Public Meeting Minutes: January 12, 2026 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

1. Call to Order

2. Roll Call

3. Notification of Open Meetings Law

4. Pledge of Allegiance

5. Reorganization of the Board of Education

5.1. Nomination and Election of Board President

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion for Casey Meyer as president. Levi Gosnell votes yea Passed with a motion by Monica Breinig and a second by Samantha DeStefano.

Robyn Huffman: Absent
Monica Breinig: Yea
Samantha DeStefano: Yea
Mr. Casey Meyer: Yea
Shaun Pagel: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

5.2. Nomination and Election of Board Vice President

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Nominate Robyn Huffman for vice-president. Levi Gosnell votes yea. Passed with a motion by Monica Breinig and a second by Shaun Pagel.

Robyn Huffman: Absent
Monica Breinig: Yea
Samantha DeStefano: Yea
Mr. Casey Meyer: Yea
Shaun Pagel: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

5.3. Nomination and Election of Board Secretary

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion for Monica Breinig as board secretary. Levi Gosnell votes yea Passed with a motion by Samantha DeStefano and a second by Mr. Casey Meyer.

Robyn Huffman: Absent
Monica Breinig: Abstain (With Conflict)
Samantha DeStefano: Yea
Mr. Casey Meyer: Yea
Shaun Pagel: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

5.4. Nomination and Election of Board Treasurer

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Shaun Pagel for treasurer. Levi Gosnell votes yea Passed with a motion by Samantha DeStefano and a second by Monica Breinig.

Robyn Huffman: Absent
Monica Breinig: Yea
Samantha DeStefano: Yea
Mr. Casey Meyer: Yea
Shaun Pagel: Abstain (With Conflict)

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

6. Committee Assignments

Discussion: Mr. Meyer led discussion on committees. All members agreed to keep committee assignments the same as last year

7. Board Member Oath of Office

Discussion: All board members present signed a copy of the oath of office according to board policy 2004

8. Guest Comments

9. Correspondence/Announcements

Discussion: Mr. McMurtry announced that there is no school on Monday, January 19th. The next board meeting will be February 9th

10. Reports and Discussion

10.1. ACT and College Credit

Discussion: Mrs. Mau provided a presentation on the ACT, Pre ACT and dual credit courses being taken in Maxwell. All freshman and sophomore are taking the Pre ACT twice a year. All juniors are taking the ACT. Data is compiled and evaluated. Over 30 students at Maxwell are currently acquiring college credit through coursework. Mid Plains has made coursework free for all high school students. Mr. McMurtry noted that Mr. Reed is currently pursuing his masters degree so that he can offer dual credit American History at Maxwell in the near future.

10.2. Financial Report

Discussion: Mrs. Bailey provided the financial report. She noted that the bond payment was taken out of the wrong fund and will be reimbursed and charged to the appropriate fund. She also noted that due to BCBS billing policies, she must expense an additional $100,000 to cover that payment for the next month. The general fund generated over $3,000 in interest this month. There were many checks in the activity fund this month as it has been extremely busy.

10.3. Administrator Report

Discussion: Mrs. Lucas provided the attached report on behalf of administration.

10.4. Building and Grounds Report

Discussion: Mr. McMurtry provided this report on behalf of maintenance director Jason Sommer.

First off on behalf of all the drivers we would like to thank you for the generous increase of transportation pay. It is greatly appreciated.
With that being said we are off and running in the crazy time of year called winter sports season! Vehicles are headed in every direction 4-6 days a week. It's nice to not have to drive out of town to fuel anymore. Sounds like Ranchland will be closed this Thursday for the new owners to finally sign papers and take over completely.
Building wise things are running well. We are getting a gas smell in the weight room some mornings. I have narrowed it down to the water heaters in the hallway. They are 26 years old and are not vented the best. I had Chad come and look over the situation and to give us a bid on new equipment. I am hoping to be able to use on demand water heaters due to the fact these particular water heaters only get used after home games by the opponents.
One of the ovens broke down in the kitchen. I was able to order parts over break and get it up and running again.
The HS route bus has an oil leak and was looked at last month. Performance truck had to order parts to repair the issue.
I will go ahead and say it just because we need the moisture. It has been nice to not have to push a bunch of snow this winter and also deal with slick roads.
Mr. McMurtry and I will be getting the old van up for bid again and hopefully be able to have that removed off our lot by the next board meeting.

10.5. Superintendent Report

Discussion: Mr. McMurtry provided the following report:

Unicameral under way
- Last day to introduce a bill is January 21st
- AM 1701
  - Must accept siblings of option students already enrolled; regardless of capacity limits
  - Adds violent behavior to the k-2 suspension/expulsion allowances
  - Added requirements for short term and long term suspension for schools
Commissioner’s Council on January 22nd
- May try to go to the session on January 21st
Staffing
- Contracts are out
- Teachers can sign by January 15th and receive the $400 stipend
  - This has been fantastic and well worth the investment for the district
- We know that we need a 6th grade teacher and a title teacher (internal interest)
  - We are looking at creative ways to fill the 6th grade position
Speech pathologist
- Currently subcontract with Hershey
- Hershey is bringing her on full time next year
External Visit
- Data due to external team by the 28th
- Schedule
- Interested parties to meet with the team
  - Could be board member or parent group (if applicable)
- Meeting with staff to talk about it for the first time collectively
  - Kept them intentionally absent from the process
  - Allow them to focus on instruction and not let this burden them
  - Our goal is to be authentic and get impactful feedback from the team
Election cycle
- Levi Samantha and Monica

10.6. 2026 - 2027 School Calendar 1st Viewing

Discussion: The 1st draft of the calendar was presented to the board for 2026-2027. Mr. McMurtry asked them to take a look and see if they see any issues. The calendar will be presented to staff members on Wednesday and suggestions will be taken. The day off in October was moved to April as Halloween falls on a weekend next year. Mr. McMurtry noted that the teachers really appreciated using a day after Halloween and avoiding kids at school. Mr. McMurtry noted that a final calendar will be presented in February

10.7. Superintendent Evaluation

Discussion: Mr. Meyer sent the evaluation to Mr. McMurtry. The board told Mr. McMurtry to review it and any discussion can happen in February at the meeting. All board members were complimentary of the new system being used through KSB. They thought it was more thorough and a simpler process. The collaborated responses were appreciated.

11. Consent Agenda

Recommended Motion(s): Motion to approve the Consent Agenda as presented Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Levi Gosnell votes yea Passed with a motion by Shaun Pagel and a second by Samantha DeStefano.

Robyn Huffman: Absent
Monica Breinig: Yea
Samantha DeStefano: Yea
Mr. Casey Meyer: Yea
Shaun Pagel: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

11.1. Consider Minutes from Previous Meeting

11.2. Consider Disbursements and Expenses

12. Action Items

12.1. Approve the resignation of Roxie Heessel at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Approve the resignation of Roxie Heessel at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. Levi Gosnell votes no. Passed with a motion by Mr. Casey Meyer and a second by Shaun Pagel.

Robyn Huffman: Absent
Monica Breinig: Yea
Samantha DeStefano: Yea
Mr. Casey Meyer: Yea
Shaun Pagel: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

12.2. Appoint Mr. McMurtry as the non-discrimination compliance coordinator

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Appoint Mr. McMurtry as the non-discrimination compliance coordinator. Levi Gosnell votes yea Passed with a motion by Shaun Pagel and a second by Monica Breinig.

Robyn Huffman: Absent
Monica Breinig: Yea
Samantha DeStefano: Yea
Mr. Casey Meyer: Yea
Shaun Pagel: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

12.3. Appoint Mr. Feeney as the Title IX compliance coordinator

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Appoint Mr. Feeney as the Title IX compliance coordinator. Levi Gosnell votes yea. Passed with a motion by Samantha DeStefano and a second by Shaun Pagel.

Robyn Huffman: Absent
Monica Breinig: Yea
Samantha DeStefano: Yea
Mr. Casey Meyer: Yea
Shaun Pagel: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

12.4. Appoint KSB as the official legal council for Maxwell Public Schools

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Appoint KSB as the official legal council for Maxwell Public Schools. Levi Gosnell votes yea Passed with a motion by Mr. Casey Meyer and a second by Samantha DeStefano.

Robyn Huffman: Absent
Monica Breinig: Yea
Samantha DeStefano: Yea
Mr. Casey Meyer: Yea
Shaun Pagel: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

12.5. Designate North Platte Telegraph as the official newspaper of record

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Designate North Platte Telegraph as the official newspaper of record. Levi Gosnell votes yea Passed with a motion by Monica Breinig and a second by Samantha DeStefano.

Robyn Huffman: Absent
Monica Breinig: Yea
Samantha DeStefano: Yea
Mr. Casey Meyer: Yea
Shaun Pagel: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

12.6. Designate Nebraskaland Bank as the official depository

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Designate Nebraskaland Bank as the official depository. Levi Gosnell votes yea Passed with a motion by Shaun Pagel and a second by Samantha DeStefano.

Robyn Huffman: Absent
Monica Breinig: Yea
Samantha DeStefano: Yea
Mr. Casey Meyer: Yea
Shaun Pagel: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

13. Adjournment

Recommended Motion(s): Motion to adjourn meeting Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion to adjourn meeting at 8:05pm. Levi Gosnell votes yea Passed with a motion by Shaun Pagel and a second by Samantha DeStefano.

Robyn Huffman: Absent
Monica Breinig: Yea
Samantha DeStefano: Yea
Mr. Casey Meyer: Yea
Shaun Pagel: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

January 12, 2026 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Web Viewer