October 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting
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1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance
Discussion:
President Burklund called the Regular Meeting to order at 6:00 PM and the Pledge of Allegiance was said.
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2. Nebraska Open Meetings Law
Discussion:
The audience was reminded that Open Meeting Laws would be followed.
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3. Motion to Excuse Board Member's Absence
Discussion:
Motion by Heyen, second by Benes to excuse the absence of Derek Matulka. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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4. District Mission Statement
The Raymond Central community is committed to providing a positive, challenging learning environment which prepares each individual to be a responsible citizen in an ever-changing society. |
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5. Consent Agenda
Discussion:
Motion by Brase, second by Benes to approve the consent agenda as presented including the regular meeting minutes of September 10, 2025; special meeting minutes of October 3, 2025; September financial statement; monthly bills; and substitute teachers-Abigail Hodges, Skye Lawrence and Malia Thoms. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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5.1. Minutes of September 10, 2025 Meeting and October 3, 2025 Special Meeting
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5.2. Financial Statement/Report
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5.3. Monthly Bills
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5.4. Policy Review
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5.5. Certificated Staff Hire(s)/Reassignment(s)/Resignation(s)
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6. Correspondence/Recognition
Discussion:
Courtney Polak - 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program’s Distinguished Teacher.
Sarah Lange - 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholar. Marching Band Received a 1 Rating at the Bennington Marching Festival. |
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6.1. Bullying Determination and Investigation Protocol
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Discussion:
Asst Principal Abby Horbach discussed our Bully Investigation Process.
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6.2. Fall Map Score Presentation
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Discussion:
Superintendent Hanson reviewed Map scores from this fall.
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7. Public Forum
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8. Reports
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8.1. Administrative Reports
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Discussion:
Submitted by Troy Lurz, Jr-Sr High School Principal
Professional Development: Last Friday we continued working toward the installation of our 6-Phase Instructional Model. The Professional Learning Team, led by teacher leaders, provided excellence direction with the New Learning Phase of the model. The staff was attentive and professional. Later in the morning the staff spent time looking at the MAP achievement scores and working through a data protocol to review as a school. Members of the English Language Arts team worked with trainers from CommonLit to continue to implement the resources with fidelity. The staff were also afforded time to review in their subcommittees to discuss any items that might need to be presented to the Mustang Management group. They then spent the rest of the day finalizing grades. It was a very productive day. Counseling/ACT/Senior Experience/Scholarships (Tasha/Celia):
JH Student Council: The JH StuCo enjoyed decorating for homecoming! We are excited to plan a few things for Red Ribbon Week that will run at the end of this month. We will also meet soon to set a date for the famous JH dance & Make-A-Wish week! Stay tuned for more!! FBLA: FBLA is hosting the Craft Fair and Car Show on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at Raymond Central High School! This event is a great opportunity for student-run businesses and community vendors to showcase their products while visitors enjoy shopping, food, and fun. Submitted by Abby Horbach, Asst Jr-Sr High School Principal Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support) Conference in Kearney alongside Celia, Tasha, and Caitlin. The conference was filled with impactful presentations and practical resources that will strengthen our district’s support systems for students at the middle/high school level. We gained valuable insight into strategies surrounding homework organization, attendance interventions, behavioral supports, and academic improvement, and our team is already discussing how to implement several of these ideas to better meet the diverse needs of our students. In addition, I have been working on revising and finalizing our District Bullying Process and Protocol to ensure alignment with Nebraska state policy and district requirements. This step-by-step process is designed to guide staff through proper reporting, investigation procedures, documentation, and student safety measures. The protocol will help ensure that all concerns are handled with consistency, transparency, and care. An important aspect of this work is distinguishing between true bullying behaviors and peer conflicts that may require a different type of mediation or resolution. While the process is extensive, it reflects our district’s firm commitment to taking bullying seriously and ensuring that every student feels safe, supported, and respected at school. Submitted by Tony Kobza, Asst Jr-Sr High School Principal/Athletic Director We have a Cross Country Course mapped and mowed on the field South of the school. This will allow our students to practice here with a goal that we host a cross country meet at the school in the 2026 school year. Outdoor Concessions has added a Blackstone Grill to help provide a safer and more efficient grilling process for football games and track meets. Huge shout out to our facilities and maintenance crews for making our building look so great for all of our home events. The pride this group takes in making RC the best it can be is shown consistently inside and outside of the building. Submitted by Elementary Principals Steve Rose and Deb Kruse Professional Learning Communities (PLCs): Grade alike teachers meet weekly in PLCs. Once every three weeks, the grade alike teachers, administration, instructional coach, interventionist, school psychologist and interventionist go through a PLC Data protocol. This process allows us to look at gradewide data to determine if students are making enough progress through Tier 1 instruction. It also allows us to look at intervention group data to determine if students are making adequate progress in Tier 2 and 3 interventions. If not, we follow the collaborative improvement cycle to make adjustments where necessary. We also take the time to celebrate successes! Teacher Leadership Team (TLT): The teacher leadership team meets monthly and in September the team looked at the Fall K-5 benchmark protocols forms and the K-5 Data PLC forms. We took the team through a process to find themes, barriers and to identify next steps. Below are the key takeaways from this meeting that we shared with all staff. Communication is integral to making this process work. Key Takeaways: Impact Statements: Everyone was able to locate the impact statements you all came up with and agreed that they aligned well with the data provided. Meeting Notes: One area for improvement is the completeness of the notes taken during PLCs. We believe this may have been due to the deep discussions taking place, which made it challenging to capture everything. Since those discussions are the most important part, we’ve made some adjustments to the documents to help ensure that whoever is taking notes knows exactly what details to record. Interventions and Decision Rules: The team noticed that some interventions did not always align with the impact statements or the data. As we move forward, we’ll focus on following the decision rules established last year to keep our interventions consistent and data-driven. Tier 1 vs. Tier 2/3 Discussions: The team discussed the possibility of separating Tier 1 and Tier 2/3 conversations into different days. After chatting with Steve, we decided that we’re not quite ready to make that change yet. Our plan is to continue practicing the combined format for a few more meetings while refining the guiding questions to help focus and streamline the discussions. The hope is that, with these tweaks, we can maintain both tiers within the same meeting time effectively. If we find that the discussions are still taking too much time, we can definitely switch up the format! Overall Specificity: One area the team identified for improvement is the need to be more specific about what interventions and instructional changes are being implemented. The team hypothesized that one possible reason for limited growth in the data may be inconsistencies in how interventions are delivered. Moving forward, it will be important to clearly define each intervention and ensure consistent implementation across classrooms. Parent Teacher Conferences: We are thrilled to share that we had a fantastic turnout for our K-5 Parent-Teacher Conferences! Families showed up in great numbers to connect with teachers, celebrate student progress, and set goals for continued growth. The strong partnership between home and school was on full display, and we are so grateful for the support and collaboration that helps our students thrive. Fire Safety Day: Our school had a wonderful time participating in Fire Safety Day, where students learned valuable lessons about fire prevention and safety in fun, engaging ways. A huge thank you to Mrs. White for her thoughtful planning and organization of the event, and to the Raymond, Ceresco, and Valparaiso Fire Departments for taking the time to educate our students. Their demonstrations and guidance not only taught important safety skills but also inspired our students with a deeper appreciation for the everyday heroes who serve our community. Submitted by Amanda Coufal, Director of Special Education Part B Parent Survey Results and Letter of Determination: We received the Part B Parent Survey results back for 2024-2025. Our goal was to have 65% or higher of parents completing the survey. This year we had a response rate of 105.4%!!! Key Takeaways: * In special education, we scored above 90% in all areas * Offering parent rights & parents feel they are involved in activities - 100% * Evaluations are explained to help parents understand - 99% Areas of improvement: (All of these areas are still in the 90s but we can always find ways to keep improving!) * Discussing ESY services at every meeting * Making sure IEP is carried out as written * Transitions (from different buildings) * Programming that is preparing students for life after high school General Education: * The lowest area was 88%: Before my child was referred for special education services, the teachers and school tried different ways to help my child in the general education classroom. Also, we received our NDE letter for our annual Letter of Determination from NE Counts. This is based on student outcome and compliance data. NDE also performs risk analysis which computes if we are at risk of noncompliance and whether we may not achieve intended outcomes with federal Special Education dollars. Raymond Central was determined to meet requirements! Our risk score was 24.03%. Our scorecard is based on 0-3, 3 being the highest risk area. Areas in Category 2: * Chronic Absenteeism for students with IEPs (13.08%) * ELA Assessment (met 6 of the 11 targets) * Preschool Outcomes (met 3 of the 6 outcome targets) * Targeted Improvement Plan (addressed all but 2 areas) Area in Category 3: * Math Assessment: we met 5 of the 11 applicable targets for Math October is AAC Month: October is Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Awareness month! No one form of communication is better than another. Examples of forms of communication besides spoken language include gestures, written language, body language, sign language, and speech generating devices, just to name a few! October is the time to reflect on all the different ways you communicate. Remember, even if someone does not speak, they still have something to say! Annual Sensory Safari Field Trip: Once again, our students attended the Sensory Safari at Lincoln Children's Zoo on October 8. Students had the opportunity to touch, feel, hear, and smell at interpretative stations located throughout the zoo. |
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8.2. Student Board Member Report
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8.3. Superintendent's Report
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Discussion:
Superintendent Hanson provided information for the Board on Rule 10 Checklist, enrollment numbers and option students.
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8.3.1. Classified Staff Hire(s)/Reassignment(s)/Resignation(s)
Discussion:
Dylan Henry has been hired as Asst Cook at the High School.
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8.3.2. NASB Monthly Update
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8.3.3. NRCSA Monthly Report
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8.3.4. Update on Superintendent Goals
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Discussion:
Superintendent Hanson gave an update on the progress of his goals.
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8.3.5. Safety Report
Discussion:
Lockdown drills have been conducted in each building.
Safety Committee will meet on October 22 at 8:30 AM. |
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8.3.6. Facilities Report
Discussion:
The driveway and concrete projects have started.
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8.3.7. Important Upcoming Dates
Discussion:
Superintendent Evaluation Dates:
1. October 8-14: Superintendent completes the self-evaluation 2. October 16: NASB sends board self-evaluation results 3. October 16-26: Board members complete their evaluations 4. Final Report & Executive Summary will be emailed to the Board President by November 3 Vision Commitee Meeting - October 22 State Education Conference - November 20-21 |
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8.4. Board Committee Reports
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8.4.1. Curriculum & American Civics Committee (Burklund-chair, Lange, Matulka)
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8.4.2. Facilities & Transportation Committee (Matulka-chair, Burklund, Lange)
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8.4.3. Finance Committee (Burklund-chair, Heyen, Lange)
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8.4.4. Negotiations Committee (Benes-chair, Heyen, Matulka)
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8.4.5. Policy Committee (Benes-chair, Heyen, Wiig)
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9. Old Business
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10. New Business
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10.1. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to Approve the memorandum of understanding between the RCEA and the Board of Education regarding the co-curricular salary schedule.
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Discussion:
Motion by Lange, second by Brase to approve the Memoranda of Understanding between Raymond Central Education Association and Raymond Central Board of Education regarding Event Workers and the Co-Curricular Salary Schedule. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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10.2. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to Approve Snow Removal Bids
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Discussion:
Motion by Heyen, second by Benes to approve snow removal bids from Haxton Excavating and Grading at Valparaiso Elementary for $425.00 per event; and from Metzger Property Solutions at Ceresco Elementary for $400.00 per event. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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10.3. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to approve a resolution that establishes option enrollment capacities.
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Discussion:
Motion by Brase, second by Heyen to approve Resolution 5006A and Appendix 1 outlining the 2026-2027 Option Enrollment Program Capacities. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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10.4. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to Approve the purchase of a 2027 International Bus for $139,875.
Discussion:
Motion by Benes, second by Lange to approve the purchase of a 2027 Handicap Accessible International Mid-Bus at a cost of $139,875.00. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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10.5. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to Approve the purchase of a 2025 Ford Transit for $67,182.
Discussion:
Motion by Brase, second by Benes to approve the purchase of a 2025 Ford Transit Passenger van at a cost of $67,182.00. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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10.6. Discuss, Consider and Take Necessary Action to Approve to surplus both 2014 Ford Passenger Vans.
Discussion:
Motion by Benes, second by Heyen to surplus two 2014 passenger vans. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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11. Next Regular Board Meeting
Discussion:
The next regular Board of Education Meeting will be held Wednesday, November 12, 2025.
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12. Adjournment
Discussion:
Motion by Benes, second by Lange to adjourn the meeting at 7:03 PM. RCV 5-0. Motion carried.
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