November 11, 2014 at 5:30 PM - Board of Education Special Meeting

Rationale: 

Notice to visitors: If you wish to speak, please obtain a “Request to be Heard” form from the entry table and return the completed form to the table attendant or the Board of Education Director.

The agenda will be kept current and available for public inspection in the office of the Secretary of the Board of Education at the Administrative Building during regular working hours. 

Board members may request specific agenda item(s) be moved to a different place on the agenda.  Please attend the entire meeting to ensure you hear discussion on a particular agenda item.

Pursuant to Section 84-1412 of the Nebraska Statutes, the public is hereby informed that a current copy of the Nebraska Open Meetings Act is posted in the Board meeting room on the north wall.

Rationale:  Applications would be available to submit applications at www.ops.org   (General Info>Careers>View Current Job Openings (New Applicant)>OSERS Application)  

Rationale:  Permission will be requested to proceed with the 75 North Project focused on Kennedy Elementary.  A high performing school with high expectations for both staff and student performance using research based practices is one of the core components of the Purpose Built Community Project.  Permission from the Board of Education will allow development of specific plans, input gathering from all stakeholders and working with the various Kennedy communities to develop a framework for Howard Kennedy Elementary School as part of this neighborhood revitalization project.

Rationale: 

Title I No Child Left Behind: School Improvement Grant (SIG)

Request for permission to apply:

Kennedy Elementary School is eligible for a School Improvement Grant as an identified No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Title I Tier 1 school. This  grant allows for school improvement planning, restructuring, and enhancement to support schools in raising student achievement. The SIG grant is a three year grant with grant award ranges from 450,000 to 2,000,000 dollars. The award amount is determined by the state approval process based upon  the application and budget.

Rationale: 

Recommendation (Learning Community Finances):

 

The Learning Community Superintendents and Boards of Education recognize the changing demographics of public school children in the state of Nebraska in general and in the Learning Community in particular. Over the past six years, in the Learning Community the number of children living in poverty and the number of children requiring ELL services has continued to increase at a rate greater than the resources allowed under TEEOSA and the common levy. As such, the Learning Community Superintendents and Boards of Education recognize within the Learning Community that we have a shared responsibility with the State of Nebraska for educating a student population with significant needs due to poverty and ELL; and, to that effort, recommend the following.

(Please note the four actions below constitute one

recommendation. Any deviation from this four-part recommendation as a whole

constitutes a rejection of this recommendation.):

 

•    Increase TEEOSA funding. Through an expanded tiered weighting for poverty students and ELL students statewide, direct more funding to school districts with high concentrations of poverty and/or ELL needs. Increases in the tiered weighting based on a percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced price lunch and the weighting allowed for ELL students would assure the state and school districts that increased funds would go to needs.

 

•    Eliminate the 95 cent common levy and allow all LC member school districts to return to individual state aid and individual levy status. Retain the Learning Community Coordinating Council levy authority (up to one and one-half cents) and the mission of the Learning Community including collaborative efforts such as the GOALS program and the Superintendent’s Early Childhood Plan and efforts which are generally outside the scope of the LC school districts.

 

•    Redirect ESU #3 and ESU #19 core services dollars back to member school districts and away from the Learning Community Coordinating Council. In return, give the Learning Community Coordinating Council additional taxing authority (up to .002) to generate the funds necessary to pay for independent evaluation of Learning Community efforts on behalf of the education of children in poverty.

 

 

•    State of Nebraska funds all open enrollment related transportation costs outside of the TEEOSA formula. Open enrollment is unique to the Learning Community

and as it was created and required by the State, it’s costs should be borne by the

State and not taken from the limited resources of the Learning Community

member school districts (See Sections III, IV and V below).

Rationale: 

Recommendation (Boundaries):

 

The interests of member school districts with regard to boundary changes could be met if they were allowed to use the process of 79-413 which requires the approval of the school boards in each affected school district and approval of the State Reorganization Committee. The language currently found in Section 79-413 could be amended into the Learning Community Reorganization Act.

Rationale: 

Recommendation (Open Enrollment Student Movement):

Maintain the Open Enrollment program as is with full funding of open enrollment transportation by the state and separate open enrollment transportation costs from TEEOSA so that additional funding will be available to Learning Community school districts for teaching and learning, not transportation.

Rationale: 

Maintain the Open Enrollment program as is with full funding of open enrollment transportation by the state and separate open enrollment transportation costs from TEEOSA so that additional funding will be available to Learning Community school districts for teaching and learning, not transportation.

Rationale: 

Recommendation (Open Enrollment Transportation):

 

If open enrollment remains as is in statute and Learning Community rules, then the state should pay for the full cost of open enrollment transportation. This recommendation would remove open enrollment transportation costs from TEEOSA and also leave more dollars available for teaching and learning within learning community member school districts budgets.

 

Rationale: 

 Recommendation (Focus Schools):

An expanded commitment of state funding is needed to build and open focus schools. As it presently stands, the funding is insufficient for school districts to enter into this type of a venture within the Learning Community.

Rationale: 

Recommendation (Early Education):

Continue to implement the Superintendents’ Plan. This is, to date, an area of commendation to all involved – the Legislature (although more funding for early childhood education would be welcome), the LC school district superintendents, the LCCC, the school districts, and the private partner(s). The recommendation: Do it, evaluate and modify it, expand it to all preschool children in poverty in the LC.

 

Rationale: 

Recommendation (Elementary Learning Centers):

Continue programs that are shown to have a significant positive impact on student learning and success in school and refocus or end those programs that fail to demonstrate such an effect. Note: programs should be given adequate time to demonstrate effect, and expand promising, research-backed programs to all LC member school districts as needs dictate and resources allow.

Rationale: 

Recommendation (Governance Structure):

Eliminate any redundant reporting so that member districts are required to submit data and reports only one time to one entity (NDE) as all other school districts are so required, and also maintain the focus of the LCCC (its mission and duties) to early childhood, elementary learning centers, and supportive programs for children in poverty that enhance but do not duplicate school district learner centered initiatives.

 

Rationale: 

Recommendation (Superintendents’ Advisory Council):

Due to the relative success of collaborative efforts such as the GOALS and Early Childhood Plan, the use of this advisory council for specific project based efforts may be a more valuable use of time and resources by both the LCCC and school district superintendents. For example, it may be more efficient to include the LC executive director in Metro Area superintendent meetings regarding LC issues of mutual concern rather than replicating these meetings just for LC purposes. And if this is the case, perhaps the statute (79-2104.01) may be repealed as unneeded. Further, a focused mission of the LCCC as described under the governance section above, may enhance this collaborative effort more than a statute-driven mandate.

Rationale:  A brief description will be provided about the role and responsibilities of the Citizen's Bond Oversight Committee.  

Rationale:  The Omaha Board of Education is authorized by state statute to hold closed sessions.  Closed sessions may be held when clearly necessary for the protection of the public interest or for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual.  Reasons that meet this standard include but are not limited to:  (a) strategy sessions with respect to collective bargaining, real estate matters, pending litigation, or litigation which is imminent as evidenced by communication of a claim or threat of litigation to or by the public body; (b) discussion regarding deployment of security personnel or devices; (c) investigative proceedings regarding allegations of criminal misconduct; (d) evaluation of the job performance of a person when necessary to prevent needless injury to the reputation of a person and if such person has not requested a public meeting; and (e) legal advice.