January 11, 2023 at 7:05 PM - Board of Education Regular Monthly Meeting

Discussion:  Mr. Lutkemeier opened the meeting at 7:02 pm.  The meeting notice was advertised in the January 5th publication of the Blue Hill Leader.  "The Open Meetings Act" poster was displayed in the meeting room.

Discussion:  Pursuant to Silver Lake Board of Education Policy 2004 no board member is required to take an oath of office pursuant to Nebraska law.  However, new members may voluntarily take the following oath before entering their official duties.  

Board members may affirm the oath orally or in writing.  Written oaths will be retained as official records of the school district in the main administrative office and such other places as may be required by law.  Board members who give the oath orally will be noted in the minutes.  

Eric Parr has affirmed the Oath of Office in writing.  

Discussion:  President Lutkemeier invited Superintendent Bauer to serve as chairman for this portion of the meeting.

Discussion:  Mr. Bauer opened the floor for nominations for the Office of School Board President.  Todd Bartels nominated Daren Niemeyer.  Allen Ehrman nominated Leon Lutkemeier.  Motion was made and carried to close nominations.  Anonymous written votes were taken and tallied by Mr. Bauer.  The vote was tied between Mr. Lutkemeier and Mr. Niemeyer 4 / 4.  Winning a coin toss, as per policy, went to Mr. Lutkemeier.  Mr. Lutkemeier will serve as School Board President during the 2023 term.

Discussion:  Mr. Bauer opened the floor for nominations for the Office of School Board Vice President.  Leon Lutkemeier nominated Daren Niemeyer.  No subsequent nominations were made.  Motion was made and carried to close the nominations.  Daren Niemeyer will serve as the School Board Vice President for the 2023 term.

Discussion:  The floor was opened for nominations for the office of School Board Secretary.  Leon Lutkemeier nominated Allen Ehrman.  No subsequent nominations were made.  Motion was made and carried to close the nominations.  Allen Ehrman will serve as School Board Secretary for the 2023 term.

Discussion:  Nominations were taken for the office of School Board Treasurer.  Leon Lutkemeier nominated Shaun Fisher.  No further nominations were made.  Motion was made and carried to close the nominations.  Shaun Fisher will serve as School Board Treasurer for the 2023 term.

Discussion:  See attached document.

Discussion:  Guests included Joan Fisher, Jennifer tenBensel, Jolene Heuertz, Kaitlyn and Molly Hemberger.  No comment was offered at this time.

Discussion:  Mr. Bauer recognized and thanked Kaitlyn Hemberger for her part in filling in for our head cook as well as our high school secretary during their absences and ensuring that day to day operations ran smoothly.  Mr. Bauer also reported that the board committee list will be reviewed at the February board meeting.  18 total applicants had applied for the 7 - 12 principal position.  5 were interviewed on Monday, January 9th.  Interviews went well.  There were several great candidates to choose from.  An Americanism Committee Hearing will be held at 6:45 on the night of the February board meeting.  The regular board meeting will follow.  The water fountain in the high school commons area is in need of replacement.  Mr. Bauer attended and voted at the NSAA District meeting today.  He voted on 52 proposals.  He also reported that there is a high chance next year's junior high (7th & 8th grade) will include less than 12 boys.  For junior high football and junior high basketball competitions, Mr. Bauer proposed the idea of having 6th grade boys participate, as it would benefit them and is allowed under the NSAA rules.  Mr. Bauer also reported that the high school's ice machine (which was 21 years old) quit.  He has found a replacement of the same make / model priced around $4,000.  On Jan 20th, 6 students will be sponsored by Mrs. Heldt on a trip to ESU-9 to explore careers in teaching.  

Discussion:  Mr. Drake reported that the elementary's current enrollment is 100 students.  Completed events include the Elementary Music Concert on Dec 15th which went well.  Report cards were sent home on December 21st.  Upcoming events :  Jan 17th - Quiz Bowl at Kenesaw; January 19th - Webster County Spelling Bee at Red Cloud; February 6th - No School; and February 7th - ESU-9 Quiz Bowl.  He reported they would begin reviewing the Social Studies curriculum and that they are continuing to look for a custodian.

Discussion:  Mr. Arntt reported enrollment at 102 students.  Last year's seniors were invited back for Alumni Day on December 16th; 7 - 12 students went to Hastings to pack food for Hands & Hearts on December 19th.  They packaged just under 56 thousand meals.  People told him they love having our students come because they are so well mannered and work hard.  7 - 12 students participated in mini-courses at the high school on December 20th.  It went well.  Thank you to Mrs. Heldt for organizing it.  The Silver Lake Holiday Basketball Tournament was held on December 29th & 30th.  Girls finished 2nd and boys finished 4th.  On January 3rd, the previously scheduled teacher-in-service was canceled due to the weather.  Students started their 2nd semester on January 4th.  The Jr/Sr High Music program was held on January 5th.  The High School AR party was today (January 11th).  The ASVAB testing for juniors is set for January 18th and the Webster County Spelling Bee in Red Cloud is set for January 19th (7th & 8th grade to participate).  Mr. Arntt also reported there are 7 seniors who are participating in a work study second semester.

Discussion:  Establish the new membership.  (Current Members are; Todd Bartels, Shaun Fisher, Brian Karr, and Daren Niemeyer) on the Americanism Committee.

The Americanism Committee's first annual meeting will occur fifteen minutes prior to the Silver Lake School Board of Education General Meeting in February with Public Testimony available at that time.  

Discussion:  Susan Karr has completed her Policy 4149 Application for the Silver Lake Public Schools Early Retirement Incentive Program.

Attached is her letter of resignation. 

Discussion:  ESSER III requires that the school have an in-depth and detailed return to school plan in place.  It also requires that we take into account stakeholder input for the return to school plan.  Attached is our plan.  Our plan needs to be reviewed every 6 months.  This is our 6 month review.

Discussion:  Last month Mr. Bauer was offered a two-year contract.  Board members need to set a salary and a due date for a signed contract.  His present salary is $120,000.

Discussion:  Mr. Drake has been offered a one-year contract.  Board members need to set his salary for the 23-24 school year.  Mr. Drake's current salary is $87,000.

Discussion:  Joan Fisher presented ideas for a child care program.  The ideas would require some level of support from the school.  She named other schools who are involved with a daycare program, whether it be renting a room to a non-profit group, or having direct involvement by hiring teachers / paraprofessionals, setting policies and procedures for the program and financing it.  Details such as room rental, square footage, child count, room requirements, meals, finance (grants vs budget authority) were also discussed.  Board members made the recommendation to Mrs. Fisher to come up with a business plan and then consideration would be given to renting an elementary room for the program.  They also recommended approaching or creating a non-profit group that would be able to financially support the venture.

Discussion:  The next regular board of education meeting is set at Silver Lake Elementary in Bladen on Wednesday, February 15 at 7:00 pm.  The Americanism Committee meeting is set at 6:45 pm for committee members.