Public Meeting Minutes: October 13, 2025 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance

Discussion:

Board President Desh called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Board President Desh led the board members and patrons in attendance at the meeting in the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Special thanks to our senior social studies students in attendance at the meeting!

2. Announcement of the Open Meetings Act Posting

Discussion:

Board President Desh identified the location of the Open Meetings Act Poster on the wall in the meeting room.
- The changes are reflected in the currently posted materials, revised as of June 2025.
  - Special note: Copies of the updated (2025) Open Meetings Act documents were available at the meeting.

Attachments: (1)

Open Meetings Act Poster. Updated. June 2025

3. Staff and Student Presentations

Discussion:

Mrs. Becky Hall (Teammates Board Member and Retired Elementary School Educator) and Mr. Austin Lahmon (Bennet Elementary School Counselor) presented information about our Teammates program here in the district.
Ms. Linde Walter, Director of Student Services, presented information related to the following student and district programs:
- Special Education, Student Programs, Curriculum, HAL, Title 1, and MAPS Assessments Update.

Attachments: (4)

4. Consent Agenda

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. This motion, made by Dee Moore and seconded by Josh Penterman, Passed.

Busch: Yea
Calfee: Yea
Cheney : Yea
Desh: Yea
Moore: Yea
Penterman: Yea

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

Discussion:

No further discussion.

4.1. Approval of Board Agenda

4.2. Approval of minutes of previous meetings

Attachments: (4)

4.3. Approval of Claims/Payment of Bills and Payroll

Attachments: (5)

4.4. Certificated/Classified Hire(s)/Reassignment(s)/Resignation(s)

4.5. Financial Reports

Attachments: (2)

5. Public Comment

Discussion:

No public comment was presented during the meeting.

6. Administrative Reports

6.1. Superintendent's Report

Discussion:

Superintendent Hart presented information relative to the following areas:

Project Updates:
- PHS Locker Rooms and Restrooms
- Olson Complex
- Bennet Elementary
AI Workshop for Educators: October 27th in Auburn at ESU#4.
- See attached flyer.
Bennet Area "Safe Streets" Update:
- An Open House is scheduled for Tuesday, October 14th, at Bennet Elementary School from 4:30-6:30 p.m. to learn more about this project.
Bennet Early Childhood Center Update
Accessibility For Websites Memo:
- From NDE: October 6th, 2025
  - Please see the attached documents.
Kiewit Luminarium Field Trip Grant:
- Bennet Elementary 2nd graders are planning to visit the Kiewit Luminarium in Omaha later this month.
- Our district has received a grant that will help cover admission and transportation.
- The grant also provides memberships for 20 elementary teachers at Bennet.
Instructional Model Update
NEE Teacher Evaluation Tool Update
Student Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism
- Please see the attached document.
Instructional Model Presentation for Staff:
- See the attached documents for more details.
CTE Newsletter for September 2025 :
- Please see the attached document for more details.
- Congratulations to our outstanding CTE teachers for their contributions to this informative newsletter.
Safety and Security Audit Summary:
- On September 23rd, Lang Safety Consulting conducted our annual required Rule 10 Safety and Security Audit.
- A summary of these reports was shared at the meeting.
NDE Rule 10 Report:
- The NDE District Assurance Statement is due November 1st.
Fall Membership Report Update:
- This report is due to NDE on or before November 1st.
Highway #2 Traffic Safety Project Update:
- NDOT initial design phase has wrapped up on the Palmyra RCUTs.
- NDOT is finishing negotiations/purchase of a few small slivers of land.
- NDOT is on track to start the project in December and begin construction in the spring.
- The contract will be awarded to a contractor in late December /early January.
Community Open Houses:
- We want to schedule other opportunities for our community patrons to visit our schools and see the additions and renovations at both buildings.
- Discussion about possible dates for Open Houses will be communicated later this month through our district website and social media channels.
Trophy Case Artifacts
- Discussion about how to rotate student awards occurred during the meeting.
- This topic will be discussed in more detail at the November 10th regular board meeting.
Superintendent Evaluation Timeline:
- The Nebraska Association of School Boards (NASB) Superintendent Evaluation tool will again be utilized this year. The projected timeline for evaluation is listed below.
  - Friday, October 31st — Thursday. November 6th^:Superintendent completes the self-evaluation
  - Monday. November. 10^th
    - NASB sends the board the superintendent's self-evaluation results.
  - Monday. November 10th -Wednesday. November 19^th:
    - Board members complete their evaluations
  - Monday, December 1st:
    - Final Report & Executive Summary will be emailed and mailed to the board president.
Artificial Intelligence Policy Discussion Update
Student and Staff Kudos
Personnel Update

Attachments: (5)

6.1.1. Strategic Planning Update

Discussion:

An updated multi-year cycle of District Strategic Planning is being considered for the spring of 2026.
More information and discussions are scheduled for future board meetings.
Our current District Goals are listed at the beginning of this board meeting agenda and on our school website at www.districtor1.org

6.2. Administrative Team Report

Discussion: The following topics were discussed and presented during this section of the meeting:

High School Graduation:
- Graduation is Saturday, May 9th, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.
Staff Professional Development:
- The next certified staff work day is scheduled for Thursday, October 16th.
First quarter
- Ends on Friday, October 10th.
Report cards:
- Sent home on Monday, October 20th.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month and Red Ribbon Week.
Fire Safety Week
Nebraska MTSS conference
Bluez Festival
Homecoming
Kindergarten commemorative coin ceremony
Parent-Teacher conferences
Bennet Boosters Book Fair

Attachments: (4)

7. Discussion Items- Committee Reports

Discussion:

Committee reports are designed to summarize committee meetings conducted since the last regular board meeting.

Attachments: (1)

2025 Board Committee Assignments_ District OR.1. Updated and Approved. January 13.2025 (3)

7.1. Budget Committee Update

Discussion:

The 2025-2026 Budget and Tax Request was approved at last month's board meeting.
The district also attended the Joint Public Hearing for Otoe County on Thursday, September 18th, in Syracuse.
The Budget Committee will meet again in November.

Attachments: (2)

7.2. Curriculum, Committee on American Civics

Discussion:

The next meeting of this committee is scheduled for Wednesday, October 15th, 2025, at noon at Palmyra High School.

7.3. Negotiations Committee Update

Discussion:

Committee members provided a summary of the Negotiations Committee meeting that was held on Monday, October 13th, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. at Palmyra High School.
The committee will meet again in October.

7.4. Technology Committee Update

Discussion:

The Technology Committee began meeting this fall to discuss technology usage and effectiveness in the district.
The committee will meet in September, October, and November to discuss progress in this area.
- The first meeting was on Thursday, September 25th.
- The next Technology Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 22nd.
A board report of the committee meetings and summary will be presented at the December board meeting.

Attachments: (1)

Policy #6288. Artificial Intelligence. Updated.July 10.2023.docx

8. Transportation and Facilities Committee

Discussion:

The next Transportation and Facilities Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. at Palmyra Junior/ Senior High School.

9. Policy Review

Discussion:

The Policy Committee will meet again before the November 10th regular board meeting.
Series 6000 (Instruction) and Series 7000 (New Construction) will be reviewed at the Monday, November 10th regular board meeting.

Attachments: (1)

DISTRICT OR-1 POLICY REVIEW SCHEDULE_ 2025.Updated. January 13.2025

10. Action Items

11. Discuss, consider, and take action to appoint one Board member to serve as our district voting delegate at the Nebraska Association of School Board's Assembly Delegate coming up on Friday, November 21st, 2025 at the State Education Conference in Omaha.

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion to appoint Board Member Brandon Desh as Voting Delegate for the 2025 State Education Conference. This motion, made by Tim Cheney and seconded by Jaimi Calfee, Passed.

Busch: Yea
Calfee: Yea
Cheney : Yea
Desh: Yea
Moore: Yea
Penterman: Yea

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

Discussion:

Brandon Desh was selected as the district voting delegate for the State Education Conference in November.

Attachments: (1)

NASB State Conference Flyer 2025

12. Board of Education Development

Discussion:

Board members interested in attending the State Education Conference should contact Mr. Hart as soon as possible.
No further discussion.

Attachments: (2)

13. Closed Session

Discussion:

No closed session is scheduled for this meeting.

14. Topics for Next Month’s Agenda

Discussion:

The next regular board meeting is Monday, November 10th, at Palmyra Junior Senior High School, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the media center.
No further discussion.

15. Adjournment

Discussion:

The meeting was adjourned at: 7:58 p.m.

October 13, 2025 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

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