March 12, 2025 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Discussion:       Vice President Heyen called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM and the Pledge of Allegiance was said. 

Discussion:       The audience was reminded that the Nebraska Open Meetings Law would be followed.

Discussion:       Motion by Lange, second by Benes to approve the absence of Cathy Burklund and Derek Matulka.  RCV 4-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Benes, second by Lange to approve the consent agenda as presented including the regular meeting minutes of February 12, 2025; February financial statement; monthly bills; and substitute teachers: Kiley Arlt, Maryn Brown and Mark Peer.  RCV 4-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Winners from the Scholastic Art & Writing Competition were:  Savanna Benes, Millie Burton, Aliviah Ceja, Johanna Leibel, Dawson Donahue, Makenna Hellerich, Wren Houchin, Serenity Johnson, Zaylee Kring, Taya Parker, Kinsley Seuferer.  All pieces will be transported and displayed in Omaha.  Kinsley Seuferer had two artworks accepted into The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) K-12 Exhibition.  
     Superintendent Hanson shared a letter that was received from Boarders Inn & Suites in Grand Island indicating that our staff and students that attended the 2025 NE State Cheer & Dance Competition were very courteous and respectful and it was much appreciated.

Discussion:       Tony Kobza gave a presentation on the Raymond Central Community Foundation More Than A Field Project.

Discussion:       Chris Dickey addressed the Board recognizing the positive impact that Mrs. Nierman, Mr. Ochsner and our Fine Arts programs have had on his children.

Discussion:  Submitted by Troy Lurz, Jr-Sr High School Principal
     Professional Development/Learning: The staff met on Friday, March 7. Our focus continues to be the tenets associated with our 6 Phase Model being led by Deb Kruse and the learning team. This session extended the growing understanding of the learning targets by focusing on Success Criteria. This is truly where we start seeing how students demonstrate that they are beginning to understand or even master learning goals. Once known, teachers can then adjust instruction to address the four questions:

1. What do we want our students to know and be able to do?
2. How do we know they have mastered what we want them to know?
3. How do we respond when they struggle to learn it?
4. How do we respond when they already know it?

This truly is a roadmap to meeting our students where they are at academically and  a process in working to help see them grow.
     Success Criteria: We will begin looking for evidence that students can explain or demonstrate how they know the concepts alluded to in the learning targets. This will be information we collect formally and informally while we observe student-teacher/teacher-student interactions in the classrooms. As we continue to work with our instructional model, this process will continue to grow in practice. We are excited to see the results once it has taken root and embedded practice begins to come to fruition.
     Achievement Scores and Testing: No further updates as we build a schedule for assessment. Testing season is quickly approaching.
     Decision-Making Matrix: The Structures subcommittee vetted an additional item through the process last Friday. The decision making matrix continues to work as designed and intended. IF they choose to truly participate, staff have a voice and a vehicle to be heard. This system, designed to be anchored with a "Will of the Group" mentality, is helping to support collaborative efforts we hope to foster and grow in our school/district. It is the job of the administration to protect the process as we continue to work with the structure and potentially tweak the design to further fit our needs.
     Counseling/ACT/Senior Experience/Scholarships (Tasha):
Scheduling season has started. All grade levels will be turning in their personal learning plans on March 18th or 19th. The final Scholarship Saturday has ended. We had 14 students for the first and 6 for the second. I was pleased with these numbers because the end of Feb and early March are very busy times of the year. We had another successful Dual Credit Night with reps from Bryan College of Health Sciences, UNL including someone from high ability and honors programs, Doane University, and Mr. S from SCC who comes out almost weekly to check on our dual enrollment students. These representatives are incredibly knowledgeable and help lead this event which included about 70 students and parents. ACT day is getting rolling. This year we are changing it up a bit, 6th and 7th will be visiting SAC Museum, 8th is going on a college visit to UNL, 9th grade is heading to Fremont to visit Metro CC and Midland, 10th grade will take the PreACT then travel to Concordia University, 11th grade will take the ACT, and seniors have the opportunity to schedule any remaining college visits, job shadows, or get ready for graduation.
     Evaluation Update: We are on-track and nearing completion of the evaluations at the JH/High School. We have completed evaluations on all but six of the certified staff at the high school regardless of the three year rotation. Only teachers on the T-1 (year one of the cycle) and T-2 (year two of the cycle) tracks have not been evaluated. T-3 (year three of the cycle) track staff and non-tenured staff have been evaluated. We also chose to evaluate an entire content area as well regardless of the tenure track. It is my estimation that the staff we have evaluated have received high quality and timely feedback. The process has been meaningful. It is a further estimation that we have both validated the work they are doing and have offered reflective thoughts, sentiments, and ideas for consideration. The administration thanks the staff for the productive conversations. These were candid, open, and professional  discussions.
     Staffing: We will begin the process of interviewing for a social studies position at the HS next week. We have a great pool of teaching candidates to choose from. It is always exciting when you have so many quality people that want to be part of your school and educational family. We will enjoy the conversations and anticipate a productive outcome to filling our social studies opening.
     JH Student Council: The Junior High world has slowed down quite a bit. This month students put together a basket for the Open House Fundraiser for the Hudson Family. They decided on a Family Game Night theme and provided a variety of card games, board games, and snacks.
     Agricultural Education/FFA: Last Friday was the FFA Fish Fry at the High School. Thank you to all who have helped or are helping in the future! District CDE’s were postponed from 3/4 to 3/11, so we went to Columbus yesterday to compete in welding, vet science, and meat evaluation. At the end of February, we celebrated FFA week by having dress up days, a petting zoo, and "drive your tractor to school" day. We have our Labor and Article Auction this Friday March 14th starting at 6.  We have qualified many teams for State FFA so far this year, which will be held April 2-4. 
     School Improvement: On-going work with the instructional model is systemic and fits into our goals. As we develop the system further, we will be able to compare where we are to where we are intending to go. This will show up in classroom practice and in achievement scores.
     FBLA: Our members are preparing for the Nebraska FBLA State Leadership Conference, which will take place April 10-12 in Kearney. This year, we are taking eight high school members and five middle school members to compete in a variety of events, including objective tests, presentations, role-plays, and skill-based competitions. Students will also have the opportunity to attend leadership workshops, network with peers from across the state, and engage in activities that enhance their business and leadership skills. We are excited for our students to showcase their hard work and represent Raymond Central at the state level.

Submitted by Tony Kobza, Asst Jr-Sr High School Principal/Athletic Director
Athletics
     Spring Season has begun. Congrats to our Winter Season participants including:

• Wyatt Jelinek - 4th Place State Wrestling
• Girls Basketball - District Runner-Up
• Cheer and Dance - Academic Excellence Awards

Activities
     FBLA: FBLA Craft Fair Saturday, March 29 from 10:30am to 3:00pm - includes five student-run booths as part of the event.  Facebook Event - https://www.facebook.com/events/1099014851899502/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[]%7D
FBLA Newsletter
     Speech: The Central Players hit the ground running this month with a spectacular win at the Elmwood Murdock Silver Sword Invite. We have Bellevue West, Grand Island Central Catholic, Conference, and Lincoln East to finish out the month. We're hoping to maintain that momentum!
     Play Production: The drama program is beginning the spring musical! Students are rehearsing for the Addams Family, which will be performed May 2-4. We are so excited to begin putting this show together with students in grades 6-12, both on and offstage!
     Band: The HS band had great success with pep band this year, and really appreciate the crowd's support. I'm glad the HS band and a few JH students were able to travel to North Bend to support the team! Thank you to all the parent and staff support!
     We have a busy March with the following events:

• Nebraska Capital Conference HS Honor Band - March 10 in Conestoga. (7 students attending)
• Junior High Malcolm Music Contest: 6th, 7th, and 8th grade bands performing on March 21
• Nebraska Wesleyan Middle School Honor Band - March 22. (5 students attending)
• HS Class B All State Jazz Band - March 29 in Grand Island. (2 students attending)
• Bishop Neumann Junior High Solo / Small Group Contest: April 5 (8 students performing)

     Quiz Bowl: The Quiz Bowl team has a busy spring ahead. We will be attending the Conference Quiz Bowl in Yutan on March 18, the ESU Quiz Bowl tournament on March 24 in West Point, and a tournament in Seward on April 2. The school will also be sending a team to the National tournament in Chicago at the end of April. Students attending this tournament qualified back in November for a spot. Team members include Sarah Lange, James Liu, Liam Tvrdy, Drew Tice, and Sophia Burt.
     Art Club: We had some AMAZING results for this month's art students! We had 27 get accepted into the State Scholastic competition this year, I will attach the slideshow. For the first time I was able to submit some ceramic student work into the National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition Foundation and we had Kinsley Seuferer have 2 pieces accepted!!! This is a HUGE deal! There were 1032 total entries, across multiple states with only 150 pieces of work accepted.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1puKYkT9032nmeVYaz5Vc6Yp3TdeFi5tAFRPuKEWBsoI/edit#slide=id.g32c2d69315b_0_611
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1IwXTv1-l_0-KOe2qMJPSHNoCWoif4rVMIxwc0W5CDBs/edit#slide=id.g330454907e8_0_620

Submitted by Elementary Principals Steve Rose and Deb Kruse
Math Adoption

• • Over the past several weeks, teachers have piloted iReady and Reveal Math materials.  Teachers have gained a comprehensive understanding of their instructional methodologies. 
  • On March 7, the ESU facilitated a session to guide us through the decision making process for adopting new math materials.  This session was instrumental in helping us evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each curriculum. 
  • After a decision has been made, we will initiate discussions with vendors to finalize pricing, order materials, and arrange training sessions for the new program.

Professional Learning

• • On March 7, teachers participated in another professional learning session on the instructional model.  In the last session, learning targets were emphasized and teachers had the opportunity to create them with peer support.  In this session, teachers gained an understanding of the importance of success criteria and how it relates to the learning target.  The learning target tells students what they should know and be able to do by the end of class and the success criteria tells students how they will demonstrate mastery. During this session, teachers had the opportunity to practice writing success criteria for an upcoming lesson with the support of peers and administrators. 

School Improvement

• • Teachers recently participated in a data dig looking at 4 data sets:  student learning, perceptions, demographics, and school processes and systems.  For each set of data, teachers found strengths, challenges and brainstormed implications.  We compiled this analysis to create a school profile. 
  • The elementary teachers were to meet on the next steps in our School Improvement Process on March 5.  This meeting will be rescheduled due to the snow day. 
    • Next Steps:
      • Create school wide reading goal
      • Analyze grade level reading data
      • Look across data sets and ask questions
      • Cause Analysis
      • Grade level reading goals that will feed into school wide goal

• • Additionally, we will be adopting a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) goal. This goal will be informed by our school climate and culture surveys, as well as our district-wide expectations. By integrating SEL into our improvement process, we aim to foster a supportive and inclusive environment that promotes the well-being and academic success of all students.
  • The teacher leadership team, which also serves as our school improvement team, will evaluate which processes and programs are currently effective, which need to be adapted or discontinued, and which new initiatives should be implemented to help us reach our goal.  The team will periodically review data and the strategies in the plan to see if we are making progress. 

Next steps for adoption of new Elementary Report Card

• • Teachers on the Report Card Committee will pilot the new report card for the 4th quarter.
  • Engage students and parents in feedback.
  • PD for teachers and communication to parents in the fall of 2025 for use during the 2025-2026 school year.

Submitted by Amanda Coufal, Director of Special Education
Legislative Conference:
     On February 27-28, Andrea Hicks, Caitlin Roussan, Clair Turman and myself attended the NASES Legislative Conference in Lincoln.  Before the conference, we had the opportunity to tour the Project Search program, guided by one of our students currently enrolled in it.  It was a great experience to see firsthand the rotations she is working through and the valuable skills she is gaining from this transition program.
     During the conference, we learned about various legislative bills to monitor, including those related to option enrollment, cell phones and accommodations, special education transportation, the withholding of state funding, etc.  We then participated in roundtable discussions on key topics such as homebound placements, new early childhood documents, high-quality MDTs, programs at Munroe-Meyer Institute, dyslexia reporting, and the Nebraska Youth Leadership Council - where one of our students is actively participating.
     On Friday, NDE presented on the NE Literacy Project and the Reading Improvement Act.  They discussed how students need to receive reading instruction from their classroom teachers as they are the experts.  Special education teachers support the students and their learning.  NDE shared data on how 4th grade students are performing on the NSCAS reading assessment.  There is an increase of students proficiency rate in every disability category; however, Specific Learning Disabled students are the lowest performing group and we need to find out why.
Indicator 13 Training:
On Friday, March 7th the middle school and high school special education teachers participated in the Indicator 13 Corrective Action Plan Training.  The objectives of the training were:

• What Indicator 13 is and how it connects to student IEPs in the area of transition planning
• Understand the components of creating a meaningful transition plan with students with IEPs that are age 14 or older.
• How to complete the Indicator 13 checklist to make sure that we are in compliance with transition plan requirements.
• How to tie annual IEP goal(s) to the student’s postsecondary goal.
• Make sure that transition services and/or activities are linked within the transition plan.

We had  great discussions during our time together, leading to a deeper understanding of the  indicator compliance areas.

Submitted by Breanne Poston, Asst Jr-Sr High School Principal/Preschool Director
     Preschool loves to play and all the benefits of an early childhood education program are highlighted right here within our Raymond Central three and four-year-old classrooms!
     With Mrs. Megan’s leave starting at the end of last month, Mrs. Dianne jumped right in to join the PK team and she is loving her time with our youngest learners. We are excited and grateful she’s here!
     As expected, PK4 is rockin’ and rollin’ through learning in style. Mrs. Ariel and team are turning up the tunes and amping up learning because Kindergarten is right around the corner. Additionally, the four year old classroom is soaking up school day time working with high school students enrolled in Mrs. Parks’ classes...

• morning activities with Early Childhood Education
• monster making with Apparel Production & Construction
• cookie creations with Baking & Pastry

It’s a WIN-WIN!!
     There is so much goodness ahead including our 2025-2026 Preschool Roundup, which is officially less than a month away now and what a great day it will be for the PK world! The preschool team cannot wait to spend time with students as they visit the classroom, make friends, learn to play, and play to learn on Friday, April 11. Registration deadline is March 21. We look forward to this incredibly fun day!

 

Discussion:       Elementary Update: Elementary students will be released two days prior to secondary schools for the summer. This will provide elementary teachers with two full days to pack up their classrooms.
     Community Vision Committee Update: We currently have five community members/parents who have expressed interest.  Flyers have been posted at the Post Office in each community, on the Ceresco Bank Announcement Board and put it out on social media. Information will also available at Parent Teacher Conferences. 
     Option Enrollment: Current option enrollment numbers show a positive net option of 3.

Discussion:       Zach Moerer and Jacqueline Harnisch were approved as substitute paras.

Discussion:       The Safety Committee met on February 27.  We solidified some changes that will be recommended to the Raymond Central Safety Plan and reviewed the reunification process. 
     Jay Martin, NDE School Safety & Security Director, will be here Wednesday, April 9 to present The Effects of Digital Media on Our Youth at 2:00 PM.

Discussion:       Summer projects are being scheduled.
     Our crew has done a great job with snow removal and making sure that our buildings are ready to go after the winter weather we have experienced.

Discussion:       Motion by Lange, second by Benes to approve the quote from Bockmann Inc for asbestos removal/disposal in Valparaiso at a cost of $16,700.00.  RCV 4-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Heyen, second by Lange to approve the proposal from Midwest Floor Covering for carpet installation in Valparaiso at a cost of $62,380.00.  RCV 4-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       Motion by Lange, second by Wiig to approve the payment of $40,000.00 to Pruss Excavation using donations made for the benefit of the More Than A Field project.  We followed guidance from our auditor and the NDE on how to code and provide these funds for the project.  RCV 4-0.  Motion carried.

Discussion:       The next regular Board of Education Meeting will be held Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

Discussion:       Motion by Matulka, second by Lange to adjourn the meeting at 7:14 PM.  RCV 4-0.  Motion carried.