Public Meeting Minutes: March 9, 2026 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance

Discussion:

Additional Note: Due to a complete power outage affecting the entire Palmyra community that occurred minutes before the Board of Education meeting, electronic voting and the display of digital presentation materials were unavailable during the meeting.
Kudos: Special thanks to all the board members, staff presenters, students, and patrons in attendance at the meeting for their flexibility and patience regarding the power outage.
Board President Desh called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Board President Desh led the board members and patrons in attendance at the meeting in the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Special thanks to our senior high school students who attended the meeting as part of their social studies class requirements.
- We greatly appreciate our students' attendance and attention to civic responsibilities.

2. Announcement of the Open Meetings Act Posting

Discussion:

Board President Desh identified the location of the Open Meetings Act Poster on the wall in the meeting room.
- Special note: Copies of the updated (2025) Open Meetings Act documents were available at the meeting.

3. Staff and Student Presentations

Discussion:

As noted previously, digital presentations were not available at the time due to the power outage.
- The following information was shared during the meeting.
  - Early Childhood Program / Preschool Update
  - High Ability Learners (HAL) Summer Programming for grades 5-8 at the Junior/Senior High School

Attachments: (1)

Preschool District OR-1 Board of Educaton

4. Consent Agenda

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion to accept the Consent Agenda. This motion, made by Tim Cheney and seconded by Dean Busch, Passed.

Busch: Yea
Calfee: Yea
Cheney : Yea
Desh: Yea
Moore: Yea
Penterman: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

Discussion:

No additional discussion.

4.1. Approval of Board Agenda

4.2. Approval of minutes of previous meetings

Attachments: (1)

Board of Education Regular Meeting Minutes. Monday.February 9.2026 Final

4.3. Approval of Claims/Payment of Bills and Payroll

Attachments: (2)

4.4. Certificated/Classified Hire(s)/Reassignment(s)/Resignation(s)

4.4.1. Presentation, discussion, and or official action to approve the resignation of Mr. Ryan Pollock (English Teacher at PHS).

Attachments: (1)

Donovan.Karly. Bennet Elementary School. Teacher Contract.2026.2027.for board approval.March 9..2026.signed.2.19.2026

4.4.2. Presentation, discussion, and or official action to approve a teaching contract for Gracie Burwell, 5th Grade Teacher at Bennet Elementary School.

4.4.3. Presentation, discussion, and or official action to approve a teaching contract for Karly Donovan, 3rd Grade Teacher at Bennet Elementary School.

4.5. Financial Reports

Attachments: (2)

5. Public Comment

Discussion:

No public comment was presented during the meeting.

6. Administrative Reports

Discussion:

Board reports were presented by the Superintendent, High School and Elementary School Principals, and the Director of Student Programs and Services.

6.1. Superintendent's Report

Discussion: Superintendent Hart presented information on the following topics:

SCC (SENCAP) Process / PHS "Dual Credit" Classes
Summer Programming
Palmyra Village Board Meeting Summary
End of the Year Activities
Option Enrollment Update
Legislative Update
Curriculum and Student Programs Update
Staffing Update
2026-2027 Budget Update
Student, Community, and Staff Kudos
- CTE Newsletter for February 2026:
- Bennet Elementary School Kindness Posters
- Peru State Business Contest Kudos
- FFA State Qualifying Teams

Attachments: (4)

6.1.1. 2026 Legislative Updates and Information

Discussion: Superintendent Hart reviewed current Legislative action regarding potential bills that may impact our district.

2026 Legislative Calendar.
2026 Legislative Priorities
Policy Updates

Attachments: (2)

6.2. Administrative Team Report

Discussion:

The following topics were discussed during this portion of the meeting:
- 2026-2027 Course Schedule Update for PHS.
- High Ability Learning Summer Offerings for Grades 5–8.
- Special Education Policies and Procedures
- Aspire Academy Update
- Standardized Student Assessment Updates
- ACT Testing Day: Tuesday, March 24th.
- Preschool Update
- End of the Third Quarter: Thursday, March 5th.
- Digital Report Cards
- PHS Prom: Saturday, April 18th.
- Staff In-Service Day: Thursday, March 12th.
- Music and Band Competitions
- KDG Round Up: Friday, May 1st
- Boys Baseball: The first NSAA-sanctioned game in PHS history is Friday, March 20th.

Attachments: (4)

7. Discussion Items- Committee Reports

Attachments: (1)

2026 Board Committee Assignments_ District OR.1. Updated and Approved. January 12. 2026

7.1. Village of Palmyra Meeting Summary

Discussion:

Brandon Desh and Michael Hart summarized the meeting with Palmyra Village Board Member Bill Thomas on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026.
- Topics of Discussion
  - 5th Street Repairs between G and F Street.
  - Interlocal Agreement for the Village Softball Field

Attachments: (1)

Interlocal Agreement for Palmyra Softball Field Usage. District OR.1. With School Additions.3.9.2026.docx

7.2. Curriculum: Committee on American Civics Update

Discussion:

Committee members summarized the meeting, which took place on Wednesday, February 18th, 2026.
- The next committee meeting will be on Wednesday, October 14th, 2026.

Attachments: (1)

Committee on American Civics Meeting Agenda_ Wednesday.February 18th, 2026 (2)

7.3. Facilities and Transportation Committee

Discussion:

Committee members summarized the meeting held on Wednesday, February 25, 2026.
- The next committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 25th, 2026.

Attachments: (1)

Transportation and Facilities Committee Meeting Agenda. Wednesday, February 25, 2026 (2)

7.4. Negotiations Committee Update

Discussion:

Negotiations Committee members summarized the meeting held on Friday, February 27th, 2026.
- The next Negotiations Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 26th, 2026.
- The first "Insurance Task Force" meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 26th, 2026.

7.4.1. Certified Staff Extra Duty Salary Scale Discussion

Discussion:

Negotiations Committee members discussed information regarding the 2026-2027 extra duty compensation scale.
- More discussion is scheduled for Thursday, March 26th, at the next Negotiations Committee meeting.

7.5. Strategic Planning Update

Discussion:

Superintendent Hart shared information regarding the work of the Strategic Planning Committee thus far in the process.
An updated Strategic Plan is scheduled to be available before the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
Our final Strategic Planning Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 16th, 2026, at PHS.

7.6. Olson Complex Update

Discussion: Information was shared on the following topics:

Panther Baseball:
- The first home game is on Friday, March 20th.
Concrete repair north of the concession stand.
Baseball Infield Update
Softball Update
West Discus area
Fencing Upgrades
Track Season Activities

8. Policy Review

8.1. Update and Review Mid-Year Policy Updates

Discussion:

Board President Brandon Desh shared information about recent mid-year policy updates.
- These updates are from our legal counsel.
The policies to be updated (Policy #1040, Policy #3540, and Policy #7050) were discussed with changes redlined.

Attachments: (5)

9. Action Items

9.1. Presentation, discussion, and or official action to approve a teaching contract for an English teacher at Palmyra Junior/ Senior High School.

Action(s):

Motion Tabled:

Motion to table the motion as discussed. This motion, made by Josh Penterman and seconded by Dee Moore, Tabled.

Busch: Yea
Calfee: Yea
Cheney : Yea
Desh: Yea
Moore: Yea
Penterman: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

Discussion:

This action item was tabled due to a final candidate not being selected before the commencement of the board meeting.
This item will be placed again on the Monday, April 13th, 2026 board meeting agenda.

9.2. Presentation, discussion, and or official action to approve the 2026-2027 extra duty compensation scale as discussed.

Action(s):

Motion Tabled:

Motion to table the updated extra duty scale as discussed. This motion, made by Jaimi Calfee and seconded by Josh Penterman, Tabled.

Busch: Yea
Calfee: Yea
Cheney : Yea
Desh: Yea
Moore: Yea
Penterman: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

Discussion:

Action on this item was tabled to allow for additional discussion and will be moved to the Monday, April 13th, 2026 board meeting agenda.

9.3. Presentation, discussion, and or official action to approve the Interlocal Agreement (with school additions) for the City of Palmyra in alignment with the usage of the softball field at Taggart Park.

Action(s):

Motion Tabled:

Motion to table approval of the Interlocal Agreement as discussed. This motion, made by Jaimi Calfee and seconded by Tim Cheney, Tabled.

Busch: Yea
Calfee: Yea
Cheney : Yea
Desh: Yea
Moore: Yea
Penterman: Yea

No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.

Discussion:

This item was tabled in alignment with more discussion and additional suggested changes to the document.
This item will be placed again on the Monday, April 13th, 2026 board meeting agenda.

Attachments: (1)

Interlocal Agreement for Palmyra Softball Field Usage. District OR.1. With School Additions.3.9.2026.docx

10. Board of Education Development

Discussion:

The NASB "Board Notes" for February 2026 are attached
No further discussion.

Attachments: (1)

February-2026-Board-Notes-newsletter. NASB

11. Closed Session

Discussion:

No closed session occurred during the meeting.

12. Topics for Next Month’s Agenda

Discussion:

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be on Monday, April 13th, 2026, beginning at 6 p.m. at Bennet Elementary School in the main commons.

13. Adjournment

Discussion:

The meeting was adjourned at 7:27 p.m.

March 9, 2026 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

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