May 28, 2013 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting
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1. LPS BOARD OF EDUCATION INFORMATION
Rationale:
Notice of the time and place of the Lincoln Board of Education meeting was e-mailed to an extensive list of local and regional news media. A mailing list is maintained at the Lincoln Public Schools District Office. A public notice was published in the LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR.
The Lincoln Board of Education is empowered to act on any item listed on the Agenda at any time during the meeting, irrespective of the time or order listed. Pages listed, or further detail, are available upon request. The Open Meetings Act requires and the intention of the Board is that agenda items be sufficiently descriptive to give the public reasonable notice of the matters to be considered at the meeting. The Lincoln Board of Education releases its agenda well in advance of most meetings and desires that all interested persons are fully informed. Any interested person who has a question or needs clarification about the sufficiency of a descriptive item should contact the Office of the Superintendent of Schools. |
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2. CALL TO ORDER
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3. ROLL CALL
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4. ANNOUNCE OPEN MEETING ACT POSTING AND LOCATION
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5. PUBLIC HEARING ON STUDENT FEES POLICY 5520
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6. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Rationale:
The attached minutes are intended to accurately reflect the action of the Board at its previous meetings.
Explanation The minutes have been prepared for Board approval.
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7. SPECIAL REPORTS, PRESENTATIONS AND CELEBRATIONS OF SUCCESS
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7.1. Kevin Atterberg Nebraska Farm Bureau Teacher of the Year
Rationale:
The Nebraska Farm Bureau has named Kevin Atterberg, science teacher at Culler Middle School, Teacher of the Year. The award is given annually to two Nebraska certified K-8 teachers who creatively bring agriculture into their classrooms while achieving Nebraska State Standards. Atterberg was honored with a trip to the 2013 National Agriculture in the Class Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Explanation Atterberg enrolled in a class at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to learn how to implement a soybean curriculum. Atterberg became fascinated with this curriculum and decided that he was going to provide it to his students. He became even more interested when he learned that many of his students had no idea that agriculture is the number one leading industry where they live. He decided to increase their understanding of this topic by implementing this extension to the LPS science curriculum. His teaching has impacted his students as they have become more familiar with the state’s number one industry and have expressed interest in pursuing agriculture related careers. To teach this subject, he has had to reach out to many local resources that have supplemented the curriculum. Seeing his students get excited about their own learning is very rewarding. In his nomination letter for Atterberg, Culler Principal Gary Czapla noted that many of the school’s diverse population, with a high percentage of English Language Learners, have never been in an agriculture setting. Atterberg displays a high degree of enthusiasm in teaching his students, not only the science of agriculture, but also the important history agriculture has played in developing our state and country. Atterberg also encourages students to look at the important future of agriculture and the employment opportunities students can attain in the agriculture field.
Proposal WHEREAS, Kevin Atterberg has been named Teacher of the Year by the Nebraska Farm Bureau, and WHEREAS, Kevin Atterberg has combined his own interests in agriculture with existing curriculum and accessible local resources to enrich learning opportunities for his students, and WHEREAS, Kevin Atterberg has impacted students understanding of the importance of agriculture to Nebraska and possible agricultural careers, and WHEREAS, Kevin Atterberg has partnered with local resources to create collaborative community learning experiences. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Lincoln Board of Education does hereby congratulate Kevin Atterberg for earning the honor of Teacher of the Year by the Nebraska Farm Bureau and for reaching, engaging, and inspiring his students. |
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8. PUBLIC COMMENT
Rationale:
In keeping with Policy 8420, a time limit of five minutes will be allotted for any speaker. At the discretion of the Chair, the speaker may be allotted additional time.
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9. CONSENT AGENDA
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9.1. Human Resources Matters
Rationale:
The Human Resources Division also includes the Office of Risk Management. As such, in addition to the Lincoln Board of Education approving all contractual agreements with employees, all employee benefit issues, all personnel actions, and all other matters within the scope of the Human Resources Division, as part of the Human Resources Matters agenda; the Lincoln Board of Education also must approve the settlement of Workers’ Compensation claims, take action on tort claims filed against the district, and take action on all other matters within the scope of the Office of Risk Management. This report includes routine Human Resources changes: a. Administrator Certificated Employees: Elections – 3 Separations – 3 b. Certificated Employees: Elections – 6 Changes of Status – 2 Leaves of Absence – 6 Separations – 5 c. Substitute Certificated Employees: Elections – 2 d. Classified Employees: Elections – 15 Changes of Status – 1 Separations – 35 Proposal: That the Board approve the Human Resources items presented in the attachment(s).* *The information in the attachment(s) may be protected by privacy legislation until the Board of Education takes action on the staff recommendations. Therefore, this attachment(s) is not included in agenda materials provided the public and the news media. Any information in the attachment(s) that is not protected by privacy legislation, however, is available for public inspection from the Associate Superintendent for Human Resources upon request. That the Board is approving the Human Resources items attached with the information as presented or as on file with official district records and documents relating to each such item, or in such other form as may be approved by the Associate Superintendent for Human Resources, or her designee, and that the Board hereby authorizes the Associate Superintendent for Human Resources, or her designee, to transact and complete each such item approved hereby, and to sign, execute, and deliver necessary documents or contracts, and to take or cause to be taken any and all other action as may be necessary to complete each such item of transaction as contemplated, for and on behalf of this school district. |
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9.2. Routine Business
Rationale:
At each meeting, the Board of Education is asked to approve certain items of routine business of the school district.
Explanation The items included in routine business for this meeting are: a. REGULAR CLAIMS – Claims for the periods ending May 28, 2013, were previously provided. Insurance ACH Transfer of $16,033.50. Federal Tax ACH Deposit of $33,657.60. State Income Tax ACH Deposit of $647,093.12. Procurement Card ACH Transfer of $102,044.18. Office Depot ACH Transfer of $47,747.83. Retirement ACH Transfer of $3,992,093.38. Vendor ACH Transfer of $52,885.89.b. PAYROLL FOR RATIFICATION – Payroll for the period ending May 15, 2013, in the amount of $125,662.58. c. GIFTS – Approval for the gifts listed on the attached gift report. d. BIDS/CONTRACTS/OTHER ROUTINE BUSINESS – Bids/contracts/other routine business will be presented for approval for office furniture for the new Lincoln Public Schools district office building; renewal of the subscription for online reference services with Gale Cengage Learning for the 2013-14 school year; an amendment to the Community Learning Center agreement with the YMCA; an agreement with Radcliffe and Associates to provide non-staff lobbying services for the district for 2013-14; and any other bids/contracts/routine business as presented. Proposal That the Lincoln Board of Education approve the following items of routine business:* a. The regular claims for periods ending May 28, 2013. b. Payroll for the periods ending May 15, 2013. c. Gifts for Northeast, Saratoga, and the district. d. Bids/contracts/other routine business for office furniture for the new Lincoln Public Schools district office building; renewal of the subscription for online reference services with Gale Cengage Learning for the 2013-14 school year; an amendment to the Community Learning Center agreement with the YMCA; an agreement with Radcliffe and Associates to provide non-staff lobbying services for the district for 2013-14; and any other bids/contracts/routine business as presented. *That the Board is approving routine business and the listed bids and contracts with the information and in the form as presented, and except as to amount bid or total contract price, in such other form as may be approved by the Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs, or his designee, and that the Board hereby authorizes the Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs, or his designee, to sign, execute, and deliver necessary documents or contracts, and to take or cause to be taken any and all other action as may be necessary to complete the transaction as contemplated, for and on behalf of this school district.
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9.3. Option Enrollment Student Applications for 2013-14
Rationale:
On February 12, 2013, the Board adopted a resolution to accept option students for the 2013-14 school year. Applications have been received from students requesting that they be accepted as option students for the 2013-14 school year. Staff recommends that the students referred to in this agenda item be accepted for enrollment as they are in compliance with the Board resolution of February 12, 2013.
Explanation Staff has examined the applications of the students included in this proposal. The students meet one of the criteria set forth by the Board in its resolution of February 12, 2013. Staff recommends approval of these applications. Proposal That the Board adopt the following resolution: WHEREAS the students who have been assigned student numbers 295574, and 295575 (for purposes of confidentiality, assigned numbers are being used) meet one of the criteria of the Board resolution of February 12, 2013, with regard to such option students; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the aforementioned students be accepted as option students on the condition and with the express understanding that all programs, all classes and all buildings of assignment, except as otherwise required by law, shall at all times and from time to time during attendance at Lincoln Public Schools be determined solely by Lincoln Public Schools.
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9.4. Late Request for Enrollment Option Out 2013-14
Rationale:
March 15, 2013, was the deadline for enrollment option applications to be completed for students wishing to attend school in a district other than the one in which they reside for the 2013-14 school year. The Lincoln Public Schools Board of Education has authority to waive the deadline for late enrollment option requests (NDE Rule 7, Section 004.05).
Explanation Requests from students who reside in the Lincoln Public Schools District and wish to attend school outside of the Lincoln Public Schools District have been received after the March 15, 2013, deadline. The Lincoln Public Schools Board of Education may deny or approve these requests. If these requests are approved by the Board of Education, they will be forwarded to the option school district for their approval. Student Number Option District 263912 Papillion LaVista 295506 Raymond Central
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10. FIRST READING, ACTION AT NEXT MEETING
Rationale:
*The Lincoln Board of Education is empowered to act on any item listed on the Agenda at any time during the meeting, irrespective of the time or order listed. Pages listed, or further detail, are available upon request. The Open Meetings Act requires and the intention of the Board is that agenda items be sufficiently descriptive to give the public reasonable notice of the matters to be considered at the meeting. The Lincoln Board of Education Board releases its agenda well in advance of most meetings and desires that all interested persons are fully informed. Any interested person who has a question or needs clarification about the sufficiency of a descriptive item should contact the Office of the Superintendent of Schools.
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10.1. From Board Committees
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10.2. From the Superintendent
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10.2.1. Family Literacy Grant Application
Ethel S. Abbott Charitable Foundation
Rationale:
Lincoln Public Schools offers family literacy programs throughout the district, and is applying for an Ethel S. Abbott Charitable Foundation grant to provide additional funding to expand family literacy services. Organizations applying for literacy funding must have the following four components:
The overarching goal of the Family Literacy Program is to help participating families reach their full potential. These grants will support family literacy services provided to targeted English learning families whose students have been identified through an assessment process. High standards for attendance and performance in the courses are maintained for participating families. 1) Provide quality adult ESL classes. 2) Host effective family/school/community education classes and events. 3) Bring adults and children together during Parent and Child Together Time (PACT). 4) Teach student literacy through a viable district curriculum.
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11. SECOND READING, RECOMMENDED FOR ACTION
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11.1. From Board Committees
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11.1.1. Newly Annexed Property to the City of Lincoln
Rationale:
The Board of Education assigns school attendance areas to property newly annexed to the City of Lincoln or newly platted. This action establishes school attendance areas prior to the sale of residential lots, allowing purchasers to know what schools their children will attend.
Explanation The City of Lincoln recently annexed one parcel of land, which automatically brings this property into the Lincoln Public Schools District. This property needs to be assigned attendance centers so that potential purchasers of homes in this area will know which schools they will be attending. The Woodlands at Yankee Hill, South 84th and Yankee Hill Road, Annexation #19862, for 2012-13 school year: Maxey Elementary School, Pound Middle School, and Southeast High SchoolProposal That the Board approve the proposed attendance area assignments of the newly annexed property.
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11.1.2. School Meal Prices
Rationale:
The Lincoln Public Schools Nutrition Services Department operates a school meal program that provides breakfast and lunch meals to LPS schools. Annually the Board of Education reviews and approves school breakfast and lunch prices.
Explanation As part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-296), Section 205 addresses equity in school lunch pricing. School Food Authorities (SFA) must annually review their paid lunch revenue to assure compliance with the paid lunch equity requirement. When the average paid lunch price is less than the difference between the free and paid Federal reimbursement rates ($2.86 - $0.27 = $2.59), the SFA must determine how they will meet the requirement. For 2012-13, LPS charged $2.15 to $2.50 for a full priced lunch rather than $2.59. Because the district’s price was less than the paid lunch equity requirement, the district is required to adjust its lunch prices for 2013-14. SFA’s are required to utilize the Paid Lunch Equity Calculator to determine the amount of paid lunch price increases. The required increase for paid lunch meals for the 2013-14 school year is ten cents. Breakfast prices will remain the same. The Finance Committee is in agreement with staff’s recommendation of this price increase for full priced meals. The following is a listing of proposed meal prices for the 2013-14 school year:
Proposal That the Board approve the school meal prices for the 2013-14 school year. |
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11.2. From the Superintendent
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11.2.1. Policy 5520: Student Fees
Rationale:
The Nebraska Legislature adopted LB249, an amendment to the Student Fee Authorization Action, in 2003. The statute defines purposes for which student fees may and may not be collected by public schools in Nebraska. The act further requires boards of education to adopt a policy on student fees by August 1 of each year, including a list of fees and/or specific materials that students will be required to pay or provide. The policy is to be adopted following a public hearing on the proposed policy.
Board members reviewed this report at their May 14 meeting. ExplanationThe policy on student fees (Attachment One), including the list in Appendix 1, and the application for fee waiver (Attachment Two) will be distributed to students and families in the Important Information Handbook. Attachment three includes information regarding fees paid or collected through the fee waiver process.
Proposal
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11.2.2. Item(s) Removed from Consent Agenda
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11.2.3. Expedited/Emergency Actions
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12. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/REPORTS
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12.1. From Board Committees
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12.2. From the Superintendent
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12.2.1. Superintendent Update
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12.2.2. Monthly Financial Report - Information
Rationale:
At the second Board meeting of the month, information regarding the district’s monthly financial report is presented.
Explanation The monthly financial report for the month ending April 31, 2013, is attached. Proposal Information item; no Board action required.
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12.2.3. Graduation Demonstration Exam Requirement Status for Writing and Reading
Rationale:
In 1998 the LPS Board of Education mandated Graduation Demonstration Exams in reading, writing, and math as a means of guaranteeing students had met minimal proficiencies upon graduation from LPS. This was prior to No Child Left Behind and State Standard Assessments. This was the LPS assurance to the community that students graduating from our schools demonstrated specific skills to be successful when entering the work force after graduation.
As a result of this mandate, the Curriculum Department and the Evaluation/Assessment Team developed a reading assessment based on newspaper articles written at the high school reading level. The assessment currently consists of four newspaper articles with a total of forty multiple-choice questions focused on literal comprehension, inferential comprehension, vocabulary, main idea, and purpose. All freshmen are tested in the fall, and students who do not meet the reading requirement are tested in the fall and spring each year thereafter until meeting the requirement. The writing assessment consists of three parts. Students are asked to write a narrative prompt and an expository prompt. These are timed writings of fifty minutes per prompt. The third part of the assessment is a thirty question multiple-choice test where students are asked to correct common convention errors. Under district supervision, teachers are brought together and trained to score the writing after the fall and spring administrations. Students who have not met the requirement are tested in the spring of their 9th and 10th grade years and the fall and spring of their 11th and 12th grade years. Students who are unable to meet the minimal requirements for either reading or writing are placed in reading or writing support courses until the requirement has been met. Students with specific learning needs can have the requirements modified by an IEP statement. Each Graduation Demonstration Exam is reviewed periodically for viability. Explanation In the most recent review of the reading and writing demonstrations, questions were asked about the current level of student success, the effectiveness of the assessment process, and whether the amount of testing could be reduced. For the 2012-13 school year, 83 percent of freshmen have met the reading requirement, and 63 percent of freshmen have met the writing requirement. The functionality of the reading demonstration is effective. Maintaining the RGDE helps to better serve those students with reading needs by providing an independently applied assessment and assuring appropriate enrollment in reading support courses for students reading below grade level. To reduce redundancy in testing, we are working with Assessment and Evaluation to correlate RGDE data with NeSA-R and ITBS scores to determine if some students could be deemed proficient in reading based on these assessments. We are also developing a plan that would allow us to test students needing to take the RGDE during their reading classes. This would reduce the amount of time the building schedule is disrupted due to assessment needs. This plan will be piloted during the 2013-14 school year and put into effect district wide during the 2014-15 school year. In considering the functionality of the writing demonstration, we will phase out the three periods of testing with the current WGDE process with the 2013-14 freshman class. In its place we will track student-writing achievement through District Common Assessments (DCAs) at grades 9, 10, and 11. Freshman would be asked to write an opinion essay, sophomores a literary analysis, and juniors an argument that would be district reported. All writings are currently part of that grade level curriculum, so tracking student progress this way would reduce redundancy in testing and provide a more realistic insight into the student writing process. Meeting the current form of the demonstration would no longer be required for graduation, but information regarding students’ skills and course placement would be tracked through the DCAs. If the district or state transitions to College and Career Readiness Standards, we would be able to easily transition from these reported writings to applicable performance assessments at these grade levels. Proposal This is an information report; no Board action requested. |
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12.2.4. Educational Access Television
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13. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF UPCOMING EVENTS FOR THE BOARD
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14. PUBLIC COMMENT
Rationale:
In keeping with Policy 8420, a time limit of five minutes will be allotted for any speaker. At the discretion of the Chair, the speaker may be allotted additional time.
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15. REQUEST FOR CLOSED SESSION
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15.1. Request for Closed Session - Negotiations/Collective Bargaining, Property/Real Estate, Litigation, Security, Criminal Misconduct, Personnel, and Legal Advice Matters
Rationale:
The Lincoln 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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16. ADJOURNMENT
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