Public Meeting Minutes: May 11, 2026 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance

Discussion:

Board President Desh called the meeting to order at 6:01 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 school board meetings as part of their social studies class requirements this school year!
- 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 made available at the meeting.

Attachments: (1)

Nebraska-Open-Meetings-Act-Posters-2025

3. Staff and Student Presentations

Discussion: The topics listed below were presented to the board during this section of the meeting.

Panther Baseball Update:
- Jordan Springer: Head Baseball Coach
"Para to Teacher" Process and Testimonials:
- Mrs. Chelsey Georges
- Mrs. Selina Hiett
- Mr. Jared Haag
"End of the Year" Student and Staff Highlight Video:
- Thanks to Mrs. Gill and our Digital Production students.
- Superintendent Hart showed the attached video during the meeting.
Special thanks to all the staff and students who participated in the board presentations this school year!
Keep up the amazing things you are doing, and job well done!

Attachments: (1)

Year End 2025-26

4. Consent Agenda

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. This motion, made by Tim Cheney and seconded by Dee Moore, Passed.

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

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

Discussion:

No further discussion.

4.1. Approval of Board Agenda

Discussion:

No further discussion.

4.2. Approval of minutes of previous meetings

Discussion:

No further discussion.

Attachments: (1)

Palmyra District OR-1 - Board of Education Regular Meeting - 2026-04-22T190442.956

4.3. Approval of Claims/Payment of Bills and Payroll

Discussion:

No further discussion.

Attachments: (2)

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

Discussion:

No further discussion.

4.5. Financial Reports

Discussion:

No further discussion.

Attachments: (2)

5. Public Comment

Discussion:

Public Comment was provided by Carter Herrrington from Bennet.
- Carter is also a current student at PHS.

6. Administrative Reports

Discussion:

The Superintendent, High School and Elementary School Principals, the Activities Director, and the Director of Student Programs and Services presented reports during this portion of the meeting.

6.1. Superintendent's Report

Discussion: Superintendent Hart reported on the following items:

CTE Newsletter for May 2026:
- Please see the attached document.
Community Early Childhood Initiative Update:
- Please see the attached weblink for more information.
  - https://bpcfoundation.com/
Graduation Summary from Saturday, May 9th, 2026:
Special Graduation Artifact from 1910:
- Please see the pictures listed below.
Palmyra Village Board Agenda Request Update for Thursday, May 14th, 2026:
- Please see the attached document.
Kindergarten Update:
- Little Panther "Signing Day"
  - Mr. Hart presented pictures at the meeting.
5th Street Repairs Update:
- Work will begin to repair the street in front of the high school in the first part of June.
- Paver's Inc. will be completing the work.
Preschool Update:
- Schedule: Ms. Walter explained the overview of the classes and staffing for the upcoming school year.
District OR-1 Strategic Plan (2026-2031)
- See the document attached below for more details.
Summer Programming Update:
- Please see the attached document.
Champions After School Rec Program Update:
- The new before-and-after-school program will start in the fall.
- More details about the program will continue to be communicated through our district's social media channels and district website in the coming months.
End of the Year Events:
- Saturday, May 9th at 2:00 p.m.: PHS Graduation.
  - Thanks to all the board members who attended the graduation ceremony!
Student and Staff Kudos:
- NRCSA Staff Scholarship:
  - Mrs. Chelsey Georges (a paraprofessional at Bennet Elementary) received a $1,000 award from the Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association (NRCSA) to help with tuition for the Para to Teacher Program.
  - Congratulations Chelsey!
- 6th Grade Guest Speakers:
  - ???????Our sixth-grade teachers have hosted a wide variety of local business and community leaders to present to our students regarding career interests and development.
  - Special thanks to the guest speakers for their time and commitment to helping our students learn about different career options.
- NE Seal of Biliteracy:
  - The Seal of Biliteracy is an award that the State of Nebraska gives to recognize high school students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by graduation.
    - Trevor Kerkman
    - Ryan Mayo
- Mr. Johnson with our "Life Room" Students:
  - See the attached picture.
Interlocal Agreement Update:
- We will have an agenda item on the Palmyra Village Board Meeting Agenda Item for Thursday, May 14th, 2026
Option Enrollment Update:
Summer Board Retreat:
- The summer board retreat meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 24th, 2026, at PHS beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Legislative Update:
Staffing Update:
- Certified Staffing
- Classified Staffing
2026-2027 Budget Update:
- Budget Projection Update

Attachments: (6)

6.1.1. Highway # 2 Construction Update:

Discussion:

Superintendent Hart provided an update on the current progress of the project.

6.2. Administrative Team Report

Discussion: Topics covered during the admin report are listed below:

Activities update
MAPS/NSCAS testing update
Special Education update
Aspire Academy Graduation: Friday, May 15th
Summer Programming update
Preschool Open House: Monday, May 18th
HS student workers update
High Ability Learning (HAL) update
HS Graduation
Elementary Field Trips
Elementary "Jump up" and "track" days:
5th Grade graduation: Monday, May 18th
AR Awards ceremony
HS-related policies and procedures review:
- Tardies
- Eligibility
ICU Program Update

Attachments: (5)

7. Discussion Items- Committee Reports

Attachments: (1)

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

7.1. Negotiations Committee Update

Discussion:

Negotiations Committee members summarized the Insurance Task Force Meeting held on Thursday, May 7th, at PHS.
- The Insurance Task Force will meet again beginning in September 2026.

7.2. Curriculum: Committee on American Civics Update

Discussion:

The next committee meeting will be on Wednesday, October 14th, 2026, at Palmyra High School from 12:00-1:00 p.m.
- FYI: The October meeting is a public meeting.

7.3. Facilities and Transportation Committee

Discussion:

This committee did not meet this month.
Another meeting will be scheduled during the summer.
- The specific date and time are TBD.

7.4. Strategic Planning Update

Discussion:

Superintendent Hart reviewed a summary of upcoming work and plans aligned to our new district Strategic Plan.
- The new Strategic Plan is attached to this agenda item.
As one of our Strategic Goals, we are looking at different options for updating our social media, website, and district communication platforms.
- I have attached a flyer from our meeting with Apptegy (a website and district communication platform provider) on Wednesday, May 6th, at Bennet.
Our admin team will focus on prioritizing tasks and goals at our Leaders Retreat on Thursday, June 4th, 2026, at PHS.
Additional conversation on the Strategic Plan will be a part of our annual Board Retreat this summer.

Attachments: (2)

8. Policy Review

Discussion:

The Policy Review Committee members provided a summary of the meeting that occurred on Thursday, May 7th, 2026, at PHS.
The agenda is attached to this agenda item.
- At the meeting, the following policies were reviewed:
  - 1000 Series (Community Relations)
  - 2000 Series (Administration),
  - 3000 Series (Business Operations)
  - Current Legislative Bills and NDE mandates.
    - Please see the attached document for more details.
Upcoming Policy Review Meetings:
- Thursday, August 6th, 2026: 3:30–4:30 p.m.
  - Review 4000 and 5000 Series Policies
- Thursday, November 5th, 2026: 3:30–4:30 p.m.
  - Review 6000 and 7000 Series Policies

Attachments: (3)

9. Action Items

9.1. Presentation, discussion, and or official action to approve all recent Legislative Policy Updates and Revisions.

Action(s):

Motion Passed:

Motion to approve the policies and updates as discussed. This motion, made by Dee Moore and seconded by Tim Cheney, Passed.

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

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

Discussion:

No further discussion.

Attachments: (1)

Updated.Board Policies. Redline. For Review. May 2026

10. Board of Education Development

Discussion:

Board President Desh summarized upcoming professional development opportunities for board members.

Attachments: (2)

11. Closed Session

Discussion:

No closed session occurred during the meeting.

12. Topics for Next Month’s Agenda

Discussion:

No further discussion.

13. Adjournment

Discussion:

The board meeting was adjourned at 7:42 p.m.
The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 8th, 2026, beginning at 6:00 p.m. at Palmyra Junior / Senior High School in the media center.

May 11, 2026 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

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