March 18, 2024 at 6:00 PM - Omaha Public Schools Board of Education and Educational Service Unit 19 Board Meeting
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A. OPS Board Of Education Information
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Notice to visitors: If you wish to speak, please obtain a “Request to be Heard” form from the entry table and return the completed form to the table attendant or the Board of Education Director. The agenda will be kept current and available for public inspection in the office of the Secretary of the Board of Education at the Administrative Building during regular working hours. |
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B. Call to Order
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C. Pledge of Allegiance
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D. OPS Vision and Mission Statement
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The Vision: Every Student. Every Day. Prepared for Success.
The Mission: To prepare all students for success in college, career, and life. |
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E. Roll Call
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E.1. Excused/Unexcused Absence
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F. Board and Superintendent Communications
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F.1. Superintendent
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F.2. Board Members
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G. Public Comment and Recognition
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H. Consent Agenda
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At this time, any Board member may request that any item in the consent agenda be removed from the consent agenda and be considered and voted on separately.
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H.1. Reading of Minutes
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H.1.a. Monday, Mach 4, 2024 - Regular Meeting
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H.2. Approval of Amendment No. 006 to the Agreement with McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. – Bluestem Middle School Project – 2018 Bond Program ($143,910.00)
Rationale:
FUND: 42 - 2018 Bond Program Proceeds Fund
PROGRAM: 2591 - Building & Grounds DEPT: 8860020 - Bluestem Middle School Facilities PROJECT: 321518 - Bluestem Middle School Project SUPPLIER: McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. POLICY: 7003, F.3. AMOUNT: $143,910.00 Pursuant to Policy 7003, F.3., Administration and Jacobs recommend approval of Amendment No. 006, which includes installing an Emergency Responder Radio Coverage System required per the International Fire Code Section 510, Edition 2021 for the Bluestem Middle School Project for a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) of $143,910.00. The Board approved the CMR Agreement with McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. on January 6, 2020, GMP Amendment No. 001 on November 16, 2020, GMP Amendment No. 002 on February 18, 2021, GMP Amendment No. 003 on April 19, 2021, GMP Amendment No. 004 on August 16, 2021, GMP Amendment No. 005 on October 18, 2021, Change Order No.001 on April 3, 2023 and Change Order No. 002 on December 13, 2023. GMP Amendment No. 006 brings the current value of the CMR Agreement to a total amount of $43,077,747.00.
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H.3. Approval of Appointments to the Friends of KIOS Board of Directors
Rationale:
Articles of Incorporation for the Friends of KIOS, and Friends of KIOS Bylaws require the Omaha Public Schools Board of Education to approve, by a majority vote, the appointment of Friends of KIOS board members. Articles of Incorporation outline that the five-member board shall consist of one Board of Education member, one Omaha Public Schools staff member, and three community members. The staff and Board of Education representative will be appointed annually, and community members appointed to a three-year term. Nominees include Dr. Shavonna Holman (Board of Education representative), Susan Christopherson (staff representative), Jo Giles (community representative, Women’s Fund of Omaha Executive Director), Carrie Murphy (community representative, City of Omaha Deputy Chief of Staff), and Michael Sigmond (community member, Sigmond Financial Management of Raymond James Advisor).
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H.4. Approval to Award Bid No. 24-035 to Woodman Electrical Contractors (Doing Business As Woodman Controls Company) for the OPS Niagara N4 Supervisor Software Integration at Multiple Buildings, Summer 2024 ($106,852.00)
Rationale:
FUND: 1 & 175 General Fund reimbursed by Covid Federal Grants
PROGRAM: 2620 Maintenance School/District Buildings PROJECT: 499286 Tracer 100 Upgrades DEPT. ID: 7166600 Schoolhouse Planning SUPPLIER: Woodman Electrical Contractors, dba Woodman Controls Company POLICIES: 7000, III.K, 7000, VII.A, 7000, VII.D AMOUNT: $106,852.00 Administration and Jacobs recommend approval to award Bid No. 24-035 to Woodman Electrical Contractors, Doing Business (dba) As Woodman Controls Company, for the OPS Niagara N4 Supervisor Software Integration at Ashland-Park Robbins Elementary, Bancroft Elementary, Central Park Elementary, Dundee Elementary, Minne Lusa Elementary, Pawnee Elementary, Prairie Wind Elementary, Skinner Elementary, and Monroe Middle Schools. The work will include the integration of all Tridium Niagara JACE hardware that was installed under the bid titled OPS Multiple Sites HVAC Controls Modernization, OPS Bid No. 23-046, into the OPS Niagara N4 Front End Server. Integration shall follow the District’s Niagara N4 software platform standards, including all required graphics, controls mapping, status, and set points for a complete operational system. The District received (4) bid responses. Engineered Controls, Inc. and McCarthy Building Companies were determined to be non-compliant, as the bid bonds received did not have the proper authorized signatures required and were not valid. Therefore, Administration and Jacobs recommend approval to award Bid No. 24-035 to Woodman Controls Company, the responsible offeror whose proposal is most advantageous to the District with price and other factors considered. This purchase is in alignment with Pillar 3-Infrastructure for the Future and will be reimbursed by Fund 175, COVID Federal Grants. The total price awarded is $106,852.00. Bids received were:
For complete bid documentation, contact George.Killian@ops.org.
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H.5. Approval to Award Bid No. 24-037 to Cornhusker International Trucks for Two (2) New and Unused Cargo Trucks with Lift Gates ($259,990.00)
Rationale:
FUND: 4070 Depreciation Fund
PROGRAM: 2510 Business Support Services DEPT: 7062100 Accounting & Finance SUPPLIER: 6519 Cornhusker International Trucks POLICY: 7000, VII. D AMOUNT: $259,990.00 Administration recommends approval to award Bid No. 24-037 to Cornhusker International Trucks for the purchase of two (2) New and Unused Cargo Trucks with Lift Gates. These trucks are for Distribution and Supply and will be used to transport supplies for students and staff throughout the District.
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H.6. Approval to Award Proposal No. P014-23 to McGraw-Hill for Inspire Science Textbooks with Online Access and Resources and the Attached Contracts and Data Protection Agreements to be used in the District’s K-5 Science Textbook Purchase for the 2024-2025 through 2030-2031 School Years ($6,557,892.10)
Rationale:
FUND: 1 & 175 General Fund reimbursed by Covid Federal Grants
PROGRAM: 1100 Regular Instruction DEPT: 7192010 Elementary Education Administration PROJECT: 499253, ESSER III SUPPLIER: McGraw-Hill POLICIES: 7000, III. K, 7000, VII.A., 6121 AMOUNT: $6,557,892.10 Administration recommends approval of the attached Agreement with McGraw Hill to purchase Inspire Science textbooks with online access which will support its K-5 Science curriculum for the 2024-25 through 2030-31 school years. The District undertook a systematic review of its K-5 Science textbooks. As part of that process, the District issued Request for Proposal P014-23 for grades K-5. Following the initial review of submissions, two curricula and related materials were selected for field testing. High-quality instructional materials were selected based on analysis of science content, standards aligned skills, teacher reviews, field testing, bias reviews, cost range, usability, student experience, assessment, rigor, and community reviews in keeping with the provisions of Policy 6121. After field testing and feedback, the District presented a textbook recommendation to the Board of Education on Monday, March 4, 2024. The District recommends McGraw Hill Inspire Science. McGraw Hill is the responsible offeror whose proposal is most advantageous to the District with price and other factors considered. The total awarded price is $6,557,892.10. This project is funded under Pillar I of the approved ESSERS plan. General Fund 1 will be used and reimbursed from Fund 175 Covid Federal Grants.
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H.7. Approval of Claims Report A - District Expenditure
Rationale:
The Board of Education is required by State Statute 79-584 to approve all expenditures of District funds. Expenditures are presented to the Board for approval in the form of a Claims Report. Claims Report A is a listing of all District expenditures and are organized and presented to the Board by which fund the expenditure is being made from (e.g. General Fund, Bond Fund, etc.).
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H.8. Approval of Claims Report B - Expenditures from Various Student Activity Funds for which the Board Serves as Custodian
Rationale:
The Board of Education is required by State Statute 79-584 to approve all expenditures of funds for which the District serves as custodian. Expenditures are presented to the Board for approval in the form of a Claims Report. Claims Report B is a listing of expenditures from the various Student Activity Funds for which the Board serves as custodian.
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H.9. Approval of Claims Report C - Expenditures on behalf of Board Members or their Related Organizations
Rationale:
Board Members are prohibited by Nebraska law from voting on items which may personally benefit them. Expenditures which may personally benefit individual Board Members are presented to the Board for approval in the form of a separate Claims Report in order to permit those Board Members to abstain from voting on items which may personally benefit them. The Board of Education is required by State Statute 79-584 to approve all expenditures of District funds. Claims Report C is a listing of expenditures that may relate to individual Board Members or Organizations that employ them.
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H.10. Approval of Claims Report D - Payroll Expenditures
Rationale:
The Board of Education is required by State Statute 79-584 to approve all expenditures of District funds. Payroll expenditures are presented to the Board for ratification in the form of a Claims Report. Claims Report D is a summary of payrolls processed and is presented by payroll and pay date.
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H.11. Approval of Claims Report E - Payroll Estimated Expenditures
Rationale:
The Board of Education is required by State Statute 79-584 to approve all expenditures of District funds. Payroll expenditures are presented to the Board for ratification in the form of a Claims Report. Claims Report E is an estimation of payrolls to be processed prior to the next Board meeting and is presented by payroll and pay date. Board authorization is requested for amounts not to exceed the totals in the Claims Report.
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H.12. Approval of Educational Service Unit No. 19 Claims - Expenditures to be Paid from Education Service Unit's Funds
Rationale:
The Board of Education serves as the Board of Educational Service Unit 19. The Board of Educational Service Unit 19 is required to approve all expenditures of District funds as well as funds for which the District serves as custodian. Expenditures are presented to the Board for approval in the form of a Claims Report. Educational Service Unit No. 19 Claims Report is a listing of all expenditures to be paid from the Education Service Unit's funds.
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H.13. Approval of Omaha School Employees Retirement System Claims - Expenditures to be paid from the OSERS's Funds
Rationale:
In keeping with the provisions of Nebraska Revised Statute section 79-981, the Board of Education is responsible for the transaction of OSERS’ business, including approval of expenditures of OSERS’ funds. The Administration recommends approval of the attached claims to be paid from OSERS’ funds.
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H.14. Committee on Claims Audit Approval 3/18/2024
Rationale:
State Statue 79-584 requires the Secretary to the Board of Education to audit all accounts of the Class V school district and to submit that audit to the Board of Education Audit Committee for review and approval. The objective of the audit is to obtain and review sufficient claim documentation to determine the risk of material misstatement. The audit methodology is set forth on the Claims Audit Report.
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H.15. Approval of Contract with CDW Government Solutions, LLC for Awarded Bid No. 24-021 Network Switches and Wireless Access Points from July 2025 through June 2026 ($2,015,963.29)
Rationale:
FUND: 1 General Fund
PROGRAM: 2510 Business Support Services DEPT: 7062510 Information Management Service SUPPLIER: 24091 CDW Government Solutions LLC POLICY: 7000, III., K., 7000, VII., A AMOUNT: $2,015,963.29 Administration recommends the approval of the contract for Bid No. 24-021 Network Switches and Wireless Access Points, which was awarded to CDW Government, LLC at the February 22, 2024, Board Meeting to purchase network switches, wireless access points, and switch modules to update existing District Network equipment at the following schools: Belle Ryan Elementary, Boyd Elementary, Catlin Elementary, Druid Hill Elementary, Edison Elementary, Field Club Elementary, Florence Elementary, Gifford Park Elementary, Gilder Elementary, Harrison Elementary, Hartman Elementary, Highland Elementary, Indian Hill Elementary, Joslyn Elementary, Masters Elementary, Minne Lusa Elementary, Mount View Elementary, Pinewood Elementary, Ponca Elementary, Prairie Wind Elementary, Rosehill Elementary, Saddlebrook Elementary, Sherman Elementary, Skinner Elementary, Sunny Slope Elementary, Wakonda Elementary, Washington Elementary, Western Hills Elementary, Buffett Middle, North High, and South High. ... The total amount to be awarded to CDW Government Solutions, LLC. is $2,015,963.29. This purchase is eligible for eRate, which is a Federal program that provides discounts on telecommunications, internet access, and internal connections to eligible schools. Our District receives an 85% discounted rate for eligible Purchases. The total cost with a projected 85% eRate discount is $302,394.49.
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H.16. Approval of a Contract with Qualtrics for March 2024 through March 2027 ($543,433.93)
Rationale:
FUND: 1 General Fund
DEPT. ID: 7062700 Research Office ACCOUNT: 54510 Computer Software POLICIES: 7000, III. K., 7000, VII. A. VENDOR: Qualtrics AMOUNT: $543,433.93 Administration recommends approval to contract with Qualtrics for the term of March 2024 to March of 2027 to provide enhancement features in our current license such as ticketing and AI capabilities along with access to their Employee Experience (EX) survey suite. The EX platform utilizes lifecycle surveys (i.e., check-ins at known inflection points where staff may start considering turnover, for example, 30, 60, and 90 days after hire while onboarding) and advanced automations to ensure data is both collected and distributed quickly, seamlessly, and automatically. Approval of this component represents an investment in staff retention and targeted development and support. The EX platform will provide Human Resources more timely Exit Interview Data and system level data on turnover intentions and other metrics, and Principals/Program Directors will receive data on their staff aligned to strategies from the Omaha Public Schools Retention Toolkit. Finally, the Office of Professional Learning and Staff Development will receive data associated with the development and support needs of both new and tenured teachers. The contract is for the expansion is phased across three years to provide scalability across the district. The total cost for this three-year contract is $543,433.93.
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H.17. Approval of the Master Services Agreement by ReThinkEd for School Counseling Curriculum and Resources to be used in the District's Elementary Schools Grades PK-6 for the 2024-2025 School Year ($163,775)
Rationale:
FUND: 1 & 175 General Fund reimbursed by COVID Federal Grants
PROGRAM: 2110 Student and Community Services DEPT: 7105800 Student and Community Services SUPPLIER: RethinkEd POLICIES: 6121, 7000 AMOUNT: $163,775.00 This item was initially approved by the Board on January 11, 2024. However, the Master Services Agreement that was signed included incorrect dates, so this item needs to be re-signed. The cost and terms of the agreement have not changed. Administration recommends Approval of the Master Services Agreement for RethinkEd for school counseling curriculum and resources to be used in the district’s Elementary Schools. RethinkEd was initially selected via RFP No. P022-22 and approved by the Board of Education on July 14, 2022, following the process outlined in policy 6121. ReThinkEd is the responsible offeror whose proposal is most advantageous to the District with price and other factors considered. The curriculum was taught in elementary schools during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years. Due to positive feedback from students and staff, in accordance with the language of RFP P022-22, administration recommends use of RethinkEd curriculum for use in Elementary Schools for 2024-2025.
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H.18. Approval of Proposed Staffing Adjustments
Rationale:
Policy 4001 and 4035 require that the election of employees shall be by action of the Board of Education upon recommendation of the Superintendent or designee. Additionally, Policy 4008 requires that the Chief Human Resources Officer process all retirements, resignations, cancellations, contract amendments and terminations of employment making a recommendation for appropriate action to the Superintendent and Board of Education. Therefore, the District recommends the approval of the attached Staffing Adjustments.
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H.19. Approval of Recommended Organizational Chart Changes for 2024-2025
Rationale:
In keeping with the provisions of Policy 2020, the Administration will provide recommended changes to the organizational chart.
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I. Discussion and/or Action Items
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I.1. Information Item(s)
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I.2. Action Item(s)
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I.2.a. Approval of the Report of the Legislative Committee Including Recommended Legislative Positions
Rationale:
The Legislative Committee, in keeping with the provisions of Policy 8150, recommends approval of its findings and recommendations as set forth in the attached summary of bills introduced before the Nebraska Legislature. The summary has been prepared with the assistance of Kissel Kohout ES Associates and generally includes legislation which may affect the District. The Committee continuously monitors legislative activity and may, from time to time, recommend that the Board take or update a position on a particular bill, resolution or amendment. Committee recommendations typically include one of the following: Support, Oppose, or Monitor with Research. In the absence of one of those recommendations, the Committee is recommending that the District take no position. Given the fluid nature of the legislature, the Committee may need to present new bills, resolutions or amendments, including some that may not have appeared on the bill summary, to the Board for consideration. In addition to the bill summary, the Committee, on occasion, recommends Board approval of position statements to guide the Board President and/or Superintendent when dealing with legislative debate on issues particular concern to the District that arise between Board Meetings. There are no new recommended positions in this report.
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J. Receipt of Reports
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J.1. Second Quarter Board Conference Expenses 2023-2024
Rationale:
Policy 8230 requires the Secretary to the Board of Education to prepare a quarterly report summarizing all Board member travel and expenditures associated with attendance to workshops, conferences, or meetings.
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K. Request for Closed Session
Rationale:
The Omaha Board of Education is authorized by state statute to hold closed sessions. Closed sessions may be held when clearly necessary for the protection of the public interest or for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual. Reasons that meet this standard include but are not limited to: (a) strategy sessions with respect to collective bargaining, real estate matters, pending litigation, or litigation which is imminent as evidenced by communication of a claim or threat of litigation to or by the public body; (b) discussion regarding deployment of security personnel or devices; (c) investigative proceedings regarding allegations of criminal misconduct; (d) evaluation of the job performance of a person when necessary to prevent needless injury to the reputation of a person and if such person has not requested a public meeting; and (e) legal advice.
Explanation
At this point, it is appropriate for the Board to meet in closed session for one of the stated matters and/or any other permissible closed session matters in compliance with the law. That the Board hold a closed session: 1. For strategy session with respect to negotiations/collective bargaining clearly necessary for the protection of the public interest or for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual in compliance with the law. 2. For strategy session with respect to property/real estate matters clearly necessary for the protection of the public interest or for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual in compliance with the law.
3. For strategy session with respect to pending litigation, or litigation which is imminent as evidenced by communication of a claim or threat of litigation to or by the public body clearly necessary for the protection of the public interest or for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual in compliance with the law.
4. For discussion regarding deployment of security personnel or devices clearly necessary for the protection of the public interest or for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual in compliance with the law.
5. For investigative proceedings regarding allegations of criminal misconduct clearly necessary for the protection of the public interest or for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual in compliance with the law.
6. For personnel and the evaluation of job performance clearly necessary for the protection of the public interest or for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual in compliance with the law.
7. For discussions of the legal consequences of specific action and legal advice clearly necessary for the protection of the public interest or for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual in compliance with the law. |
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L. Adjournment
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