annual Garage Sale.  They decided to donate $100 to Mr. Beranek and $600 to the Santa Riders.
• MAP Testing is completed.
• Thank you to Mrs. Mingus and the kids for a wonderful Christmas program again this year.
• We also had a wonderful preschool program today.
• Santa Riders will visit the elementary on Friday, December 18.

Highlights for the past month:

Winter Sports are in full swing

One Act Performance - Conference and District Champions.  State C1 Runner-up with Brie Royale being selected as Outstanding Female performer.

MAP testing completed - a few make up tests yet to be done.

Very successful and well attended Christmas Concert.

Attended State Principal's Conference Dec 2,3 in Lincoln.

• Election Filing Form

• Dawn, Marc, & Tara's terms will end in December of 2016
• Incumbent Filing Period is from December 1, 2015 to February 16, 2016
• Filing Form is attached to this agenda item
• No filing fee for school board members
• Please let me know if you need any assistance in filing the paperwork

• Attended the December 9th Legislative Preview Conference hosted by NCSA and heard from Senators Al Davis, Roy Baker, & Galen Hadley.

• Property Tax Relief was a hot topic
  • "Circuit Breaker" for agricultural land-limits total taxes paid
  • Lower the minimum 95 cent levy rate
  • Informing and perhaps increasing the property tax credit

• Sex Education Bill is likely to be introduced, but likely to fail to do lack of local control on the matter.
• Hazing-Senators may introduce a bill to give the schools and law enforcement greater jurisdiction in addressing instances of hazing.  Right now the statute addresses hazing at the post-secondary level, but does little to address it at the high school and middle school level.
• Mental/Emotional disturbed students-Roy Baker said there has been a lot of talk about this and he believes there will be legislation introduced on the topic.
• ECAA (Every Child Achieves Act)-Reauthorization of No Child Left Behind or the ESEA Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965-This reauthorization should return more control to the states and to the local level.
• Assessment-The State Board of Education is looking at current assessment practices and considering reducing some of the testing requirements in elementary and increasing them at the secondary level for the purpose of getting better formative instruction data.
• AQUESTT-It isn't perfect, but it is a step in the right direction.
•  Retirees "Double Dipping"-Senators plan to address the issue of "double dipping" where retirees re-enter the workforce (teachers & administrators) and enjoy pretty good benefits as a result of re-entering.  Expect legislation in some form to address this issue.

• Window Project Update-We are making them do it right, so it is taking a little bit longer than originally anticipated.

• LouPlatte Conference Membership Update
  • Most of the AD's seem to like the conference as it is, with its current membership.  The majority of them expressed this to the superintendents at the last conference meeting in Kearney.
  • There is certainly a movement that started prior to my arrival to oust Kearney Catholic and to look at "expanding" the conference.  (Minden, Central City, and others have been mentioned as possible "expansion" schools.)