May 11, 2022 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting
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1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance
Discussion:
President Gould called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM and the Pledge of Allegiance was said.
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2. Motion to Excuse Board Member's Absence
Discussion:
Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Lange to approve the absences of Matt Blanchard and Derek Matulka. RCV 4-0. Motion carried.
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3. Open Meeting Law
Discussion:
The audience was reminded that Open Meeting Laws would be followed.
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4. Consent Agenda
Discussion:
Motion by Lange, second by Burklund to approve the consent agenda as presented including the regular meeting minutes of April 13, 2022; April financial statement; and monthly bills. RCV 4-0. Motion carried.
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4.1. Regular Minutes of April 13, 2022
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4.2. Financial Statement/Report
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4.3. Monthly Bills
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5. Correspondence/Recognition
Discussion:
Congratulations to Mrs. Craig and the Art Club on their successful Art Gallery Event.
Thank you to the PTO's and office staffers, for honoring our teachers during teacher appreciation week with treats and surprises and to the BOE for recognizing the efforts of our office staff with a Charcuterie board. |
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6. Public Forum
Discussion:
Robert Miller addressed the Board regarding a Volunteer Program helping staff.
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7. Reports
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7.1. Facilities Report
Discussion:
Update on facility items:
1. Shingle Roof on Concessions - The winds this year are causing havoc with our shingled roof at the FB field. We have repaired it a couple of times already, replacing shingles, etc. The repairs typically run in the $300-$400 range. Our insurance deductible is $5,000/per incident for wind & hail, so we have not turned any of these incidents into insurance. 2. The RTU over the commons area/kitchen at the Jr/Sr High blew its second compressor this week. We are now replacing both of the compressors in that unit for a cost of about $15,000. We may try to wait until both compressors are here to save money on the labor/installation. It will depend upon the actual timeframe and if we can afford to leave that area unconditioned for that span of time. 3. With the recent rains, we have had two roof leaks that will need to be addressed. One small leak in the Valpariso gym and another leak in the green house at the HS. 4. Summer projects are still being finalized but we have identified the replacement of RTU over the senior wing, concrete work at the stadium, handicap parking, and drain areas as well as replacement sections at the HS, normal painting and cleaning across all buildings, scrub tree/brush clean-up at Ceresco and possibly some at HS, and replace water fountains in competition gym. Jared and I have discussed creating a schedule for furniture updates to one classroom in each building each year. 5. Big Iron Auction sales - Tractor: $3801; $145 Blade Massey; $225 Sprayer $710 Rhino Blade. |
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7.1.1. Presentation of process and timeline for facility review from BVH, architect.
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Discussion:
Cleve Reeves from BVH Architecture presented their timeline on conducting the needs analysis, cost estimating and construction administration of a potential new school facility.
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7.2. Administrative Reports
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Discussion:
Submitted by Allison Stansberry, Jr-Sr High School Principal
On April 13, our Student Leadership Team met from 1:00-3:30. It was an energizing and engaging time spent together. The Student Leadership Team voted to name the group the "Blue Crew Student Leadership Team." They spent time reviewing handbooks, developing a handbook for the group, discussing having a summer retreat/team building, and what is to come. Mr. Placke. Ms. Osten, and I were in awe of our students. It was evident that they are excited about the impact and legacy they can contribute to Raymond Central and have incredible ideas and action steps to get the work going. The team met again on May 3 and reviewed the handbook they created collectively. They have also started collecting feedback from their peers to help drive their goals and help drive goals for staff. Towards the end of the meeting, they organized and helped prepare for incoming 6th grade transition. MTSS Summary - Many of these updates are in prior board reports but here is an overall summary. We have done a lot of work within MTSS this year. We first created a Core MTSS team which consists of the following: Amanda Coufal-Special Education Director; Brian Gralheer-AP/AD; Tasha Osten-School Counselor; Allison Stansberry-Principal; Caitlin Roussan-School Psychologist; and Steve Rose-Data Steward. Our Teacher Leadership Team has also been serving as our MTSS Leadership Team. Those members are all core team members plus Carolyn Enevoldsen, Greg Wilmes, Celia Newman, Andrew Placke, Jen Highstreet, Mike Henderson, John Kliment, and Johanna Jackson. The core team first started by meeting with Kala Peyton from NDE-MTSS to get a plan of action for rollout. She was impressed by the work we had done prior to our first meeting with her. From that meeting we created an MTSS Google Site that will have all resources available in relation to MTSS and will also help for our accreditation visit when the time comes to see all the work and action that has been done. One of the takeaways from that meeting was to rollout Student Problem Teams. We had Kala come and meet with our MTSS Leadership Team and we started rolling out Student Problem Solving Teams. We created the following:
The MTSS Leadership Team will attend MTSS training on June 8-9 at the ESU this summer. There is a 4 day training that needs to be completed while doing the full MTSS implementation and should take about 2-3 years to be at full implementation. The work we have done with our Teacher Performance Framework and Disciplinary Literacy all fall within the Tier 1-Academic framework. These pieces will continue to be an area of focus for the 2022-2023 school year. Our two campus goals for the 2022-2023 school year that are in draft format are as follows: Objective 1: Improve Student Achievement for all students in grades 6-12 or Increase the achievement of all students in grades 6-12 by creating learning environments that engage, challenges, and supports students while promoting independence, respect, and critical thinking.
Objective 2: Ensure a positive culture/climate and ensure safety for all students and staff in grades 6-12
Grading Summary - Per the Fair and Consistent Grading Practices Document, the one thing we went tight on this year is the following: Giving Extra Credit Points will not be acceptable practice and giving bonus points will not be acceptable practice. We have also decided to put a hold on other components of the document as per discussions between staff and administrators as some of our other initiatives such as MTSS and Disciplinary Literacy have taken priority. As some of the initiatives continue to be rolled out, I would recommend that this document start being developed and revamped through collaborative commitments, goals, and research among all staff. Staff Appreciation Week Theme: Saddle Up for Raymond Central High School Wanted: The best in the west teachers and staff at Raymond Central Crime: Putting their hearts into their work and students and forgetting to take time for themselves Reward: A week full of rootin tootin fun and celebration Monday: Breakfast Bonanza: Hats off to you! Enjoy a wild West Breakfast Bonanza. Tuesday: Dynamite Desserts: Head on Down Home to the Teachers Lounge to grab some down home desserts Wednesday: Snack Stampede: Mosey on Down the Trail to munch on a variety of snacks Thursday: Down Home BBQ: Head Down at High Noon for a Down Home BBQ Friday: Head Down to the Local Watering Hole for some rootin tootin root beer floats or lemonade. On May 4, we welcomed our incoming 6th graders (Class of 2029) on campus. Valparaiso came 9:00-10:00 AM and Ceresco came 1:00-2:00PM. Students were divided up into 3 groups and went through rotations. We had our Student Leadership Blue Crew assist with leading these rotations. Students went through the following rotations: Tours; How to make the most out of your time at RC; and Handbook, Activities, etc. Seniors last day was May 9. The Graduation Ceremony will be held on May 14, 2022 at 2:00 PM in the main gym. Following is a list of staff leaving and their replacement at the Jr-Sr High Level: Allison Stansberry: Scott Shepard (Principal) Brian Gralheer: Tony Kobza (AP/AD) Sydney Paige: Riley Haug (7-8 Science) Laura Hill: Josh Karel (Spanish) Nicole Hummel: Megan Aylward (9-12 Science) Keaton Henry: Jacob Staroscik (9-12 Science) Jordan Luke: Abby Rood (Band) Allie Bastian: TBD (Information Technology) Industrial Tech: Elijah Hackbart (Industrial Tech) Senior Shoutouts: Quentin Hayes: Received a Regent Scholarship to UNL Ellianna Lamay: Signed for UNK Cheer and made the honors program Leyla Hilsabeck: Signed for Concordia Cheer Sierra Springer: Signed for Soccer at Concordia Hannah Kile: Signed for Soccer at Concordia Emaree Harris: Signed for Volleyball at Rockhurst University Micah Roubal: Omaha World Herald Academic Honorable Mention +Lincoln Journal Star Class Acts Quentin Hayes: Omaha World Herald Academic Honorable Mention +Lincoln Journal Star Class Acts Hannah Kile: Lincoln Journal Star Class Acts Austin Anderson: Finished in December and went on to basic training. He recently received a promotion. He is now PFC Private First Class. Logan Bryce: Signed with Chadron State College for Wrestling Jaden Merkel: Signing with Peru State for Bowling Submitted by Brian Gralheer, Assistant Jr-Sr High School Principal/Athletic Director With the 2021-2022 school year coming to a close, that also means postseason events are starting up for spring sports.
We are slowly ?lling our co-curricular openings for 2022-23. There are some approvals on the agenda this evening, and continuous conversations with staff members or outside individuals to ?ll the rest. With my tenure here at RC soon coming to an end, I will be sure to work with Mr. Kobza in any transitional needs he may have from both a coaching and AD perspective. I plan on working into June to ensure he has all the tools and resources necessary to hit the ground running in the fall. I sincerely appreciate my time here at RC as I transition myself into the next chapter of my professional career. I have learned a lot and worked with tremendous people. As I look at the team of Mrs. Johnson, Mr. Shepard, Mr. Kobza, and the team of teachers and staff here at RC, great things are sure to come. Submitted by Amanda Coufal, Director of Special Education The special education Targeted Improvement Plan (TIP) has been submitted to NDE and is awaiting review and approval. A huge thank you to Jenifer Highstreet and Caitlin Roussan for taking time out of their busy days to meet, collaborate, look at data, and help create this plan. The Targeted Improvement Plan goal for Raymond Central Public Schools is:
I would like to recognize our special education teachers for the hard work that they have put in this year to help our students with disabilities progress in their IEP goals. As a special education department, we have held 120 MDT and/or IEP meetings (49 at the elementaries and 71 at the middle/high school level). Scheduling meetings, conducting meetings, completing paperwork before, during and after meetings, and completing progress reports quarterly takes a lot of time and effort along with all of their other responsibilities. All of our teachers worked tirelessly to make sure that we were in compliance by meeting deadlines and completing paperwork accurately. Great job to Paige Mestl, Nicole Kliment, Stacey Doan, Andrea Hicks, John Kliment, Jenifer Highstreet, Court Croghan, Rachel Beck, and Caitlin Roussan. Once again, I would like to thank Rachel Beck (SLP) for her work this year. Rachel brought in new ideas, gave a new perspective on how to write IEP goals, provided quality services, and her data collection was top notch. As a first year SLP, Rachel was wise beyond her years and we were fortunate to have her here. We are going to miss her expertise and fun personality but we wish her the best! Submitted by Shelly Dostal, Elementary Principal at Valparaiso/K-5 Curriculum Director Assessment - State Testing (NSCAS Gowth) for grades 3-8 is complete including alternate assessments. Group results will not be released to districts until later this summer or in the fall. Assessment -FastBridge end of year testing (K-5) has been completed. Teachers will review data and make instructional decisions for next year based on the data. All elementary program assessment data is to be turned in to Mrs. Dostal by May 13. Report Cards along with end of year data will be mailed out to families on May 18. Professional Learning - On May 16 teachers will meet for professional development. Topics include: year in review and year preview, to include EIR grant, MTSS with Student Problem Solving Teams, Science of Reading, and Assessment. PLCs will also meet for the last time on May 16 to update their goal status and complete work on curriculum documents. Teachers will also be having transition meetings and complete report cards. Evaluation - All teacher evaluation is complete. The new Teacher Performance and Evaluation Framework and the new TeachBoost system worked pretty well in the first year of implementation. MTSS (Academic/Behavior/SEL) - The teacher leadership team has made good progress this year to develop the MTSS process. The three prongs of the MTSS process are Academic, Behavior, and Social Emotional Learning. For the Academic strand, the elementary buildings are using data for decision making. Screening data is used three times per year with FastBridge. FastBridge is also used for diagnostic data and progress monitoring. Some new interventions from FastBridge were implemented this year in addition to the interventions already in place. WIN (What I Need) time is in place in each classroom; this time is set aside for teachers to focus on interventions and enrichments. In addition, Title I teachers and reading/math support teachers are in place. Other assessment tools are the MAP Growth and NSCAS Growth. The leadership team made the decision to use the NSCAS Growth for 2022-23 and forego the MAP for grades 3, 4, and 5 for the 2022-23 school year. The team decided to implement the MAP Growth for grade 2 only for a fall and spring assessment. Title I teachers were fully trained with LETRS during the 2021-22 school year. SPED teachers will be trained during the 2022-23 school year. Elementary teachers were trained with the new ELA standards and shifts with a brief overview of the Science of Reading. All teachers of reading will be trained in the Science of Reading with Dr. Caryn Ziettlow from ESU2 conducting this professional development during the 2022-23 year. Student Problem Solving Teams are getting started with full implementation planned for the 2022-23 school year. The Behavior branch of MTSS was be put on hold for now. The plan is for the administrative team to be trained with Restorative Practices this summer and then make an action plan. The Social Emotional Learning (SEL) branch of MTSS is a very important component in the elementary school. Many of our students suffered delays with SEL during the pandemic. Helping students in the SEL area continues to be a focus. All students are screened using the SAEBRS. Counselors focus on SEL components during their class rotations as well as small groups and individual counseling based on the screening data. Having a counselor in each building has been beneficial for students and teachers to help address the SEL concerns. The team decided it best to continue this structure for the 2022-23 school year as well as continued emphasis from all staff on SEL with students. Some of these areas are: teaching social skills explicitly, greeting students at the door each day to take a visual read, conducting a status check in classrooms of SEL on a regular basis, offering small group and individual counseling, having a therapist who comes to school to serve students based on need and family preference, monitoring technology and the alerts if concerns are flagged, and using a growth mindset approach to name a few. Some action steps for MTSS as noted above are already in place for the 2022-23 school year. Grading - Most of the work on grading practices was completed at the beginning of the school year. The elementary staff did not spend much energy on grading practices during the 2021-22 school year. Elementary staff agreed to some nonnegotiables with grading prior to the start of 2021-22. First, behavior and grades are to be separate. These learning and life skills are to be keep separate from the grade earned. The elementary report card has a specific section for learning and life skills also. Second, grades are to be based on what the student knows and is able to do. Extra credit is not given for summative assessment. Grades will not be inflated with extra credit. Third, teachers will hold students accountable for late and/or missing work. WIN time may be used to complete the late and/or missing work if the assignment is not completed during class and/or home. The teacher may modify or adjust as needed for learning. Lastly, homework is to be relevant and reasonable. Planning for 2022-2023 -Visitation Day for prospective kindergarteners was held on Friday, May 6. Fifth graders visited the HS building on May 4. Mrs. Stansberry, Mr. Grahleer, Mrs. Osten, and 6th grade teachers facilitated the orientation sessions. We will have a "moving up" time on May 12 at the Valparaiso site when all K-4 students visit the next grade’s classroom. This transition time will assist students as they look forward to the next school year. PTO - The last PTO meeting for the 2021-22 school year was held on May 2. We are thankful for the diligent efforts throughout the year by the PTO to support our students and staff. The Spring Carnival on April 22 was a great success! Thank you to the families for all the treats to celebrate Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week on May 2-6. The last Mustang Dining Out Day will be May 13 with Raymono’s donating a percentage of the day’s sales to the PTO. Officers for 2022-23 include: President-Candace Jindra; Vice President-open; Treasurer-Marcene Sklenar; Secretary-Jeni Vech. We thank the officer team for their leadership! Other happenings at Valparaiso:
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7.3. Student Health Services Report - Nurse Ehlers
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Discussion:
Nurse Amanda Ehlers gave a presentation on accomplishments in the health office this school year including but not limited to state mandated student health screenings, maintenance of student immunization records, data tracking for certain illness and communicable disease prevention, created student health files for all students, provided daily medications and as needed medication, and provided triage care for all who walked through the door.
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7.4. Curriculum Report
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7.4.1. Information on course names, course offerings, and career pathways from Mrs. Osten.
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Discussion:
Tasha Osten presented a report to the Board regarding course names, course offerings, career pathways and connection to Perkins funding.
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7.5. Superintendent's Report
Discussion:
Superintendent Johnson provided a report of the progress of her goals.
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7.5.1. Report on Goals
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7.5.2. NASB Monthly Update
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7.5.3. Update/Summary information on Educators Leading the Profession (ELP) mentoring program
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7.5.4. EIR Grant Update
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7.5.5. Important Upcoming Dates
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7.5.6. Graduation Information and Plans
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7.6. Board Committee Reports
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7.6.1. Committee on American Civics (Breitkreutz-chair, Burklund, Matulka)
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7.6.2. Transportation Committee (Breitkreutz-chair, Lange, Matulka)
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7.6.3. Finance Committee (Blanchard-chair, Breitkreutz, Burklund)
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7.6.4. Facilities Committee (Blanchard-chair, Burklund, Matulka)
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7.6.5. Negotiations Committee (Blanchard-chair, Gould, Lange)
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7.6.6. Curriculum Committee (Gould-chair, Burklund, Lange)
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7.6.7. Policy Committee (Gould-chair, Lange, Matulka)
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7.7. Review Public Forum Presentation(s) - Consider, discuss, and take all necessary action
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8. Old Agenda Items
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8.1. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to amend the 2022-23 school calendar
Discussion:
The calendar is being amended to better facilitate the Science of Reading professional development planned for PK-8 for the 2022-2023 school year. We removed two late start days in February and added one full PD day in February. This reduces the student contact time by a few hours. Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Burklund to amend the 2022-2023 school calendar removing two late starts and adding one full Professional Development Day in February. RCV 4-0. Motion carried.
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9. New Agenda Items
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9.1. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to Approve Staff Resignations
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Discussion:
Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Lange to approve staff resignations of Sydney Paige, 7-8 Science and Allie Bastian, 6-12 Business Teacher pending suitable replacements. RCV 4-0. Motion carried.
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9.2. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to approve Staff Appointments
Discussion:
Motion by Burklund, second by Breitkreutz to approve staff appointments: Deborah Kruse, Elementary Assistant Principal; Riley Haug, Secondary Science Teacher; Aiden Cronin, Valparaiso Paraeducator; Cheri Truax, Ceresco Paraeducator; Joe Oliva, Valparaiso Paraeducator; and Steve Opplinger, Bus Driver. RCV 4-0. Motion carried. Motion by Lange, second by Burklund to approve co-curricular staff appointments: Traci Hummel, Assistant Volleyball; Allison Baker, Assistant Volleyball; Alisha Starner, SH Student Council; Jacob Staroscik, Assistant Cross Country; Bryce Peschel, Assistant Girls Basketball; and Zach Moerer, Assistant Boys Basketball. RCV 4-0. Motion carried.
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9.3. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to add an assistant cheerleading sponsor
Discussion:
Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Gould to approve the addition of an assistant cheerleading sponsor. RCV 4-0. Motion carried.
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9.4. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to Approve Multicultural Reports
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Discussion:
Motion by Burklund, second by Lange to approve the Jr-Sr High, Ceresco and Valparaiso Multicultural Reports as presented. RCV 4-0. Motion carried.
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9.5. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to approve the salary of the Operations Manager
Discussion:
As the committee continues to review compensation packages in an attempt to stay competitive and to attract and retain quality employees, it was noted that when we did negotiations earlier we had overlooked that in this position the number of hours worked weekly and the skilled certifications should play into the compensation package. With this in mind, the committee is recommending a slightly higher salary for this position. The recommendation is to increase this to $62,310.54. Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Lange to approve proposed Operations Manager salary. RCV 4-0. Motion carried.
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9.6. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to approve the substitute teacher rates for the 2022-23 school year
Discussion:
Superintendent Johnson presented the rates being paid by surrounding districts and noted that substitutes have mentioned that we are lower than some of our neighbors. In addition, it has been hard to fill the long term substitute position. These positions require persons to plan, grade, perform all teacher-like duties and merit additional pay. The committee agreed upon a recommendation to the board. Motion by Lange, second by Breitkreutz to approve 2022-2023 substitute pay rates of $155.00 daily, $180.00 (11-19 consecutive days), and $200.00 (20+ consecutive days). RCV 4-0. Motion carried.
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9.7. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to provide District financial support for Career Tech Student Organizations (CTSO) national competitions
Discussion:
Superintendent Johnson shared with the Negotiations Committee the perspective that it doesn’t seem appropriate to ask advisors to give up their time (often summer) to take students on a trip to nationals and not assume some of the responsibility for those costs. We also discussed whether the district should assume some of the responsibility for students to defray their out of pocket expenses. The committee felt that expenses for advisors seemed appropriate but felt that students and the club need to have some responsibility for student costs.
Recommendation from the committee is that the District pay the cost for transportation, conference fees, and lodging (not to exceed $2,000) for the CTSO advisor when supervising students who qualify for a national event through a state qualifying event and the registration fee for qualifying students (not to exceed $2,500 for the event.) Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Burklund to provide District financial support for Career Tech Student Organizations to national competitions including the cost of advisor up to $2,000 and the registration for qualifying students not to exceed $250/individual student (not to exceed $2,500 for the event). RCV 4-0. Motion carried. |
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9.8. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to purchase computers for the HS labs and laptops for the HS art room.
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Discussion:
Keely Schaffer provided rationale for why we need to make this purchase a year ahead of schedule. Current computers are unable to upgrade to Windows 11 and they need to be able to run additional and multiple programs at one time. We believe that we can get a grant to assist with the laptops for the art room so we will wait until June to take action on those laptops. Motion by Lange, second by Burklund to approve the purchase of 54 new computers for the Jr-Sr High computer labs at a cost of $105,708.24. RCV 4-0. Motion carried.
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9.9. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to approve a mechanical bid to install the RTU unit.
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Discussion:
We received solicited bids from four vendors to install the RTU unit that we purchased earlier for over the senior wing of the HS. Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Lange to approve bid from Rasmussen Mechanical for $69,029.00 to install the RTU HVAC unit at the Jr-Sr High School. RCV 4-0. Motion carried.
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9.10. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to approve interim Superintendent's evaluation
Discussion:
Motion by Burklund, second by Lange to approve the evaluation of Interim Superintendent Johnson indicating she has done a remarkable job leading our district. RCV 4-0. Motion carried.
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10. Approval of Next Regular Board Meeting
Discussion:
Motion by Breitkreutz, second by Lange to approve the next regular Board Meeting for Wednesday, June 15, 2022. RCV 4-0. Motion carried.
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11. Adjournment
Discussion:
Motion by Gould, second by Breitkreutz to adjourn the meeting at 7:47 PM. RCV 4-0. Motion carried.
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