July 12, 2023 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting
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1. Pledge of Allegiance & Call to Order
Agenda Item Type:
Action Item
Rationale:
The formation of public policy is public business and may not be conducted in secret. Every meeting of the Norris Board shall be open to the public and abide by the Nebraska Open Meetings Act, a copy of which is available for inspection at our meeting site. Does anyone in the audience require audio or visual assistance?
Recommended Motion(s):
Excuse Steph Meese absence
Excuse Craig Gana absence Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Discussion:
President Devine called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM.
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2. Public Comment
Agenda Item Type:
Action Item
Rationale:
The regular board meeting agenda provides for citizens to present information or to express opinions to the board through public comment.
Discussion:
There was no public comment.
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3. Curriculum Report/ Program Review:
Agenda Item Type:
Information Item
Discussion:
Mrs. Morrison and Mr. Talero presented the PreCalculus Curriculum report.
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3.1. PreCalculus Curriculum Material Information
Agenda Item Type:
Action Item
Rationale:
Mr. Talero has been looking through PreCalculus materials and would like to request to purchase materials outside of the curriculum cycle for multiple reasons. Mr. Talero will present his research and will seek Board of Education approval for purchase of PreCalculus materials in August.
Discussion:
Mrs. Morrison and Mr. Talero shared a presentation with the Board of Education and discussed the math curriculum cycle.
Attachments:
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4. Superintendent's Report
Speaker(s):
Dr. Maschmann
Agenda Item Type:
Information Item
Rationale:
The Superintendent reports on matters of interest to the Board.
Discussion on 3% Base Growth and Additional 6% Base Growth
Discussion:
Dr. Maschmann shared with the Board of Education the Superintendent's Report. Dr. Maschmann reviewed updated State Aid numbers and discussed the growth cap and options the district has.
Attachments:
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4.1. Upcoming Dates and Events of Interest to the Board
Speaker(s):
Dr. Maschmann
Agenda Item Type:
Procedural Item
Rationale:
July 26-29 - NDE/NCSA Administrator Days in Kearney
July 31- June 1 - New Teacher Induction August 9th - Regular Board Meeting August 9th - Meet and Greet new staff August 10th - First day of school August 15th - Board retreat at NASB building August 21st - Budget work session August 24th - Area Membership Meeting in York
Discussion:
Dr. Maschmann shared with the Board of Education the upcoming dates. The Student Fee Hearing will be Wednesday, August 9 at 6:00 P.M. The next regular Board Meeting will be Wednesday, August 9,
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4.2. Commendations
Speaker(s):
Dr. Maschmann
Agenda Item Type:
Information Item
Rationale:
Norris High School Band performed at the Bristol Independence Day Parade in Bristol, Rhode Island.
Discussion:
Dr. Maschmann shared with the Board of Education the monthly commendations.
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4.3. Personnel Updates
Speaker(s):
Dr. Maschmann
Agenda Item Type:
Information Item
Rationale:
Certified Staff:Hire
Resignation
Retiring Extra Duty: Hire Support Staff:Hire
Resignation
Retiring
Discussion:
Dr. Joel shared with the Board of Education the personnel report.
Attachments:
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5. Consent Agenda
Speaker(s):
President Devine
Agenda Item Type:
Action Item
Rationale:
Consent items are considered routine and will be passed without vote by unanimous consent; however, any Board member can ask to remove an item from the consent list for separate action. Normally included in the consent items are the agenda, minutes, approval of the claims, financial reports, and any personnel matters or other reports identified in the Superintendent's Report. The order of the agenda items may be rearranged according to the Board's preference.
Discussion:
President Devine read aloud the following, "Consent items are considered routine and will be passed without vote by unanimous consent; however, any Board member can ask to remove an item from the consent list for separate action. Normally included in the consent items are the agenda, minutes, approval of the claims, financial reports, and any personnel matters or other reports identified in the Superintendent's Report. The order of the agenda items may be rearranged according to the Board's preference."
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6. Travel Request
Speaker(s):
Dr. Maschmann
Agenda Item Type:
Action Item
Rationale:
Consistent with Policy 6153, Norris High School students along with Ty Twarling attend Wayne State 11-Man Football Camp and will be staying in the dormitory on July 16-18.
The Norris High students and Wes Hansmeyer, Justin Eisenbeis, other adult sponsors and the Norris Show Choir will travel to Johnston, IA for a Show Choir Contest and will stay over night on 19th and 20th.
Recommended Motion(s):
Approve the travel request Consistent per Policy 6153, Norris High School students attending Wayne State 11-Man Football Camp and staying in the Dormitory on July 16-18 and Norris Show choir with sponsors will travel to Johnston, IA for a show choir contest and will stay overnight on January 19-20. Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Discussion:
Dr. Maschmann presented and recommended the travel requests to the Board of Education.
Attachments:
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7. Discuss and consider further action on Lancaster County Sheriff's Office's investigation, including possible external investigation and/or appointment of a temporary committee
Speaker(s):
President Devine
Agenda Item Type:
Action Item
Rationale:
Discuss, consider, and take action on Lancaster County Sheriff's Office's investigation, including possible external investigation and/or appointment of a temporary committee to study and find facts that will be shared at a regular board meeting.
Recommended Motion(s):
Approve the temporary committee or external investigation on Lancaster County Sheriff's Office investigation Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Discussion:
President Devine opened up discussion in regards to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Department investigation, including possible an external investigation and/or appoint a temporary committee to study and find facts that will be shared publicly.
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8. Policies
Speaker(s):
Dr. Joel and Dr. Maschmann
Agenda Item Type:
Action Item
Rationale:
Review:
First Reading:
Second Reading:
Required Policy
Discussion:
Dr. Joel shared with the Board of Education the first reading of new and updated policies. The Board of Education reviewed Policy 4029 Professional Boundaries Between Employees and Students.
Attachments:
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9. Building Handbook(s) Approval
Speaker(s):
Dr. Joel, Dr. Maschmann
Agenda Item Type:
Action Item
Rationale:
Approve the 2022-23 Student and Staff Handbooks
Elementary and Intermediate School changes: A background check is required to chaperone students on a field trip. Water bottles used by students in the classroom must contain water only. "Electronic devices" include - (added smartwatches) Teachers and parents play an important role in maintaining a safe environment by planning activities without food. Parents are encouraged to bring an alternative to food for special classroom celebrations. Non-food items are a welcome alternative to food items. Party Invitations Party invitations are considered an "out of school" activity and should not be delivered at school. This procedure can help prevent hurt feelings of children not given an invitation. In some cases, teachers may not be able to release a class list including first and last names of students because of privacy issues. Visitors will sit with their student at a designated table in the cafeteria. All other students must remain at their assigned table. Parents may bring lunch for their child but NOT share food with other students. It will be left to the discretion of office personnel if it would be more appropriate to have the lunch located in an area other than the cafeteria. Middle School Handbook changes: In Article 5 Section 1; one of our school improvement goals of holding students to higher academic expectations. Studies have shown that teachers holding students to higher expectations has proven to increase student learning. With that data in mind, and coupled with collaborating with Mr. Seggerman in the high school to learn more about how well the incoming 9th graders are performing academically. In the middle school, students previously could complete assignments any time throughout the quarter, and earn an incomplete if they did not complete a summative assignment, however, in order to help students complete meaningful practice (formative assignments) and summative assignments (assessments, projects) the best timeframe for their learning, we have set deadlines for students to complete assignments. These deadlines will also help better prepare students for high school expectations of completing formative assignments (meaningful practice) and also summative assignments. Students now have 1 week to complete formative assignments (meaningful practice) after the original due date and 2 weeks to complete summative assignments. If students do not complete the assignments within the new timeframe guidelines, students will earn a zero on the assignment. Students who are absent on due dates will follow the district guidelines for assignment completion (2 days for every day they are absent). High School Handbook Changes: The Grading Scale/Grade Point Average calculation changed. Rationale: increase the rigor of our academic expectations and be more in-line with other schools in our conference and array. (page 22 of handbook) Updated our grading philosophy. (Bottom of page 22). Each year our grading committee of teachers has reviewed and made recommendations for adjustments as needed based on observations and data from the classroom and MTSS processes. In line with the first bullet point, the changes made for this coming year are to increase student accountability, increase rigor of curricular programs, and help scaffold/prepare our students to make the transition to post-secondary education and the workforce. Major changes include Students have 2 days from the due date to complete missing work. Board policy re: sick days/makeup work still apply and teachers have professional discretion to extend this if student circumstances warrant it. At the end of each quarter/semester, missing work will remain a 0%. Modified language to set expectations for students and parents to monitor their academic progress in PowerSchool, increase the onus on the student to initiate creating plans to complete work or get assistance as needed, and reinforce expectation that teachers are responsible for providing feedback on student performance in a timely fashion through PowerSchool. Students who complete a retake on a summative assessment will earn an average of the original score and the new score. If the second score is lower, the original score will stand. Rationale: very large trend in students to take the test without studying because they knew they could retake it without consequence. We want students to be prepared the first time but still have a bit of a safety net if things go wrong on testing day. Updated language on Possession and use of electronic devices. (page 54) Handbook now reads "During class time, all students will turn their phones into a designated location as determined by the classroom teacher." All teachers will have a cell phone pouch/caddy on the wall for students to turn their phones into. This is based on feedback that until now we allowed each teacher to have a system for enforcing that phones should be away during class, however, the consistency of implementing that expectation and the number of different ways it was handled was hard for teachers, students, and administration to consistently follow/monitor.
Recommended Motion(s):
Approve the 2023-24 Student and Staff Handbooks Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Discussion:
Dr. Maschmann presented the building handbook to the Board of Education and recommended approval for the 2023-2024 school year.
Attachments:
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10. Legislative Updates
Speaker(s):
Dr. Maschmann, President Devine
Agenda Item Type:
Information Item
Rationale:
Attached is the NCSA Final Legislative Report which includes the Interim Studies.
Discussion:
Dr. Joel shared the updates with the Board of Education.
Attachments:
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11. Approve Athletic Trainer Services Agreement Between Bryan Medical Center and Norris High School
Agenda Item Type:
Action Item
Recommended Motion(s):
Approve the 2023-2024 Athletic Trainer Services Agreement for $26,000 Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Discussion:
Dr. Maschmann presented and recommended the 2023-2024 Athletic Trainer Service Agreement between Bryan Medical Center and Norris High School.
Attachments:
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12. Approve Farmer's Cooperative Propane Purchase
Agenda Item Type:
Action Item
Rationale:
Averaging out the last 3 years of propane used (gallons), we are recommending a pre-purchase of 6,000 gallons for the district at a cost of $163 per gallon. The total cost of propane for the next school year will be $9,780.
Recommended Motion(s):
Approve the pre-purchase of 6,000 gallons of propane from Farmers Cooperative for a total cost of $9,780. Passed with a motion by Board Member #1 and a second by Board Member #2.
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
Discussion:
Dr. Joel presented and recommended approval for the pre-purchase of propane for the 2023-2024 school year.
Attachments:
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13. NASB updates
Speaker(s):
President Devine
Agenda Item Type:
Information Item
Discussion:
There were no NASB updates.
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14. Lancaster Co. / District Development Updates
Speaker(s):
Dr. Joel and Dr. Maschmann
Agenda Item Type:
Information Item
Rationale:
Annexeation Ordinance No. 21430
Attachments:
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15. Buildings, Grounds and Transportation updates
Speaker(s):
Dr. Joel, Dr. Maschmann
Agenda Item Type:
Action Item
Rationale:
Attached are photos of the HS Kitchen M-7 and M-8 as the pipe replacement project continues. This week they have started to replace the pipe and will begin filling the trenches.
The Transportation Department has been busy working on our fleet. Now that we are fully staffed, a lot of bodywork is being done on the large passenger buses. We have started conversations around routes and the number of drivers we currently have. Next month we will seek approval for a new 2024 John Deere Gator to replace an aging Gator.
Discussion:
Dr. Joel presented the buildings, grounds and transportation updates to the Board of Education.
Attachments:
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16. Board Strategic Plan goals & Board areas of focus
Speaker(s):
Dr. Maschmann, President Devine
Agenda Item Type:
Action Item
Rationale:
Review Strategic Plan Goals and Readopt as Board:
Discussion:
Dr. Maschmann, Dr. Joel, Dr. Tracy and Mrs. Morrison provided an update to the Board of Education in regards to the Strategic Plan.
Attachments:
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17. Board Reports
Speaker(s):
Board Members
Agenda Item Type:
Information Item
Rationale:
Board member updates on matters of interest to the Board.
President Devine will discuss the Superintendent's evaluation
Discussion:
President Devine shared he sent out the revised Superintendent Evaluation Tool with the Board of Education.
Treasurer Burbach shared an update from the ALICAP Safety meeting she attended. |
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18. Correspondence items
Agenda Item Type:
Information Item
Rationale:
Monthly correspondence of interest to the Board.
Discussion:
There was no monthly correspondence.
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19. Adjournment
Agenda Item Type:
Action Item
Discussion:
The meeting was adjourned at 7:59 PM.
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