Board Minutes October 9, 2006
PENDER PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING MINUTES
Pender Public School – Room #111
October 9, 2006 – 8:00 p.m
The Pender Public School Board of Education met in regular session in Room #111 on Monday, October 9, 2006. President Mark Lander called the meeting to order at 8:01 p.m. with the following members present: Franklin Fendrick, Robert McQuistan, Mark Lander, Connie Felber, Larry Simonsen and Terri Reppert. Absent: None. Also present were Superintendent/Elementary Principal Joe Sherwood and Recording Secretary Barb Preston. Visitors: Susan Urbanec, Cyndi Conroy, Erika Wolfe, Tom Liakos, Ray Welsh, Carri Mailloux, Kathi Siebrandt, Lavennia Coover, JJ Maise, Norvin “Fuzz” Hansen, Rusty Bartlett, McKenzie Minert, Reed Allen and Sarah Urbanec.
President Lander notified those present that as of July 1, 2006, Nebraska Statute 84-1412(8) requires that the public be informed about the location of posted information regarding the Open Meetings Act and drew their attention to the copy posted in the meeting room and accessible to all members of the public.
Board members reconvened in the elementary gym for a parli-pro demonstration by the FFA Chapter team members. Mr. Bartlett asked questions of individual FFA team members questioned regarding the parli-pro process. Board members commended team members on their performance and wished them well in their upcoming competition. President Lander thanked Mr. Bartlett and the FFA team members for their demonstration.
President Lander reviewed the agenda as presented, affirmed that every board member had received notice of the meeting and that the meeting had been published. The board amended the agenda at Franklin Fendrick’s request for an announcement following the Administrative Reports.
Motion to approve the minutes of the regular September 11, 2006 regular meeting and September 18, 2006 special meeting was made by Simonsen and seconded by Fendrick. President Lander stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
A motion to approve payment of bills as
follows: General Fund - $135,374.85; Hot Lunch Fund -
$14,216.39; and Payroll - $103,866.98 made by Felber, seconded by
Reppert. President Lander stated the motion and the result of
roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
President Lander welcomed all
visitors to the meeting and asked if anyone present would like to
address the board about something that was not on the agenda.
Cyndi Conroy asked Board members to consider changing the order of
the agenda to allow the “visitor’s comment” section to be moved to
the end of the agenda. Mrs. Conroy explained that the comment
section at the beginning of the meeting did not allow an
opportunity for visitors to share their views and opinions on
agenda items until the next meeting and if the comments section
were near the end, those in attendance would be able to address
issues in a more timely manner. Norvin “Fuzz” Hansen
commented that he liked the opportunity to ask questions and
receive clarification during the time of board discussion.
Board member Felber shared that she felt the comment section after
all the Board votes had been taken would be ineffective in
communicating their desires. Board member Simonsen opined
that he felt the board had been very lenient in allowing comments
from visitors during past meetings. President Lander stated
that comments had been allowed in the past, however, comments
directed at any administrators, individual board members or staff
members would not be allowed. Additional discussion resulted
in Superintendent Sherwood offering to place proposed motions with
each action agenda item, to post the agenda on the Pender Public
School SOCS website and to include a comments section after the
approval of payment of the bills and again near the end of the
agenda. In addition, the note explaining the time limit and
instructions for the comment section would be deleted. JJ
Maise asked Mr. Sherwood if there was an established elementary
grading process and if all new teachers were involved in a
mentoring program. Mr. Sherwood asked Mr. Maise to refer to
his elementary student handbook for grading information and that we
did not have a formal mentoring program in place at this
time.
Motion made by Fendrick, seconded by Simonsen
to approve enrollment option applications for Ali and Cory Mugan
from Bancroft-Rosalie to Pender effective immediately and for
Jessica Svoboda to attend kindergarten in Wisner-Pilger beginning
with the 2007-08 school year. President Lander stated the
motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion
carried.
Superintendent Sherwood informed Board members that he had reviewed
the requirements of Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) Rule 10
and Rule 11 and Pender’s compliance with those requirements.
Mr. Sherwood recommended that the board approve Rule 10 and 11
reports as part of the overall process for submission to the
State.
Motion made by McQuistan, seconded by Felber to approve NDE Rule 10 and 11 reports as presented by Superintendent Sherwood. President Lander stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
The funds necessary to rework the Board Policy notebook were budgeted in the 2006-07 budget of expenditures recently approved by the Board. Mr. Sherwood asked the board to consider giving him permission to begin the process at an approximate cost of $6,000, which would provide a better overall policy document for use by Board members and other staff.
Motion made by Reppert, seconded by Fendrick to authorize the Superintendent to take the steps necessary to begin the process of reworking the Board Policy notebook. President Lander stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Mr. Sherwood updated board members on the Event Center project by sharing that the seats have been installed and were used for the first time for coronation, the curtains are being sewn this week and will be installed prior to the secondary concert on October 23rd. The “Heese Event Center” lettering has been installed above the stage and approximately $22,000 has been raised or pledged toward the $49,000 lighting and sound equipment which would be installed next.
Susan Urbanec, Special Services Coordinator, provided an informative PowerPoint presentation regarding the assessment process and how it fits in to the district Vision Statement and School Improvement Plan. AIMS web probes were given to all K-8 students in August and each conferences were held with each individual grades 3-6 student to develop a plan to improve performance in areas where that student was below the target. Charts will be shared will be shared with parents during Parent-Teacher Conferences on October 27th. President Lander, on behalf of board members, thanked Miss Urbanec for her presentation and shared appreciation for a job well done.
In Secondary Principal Jason Dolliver’s absence because of illness Mr. Sherwood shared a Power Point presentation and video clip on several issues. Mr. Sherwood reported that homecoming activities were productive, safe and alcohol-free. He commended Jason Dolliver on a job well done and shared that he had been receiving many positive comments. Mr. Sherwood shared that Susan and he had been selected to serve on the STARS Peer Review team and would be participating in a 2-day training process before going out in Nebraska schools to review processes and assessment plans in other districts. Mr. Sherwood also invited board members to register for the NASB State Education conference in Omaha in November. Connie Felber is already registered to attend and no other board members indicated a desire to participate. Mr. Sherwood’s Power Point presentation included information no an upcoming meeting with local law enforcement personnel to discuss safety, our intruder/crisis plan, discontinuing the use of backpacks and to provide a walk-through of our building by Thurston County Deputy Sherriff department personnel in an effort to increase their visibility to students and staff. Also on the presentation was a video clip of a student dressed in baggy clothing unloading several weapons that had been concealed under his clothing.
Actual versus Adjusted Taxable Valuation for the 2006-07 school year was presented in the form of a spreadsheet indicating that the gap between the two has been reduced to just over $3 million down from approximately $9 million last year. The actual valuation is used to determine the amount of revenue the district will generate from the levy amounts set and the adjusted valuation is used in the formula to determine state aid.
As part of Mr. Sherwood’s report, he shared recent progress in the area of community economic development. The progress includes housing incentives, the construction of Subway, the possibility of Curves establishing a business in Pender and the possibility of Goldenrod Hills relocation.
To conclude, Mr. Sherwood tied all of the information presented in his report and as part of the assessment report to the district Vision Statement. The Vision Statement includes goals as follows: 1) Maximum achievement for every child; 2) Family and community partnerships to foster population growth; and 3) Safe, healthy, efficacy enhancing and guidance rich learning environment.
Board member Franklin Fendrick announced that he had accepted a position as Utilities Superintendent with the Village of Pender. As a result of his new position Mr. Fendrick felt conflict of interest issues would develop and he plans to resign his board position effective at the end of 2006. Board members directed Mr. Sherwood to research policy and State Statute regarding the replacement of a resigning board member. The issue will be formally considered at the November meeting.
In good faith, Board members asked for comments from visitors. Cyndi Conroy thanked the board for considering her request and making adjustments to better accommodate visitors. Carri Mailloux expressed her appreciation for Miss Urbanec’s presentation.
President Lander stated that the next regular meeting would be held on Monday, November 13, 2006, at 7:00 p.m.
Moved by Simonsen, seconded by Fendrick to adjourn. President Lander stated the motion and the result of the vote being all ayes the meeting was adjourned at 10:08 p.m. by acclamation.
Larry Simonsen, Secretary
Barb Preston, Recording Secretary
