December 17, 2024 at 7:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Discussion:  President Sinner referenced the Nebraska Open Meetings Act as posted and noted that the Board reserves the right to rearrange the order of the agenda and to convene an executive session in accordance with § 84-1410. 

Discussion: 

December 17, 2023 Approved Claims
Salaries, Benefits,	$  990,630.82
Prof. & Tech. Services; Mileage	$  110,554.24
Leases, Utilities & Maintenance	$    32,502.06
Copies, Postage, Telephone & Travel	$    59,737.93
Supplies, Materials, Software & other Util.	$    96,799.25
Bldg. Improvements, Furn., Equipment, Hardware, Vehicle Acquisition	$    37,271.56
Dues, Fees & Ind. Costs	$     (1,146.83)
Total	$1,326,349.03

Discussion:  Calendar Items were discussed: 

• December 23, 2024-January 3, 2025 - ESU Office closed for Winter Break
• January 21, 2025 - Regular Meeting
• January 26-27, 2025 - NASB Legislative Issues Conference - Cornhusker Marriott - Lincoln (Sinner)
• January 26-February 1, 2025 - School Board Member Week in Nebraska
• March 20-21, 2025 - 2025 NRCSA Spring Conference - Kearney

Discussion:  No Public Forum.

Discussion:  Reports: 

Discussion:  Meridian Playground Upgrade Proposal: Jessica Broderick, Director of Special Education, gave a presentation to the Board about a proposal for the Meridian program's outdoor play area upgrade to allow for safe and accessible surfacing, equipment, and sensory play options. Input was gathered from the administrator, teachers, maintenance, and the Meridian Advisory Council. She provided a timeline for the project, hopefully being completed by August 2025. Estimated expenses from vendor AB Creative were reviewed. 

Discussion:  State Education Conference: Board members Diemoz and Kinsey attended the State Education Conference in Omaha on November 20-22. Each member gave a recap of sessions attended, including but not limited to AI, legislative process, special education, and ESU Board member update. 

Discussion:  AESA Annual Conference: Board members Coon, Jones, Marsh, Marx, Richards, Sinner, and Winchester attended the AESA conference held December 4-6, in Orlando, FL. The members relayed information gleaned from the conference. AI was a popular topic. Other breakout sessions attended included the federal legislative update, recruitment and retention into education, and improving student engagement. 

Discussion:  Head Start Director's Report, Policy Council, and Financial Reports: Krystie Hohnstein, Head Start Director, relayed that the Head Start 5 Year Continuation Grant was submitted. The 2025-2030 Head Start Strategic Priorities has been completed. No further updates have been received regarding the incident report/RAN (Risk Assessment Notification) review. Changes in procedure have been made and policies have been reviewed to ensure child safety. The program continues to wait for a report and response from the Office of Head Start. 

Discussion:  Administrator's Report: 

• At the AESA conference, Dr. Barrett and Deirdre Amundsen gave a presentation titled "Empowering Leadership for Employee Wellbeing". Dr. Barrett shared highlights from that presentation with the Board. 
• Legislative Update: Dr. Barrett and several superintendents virtually attended NCSA's Legislative Preview on December 11th.  Dr. Barrett discussed several legislative issues with the Board.
• Panhandle Beginnings: The five-year Sherwood Foundation grant is coming to an end.  Several discussions with district superintendents have taken place regarding continued funding for the program. The consensus is to make the program part of the yearly Cost Schedule for districts. 

Discussion:  Board Committee Reports: The Finance Committee met prior to this meeting to review the ESU 13 2023-2024 financial audit with Kevin Sylvester of Dana Cole & Company.

Discussion:  Board Member Comments:

• Kim Marx thanked Ben Mientka from our tech department for his role in helping the Hay Springs School District migrate to a higher capacity circuit. An issue was encountered during that procedure, and Ben put in the extra effort to add a back-up firewall which allowed everything to run smoothly. 
• President Sinner announced that the January, February, and March Board meetings will be held by videoconference.
• President Sinner would like any Board member that has a preference on serving on committee to please let him know before the January Board reorganization meeting.

Discussion:  Business: 

Discussion:  President Sinner called the meeting adjourned. The next regular Board meeting will be held on January 21, 2025 at the ESU 13 Main Office, 4215 Avenue I, Scottsbluff, and by videoconference.