March 13, 2023 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:  Special Education -- Mary Luhr
Board Visits -- Board Members

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

Rationale:  Woodland Park-Folk Dancing

Rationale:  See attachment.

Rationale: 

This is the time during the meeting when the public may request to address the Board. According to state law, if you wish to comment you must identify yourself, including your address, the name of the organization you represent and the topic that you wish to address. "Public Comment" cards are located at the Media table, in the back of the room.  Please pick up a card and provide the required information, if you plan to speak.  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: 

The total amount of claims to be approved on the consent agenda for the month of March, 2023 by specific fund are listed below: General Fund =$803,644.65 Nutrition Services Fund =$277,652.10 Cooperative Fund =$5,946.16  Special Building Fund =$122,519 QCPUF = $16,555 Student Fee Fund = $2,450.70 The total amount of claims for the month of February, 2023 in the Activities Fund is listed below: Activity Fund =$127,069.78 All of these claims were reviewed earlier today by the Finance and Facility Committee.

Rationale:  Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

• It’s ramping up to the busy portion of the year. We are diligently preparing for the required statewide assessment window. There are a lot of moving parts in the background that have to be tediously accurate to ensure all of the requirements are met. Security of testing, training of proctors, scheduling and electronic rostering, just to name a few.
• Curriculum teams continue to meet, which is of course, an ever-evolving process. And it should be. Districts must continue to grow and update their pedagogy and practice to match the demands of student learning. I’m pleased with the progress we’ve been able to make this year. We are seeing the benefits of the continuous and steady curriculum work. A highly reliable school includes consistency in processes, dedication to excellence and perseverance to strive for the best for our students.  Our commitment to the focus of targeted instruction with the supplement of proficiency scales for grading has created a system where teachers are able to move together with a shared focus and meaningful data to monitor student progress and make adjustments as needed to meet the needs of all students. While it is still in progress and no district or process is perfect, we are on the right track. Our newly adopted strategic goal for systems of support would be less attainable if we did not already have a guaranteed and viable curriculum process in place. These last eight years have been steady and slow, yet meaningful and impactful.
• Since we have some classroom materials on the agenda for approval to purchase, I want to remind everyone of the textbook and classroom materials selection process. At Norfolk Public Schools we follow a predictable pattern for updating materials. It is actually a 5-8 year process that includes multiple factors. As shown on the NPS Curriculum Framework (found on the website), we refer to the state and/or national standards, whichever is applicable or appropriate to update curriculum. Updates can range anywhere from 5-8 years depending upon the subject matter. We are continually monitoring our internal and external data to analyze instruction and program needs.  We are also in a continual process of reviewing updated research regarding student learning, brain development and teaching practices. In addition, before we begin a discussion about new textbook program adoptions, a source called, Ed Reports, is also referenced for material quality. Ed Reports serves as an unbiased review for educational program quality. All these steps occur before we begin discussing the change of classroom resources. The entire textbook selection process is completed by our teachers under the organization of the Teaching and Learning Department.  Teachers contribute to the process by reviewing the materials and using a matrix to help rank and sort out the compatibility of textbooks. After a qualitative tabulation of the materials is collected from the matrices, a quantitative discussion determines which programs are worthy of the piloting process. The piloting process is important as we’ve found that as teachers use the product, they learn even more about its effectiveness. By the time we present the recommendation for purchase from teachers, we feel we are confident in that decision.

 

Rationale: 

This month we will conclude the state required special education parent survey. We have shared the link to the survey with our parents through email, at conferences and IEP meetings.  We will receive the results in September 2023.

Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) has required all schools to participate in a pilot by completing a file review of randomly selected files targeting post high school transition plans from the 2021-2022 school year. Norfolk Public had 9 files to review.  The pilot collection closes on April 15th. Norfolk Public submitted on February 27.  NDE will review the Self Assessments from April 15th - July 1st and share feedback with districts around August 1st. 

The English language proficiency assessment summative window will conclude this month. We will receive results in the first weeks of May. 

Rationale:  Reminder that Kindergarten enrollment for the 2022/2023 school year is in full swing. 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 19th at your neighborhood elementary school. We are encouraging families to start the registration process early to avoid complications.

Parent/Teacher conferences were held last month. Our attendance with our elementary and middle school is historically very high because those are scheduled meetings. Information about those conferences is posted below.
 

	Attendance
	at P/T Conferences	Total School	% attended	% attended
	including Zoom	Enrollment	2023	2022
Little Panther Preschool	231	234	99%	98%
Bel Air	349	354	99%	98%
Jefferson	233	236	99%	100%
Grant	217	225	96%	98%
Lincoln	194	194	100%	100%
Washington	228	234	97%	100%
Westside	211	215	98%	100%
Woodland Park	205	212	97%	99%
Middle School	578	603	96%	94%
Junior High	424	658	64%	48%
Senior High	325	1341	24%	26%
District Results	2771	4506	70.91%	68.74%

Rationale: 

Letter of Intents were sent out to all NPS certified staff on March 1 and are due back on March 15.  At that time, we should know all positions that need to be filled.  Quite a few teachers have been hired for the 2023-2024 school year and we continue to advertise and search for the best teachers for Norfolk Public Schools.

I have started receiving student teacher placement requests for the 2023-2024 school year and am starting to begin with placements at the appropriate grade levels.

Rationale: 

Board Orientation and Education Process:

The orientation process for new board members is nearly complete.  We need to schedule one additional meeting with an individual board member to discuss curriculum, instruction and assessment. It is also recommended that we consider scheduling a longer Board Retreat this summer for all Board members to include a more comprehensive study of student achievement, systems of support, and assessment and grading practices.

Senior High Principal Interview Process:

We are currently in the process of advertising and accepting applications for our 2023-2024 High School Principal position.  I am planning to include three groups in the interview process: 

• Senior High Staff
• Senior High Students and Parents
• Senior High and Central Office Administrators

I will not be able to create those teams until I have a date set for the interviews, but I will let senior high staff know who will be representing them. This will allow staff to reach out to those team members to provide their input and ideas prior to the interviews. I am also providing a survey for students, staff and parents to share their thoughts and ideas directly to me.

Due to space constraints at the Senior High, the interviews will take place at Central Office. However, each candidate will be given a tour of the High School as part of the interview process.

Once I have reviewed all of the feedback from the interview teams and the constituent survey and I have completed thorough reference checks, I will offer the position to the best candidate. That candidate will be presented to the Board for approval at our April 17th Board meeting.

Class Sizes:

We continually monitor class sizes in order to ensure acceptable student to staff ratios.  This is particularly important in the Spring as we plan the number of sections we will have in kindergarten.

Board Policy 6113 indicates that "the Superintendent shall implement methods (as outlined in Administrative Rule) when necessary to maintain appropriate class sizes. This may include the reassignment of staff to maximize efficiency and/or effectiveness."  

AR 6113 sets kindergarten classroom capacities at 25 students and grade 1-4 capacities at 30 students, and it outlines the process to be used if those capacities are exceeded.  Those processes include (in order of priority/preference): 

1. Voluntary student transfers to another building with classroom space
2. Combination classrooms to meet enrollment requirements
3. Involuntary student transfers to another building with classroom space
4. Hiring additional staff

???????The Director of Student Services, building principals, and I implement these procedures annually, as necessary.  If it is determined that additional staffing is necessary in order to meet class size requirements, I bring a formal request to the Board for that additional staff.  It is too soon for us to know if that will be necessary for 2023-2024, but I wanted you to be aware of the procedures that we use in order to make this determination.

Rationale:  The committee met at 12:00 today.  The claims for the month of March and activity claims for February were reviewed. Other items reviewed and discussed:

• JEO provided an overview of the JH track replacement 
• Presentation on JH auditorium potential project
• Softball update
• Updates on current district projects
• Review of action items for JH track, Vehicles and Activity Bus, Middle School project

The next meeting will be Monday, April 17th, at 12:00 noon.

Rationale: 

Due to time constraints surrounding hearings and floor debate, it has not been possible for the Government Relations Committee to recommend official Board action on any legislation. However, individual members have contacted Senators and submitted testimony regarding bills that would have a strong impact on Norfolk Public Schools.  This testimony has not been issued on behalf of the Norfolk Public Schools Board of Education, but rather on behalf of those individuals.

The Government Relations Committee met several times within the last month.

On February 27, 2023 we discussed the Governor’s School Finance and Property Tax Relief Package, which includes LB 583 introduced by Sanders, LB 589 introduced by Briese, and LB 681 introduced by Clements.  

This school finance and property tax relief package would be financially advantageous for both Norfolk property owners and schools - as they are currently written with Amendment 212 and Amendment 193.  Dr. Thompson wrote a letter to Senator Dover indicating:

• Support for LB 583 as long as the 30% increase in special education reimbursement stays outside of the TEEOSA formula as introduced by the Governor and Senator Sanders

• Support for LB 589 as written with AM 212 which provides some exceptions to the revenue cap

• Support for LB 681 as written with AM 193 which includes TEEOSA as a funding priority.

The Committee also discussed several bills that were scheduled for hearings. Beth Shashikant and Dr. Thompson wrote letters to the Education Committee and Senator Dover regarding concerns with LB 550,  LB 528, and LB 811.

LB 550 would provide students unlimited option enrollments (as opposed to the current limit of one).  It would also eliminate a schools ability to reject an option enrollment due to capacity limitations. This would be very problematic for Norfolk Public Schools, because we have several grade levels that are at capacity and cannot accommodate option enrollment students.

LB 528 would provide funding for a student to attend a private school if their option enrollment request to a public school was not approved. This could very easily be manipulated by parents seeking free tuition to private schools.

LB 811 would amend the Student Discipline Act to provide for the use of physical contact and restraint, as well as the removal of students from classes. Norfolk Public Schools already has strong policies covering these topics, which are much better addressed via local School Boards who understand their schools, students, staff and communities.

On March 5th we discussed LB 690, LR 24CA, LR 28CA, LR 29 CA, and LB 429.

Beth Shashikant, Cindy Booth, Sandy Wolfe and Dr. Thompson all submitted comments opposing LB 690, LR 24 CA, an LR 28 CA. These bills each attempt to limit or eliminate the powers of the State Board of Education and the Commissioner of Education. 

LR 24CA is a constitutional amendment that would completely eliminate the State Board of Education and the Commissioner of Education. Instead, the Governor would appoint a chief education official that would work under his direction. We would no longer have an elected State School Board representing Nebraska constituents.

LR28CA is a constitutional amendment that would eliminate the existing 8 member State Board of Education that is elected by voters and replace it with a 7 member board that would be appointed by the Governor with advice and consent of the Legislature.

LB 690 limits the power of the State Board of Education and Commissioner by placing them under the direction of the Legislature.  

Beth Shashikant sent comments opposing LR 29CA which would place term limits on the members of the State Board of Education. This bill would only allow State Board members 2 four-year terms...when our State Senators are trying to increase their own term limits to 3 four-year terms.

Dr. Thompson and  Beth Shashikant sent comments supporting LB 429 which would return unclaimed property tax credits back to TEEOSA.

On March 10th we discussed bills that will have hearings this week.

Bill Robinson submitted comments opposing LB 475 which would increase funding for public education, but place unrealistic class size requirements on them.

Erik Wilson testified in person supporting LB 516 today. It would provide funding for public schools for security-related infrastructure projects and mental health practitioners.  It would create regional school security directors to help schools address safety and security concerns.

Beth Shashikant is also planning to contact Senators regarding LB 673 which would provide income tax credits for private school donations.  This diverts public dollars to private schools which are not held to the same accountability standards, rules or expectations as public schools. They are not even required to accept students who qualify for special education services, ELL services, or who have behavior issues.

Members of this Committee also attended the Chamber’s Government Affairs meetings and the Greater Nebraska Association of Schools meeting.

Rationale: 

The Activities Committee met at noon on February 21, 2023.

Mr. Erwin and Mrs. Lenton provided an update on winter activities and uniform purchases. 

The Committee discussed our need for improvements to the softball facilities at Ta Ha Zouka Park in order to provide comparable experiences for our girls and boys.  We also discussed the need for a new activity bus and developed a survey to determine which features are most important to coaches.

The Committee discussed the possible addition of two pilot programs: mental health club and poetry club.  The committee is recommending the addition of Poetry Club as a school sponsored activity, but not the Mental Health Club.

The Committee discussed the addition of several coaching positions and is recommending the Board add the following:

• Assistant Senior High Girls Wrestling 
  Assistant Boys Soccer
  Assistant Girls Soccer
  Head Junior High Girls Wrestling
  2 Assistant Junior High Girls Wrestling

The Committee also discussed flipping Junior High Boys and Girls Basketball schedules in order to allow boys and girls to participate in both basketball and wrestling at the Junior High level and to facilitate the addition of more competitions.

The Committee discussed Norfolk Catholic’s request to terminate our co-op for Boys Tennis. (Norfolk Catholic has not had a participant in approximately 10 years and does not wish to continue paying this fee to the NSAA).  The Committee is recommending this termination.

Our next meeting is scheduled for noon on April 12, 2023.

 

Rationale: 

Date: ___3-9-2023__________________

Time:____1:30 PM_________________

Location: __NPS Central Office Administration Building_____

Members Present: 

Beth Shashikant
Teri Bauer
Cindy Booth
Dr. Jami Jo Thompson
Beth Nelson
Jared Oswald
Nancy Probasco
Sharie Thelen
Mickie Mueller

The curriculum portion of the meeting was opened by Beth Nelson with a report about the indepth process that is used when selecting classroom materials, resources and textbooks. She also mentioned that it is important to recognize that teachers teach the class curriculum. Curriculum materials, resources and textbooks are used as a tool for teachers to use to meet the curriculum. The textbook in and of itself does not make up the class. 

 Mickie Mueller reported to the group about career academies and the programs of study that exist within academies. She stated that Career and Technical Education standards are updated every five years because the industry, particularly business, changes so quickly. In response to the updated Nebraska CTE standards, NPS will offer a Web Design course as a capstone to the Digital Design program of study and Culinary Arts II is also being added at the senior high as a capstone to the Culinary Arts program of study. Textbooks in both areas have been vetted using the textbook matrix and chosen by the business and family consumer science teachers. A motion for those textbooks is found later in the agenda. 

A large portion of the meeting consisted of the Teaching and Learning Team giving an explanation of the steps completed to select Math textbooks.  This has been an ongoing process for almost two years. It began with the exploration of the K-6 Zearn Math program in June 2021. While many teachers that tried the program liked the program, it wasn’t a great fit for all teachers in all classrooms due to its lack of supportive resources and alignment to Nebraska standards. What teachers liked the most was the problem-solving methods and online practice component that complimented the lesson.  

In May of 2022, teachers K-12 came in to research and review programs. The goal was to find a program that contained resources for teachers to teach in a problem-solving way while also having a complimentary online component.  After completing compatibility matrices and hearing from company presentations, the K-6 teachers decided to pilot the iReady Math Curriculum and the 7th through 12th grade decided to pilot Illustrative Math and Amplify Math. 

During 2022-2023, piloting began. After several months of usage, training, reviewing, observing and gaining feedback from teachers,  it has been recommended by teachers and the Teaching and Learning Department to purchase Amplify Math in 7th, 8th, Algebra I and Algebra II this year and Amplify Geometry next year.  A motion will appear later in the agenda. 

After reviewing the iReady Math for K-6, it is the recommendation that we continue the pilot of the program in 2023-2024. Pilot teachers will help design the onboarding process for all teachers in the upcoming school year. 

Lastly, the teachers of Environmental Science have been reviewing textbooks using the textbook matrix. This will be discussed more indepthly in the near future. 

The Curriculum Committee portion of the meeting concluded at 3:10 p.m. 

 

Rationale: 

Date: ___3-9-2023__________________

Time:____1:30 PM_________________

Location: __NPS Central Office Administration Building_____

Members Present: 

Beth Shashikant
Teri Bauer
Cindy Booth
Dr. Jami Jo Thompson
Beth Nelson
Jared Oswald
Nancy Probasco
Sharie Thelen
Mickie Mueller

The Board of Education Civics Committee met at 1:30 on March 9th at the NPS Central Office Administrative building.  Discussion began with a brief overview of the purpose of the committee and most recent activities regarding Social Studies curriculum work. Committee members were reminded that the updated Nebraska state standards in social studies created a change in the senior high course offerings which affected junior high courses. That work is complete and in action. Kindergarten through 3rd grade work will begin next fall. Textbook and classroom resources will be examined at that time.

End of the year American Civics reports will be submitted to the Director of Teaching and Learning and reported to the board of education during the June or July board meeting. The next American Civics Committee meeting will be held next fall. A public notice will be posted of this meeting in the Norfolk Daily News. 

It was 1:50 at the conclusion of the civics portion of the meeting. 

Rationale: 

The Norfolk Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors met on February 20, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. at the NPS Administration Building. Twelve board members and 2 guests were present.  Board Vice President, Jason Busch, called the meeting to order.

During the Executive Director’s Report, Callan Collins shared with board members that the traditional scholarship application for the NHS Class of 2023 is now open and students are currently applying. There are 66 scholarships available totaling almost $78,000. She has been actively promoting the scholarships through social media, NPS website, in signage at NHS, and via the NHS Counseling Office. Collins also shared that she had given a presentation at "College Club," a specifically designed time at NHS for high school seniors to come learn more about all things college related and ask their questions. She reminded the board that the deadline for scholarship application submission is 3/23/2023.

Rationale:  Minutes of the February 13, 2023 meeting are attached.

Rationale: 

~ Emma Colsden

• 2023-2024 Teacher, Building TBD
• Bachelor of Science, Elementary Ed. and K-8 Special Education, Wayne State College, Wayne, NE
• 8/2022-Present, 6th Grade Teacher, USD 331, Norwich, KS

~ Allyson Flynn

• 2023-2024 School Psychologist, Location is To Be Determined
• PhD in Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
• 2021-Present, Northwest Area Education Agency, Psychologist/Special Education Strategist, Sioux City, IA

~ Traceton Halley

• 2023-2024 Physical Education Teacher, Norfolk Junior High
• Bachelor of Science, K-12 Physical Education, Wayne State College, Wayne, NE, December 2022
• Jan.-May 24, 2023, Physical Education Teacher, Norfolk Junior High School 
• (One semester contract)

~ Sara Hake

• 2023-2024 Educational Diagnostician,  Norfolk Public School District
• Master of Science, Communication Disorders/Speech Pathology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
• 11/2020-Present, Speech-Language Pathologist, ESU #8, Neligh, NE

~ Shane Hoadley

• 2023-2024, 7-8 Science Teacher, Norfolk Junior High
• Bachelor of Arts, Elementary Education, Wayne State College, Wayne, NE
• Jan. 2023-May 2023, Student Teacher, Language Arts and Math, Norfolk Middle School

~ Tyrone Hubbard

• 2023-2024 Special Education (ED-High Needs) Teacher, Norfolk Middle School
• Bachelor of Arts, Physical Education, Midland University, Fremont, NE
• 1/2023-Present, Physical Education Teacher, Christ Lutheran School, Norfolk, NE

~ Alexa Moreno

• 2023-2024 ELL Teacher, Norfolk Junior High
• Bachelor of Arts, Physical Education K-12, York University, York, NE; to be conferred May 2023
• Spring 2023 - Student Teacher at Norfolk Middle School and Norfolk Senior High

~Alexis Phillips   

• 2023-2024 Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher, Norfolk Senior High
• Bachelor of Science, Middle Level Education, Concordia University, Seward, NE
• 2022-2023, Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher, Norfolk Senior High (one year contract)

~ Julie Schenkelberg

• 2023-2024 Art Teacher K-4, Lincoln, Washington, Westside Elementary Schools
• Master of Science, Curriculum & Instruction, Wayne State College, Wayne, NE
• 8/2022-Present, Elementary Art Teacher, Papillon-LaVista  Community Schools, Papillon, NE

~ Shannon Shuck

• 2023-2024 Special Education Teacher, Norfolk Middle School
• Master of Science, Curriculum & Instruction, Peru State College, Peru, NE  (to be conferred 5/2023)
• 2019-Present, 6th Grade Math Teacher, Barr Middle School, Grand Island, NE

~ Ryan Surber

• 2023-2024 Art Teacher, Norfolk Senior High
• Master of Arts, Education; University of Nebraska-Kearney, Kearney, NE
• 2019-Present, Art Teacher, Randolph Public Schools, Randolph, NE

~Reba Waskowiak

• 2023-2024 6th Grade Teacher, Norfolk Middle School
• Bachelor of Science, Elementary Education,  Wayne State College, Wayne, NE, to be conferred in May, 2023
• Spring 2023 - Student Teacher, Westside Elementary School, Norfolk, NE

Rationale: 

• Tara Padilla--Junior High English/Language Arts Teacher--resigned
• Mike Sunderman--Senior High Business Teacher, FBLA Sponsor, Ass't. 9th grade boys track and JH intramural football and girls basketball coach-resigned
• Diana Kuehler--Junior High Special Education LIFE Teacher--resigned
• Whitney Porn--Junior High 8th grade Science Teacher--resigned to accept a position at the Norfolk Public Library
• Julie Morgan--Grant Elementary 1st grade Teacher--retired
• Carissa Moes--Bel Air Air Elementary Kindergarten Teacher-resigned
• Diamond Moraga--Little Panthers Preschool Special Education Teacher
• Melissa Dinkel--Middle School 6th grade Teacher--resigned to stay home with children
• Amy Berner--Woodland Park 1st grader Teacher--resigned
• Dr. Derek Ippensen--Senior High Principal -- resigned
• Ashley Woitaszewski, Middle School Special Education -- resigned
• Monica Pickinpaugh--Little Panthers Preschool Special Education - Retired
• Alexis Gothier--Little Panthers Preschool Special Education Teacher - resigned
• Keri Severson - Middle School 6th Grade - resigned
• Karolee Gleason - Grant Elementary - 3rd Grade Teacher -  Retired

Rationale:  Attached are the claims for the month of March, 2023.  These claims were reviewed earlier today by our Finance and Facility Committee.  There are conflict statements for this month that will need to be read before voting.

Rationale:  See attachment.

Rationale:  According to State Statute, public schools must adopt an Option Enrollment Resolution annually, setting grade and program capacities and indicating which grade levels and programs are open for option enrollment students, based upon those capacities and projected enrollments.  

For the 2023-2024 school year, we are at capacity in the following grades and programs:  Kindergarten, 5th, 9th, 11th, 12th, Level 1 Special Education and Level II Special Education. 

The grades that we will be accepting option enrollment students in next year are 1st-4th, 6th-8th, and 10th.

The attached resolution provides additional details.

Rationale:  This action will only approve the writing of detailed drawings with all the required engineering and other details required for potential vendors.  Future action will need to be taken in order to officially go to bid. 

Rationale: 

It is recommended to the Board of Education to take the bid from Courtesy Ford of $114,284 for the purchase of two 4x4 Ford Expeditions.  These 8 passenger vehicles will provide us with safe, reliable transportation year round for a number of years.  Below is the breakdown of pricing submitted.

Full Size SUV Proposals

Per Unit Ford

Ford Expedition 4x2 model $54,359.00 x 2 = $108,718.00

Ford Expedition 4x4 model $57,142.00 x 2 = $114,284.00

Per Unit Chevy

Chevy Suburban 4x2 model $57,795.00 x 2 = $115,590.00

Chevy Suburban 4x4 model $60,795.00 x 2 = $121,590.00

Rationale:  Below is listed the pricing that was publicly announced on March 1st as well as two options for consideration. Also attached is an overview of this process.

MCI Corporation (Des Plaines, IL)

         Class A Style Bus: $599,900.00 w/ $4,000.00 delivery charge = $603,900.00

Masters Transportation (Kearney, NE)

         Class C Style Bus: $359,900.00 w/lavatory (cannot be used during winter)

         Class C Style Bus: $344,900.00 w/o lavatory

         No delivery charges
 

Option One:
Accept the bid from Masters transportation for the class C style coach bus that does not include a lavatory for $344,900

Option Two:
Suspend the bus bids and engage in a one year pilot of using a hybrid approach.  The district would contract with one or both of our local motor coach companies to transport our priority trips.  Non-priority trips or priority trips that cannot be covered by one of the coach companies would be handled by the district with one of the current buses we have.

Due to the cost of the class (A) coach bid,it is not included in either of the options being recommended.  The bid of $603,900 is $258,900 above our current bus replacement budget of $345,000.  The cost break-even point on a class (A) coach investment would also be approximately 14 vs. 8 years on the class (C) coach.  

 

Rationale: 

The Activities Committee is recommending that Poetry Club is added to the Senior High as a pilot club next year.  Poetry Club provides an opportunity for students to express their creative voice in writing and to learn the craft of creative writing.  In addition students also  learn and study performance poetry.

The estimated cost for adding this club is estimated at $1945.

• There is a $400 entry fee for our school to compete with the other schools. This money is paid to The Nebraska Writers Collective who plans the events and coordinates the venues and provides each team with a coach who works for and is paid by NWC. 
• Personnel -- One coach placed on Extra Duty Schedule #10 -- $1,545

Rationale: 

Due to the number of girls that are going out for wrestling we need to add an additional assistant girls wrestling coach. This would give us one head and two assistant girls wrestling coaches. This is necessary because of the increase in girls participating in wrestling.  This increase would allow for more coaching to take place and help with supervision and safety.  It would also be necessary at meets if there are multiple girls wrestling at the same time.  As the numbers increase this becomes more of a concern.  

The cost for adding this coaching position is: $5,408.

2022-2023 Participation Numbers:  
2021-2022 - 11 girls  
2022-2023 - 25 girls  
Junior High - 40 girls  

Rationale: 

Due to the number of boys that are going out for soccer and the various positions it is necessary that we add another coach. The boys team will have anywhere from 30-45 boys on the soccer team. Currently there are two coaches. If one coach is to train the goalies during practice it leaves the other coach with around 40 athletes. This is not very productive and could lead to possible safety concerns. John Erwin asked the other class A AD’s  how many paid assistant coaches they had and only one (Columbus) had two. The remaining were anywhere from three to five. The average was 3.2.  

The cost for adding this position would be: $4,635.

Rationale: 

Due to the number of girls that are going out for soccer and the various positions it is necessary that we add another coach. The girls team will have anywhere from 30-40 girls on the soccer team. Currently there are two coaches. If one coach is to train the goalies during practice it leaves the other coach with around 35 athletes. This is not very productive and could lead to possible safety concerns. John Erwin asked the other class A AD’s how many paid assistant coaches they had and only one (Columbus) had two. The remaining  were anywhere from three to five. The average was 3.2.  

The cost for adding this position would be:: $4,635

Rationale: 

Norfolk Jr High wrestling has been steadily growing over the past 10 years in becoming one of the largest Jr high programs in the area. 10 years ago we had 39 boys try out and this year we are at 59. For the girls we had 2 girls try out and this year we had 52. Current numbers are at 45 boys and 45 girls.

Our current coaching situation is one Head Boys Coach, two paid assistants, and one volunteer coach. After this year we will lose our volunteer coach. We have zero girls coaches. Our current coach to athlete ratio is 1:23 with the volunteer coach, without is 1:30. 

The addition of these coaches would allow us:

1. To lower our coach to athlete ratio so that we can provide all boys and girls participating in the sport of wrestling an opportunity to be coached in practice and at tournaments. We currently do not have enough coaches to coach athletes in practice and in tournaments where 3-4 athletes may be competing at one time.  

2. To provide male/female coaches to be able to help supervise/coach the boys/girls locker rooms, injuries, practice supervision, travel supervision, tournament supervision, and demonstrate proper technique and form in practice.

3. To provide the boys and girls wrestling teams with an appropriate number of coach to student athletes in comparison to other Norfolk Jr High boys/girls sports. 

The cost for adding these coaching positions would be $8,8884.
Head Coach: $3,476
Assistant Coach: $2,704 X 2 = $5,408


 

Rationale:  Norfolk Catholic has requested that we terminate our co-op for Boys Tennis. They have not had a participant in approximately 10 years and do not wish to continue paying this fee to the NSAA.  We could reinstate this co-op in the future if this situation changes.

Rationale: 

The Secondary Math Department and the Teaching and Learning Team have put significant time into reviewing math programs since the summer of 2021. After reviewing 5 programs and piloting two, the teachers have chosen Amplify Math as the program to best meet the needs of students. The programs must rank as meeting expectations in EdReports before even being considered for review. A comprehensive matrix was completed by our teachers and the TnL team. The funds for this purchase will come from ESSRS III funds.  This purchase includes both online access and textbook materials for students and teachers for eight years as well as formal onboarding and follow up training. The average cost per pupil is $24.83/year. I am confident in the research and pilot process that has been done and recommend purchasing this program.

Rationale: 

The Secondary Family and Consumer Science department has researched textbook options to supplement the Culinary Arts II course. This course serves as a capstone course in the Culinary Arts Career Academy program of study. The purchase includes a six year subscription of both online access and textbook materials for students and teachers. The funds for this purchase will come from the curriculum budget. I recommend purchasing this program. 

 

Rationale: 

The Secondary Business Department has researched textbook options for the Web Design course. This course is the capstone course of the Digital Design Career Academy Program of Study. The purchase includes a six-year subscription of both online access and textbook materials for students and teachers. The funds for this purchase will come from the curriculum budget. I recommend the purchase of the program. 

Rationale:  No changes have been made to these policies since the approval of their first reading last month.

Rationale:  No changes have been made to this policy since the approval of its first reading last month.

Rationale:  The 2nd monthly meeting of the Board of Education has been tentatively scheduled for noon on Thursday, March 23, 2023.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on April 17, 2023.  This meeting date is a week later than usual.  The Study Session will begin at 5:30 PM. The regular business meeting will start at 6:30 PM.  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.