October 13, 2015 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale: 

Notice of the time and place of the Lincoln Board of Education meeting was e-mailed to an extensive list of local and regional news media.  A mailing list is maintained at the Lincoln Public Schools District Office.  A public notice was published in the LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR.

The Lincoln Board of Education is empowered to act on any item listed on the Agenda at any time during the meeting, irrespective of the time or order listed. Pages listed, or further detail, are available upon request. The Open Meetings Act requires and the intention of the Board is that agenda items be sufficiently descriptive to give the public reasonable notice of the matters to be considered at the meeting. The Lincoln Board of Education releases its agenda well in advance of most meetings and desires that all interested persons are fully informed. Any interested person who has a question or needs clarification about the sufficiency of a descriptive item should contact the Office of the Superintendent of Schools.

Rationale:  The attached minutes are intended to accurately reflect the action of the Board at its previous meetings.

Explanation
The minutes have been prepared for Board approval.

Rationale: 

In keeping with Board Policy 8420:

• A time limit of five minutes will be allotted for any speaker.
• Members of the Board of Education will not respond or engage with speakers.
• Persons speaking to the Board during public comment may hand out printed materials to the Board but may not use any other form of media.
• The Board Chair may make adjustments to the public comment guidelines, according to Policy 8420.
• If at any time persons appearing before the Board exceed the time limitations or become abusive in language or behavior, the Chair may declare that person out of order and to refuse permission to continue to address the Board.
• Anyone refusing to be identified will be prohibited from speaking.

Rationale: 

Rationale: 

The Human Resources Division also includes the Office of Risk Management.  As such, in addition to the Lincoln Board of Education approving all contractual agreements with employees, all employee benefit issues, all personnel actions, and all other matters within the scope of the Human Resources Division, as part of the Human Resources Matters agenda; the Lincoln Board of Education also must approve the settlement of Workers’ Compensation claims, take action on tort claims filed against the district, and take action on all other matters within the scope of the Office of Risk Management.

Explanation
This report includes routine Human Resources changes:

   a.  Certificated Employees:

             Elections – 6

             Re-Elections Same Assignment – 1

             Re-Elections New Assignment – 2

             Changes of Status – 2

             Leaves of Absence – 12

             Separations – 2

   b.  Substitute Certificated Employees:

             Elections – 44

             Changes of Status – 1

             Separations – 5

   c.  Classified Employees:

             Elections – 103

             Changes of Status – 9

             Leaves of Absence – 1

             Separations – 22

   d.  Board Resolution regarding recognition of Lincoln Education Association as the official bargaining agent for 2017-18.

Proposal
That the Board approve the Human Resources items presented in the attachment(s).*

 *The information in the attachment(s) may be protected by privacy legislation until the Board of Education takes action on the staff recommendations.  Therefore, this attachment(s) is not included in agenda materials provided the public and the news media.  Any information in the attachment(s) that is not protected by privacy legislation, however, is available for public inspection from the Associate Superintendent for Human Resources upon request.

That the Board is approving the Human Resources items attached with the information as presented or as on file with official district records and documents relating to each such item, or in such other form as may be approved by the Associate Superintendent for Human Resources, or the Associate Superintendent’s designee, and that the Board hereby authorizes the Associate Superintendent for Human Resources, or the Associate Superintendent’s designee, to transact and complete each such item approved hereby, and to sign, execute, and deliver necessary documents or contracts, and to take or cause to be taken any and all other action as may be necessary to complete each such item of transaction as contemplated, for and on behalf of this school district.

Rationale: 

At each meeting, the Board of Education is asked to approve certain items of routine business of the school district.      

Explanation
The items included in routine business for this meeting are:  

a.  REGULAR CLAIMS – Claims for the period ending October 15, 2015, were previously provided.                    

Federal Tax ACH Deposit of $5,422,964.94.                    

State Tax ACH Deposit of $725,408.86.                    

Procurement Card ACH Transfer of $120,278.83.                    

Office Depot ACH Transfer of $9,628.02.                    

Vendor ACH Transfer of $102,489.02.

b.  PAYROLL FOR RATIFICATION – Payroll for the period ending September 30, 2015, in the amount of $14,175,197.92.

c.  GIFTS – Approval for the gifts listed on the attached gift report.

d.  BIDS/CONTRACTS/OTHER ROUTINE BUSINESS – Bids/contracts/other routine business will be presented for approval for architectural and engineering services; the installation of three steel buildings at Seacrest Field; the installation of audio enhancement systems; travel services for Lincoln High music students; an amendment to the YMCA CLC agreement; an agreement to provide activities to integrate and educate refugee children; items listed for auction; and any other bids/contracts/routine business as presented.      

Proposal
That the Lincoln Board of Education approve the following items of routine business:  

a.  The regular claims for period ending October 13, 2015.  

b.  Payroll for the period ending September 30, 2015.  

c.  Gifts for Arnold, Beattie, Northeast, Prescott, Roper, and Saratoga.  

d.  Bids/contracts/other routine business for architectural and engineering services; the installation of three steel buildings at Seacrest Field; the installation of audio enhancement systems; travel services for Lincoln High music students; an amendment to the YMCA CLC agreement; an agreement to provide activities to integrate and educate refugee children; items listed for auction; and any other bids/contracts/routine business as presented.    

Rationale:  March 15, 2015, was the deadline for enrollment option applications to be completed for students wishing to attend school in a district other than the one in which they reside for the 2015-16 school year.  The Lincoln Public Schools Board of Education has authority to waive the deadline for late enrollment option requests (NDE Rule 7, Section 004.05).      

Explanation
Request from a student who resides in the district of Lincoln Public Schools and wishes to attend school outside of Lincoln Public Schools has been received after the March 15, 2015, deadline.  The Lincoln Public Schools Board of Education may deny or approve this request.  If this request is approved by the Board of Education, it will be forwarded to the option school district for their approval.                                      

                      Student Number                      Option District 
                      408776                                   Norris                                        

Proposal
That the Board approves the request for option out for the 2015-16 school year.   

Rationale:  Lincoln Public Schools regulation 5460.1 and Nebraska state law provides that if a student has been expelled from any public or private school, and the student has not completed the terms or time period of the expulsion, the student shall not be permitted to enroll in this school district until the expulsion period from such other school has expired, unless the Lincoln Board of Education approves by a majority vote the enrollment of such student prior to expiration of the expulsion period.  Student number 409145 (for purposes of confidentiality we are using an assigned number) has filed the proper application and has requested enrollment.       

Explanation 
The Department of Student Services has reviewed the application and the background information on the student and is recommending that the application be approved and that the student be enrolled in the Lincoln Public Schools Expelled Student Program for the remainder of this school year, subject to such terms and conditions as imposed by the Director of Student Services and all program rules and regulations until the term or time period of the original underlying expulsion is completed.      

Proposal 
That the Board approve the application and all recommendations of the Department of Student Services.

Rationale:  *The Lincoln Board of Education is empowered to act on any item listed on the Agenda at any time during the meeting, irrespective of the time or order listed. Pages listed, or further detail, are available upon request. The Open Meetings Act requires and the intention of the Board is that agenda items be sufficiently descriptive to give the public reasonable notice of the matters to be considered at the meeting. The Lincoln Board of Education  Board releases its agenda well in advance of most meetings and desires that all interested persons are fully informed. Any interested person who has a question or needs clarification about the sufficiency of a descriptive item should contact the Office of the Superintendent of Schools.

Rationale: 

Through the regular application of policies, the staff becomes aware of areas of policy that could be written with greater clarity to guide and describe the work of staff and the Board.

Explanation

Original Policy 5121 included language referring student transfer appeals to the Board.  Revised Policy 5121 clarifies that the appeals actually go to a Board sub-committee and clarifies the timing of the appeals.

Proposal

That the Board discuss proposed changes to Policy 5121.

Rationale: 

As part of the rotation of policy review, many policy are determined effective as currently written and are not revised.  Since these policies are recommended to continue to stay in effect in their current form, they are not presented individually, but are moved forward for consideration as a body of policies.  Following the review of the 6000 series of policies,  Policies 6000, 6100, 6110, 6120, 6121, 6130, 6200, 6220, 6222, 6230, 6283, 6445, 6500, 6510, 6520, 6522, 6523, 6525, 6526, 6530, 6550, 6580, 6600, 6601, 6602, 6603, 6610, 6620, 6621, 6720, 6721, 6730, 6740, and 6742 are recommended to remain in effect as written.

Explanation

The revision of the 6000 series of policies identifies these policies as being recommended to remain in effect as written.

Proposal

The Board discusses the recommended 6000 series of policies.

Rationale: 

Some policies are required to remain in place when new policies are adopted with the intent to rescind and delete the policy after a certain period of time.

Explanation

Policy 6219 established graduation requirements for classes graduating from 2002-2009.  All of the students covered by Policy 6219 have either graduated or are over 21 years of age.  New graduation requirements were put into effect for the graduating class of 2010 through the adoption of Policy 6220.  All students eligible to be in the Lincoln Public Schools are covered by the graduation requirements under either Policy 6220 or the most recent requirements in Policy 6222.

Proposal

That the Board discuss proposed changes to Policy 6219.

Rationale: 

Periodically, new language is adopted by professional organizations, so policies need to be updated to align with the changes in professional language.

Explanation

Revised Policy 6440 includes the updated professional language regarding school librarians and other minor edits.

Proposal

That the Board discuss proposed changes to Policy 6440.

Rationale: 

Policies are written with the knowledge of current capacities and with the advent of new technologies and when new capacities develop over time, these updates need to be reflected in policy.

Explanation

Original Policy 6524 restricted student production of goods and services beyond minimum curriculum requirements to those courses taught in laboratories and shops.  Revised Policy 6524 provides that opportunity to students in all curriculum areas.

Proposal

That the Board discuss proposed changes to Policy 6524.

Rationale:  The Nebraska Department of Education has developed a Consolidated Application for formula grants under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) that includes all funded programs under this legislation.      

Explanation
All accredited districts must develop and implement a Comprehensive Plan for School Improvement that integrates federal, state, and local programs.  The Comprehensive Plan for School Improvement must be approved by the Nebraska Department of Education prior to receiving the formula for federal grants the district is eligible to receive.  The budget amount listed below represents the estimated funding to be awarded to the district for the 2015-16 school year.      

Proposal 
That the Board discuss the submission of the Consolidated Application to the Nebraska Department of Education, estimated at $10,397,560. There are no matching funds required.  

Rationale: 

The CLASS technology plan provides budget resources in the 2015-16 fiscal year for the purchase of enough Chromebooks to provide one for use by each student in grades 3-5.  Twenty-six bids were received from twelve vendors in response to RFQ 8064 and the Dell 11” Chromebook was the lowest cost model that featured a standard three-year warranty.  Moreover, the Dell model scored highest in the evaluation of features and performance, achieving a value quotient twenty percent higher than the nearest alternative.  A complete tabulation of the cost and evaluation scoring is available from the Purchasing Department.

Explanation
Due to the increased use of digital curriculum, including associated on-line assessments, elementary schools are struggling to meet the demand with existing computing resources and this will be even more pronounced in the spring during the NeSA testing season.  Implementation of Chromebooks in grades 3-5 during this school year will be designed to meet existing demands and the implementation plan will be based on the model successfully used in the mid-year implementation of Chromebooks at Sheridan Elementary this past spring.   It is recommended that the Board award a total of $2,445,900.00 to Sterling Computers (Dakota Dunes, South Dakota) to purchase 9,300 Dell 11” Chromebooks including device management software licensing (Chrome Management) and $36,348.43 to Dell Inc. (Round Rock, Texas) for the purchase of 9,250 KACE asset management licenses and three-year maintenance.  The discrepancy between the quantity of Chromebooks and number of licenses on this order is due to the fact that the licenses are sold in packs of 250.  The remaining 50 licenses will be covered by previously purchased license packs already owned by the district.

 

Vendor	Description	Cost	Extended Cost
Sterling Computers	Dell Chromebook 11”	$239.00	$2,222,700.00
Sterling Computers	Chromebook Device Management	$24.00	$223,200.00
Dell Inc.	KACE Asset Management (37 packs of 250)	$541.39	$20,031.43
Dell Inc.	KACE 3-year maintenance (37 packs of 250)	$441.00	$16,317.00

This will be an expenditure of $2,482,248.43 from the General Fund.

Proposal
That the Board approve the recommendation of an award to Sterling Computers and Dell, Inc.  Lead times are six business days for the delivery of Dell Chromebooks to Sterling Computers, five weeks for Sterling to process and deliver all the Chromebooks to LPS for distribution, and approximately eight weeks to distribute the Chromebooks to all elementary schools and prepare elementary teachers in their effective use.  A complete project timeline has been shared with the Board Technology Committee.  The Board, by approving these purchases, hereby designates the Chief Technology Officer, or another person as selected by the Superintendent, or a designee from time to time, as its program administrator under these purchase orders.  

Rationale: 

Humann Elementary School will be renovated through the 2014 bond program.  The renovation will include a complete Indoor Air Quality project, a secured entrance, additional instruction space, and security and technology enhancements.  To accomplish this project, Humann Elementary will be relocated to a temporary site for one school year.  District staff will provide information about the preferred site for Humann Elementary for the 2016-17 school year.      

Explanation
The temporary site has many desirable amenities and cost efficiencies.  Staff will provide an overview of the plan.      

Proposal
Information item; no Board action required.

Rationale: 

October 14, Face the Chamber, 12 pm, Lincoln Country Club

October 15-16, No School, All Levels

October 22, Lights On Afterschool, 6 pm, Park Middle School

October 27, Board Meeting, 6 pm, LPSDO

 

Rationale: 

In keeping with Board Policy 8420:

• A time limit of five minutes will be allotted for any speaker.
• Members of the Board of Education will not respond or engage with speakers.
• Persons speaking to the Board during public comment may hand out printed materials to the Board but may not use any other form of media.
• The Board Chair may make adjustments to the public comment guidelines, according to Policy 8420.
• If at any time persons appearing before the Board exceed the time limitations or become abusive in language or behavior, the Chair may declare that person out of order and to refuse permission to continue to address the Board.
• Anyone refusing to be identified will be prohibited from speaking.

Rationale: 

Explanation
At this point, it is appropriate for the Board to meet in closed session for one of the stated matters and/or any other permissible closed session matters in compliance with the law.

Rationale:  The Lincoln 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.