March 12, 2018 at 5:30 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale:  The Norfolk Public School District's board of education meeting is called to order.  

Rationale:  If any board member is absent, there will need to be a  motion to excuse the absence.

Rationale:  This is a legal meeting of the board of education, as advertised by the means specified in board policy. A complete copy of the Open Meetings Act is posted in the board room for your review. A copy of the agenda is available at the desk of the recording secretary.
 

Rationale:  Strategic Planning
(See Attachment)

Rationale:  Please stand and join us in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Rationale:  NMS Secret Kindness Agents

Rationale:  Sandy Rose--Infinite Campus Coordinator

Rationale:  February 2018 Success Pin Recipients

Maria Austin	Deanna Schreck
Dale Coan	Jay Arnold
Jonathan Anderson	Pat Zach
Mary Hoien	Dustin Kraemer
Tara Brtek	Melany Smith
Jill Blaylock	Kim Bowland
Donna Hoesing	Joan Spiering
Robert Padilla	Lori Lundy
Susan Fehringer	Bruce Strong
Greg Putjenter	Deb Holmberg
Vivian Lackas	Dawn Rugg
Ronda Spanel	Mary Kirby
Angie Means	Sheila Polt
Jill Hoffart

Rationale: 

This is the time during the meeting when the public may request to address the Board. If you wish to comment, we ask that you identify yourself and the topic that you wish to address. Each individual's comments will be limited to five minutes.

 Please note that  the Board cannot discuss or act upon matters that are not listed on the agenda. Therefore, Board  members will not respond to your comments or questions.  If you wish to request that an item be placed on a future Board agenda, you may contact the Superintendent or her assistant during normal business hours.

Also note that concerns related to school personnel need to be addressed to the Superintendent using the approved district protocol.

Rationale: 

Total amount of claims to be approved in the consent agenda for the month of March, 2018 by specific fund are as follows:

General Fund = $493,626.03

Nutrition Services Fund =$237,401.59

Cooperative Fund = $4,390.99

Special Building Fund = $34,858.22

Student Fee Fund = $575.11

The total amount of claims for the month of February, 2018 in the Activities Fund are as follows:
Activity Fund =$100,414.92

All of these claims were reviewed earlier today by the Finance and Facility Committee.

Rationale:  Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment

• Testing season has arrived. This week will be the last round of test training sessions. The state testing window opens March 19^th and remains open until the end of April. We are anxious to see how functional the new test engine will be this year. So far it has been very similar and streamlined to be consistent with MAP Growth test.
• I serve as a member on the Wellness Committee. As a unique spin to the typical wellness day we have at the end of the year, we’re going to honor wellness through a variety of fun activities on staff appreciation day after the keynote speaker. It will include activities ranging from walking club to dodge ball and board games.
• The usual end of the year activities are beginning to unfold.

Rationale:  Parent/Teacher Conference Numbers:
Little Panther Preschool- 100%
Bel Air - 100%
Grant - 98%
Jefferson - 96%
Lincoln- 100%
Washington - 97%
Westside - 99%
Woodland Park - 100%
Middle School - 68%
Junior High - 55%
High school - 42%

Immunizations will be offered through Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department during 7th grade registration.  The immunizations for 7th graders will be available at the school during registration on March 13th as well as at the August registration.

Kindergarten enrollment has started for the 2018-19 school term. Registration is being held at neighborhood schools. Parents must have a birth certificate and a copy of immunizations to begin the enrollment process. Kindergarten Round Up will be held Wednesday, April 18th at your neighborhood elementary school.

The ELPA assessment will end this Friday, March 16^th for our ELL students. We will get the results of the assessment in May.
 

Rationale:  Safety Information:

• In response to increased school safety concerns, we will be distributing a video to parents and community members about our Standard Response Protocols. The video is intended to provide increased consistency in response for our staff and students and to better inform our parents about the actions our schools will take in the case of an emergency or crisis situation. We will also soon be providing information to parents and students about the implementation of a new student reporting system called Safe Schools Alert.

Instructional Model:

• Our Instructional Model Task Force will be providing additional training to our staff about our new Instructional Model in April and May. Our district will utilize this model to effectively train our new teachers and reinforce essential instructional elements with all of our staff.  

Hiring Season:

• The hiring season continues to be in full swing for our district and we are very busy carefully reviewing applications and selecting the highest quality candidates to fill our most recent and anticipated openings. We are getting great interest from very skilled and quality applicants who are excited about joining our team.  We will continue to advertise and recruit as needed until all of our spots have been filled.

Personnel Update:

• Current Openings:
  • Activity Bus Drivers
  • Bel Air- Autism Paraprofessional
  • General Maintenance /Transportation
  • General Maintenance/ Electrician
  • Grant Elementary:  Elementary Guidance Counselor
  • Junior High/Middle School-ELL Teacher
  • Junior High- Resource Paraprofessional/Driver
  • Lincoln/ Montessori Elementary Teacher
  • Media Assistant / Technology Support
  • Senior High Principal
  • Senior High- Drafting Instructor
  • Senior High-Special Education Vocational Programs
  • Senior High Spanish Teacher
  • Speech/Language Pathologist (1)
  • Substitute Custodians
  • Westside Elementary- ED Paraprofessional/Driver-F/T
  • Westside Elementary Teacher: 4th Grade
  • Washington Elementary Teacher: 3rd Grade
  • Substitute Teachers
  • Substitute Paraprofessionals/Secretary

• Current Coaching Openings:
• 7th Boys Head Basketball (2018-2019)
• JV Volleyball (2018-2019)
• Head Softball (2018-2019)
• Assistant Varsity Volleyball (2018-2019)
• Senior High Weight Room Supervisor (2018-2019)
• IM Head Football (2018-2019)
• Assistant Speech
• Assistant Swimming-Diving
• Assistant Theatre

Rationale:  Hiring Process for Senior High School Principal

I have put together an aggressive timeframe for our Senior High Principal position, with the hope that we can interview candidates the first week of April.

I plan to have three interview committees: an administrative committee led by me, a staff committee led by Bill Robinson and Mary Luhr, and a student/parent committee led by Mike Hart.  This will allow us to obtain diverse viewpoints and opinions regarding the candidates.

In addition, a survey has been sent to all Junior and Senior High students and parents and all Norfolk Public Schools staff asking for their input regarding the characteristics that they want to see in our next principal.  This survey is also available on our district website.  


Board Retreat:
Earlier this year, we discussed the possibility of holding a Board Retreat this summer to discuss student achievement data and target based learning/grading.  However, only four Board members could commit to the proposed June 21st Board Retreat.  Is there a better date to hold a retreat in June, or would you like to forego a retreat this year?

Staff Appreciation Celebration:
Please plan to arrive at the Senior High between 7:30 and 7:45 for our Staff Appreciation Breakfast and Awards Ceremony on Thursday, March 29th.  We have a lot of retirements to celebrate this year.
 

Rationale: 

The committee met today at 12:00 p.m.  We reviewed all claims for March, 2018, Activity claims for February, 2018 and current fund balances.  We also discussed the following items:

• Final Review of compensation packages for classified staff, administration and superintendent
• Updates on the 25th street property

Our next meeting will be at 12:00 noon on April 9, 2018 at NPS central office.

Rationale: 

The Policy Committee met at 2:45 on Monday, March 5, 2018. The committee felt that Policy 5416 (Student Fees) was not well organized. It has been completely rewritten and is now much easier to follow and understand.  The content and purpose of the policy have not changed. In general, students who qualify for free or reduced lunch may request a waiver from Student Fees.

The wording in Policy 5413 (Requests to Contact Students and Student Interviews by Non-School Personnel) and Policy 5418 (Homeless Students) was also discussed. However, it was determined that we needed to keep the current wording in these policies, in order to match state statute and regulations.

No other changes were made to the policies in this section.  However, we did discuss the fact that Policy 5417 indicates that a Board member will serve on the District Wellness Committee.  Bob Waite currently serves on this committee, but was not officially "appointed" in January. We will need to add this to our list next year.

Rationale: 

Members of the Government Relations Committee met on Wednesday, February 14th.  They also attended the GNSA meeting on Wednesday, February 21st and met with Stand for Schools Executive Director (Ann Hunter-Pirtle) on Monday, March 5th.

Bill hearings are complete for the year. We are now watching the daily agenda carefully to see which bills will be debated on the floor.  When bills of interest are placed on the agenda, we contact Senators via email with information related to our position.

LB 998 is a bill that we are actively supporting. If passed, it would place a social worker in each ESU to help address students’ mental health issues.  

LB 778 is a bill that has been improved dramatically since our testimony.  Senator Groene listened to our input and has amended this bill to allow Boards to levy up to 5 cents for the building fund without a vote of the people.  Building levies of 5 -14 cents would require a vote, which we believe is a reasonable compromise and expectation.

LB 295 is a bill that would provide a tax benefit to those who make donations to private school scholarship granting organizations, which in turn provide scholarships to students in private K-12 schools.  The State of Nebraska does not incentivize other charitable giving this way, and spending state dollars on private education, particularly at a time when the state is not able to adequately fund its public schools diverts state resources from other schools and other services we depend on

We are also monitoring several property tax bills, hoping for minimal damage to public schools and advocating for replacement funds for any reduction in property taxes.

Rationale: 

The Activities Committee met at noon on Monday, February 19th.

Taryn Retzlaff provided an update on the drama program, including the department's first Children’s Workshop, the One Act Play season, and the upcoming musical (Cinderella).

Mr. Ries provided an update on activities participation, the scheduling of Memorial Field, and our transition to the HAC. He also asked for permission to sell or discard old equipment and uniforms.

Mr. Ries updated the committee on NSAA proposals, including the possible addition of Bowling as an NSAA sport. He also provided us with an update regarding facilities, including the upcoming resurfacing of the Junior and Senior High track and tennis courts.

Our next meeting is scheduled for noon on April 23rd.

Rationale:  Minutes from the March 6, 2018 Nurses and Student Health Fund Meetings are attached.

Rationale:  Minutes from the February 12, 2018 and February 22, 2018 School Board meetings are attached.

Rationale: 

Lisa Thiry--2018-2019 - Norfolk Junior High School, Special Education Teacher

• Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education and Special Education Grades K-12 from Doane University in Crete, Nebraska.
• Currently a Special Education Teacher at Southern Public Schools in Wymore, Nebraska.

Brooke Lodl--2018-2019 - Norfolk Middle School, Special Education Teacher

• Bachelor of Arts Degree in Special Education Grades K-12 from Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska. 
• Currently works as a direct support staff member at Northstar Services in Wayne, Nebraska.

Megan Lewis--2018-2019 - Bel Air Elementary and Lincoln/Montessori Elementary, Reading and PE Teacher

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska.
• Currently a 2nd Grade Teacher at Madison Public Schools in Madison, Nebraska.

Bradley Lanman--2018-2019 - Norfolk Middle School, 5th Grade Teacher

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
• Currently works as a substitute teacher for the Norfolk Public Schools here in Norfolk, Nebraska.

McKenna Gibson--2018-2019 - Jefferson Elementary School, 4th Grade Teacher

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Wayne State college in Wayne, Nebraska.
• Currently a 4th Grade Teacher for the Bellevue Public School in Bellevue, Nebraska

Riley Kalin--2018-2019 - Bel Air Elementary School, 4th Grade Teacher

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Wayne State college in Wayne, Nebraska.
• Currently an Elementary Teacher at Madison Public Schools in Madison, Nebraska.

Joshua Weber -2018-2019 - Norfolk Junior High School, Assistant Principal

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Special Education grades K-12 and Basic Business grades 6-12 from Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska.
• Master of Science Degree in School Administration grades 7-12 from Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska.
• Currently a 7-12th grade principal at Deshler Public Schools in Deshler, Nebraska.

 

Rationale:  Chris Wentling - Senior High business teacher
Joan Olenich -  1st/2nd grade Lincoln Montessori teacher
Jake Luhr - Senior High principal 
Timothy Gansebom- Senior High vocal music teacher
Patricia Norman--Senior High math teacher
Virginia Powell- Senior High language arts/social studies teacher
Julie Curry- Grant guidance counselor/HAL coordinator
Joni Kirchner- Junior High physical education teacher
Beth Gentrup - Junior High STEM, Wellness, and HAL teacher

 

Rationale:  Attached are the March, 2018 claims for approval.

Rationale:  The Strategic Planning Committee recommends that we adopt the following goals to guide us over the next 3-7 years.

1. By 2019, Norfolk Public Schools will implement a comprehensive School Safety and Mental Health Program in collaboration with city and community resources.
2. Norfolk Public Schools will implement target based instruction and grading PreK-12 by Fall 2021.
3. By 2023-2024, 100% of kindergarten students entering Norfolk Public Schools will have had the opportunity for a preschool experience that includes research based programs, instructional practices and curriculum that align with developmentally appropriate learning targets.

Rationale:  It is recommended to approve a 3.25% package increase for our salaried classified staff for 2018-2019, the recommended salary structure for 2018-2019 is also attached.

Rationale:  It is recommended to approve a 3.25% package increase for our PK-12 administrative staff for 2018-2019, the recommended salary structure for 2018-2019 is also attached.

Rationale:  It is recommended to approve a 3.25% package increase for the superintendent in 2018-2019, Schedule D and the 2018-2019 proposed contract are also attached as required by state law.

Rationale:  The Para 4 category will help address the need to hire and maintain Para's in the district's special education high need and ED programs.  These will be full-time positions but like any of our other full-time Para positions, will still require driving as a part of the position.

Rationale:  Attached are Board Policies 5413-5421.  Board Policy 5416 was re-written due to poor organization.  The intent and purpose of the policy was not changed.

There were no written changes to the other policies listed.

Rationale:  No changes have been made to the policies listed, since the last board meeting.

Rationale:  No changes have been made to Board Policy 1320- Memorials, since the last board meeting.

Rationale:  Mr. Ries is requesting permission to sale and/or discard old uniforms and equipment that are no longer being used. 

Rationale:  The 2nd monthly meeting of the Board of Education has been tentatively scheduled for noon on Thursday, March 22, 2018. 

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Monday, April 9, 2018. The Study Session will begin at 5:30 and will be followed by the Business Meeting at 6:30. All components of these meetings will be held at the NPS Central Administration Offices and will be open to the public unless an Executive Session is needed in order to protect the interest of the district or the reputation of an individual.