January 10, 2019 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Special Meeting

Rationale: 

1. The Board of Education reserves the right to enter into Closed/Executive Session for 1) the protection of the public interest or 2) the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual, and the individual has not requested a public meeting. When making a motion to enter into Closed/Executive Session, the member making such a request should be as specific as possible keeping the previously listed stipulation in consideration.
2. If the Board is in agreement, a motion may be to enter into Closed/Executive Session to 1) discuss a personnel matter or 2) for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of the individual, or 3) to discuss litigation and for the protection of the public interest.
3. Action Concerning Matters Discussed in Executive Session.

Rationale:  We will ask each new board member to sign the oath of office. We do not use a formal swearing in ceremony

Rationale:  As of November 3, 2018, we have had a vacancy on the board. One of our first items of business tonight should be to fill that vacancy. In this situation, with election of officers on this agenda, that appointment should take place before the election. Per statute, the appointment will be for the remainder of the term which will be two years. The term will expire on the first Thursday after the first Tuesday in January of 2021. Which means technically Jan. 7 of that year.

Rationale:  To verify that notice of the meeting was given by publication in the Benkelman Post, a legal newspaper for Dundy County Stratton and by written notice to each member of the board, the designated method of giving notice.

Rationale:  The board is required to elect officers annually. The offices you elect are President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. The President, Vice-President and Treasurer are required to come from the membership of the board. 

Per board policy we conduct our voting via secret ballot and should a tie vote occur for ten consecutive ballots the winner is determined  by drawing. We will print ballots at the meeting after nominations have been made. 

The following is some basic information from Roberts Rules of Order regarding the nomination and election of officers: 

• Recognition by the chair prior to making a nomination is not required but doing so without can be impractical
• Nominations do not have to be seconded, but it is not out order to do so
• A person can nominate himself or herself
• A member should not offer more than one nomination for a position
• Nominees do not have to leave the room during nominations, when the vote is taken or when the vote is counted
• A member can rise and decline the nomination during the nomination process
• After each nomination the president repeats the name to the assembly
• Nominations are taken for successive offices in the order they are listed in the bylaws
• Motions to close nominations are usually unnecessary because the nomination process simply continues until no one wishes to make further nominations. When nominations stop the chair just declares nominations closed after making sure no more nominations are forthcoming. 
• Voting for each office is done after nominations for that office have closed
• Voting for contested offices is done by secret ballot
• Ballots are counted immediately
• Ballots are counted by persons who are not nominees for the position for which ballots are being cast
• Elections are decided by a majority vote. In the event that there is a tie, balloting must continue for ten rounds or until a candidate receives a majority of the votes cast. After ten rounds the office is decided by coin flip (2 candidates) or drawing (more than two candidates) 
• There are no runoff elections. All names on the ballot remain until a majority is achieved or they voluntarily withdraw. 
• The superintendent presides to open the meeting until a President is elected, from that point forward the President chairs the meeting 
• The order of election is President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer.

Rationale:  Annual item of business which allows board members to sign checks and forms as required by policy, Nebraska state statute, Nebraska Department of Education and Federal rules and regulations. Many times a copy of this motion is required to be sent in with the rest of the paperwork. 

Rationale:  Pinnacle (or its predecessors) has been our official depository for some time. 

Rationale:  With the retirement of Mike Blecha from the board, you will elect a new treasurer at this meeting. It is required by law and and policy that the treasurer be bonded at the expense of the district.