November 11, 2025 at 7:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Discussion:  Diana Hauck addressed the board and thanked them for the nice buses they have to drive.  She informed the board that the drivers are trying hard to take good care of the buses and also reported there are some roads that are very difficult to travel after precipitation.

Discussion:  Homer Community Schools held a wonderful Veterans Day Program on November 11—thank you to Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Moos for organizing an event that received many positive comments from veterans, families, and community members. The annual Cardinal Baskets drive will run December 1-12, with NHS students traveling to South Sioux City on December 16 to help sort donations. The 12 Days of Christmas celebration is set for December 4-19, and elementary Christmas concerts will be held December 8 (PK-2 at 6:30, 3-5 at 7:15), with the secondary concert on December 15. Trunk or Treat was a great success with 15 volunteers—congratulations to the Bus Drivers for their winning "Inside Out" theme! Elementary enrichment lessons recently featured liquid nitrogen experiments, and Student Council continues their monthly service initiatives with a Wall of Gratitude and planning for their next fun night. Character Counts focused on Respect, Empathy, Kindness, and Fairness in October, shifting to Responsibility, Honesty, and Dependability in November. At the JH/HS level, staff are reviewing the 6th grade model and collecting feedback; students have expressed appreciation for their current rotation schedule. Quiz Bowl’s JV team were champions at Wayne State—the first time on record—and high school winter sports practices begin next week.

Discussion:  This week we reviewed 6th grade needs, provided van updates, including re-purposing the former special education minivan, and discussed weekly emails to update the board. Our Leadership Team is beginning ELA curriculum work, with December 3rd PD as the launch point. We also started early calendar planning, reviewed the ACT incentive, and noted JH wrestling events in Ponca and Winside. District-wide grading conversations continued, and our PK-12 enrollment stands at 448 with 95% attendance (1 in, 5 out). Committee work remains active.

Discussion:  On or before December 31, 2024—and annually thereafter—school districts are required under Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-3004 to provide the board with a financial literacy status report detailing student progress in financial literacy courses and other district-selected measures. Currently, our district offers four sections of Financial Literacy for grades 9-12 as well as a 7th/8th grade exploratory course, ensuring students receive foundational financial education across multiple levels.

Discussion:  Dr. Lefdal has been working with Dave Dziurawiec on negotiations and several different ideas have been discussed.

Discussion:  Dr. Lefdal recommended that we remove the early retirement incentive and the board was in agreement.

Discussion:  Dr. Lefdal handed out a facilities plan for the next 1,3,5,7,10 and 15 years to make sure we can plan accordingly with our budget.  Discussion was held regarding the facility plan.

Discussion:  Dr. Lefdal shared with the board a survey that was done with the secondary girls and showed interest in Girl's Golf in the fall.  We will proceed forward with this.

Discussion:  Different ideas were shared regarding Homecoming events and separating some of the events between middle school and high school students.

Discussion:   The District's annual audit has not yet been completed.  We should be receiving it back from our auditors soon.

Discussion:  Dr. Lefdal went through policy training with NASB.  This is a massive project to get all our policies updated and cleaned up.  Once we get everything online, the changes will be efficient and quickly done.

Discussion:  The next meeting will be Wednesday, December 10th at 7:00 p.m.