January 19, 2026 at 6:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Rationale:  The board needs to adjourn sine die for the purpose of reorganization and appoint Corey Dahl, Administrator, as a temporary chairman. 

Rationale:  The present slate of officers includes:

A.  President - Tim Lambert
B. Vice President - Wende Heckert
C. Secretary - Charles Balsiger
D. Treasurer - Elleah Wiebelhaus
E. Recording Secretary - Elleah Wiebelhaus

Rationale:  The following are last year's committee appointments.  The Board members will want to suggest changes to these committees, act on the changes, and approve the finalized committee.  

ELC Facility: Berryman, Gentrup, Heckert
WLC / Clearwater Facilities: Lambert, Balsiger, Heckert, Jochum
Neligh Facilities: Arehart, Chilcoat, Hild
Budget: Chilcoat, Berryman
Safety: Arehart, Jochum
Negotiations: Lambert, Brewster, Arehart
Vehicle: Arehart, Chilcoat, Hild
Technology: Chilcoat, Gentrup

Rationale:  Recommend keeping the Treasurer's salary at $450.

Rationale:  The Board should designate individuals or organizations to the following positions.  Recommendations are listed after each position. 

A.  Legal Newspaper - Antelope County News
B.  Attorney - Perry Law Firm
C.  Unit Doctor - AMH Family Practice of Neligh
D.  Administrator of all state and federal programs administered by ESU 8 - Corey Dahl
E.  Official Depository - Pinnacle Bank
 

Rationale:  All Educational Service Unit 8 Board Members are requested to read and sign the Code of Ethics document annually.  We will use one copy of our Code of Ethics and get it to each board member for their signature.  A copy is included as an attachment to this agenda.

Rationale:  Members of the public will be permitted to speak at Board meetings. Members of the public may also speak when invited to make a presentation or when recognized by the President.

For all meetings of the Board, individual speakers shall have up to 5 minutes to address the Board, and the Board shall hear up to 30 cumulative minutes of public comment. The Board may vote to modify these time limits when the Board deems appropriate. The President may implement other reasonable requirements for public comment, consistent with the Open Meetings Act.

Members of the public will not be required to have their name placed on the agenda prior to the meeting in order to speak about items on the agenda.

Any member of the public desiring to address the Board shall be required to identify himself or herself, including an address and the name of any organization represented by such person, unless the address requirement is waived to protect the security of the individual.

Speakers will be permitted to address the Board consistent with free speech rights. However, offensive language, defamatory remarks, and hostile conduct will not be tolerated. Further, charges or complaints against employees shall not be made for the first time at a public Board meeting without having followed the school’s complaint procedure.

Rationale:  12/17/25 58371 BankFirst $2,000,000.00
Certificate of Deposit - This is a transfer from our general fund to BankFirst for our new CD with them.

01/20/26 58422 Sparq Data Solutions, Inc. 2,700.00
Sparq Board Meeting Renewal - This is the annual renewal of the digital platform we use for our Board agendas, minutes, and meetings.

Rationale:  Recently, the micro-purchase and simplified acquisition thresholds were updated in the Federal Acquisition Regulations. To ensure compliance with federal grant awards and for upcoming NDE federal desk audits, we are required to update these new federal thresholds in Board Policies 3131 and 3132 (attached).

Rationale:  ESU 8 Para Cynthia Meyer is our first applicant for the Grow Your Own SLP Tuition Reimbursement.  Her application is attached.  Cynthia has her Bachelor's Degree currently.  She has already completed 3 hours of her required 33 hours for her undergraduate.  She is then expecting an additional 50 hours of graduate level hours.