October 12, 2026 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:  Please stand and join us in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

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 his 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. Individuals who make false, defamatory,  or slanderous statements during public comments may be held legally liable. Slanderous comments are not protected just because they are made at Board meetings.

Additional procedural guidelines are available at the media table.

Rationale: 

The total amount of claims to be approved on the consent agenda by specific fund are listed below:

General Fund = $625,498.74

Nutrition Fund = $6,150.49

Subsidiary Fund = $13,824.62

Senior High Activity Fund = $54,924.49

        September 2026 Senior High Activity Fund Checks = $37,500.00

Junior High Activity Fund = $5,576.25

        September 2026 Junior High Activity Fund Checks = $2,740.00

Student Fee Fund = $20.00

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

Rationale: 

Rationale: 

• NASES Fall Conference

• Nurses Update

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• Jay Martin, Safety Director from NDE, spoke to NMS and JH Students
• Chronic Absenteeism Training at ESU8
• Multi Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Summit
• NCSA Safety Summit
• Reunification Drill
• Last Day of First Quarter (October 8) and Parent Teacher Conferences
  • October 12: K-8 P/T Conf (4:00-7:00)
  • October 13: K-4 and 9-12 P/T Conf (4:00-7:00)
  • October 14: 5-12 P/T Conf (4:00-7:00)
  • October 15: K-12 P/T Conf (1:00-4:00); Students dismissed at 11:30
  • October 16: No School
• NHS Cell Phone Update

Rationale: 

• Job Fairs

• Student Teachers

• Labor Relations Conference

• External Visit

Rationale: 

• Enrollment
• PLC
• TAC
• Audits

Rationale:  The Finance and Facilities Committee met on October 12th. The committee discussed and reviewed:

• Claims/Board Bills
• Facilities updates
• Technology RFP
• City of Norfolk MOU
• Junior High HVAC
• District Audit

Rationale:  Minutes attached from the Policy Committee meeting held on September 28th, 2026. 

Rationale:  The Norfolk Public Schools Foundation met on September 21. The Board discussed the success of recent fundraising efforts, including the Husker Volleyball Ticket Raffle and the NPS Staff Campaign. The Traditions fundraiser is scheduled for November 5th at the Norfolk Country Club and the public is invited to attend. The Board also approved the 2026 NPS Hall of Fame Selection Team and reviewed proposed revisions to the Foundation’s Mission Statement.

Rationale:  Minutes from the Budget Hearing, Tax Hearing, and Regular Meeting all held on September 14, 2026 are attached for review. 

Rationale:  Attached are the claims. These claims were reviewed earlier by our Finance and Facilities Committee. There is one conflict statement that will need to be read prior to voting. 

Rationale:  There have been no additional revisions to these policies since the first reading on September 14th. 

Rationale:  The Policy Committee and Perry Law Firm recommend removing the Superintendent Evaluation Instrument from the District’s Policy Manual as an appendix. The evaluation instrument was previously approved by the Board and the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) earlier this year, and no changes have been made to the evaluation instrument. The instrument will instead be placed on the District’s website.

Rationale: 

I am requesting permission to put out an RFP to bidders for our planned purchase of desktop devices and chromebooks. This is part of our five-year rotation plan, and we have depreciated funds in the past for this purchase. This is only permission to get bids, I will bring the results of those bids to the board at a later date for a decision to move forward with a purchase.

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 2027-2028 school year, our projections indicate that we will be at capacity in grades 9 - 12.

The grades that we will be accepting option enrollment students in next year are K - 8. See the attached appendix for the number of option students that will be accepted at each grade level.

Resolution to be read in its entirety. 

Rationale:  We have received a formal written request by the NCEA (Norfolk City Educational Association) to be recognized as the exclusive collective bargaining agent for non-supervisory certificated staff. This action is required each year by Nebraska State Statute. We have not received any other requests; therefore, I recommend that the request be approved.

Rationale:  The City of Norfolk has changed their rate rebate program with NPPD for nonprofits. This means we will no longer receive the NPPD rebate. That is approximately $900,000. This MOU with the City allows for that loss to be slowly absorbed over the course of the next 20 years. They will continue to pay out the rebate to our District but reduce that pay out by 5% each year. We don't have a lot of say in the loss of these funds outside of we can lose them all starting next year or we accept this MOU and spread it out over 20 years. I recommend approving this MOU with the City.

Rationale: 

The following regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Monday, November 9th, 2026 at 5:30 PM. 

All components of these meetings will be held at the NPS Central Administration Offices and will be open to the public unless a Closed Session is needed in order to protect the interest of the district or the reputation of an individual.