May 14, 2024 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Monthly Meeting
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1. Opening the Meeting
Discussion:
President Lutkemeier opened the meeting at 7:00 pm. The meeting notice was advertised in the May 2nd publication of the Blue Hill Leader. "The Open Meetings Act" poster was displayed in the meeting room.
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1.1. Call to Order
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1.2. Pledge of Allegiance
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1.3. District Mission Statement
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1.4. Nebraska Open Meetings Law
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1.5. Publication of the Meeting
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1.6. Board Member Roll Call
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1.7. Excuse Absent Board Members
Discussion:
N/A
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2. Approval of the Agenda
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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3. Celebration of Excellence
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4. Public Comment
Discussion:
Guests in attendance were Dennis Timm and Jennifer Karr. No comments were offered at this time.
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5. Information Items
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5.1. Superintendent
Discussion:
The Building Committee met last Monday with Mr. Kort in regard to the bus barn in Bladen. Legislative changes this year will require a little more work on our part in June, July and August with the policy update requirements. Mr. Bauer plans to get information out to board members ahead of the meetings when there are any policies that require a decision to make so that board members will have more time to think about those decisions. There is still no word on when the special session will be, but it is highly likely to happen in late July or early August. Governor Jim Pillen will be holding a property tax relief town hall meeting on May 17th at the Hideout in Grand Island. Mr. Bauer also reported that they would like to put down some all weather carpet in the commons from the entry doors around in front of the bathroom and to the hallway. It would give it a cleaner look than all the rugs which are laid down all the time. We have leftover carpet squares from the elementary project, but would need to order some additional tiles. Cost of the project would be approximately $6,000. The consensus of the board was to move forward with the project. The Lunch and Autogas ride along at Holiday Express went great. Mr. Bauer believes they have some traction with the propane. Board members will be able to make a decision after some discussion later in the meeting. The NASB Leaders and Law Conference is set for June 12-13 with the Golf Outing on June 12th. Precision Air will be out in May after school is dismissed. They have agreed to look at the Bladen HVAC system. They are not interested in putting in a bid. They will ensure that Rutt's recommendations are on point with their take on the best course of action needed.
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5.2. Elementary Principal
Discussion:
Mr. Drake reported that they added 2 students to their enrollment for a total of 128 (PK - 6). Completed events included a 5th & 6th grade field trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo (April 25th); 1st & 2nd grade field trip to the Hastings Museum (May 1st); 4th grade field trip to the Lincoln Children's Zoo (May 3rd); 3rd grade field trip to the Stuhr Museum (May 6th) . . .cut short due to the weather; last day of Preschool and Preschool Fun Day (May 9th) with a special thanks to the NHS students for their help; and the Elementary Concert was held the evening of May 9th. Upcoming events include the Elementary Honors and Field Day on May 15th. Mr. Bartels will help with the 6th grade promotion. Jump Start will be held July 29 - August 9th (8:30 -11:30 am) and PreK Summer School is to be held July 29th - August 9th (9:00 - 11:00). ESU-9 presented on Continuous Improvement and Executive Functioning (April 29th).
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5.3. Secondary Principal
Discussion:
Professional Development
JH/HS Safety Drills
JH/HS Sports / Activities
Other:
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6. Consent Agenda
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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6.1. Minutes
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6.2. Bills/Transfers/Treasurer's Report
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6.3. Acceptance/Emergency Modifications of the Agenda
Discussion:
N/A
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7. Action Items
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7.1. Hiland Dairy Bid
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Discussion:
Board members discussed pros and cons of alternate vendor options.
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7.2. Propane Bus Proposal
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Discussion:
Mr. Bauer discussed the pros and cons of operating and maintaining a propane-fueled bus. He has attached the bus specs and shared that there will typically be 93 usable gallons of fuel when full. Also, due to the faster burning fuel, drivers will have to watch their rpms. Mechanics have stated that they replace fuel pumps and spark plugs after a few years, but that parts are readily available. Schwan's and Nestle trucks also use propane. There are a number of fueling stations available, drivers will need to be aware of their locations. Mr. Bauer stated he would like to utilize a propane bus as a route bus to start. Board members also decided that the bus should be fitted with air conditioning. Pros and cons of propane vs gas and diesel were discussed. Notably, the pros of propane were cost savings in fuel and maintenance.
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7.3. Gasoline Bus Proposal
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Discussion:
Upon making the prior motion to purchase a propane bus, this motion was withdrawn.
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7.4. Cummins Treatment - All Route buses this summer
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Discussion:
Mr. Bauer would like to get Cummins to do their carbon cleaning treatment & inspection on the route buses this summer. Eric Parr has been in contact with them, and they gave him an estimate of $1,200 to $1,500 per bus. Mr. Bauer thinks this would be worth giving a shot. See if it keeps the buses running this year and then maybe we consider this an every summer investment on the transportation cost.
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7.5. Hire Kort and Associates L.L.C. to secure bids for bus barn in Bladen
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Discussion:
Kort and Associates met with the building committee last Monday morning to talk about what we were looking for in a bus barn in Bladen. The fee for his services will be $3,000.
Mr. Bauer has attached a copy of the unsigned contract. |
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7.6. Set substitute teacher rate of pay
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Discussion:
We are currently paying $160 a day for a substitute teacher. We need to set our rate for the 2024-25 school year. Mr. Bauer believes we are still in line with other area schools at $160 a day. AC was at $169.76, HPS at $160, BH was at $155. We could try to stay ahead to increase our ability to get substitutes and set it at $165 or stick at $160 for another school year. Mr. Bauer's recommendation would be to stay at $160 a day for the 24-25 school year.
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8. Discussion/Information Items
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8.1. Growing up talk (4-6th Grades)
Discussion:
We had issues this year with the female students being shown the coed version. This situation has been addressed moving forward, and the individual is well aware that the conversation should have been had with the administration prior to making this decision.
Moving forward, parents will be given the link to check out the videos in advance. Parents will choose which version they would like to have their child view. This will take more time, but will be well worth it in the end, and we will be able to meet the parents and students' wishes better. This is also a great talking point between parents and their students. It allows them to have conversations as to what they feel is important that they know about. Mr. Drake and Mr. Bauer will make sure that this is handled better moving forward, and we apologize for the way this learning opportunity was handled this year. Mr. Bartels stated he felt this action was a fireable offense. |
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8.2. Girls Golf Season (Co-op conversation with Blue Hill)
Discussion:
We have a student who wishes to golf during the women's season (Fall). She will be a senior next year. I have reached out to Blue Hill to see if they were even interested. They are having conversations.
Pros: This young lady could compete from the Women's tee boxes. She would be competing against females. It would be a glance at what a sport co-op might look like for our district without being a major change. Cons What doors might this open for future wishes. We could potentially be adding something for one student for one year. We are already offering 2 sports during this season (Volleyball and Cross Country) for our female athletes. Board members discussed pros and cons and the general consensus was to decline. |
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8.3. Unified Bowling
Discussion:
Mr. Jones and Mr. Behmer have had conversations with Adams Central about a potential unified bowling partnership. Mr. Bauer shared that taking special ed students and giving them a chance to compete and participate in a different social setting would be advantageous for special ed students. Mr. Niemeyer added it would also be advantageous to regular ed students as well. Logistics of student numbers, time and frequency were discussed. Pastime Lanes would charge $485. The general consensus was to move forward with the partnership.
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9. Future Agenda Items
Discussion:
The next regular board of education meeting is set for Tuesday, June 11th, 7 pm at the high school in Roseland.
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10. Adjournment
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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