SCHOOL BOARD MINUTES
February 12, 2007
PENDER PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING MINUTES
Pender Public School – Room #112
February 12, 2007 – 7:00 p.m.
The Pender Public School Board of Education met in regular session in Room 112 on Monday, February 12, 2007. Vice-president Robert McQuistan called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. with the following members present: Robert McQuistan, J.J. Maise, Matt Peters, Jean Karlen and Dan Wichman. Absent: Connie Felber. Also present were Superintendent/Elementary Principal Joe Sherwood, Secondary Principal Jason Dolliver and Recording Secretary Barb Preston. Visitors: Jennifer Smith, Lorie Meyer, LaVennia Coover, Marg Roberts, Rusty Bartlett, Jodi Davis, Kathi Siebrandt, Norvin “Fuzz” Hansen, Ray Welsh and Cyndi Conroy.
Vice-president McQuistan 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.
Vice-president McQuistan reviewed the agenda as presented, affirmed that every board member had received notice of the meeting and that the meeting had been published. The agenda was corrected by striking “Munderloh Resignation” under Agenda Item #14 – Personnel because Mrs. Munderloh withdrew her resignation and plans to complete the school year.
Motion to approve the minutes of the January 8, 2007 regular meeting and minutes from special meetings held on January 12, 27 and 31, 2007 was made by McQuistan and seconded by Peters. Vice-president McQuistan stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being: Ayes—Maise, Wichman, Peters, McQuistan; Nays—None; Abstain—Karlen; motion carried 4-0-1.
A motion to approve payment of bills as follows: General Fund - $147,419.14; Hot Lunch Fund - $14,269.40; and Payroll - $102,712.05 was made by Wichman, seconded by Peters. Vice-president McQuistan stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Secondary Principal Jason Dolliver presented his administrative report using a Power Point presentation recognizing student achievement in the spelling bee and conference art show. In addition, Mr. Dolliver thanked the board for allowing him to participate in Peer Review at another district. He felt that the experience helped him prepare our district portfolio to meet expectations and that the preparation paid off in the form of exemplary ratings for all areas. Mr. Dolliver also thanked those board members who attended the Peer Review session held at Pender. Principal Dolliver shared that 50 people took advantage of a workshop on Layered Curriculum presented by Dr. Fred Goerisch on February 5th. In addition, on January 29 and February 2 our staff participated in a curriculum revision process with Pat Roschewski, Sue Anderson and Amy Hill. This process allows our staff to revise and improve the curriculum that is currently in place. Mr. Dolliver reported that a couple of our teachers attended an informative session on TANN (Technology Academy of Northeast Nebraska), which could result in our district being able to present college credit classes to our students. Principal Dolliver has implemented a new process for substitute teachers, which requires a substitute teacher to comment on various aspects of their time at Pender Public School. The information gathered from these forms proves to be invaluable to Mr. Dolliver and the staff. Many of the comments provided positive feedback about staff preparation, administrative assistance and student behavior. Three of Pender’s wrestlers qualified for State competition at the district meet, girls basketball team members are participating in districts and boys basketball districts will begin next week. All Statewide Writing Assessments for 8th and 11th grade students have been administered and have been mailed in for scoring. Tami Nelson will be taking advantage of training at an upcoming SPED conference, CCDC will provide a character development assembly for students in grades 6-12 on February 23, and FFA week will be observed February 16-23.
Elementary Principal Joe Sherwood, using a Power Point presentation reported that students in grades 6, 2, 3 and 4 have completed their spelling bee competition and the 5th graders are scheduled for February 13. Enrollment increased on one student and decreased by one student during the past month. Mr. Sherwood reported that he had attended four IEP, two MDT and one SAT meeting over the past month. Principal Sherwood reported that discipline issues have been reduced during the third quarter. Mr. Sherwood reported that he and Pam Peters attended an early childhood meeting held at ESU #1 and learned of many early childhood requirements and grant due dates and the unlikelihood of our district qualifying for a grant. In addition, our district has been informed that the early childhood program for our district has been approved for 2007-08 and that will be first year that will be counted towards including those eligible students for State Aid funding calculation. This information is contrary to the original interpretation. Mr. Sherwood also reported that he would be taking Balanced Leadership training provided by NDE, NCSA and McRel on February 14 and 15. Additionally, Mr. Sherwood reported that Anne Moody would be taking advantage of a special education inservice on March 5, and that our SAT team consisting of 7 teachers attended an RTI workshop. The fourth grade students have all completed the Writing Assessment and it has been mailed to the State Department. The After School para has been reassigned and Mrs. Liakos is handling the program due to low enrollment numbers. Elementary Principal Sherwood reported that students in grades 4-6 have been allowed to take advantage of outside recess whenever the temperature allows at the suggestion of teachers and recess supervisors.
Superintendent Joe Sherwood continued his Power Point presentation reminding Board members, staff and visitors of 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. Superintendent Sherwood reported that all students kindergarten through 8th grade have been given the AimsWeb probes and progress reports will be available to parents during the parent-teacher conference scheduled in March. Mr. Sherwood also reported that a report indicating student achievement on the standards assessments were mailed to parents in January and an additional report would be available at the end of the year.
A report provided by our reviewers after our STARS Peer Review process in January indicated that we received an Exemplary rating for grades 4, 8 and 11 in Reading and all 6 Criteria were met. An Exemplary rating is the best rating awarded by the reviewers. Mr. Sherwood thanked all staff members for preparing for the review and commended them for a job well done. Our reviewers stated that our portfolio was accurate, concise and demonstrated a real commitment to student learning.
On February 5th, Dr. Fred Goerisch provided training to 50 people from four school districts and two teacher training institutes on layered curriculum. This workshop on Layered Curriculum provided our teachers with tools that will allow instructors to meet unique needs of
students. A second session will be conducted on March 5th.
Lastly, Mr. Sherwood read aloud a commendation that was received from Jana Kruger from Arlington regarding our boys basketball team. Ms. Kruger stated in part; “Each boy was neatly dressed with pants, shirt and tie. They sat together as a team and behaved in a manner that did not call attention to themselves. They stood out from the crowd and they are a class act.” She feels that boys are learning life lessons that can not be measured by a final score.
Board member Dan Wichman reported on sessions he attended at the Labor Relations Conference in Kearney. Board President Felber, Superintendent Sherwood and Barb Preston all attended the conference. Mr. Wichman enjoyed sessions on the negotiation process, health insurance and cash-in-lieu, extended contracts, termination hearings, and Reduction In Force (RIF). Board member Wichman stated that he felt the training provided was very worthwhile and encouraged fellow board members to attend training when it becomes available.
Vice-president McQuistan implemented the Procedures for Public Comment established by the board in January. Mr. McQuistan called on Kathi Siebrandt to address the board. Ms. Siebrandt inquired as to the difference between a meeting and a retreat and also why so many meetings were necessary. As allowed by procedure, board members answered her question by sharing that a meeting and a retreat are public meetings, however, the retreat is more of a planning session for the future of the districts and allows the board a chance to lay all options on the table. The number of meetings held in January provided an opportunity for board members to become more educated on the overall operation of the district and to become more informed participants. Vice-president McQuistan indicated that no further response would be necessary. Secondly, Kathi Siebrandt inquired as to the necessity to report child abuse and when that was appropriate. Vice-president McQuistan and other board members felt that the issue presented was too specific to one employee to comment further in public and Robert McQuistan agreed to get back to Kathi Siebrandt with a response to her question as soon as possible.
Next, Vice-president McQuistan invited Cyndi Conroy to address the board regarding staffing replacement and assignment for the 2007-08 school year. Ms. Conroy asked the board if they planned to advertise and hire for the vacated English position, if they had a plan for the Spanish program and whether or not the assignment included extra duty assignments. Board members clarified that the discussion on “2007-08 Staff Planning/Assignment Consideration” during the board meeting would address some of these concerns and that extra duty assignments would not be part of the discussion.
Vice-president McQuistan thanked those present for adhering to the procedures established and for sharing their concerns with board members. Mr. McQuistan also shared that the 30-minute pre-session was well attended and he felt that the pre-session had a positive impact on communication with local patrons.
Motion was made by Peters, seconded by Maise to approve the enrollment option applications of Dylan (Kindergarten) and Dalton (6th) Suhr to attend school at West Point Public School. Vice-president McQuistan stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Superintendent Sherwood presented the Overview and Conclusion of Findings prepared by Rod Garwood as a result of our annual safety inspection. This safety inspection is required and resulted in a finding that the observed school climate is a good indicator of a safe place to be. Overall, our inspection provided that we are in compliance in most areas. Areas noted were that all fire extinguishers were out of date by three weeks and since the inspection those fire extinguishers have been updated. Additionally, the pump fire station had a backflow preventer that needed to be replaced and that work has also been accomplished. The report suggested that the north glass doors on the secondary building pose a security risk and replacement of those doors is already on our summer maintenance list. Mr. Garwood concluded that, “Pender Public School is a safe place to work and learn and the facility is very clean and attractive. At present, the facility is one of the very few that is much better than twenty years ago.”
A budget timeline orientation for board members was prepared by Superintendent Sherwood and reviewed with board members. This timeline was discussed at a workshop attended by new board members and should provide an overview of how the budget process works throughout the year.
Secondary Principal Jason Dolliver presented guidelines for the parent committee to use if they wish to use our facilities for the post prom activities. After review, board members commended Mr. Dolliver for his willingness to work with Mr. Sherwood and the board in developing a plan so that the committee could use the building. Suggestions were made to add a statement to the guidelines that all board policies must be adhered to, to provide a rental agreement for the parent committee representatives to sign, to make the sponsoring group aware that they assume liability when using the facility and to provide an informed consent form for parents and students to sign that they had been made aware of the guidelines. Mr. Dolliver thanked the board for their input and agreed to amend his original document.
Motion was made by Wichman, seconded by Peters to allow usage of the facility through a rental/usage agreement, specific guidelines for the post-prom activity, adherence to Board Policy and use of an informed consent form provided by administration. Vice-president McQuistan stated the motion and the roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
It was agreed to consider Agenda Item #13 Building and Grounds – Lift Replacement as the next item of business. Maintenance Supervisor Matt Kai shared information with the board as the progress made on determining the best method of repair/replacement for the lift in the secondary building. A company representative with Access from Omaha visited the building recently and shared that the lift and railing would need to be replaced entirely. Mr. Kai shared that he is still awaiting bids/information from two more companies. Board consensus was to allow the Building and Grounds committee members (McQuistan, Maise, Peters) to meet prior to the March meeting with Mr. Kai and review all available information. If a recommendation can be made based on available information, the committee members will present that recommendation at the March meeting. In addition, the committee will review information on replacing the north doors on the secondary building.
Policy Committee Chairman Karlen reported that the committee (Karlen, Peters, Maise) had met at 6 p.m. prior to the meeting and reviewed Board Policy #1335-Use of School Facilities and supporting policies, administrative regulations and other documents for clarification as it relates to use of the facilities on Sundays. The committee’s consensus was that the available information does not restrict non-school sponsored youth sports groups from using the facility on Sundays as long as the sponsor has signed the appropriate rental form, the fee is waived and the usage has been negotiated with administration. Board members asked that Activities Director Lonnie Ford send a follow-up letter to the original letter sent in November to all sponsors desiring to use the facilities clarifying the Committee’s findings. Since the determination was made that policy did not need to be amended, no further action was taken.
In addition, members of the Policy Committee shared that their plan to update district Board Policy would include reviewing the new policy in sections, recommending revisions that would include merging the old policy with the new and that they would begin with the community relations section and move to personnel section next.
Motion was made by Wichman, seconded by Peters to accept Andrea Whitwer’s resignation effective at the end of the 2006-07 school year and to thank her for her years of service to the district. Vice-president McQuistan stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Superintendent Sherwood explained that Jo Munderloh had made a decision to withdraw her resignation and to continue her employment in the food services department until the end of the school year. No action was necessary as a result of this withdrawal.
At the board retreat in January, Mr. Sherwood informed board members that his evaluation of Secondary Principal Jason Dolliver had been successful and that he would recommend him for a contract for the 2007-08 school year.
Motion was made by Peters, seconded by Wichman to offer Secondary Principal Jason Dolliver a contract for the 2007-08 school year. Vice-president McQuistan stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
As requested at an earlier meeting, Mr. Sherwood provided information to Board members regarding area district’s use of special education directors/coordinators, elementary principals, assessment coordinators, etc. Many different options were discussed to fill the special services role including hiring an elementary principal/special education director, teacher/special services coordinator, sharing a special education director with a neighboring district, contracting with ESU #1 for a psychologist/special education coordinator, etc. Pros and cons for each possible solution were discussed and considered. If the superintendent were relieved from the elementary principal role, the superintendent could dedicate more time to the superintendency, gain a more thorough understanding of district finances, take on the role of achievement director for curriculum and assessments, mentor the principals, devote more time public relations and community development, develop a 15-year plan for the district, provide more staff development, develop a learning community and discontinue moving from deadline to deadline. Board members commented that it would provide another layer between the elementary principal and the board, it would allow for shared supervision on site and at activities, and one of the options would provide reimbursement because it would be 100% special education. Administrators Sherwood and Dolliver encouraged the board to set a timeline so that advertising and selection could begin.
After much consideration, board members and administration narrowed the position down to either elementary principal/special education director or psychologist/special education coordinator through ESU #1. Board members agreed to meet again on Monday, February 19, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. with the sole agenda item being consideration of how best to fill the position.
Vice-president McQuistan asked if anyone would like to address the board regarding agenda items discussed by board members. No one took advantage of the opportunity.
Vice-president McQuistan reminded board members that the next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 12, 2007, at 7:00 p.m.
Moved by Karlen, seconded by Peters to adjourn. Vice-president McQuistan stated the motion and the result of the vote being all ayes the meeting was adjourned at 10:59 p.m. by acclamation.
Matt Peters, Secretary Barb Preston, Recording Secretary
