November 12 School Board Meeting
Board Minutes and Administrative Reports
By Matthew Hansen
Click on the PowerPoint link listed below to review PPS data shared by administrators at the November 12 board meeting. Minutes of the minutes follow the link.
Administrative Reports -- PowerPoint format
PENDER PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING MINUTES
Pender Public School – Room #110
November 12, 2007 – 7:00 p.m
The Pender Public School Board of Education met in regular session in Room 110 on Monday, November 12, 2007. President Connie Felber called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. with the following members present: Connie Felber, Matt Peters, Robert McQuistan, Jean Karlen, J.J. Maise and Dan Wichman. Absent: None. Also present were Superintendent/Elementary Principal Joe Sherwood, Secondary Principal Jason Dolliver and Recording Secretary Barb Preston. Visitors: Dawn Goodman, Vanessa Gascon, Linda Nitzschke, Cyndi Conroy, Lisa Maise and Norvin “Fuzz” Hansen.
President Felber 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.
President Felber reviewed the agenda as presented, affirmed that all other board members had received notice of the meeting and that the time and place of the meeting had been published. The agenda was amended by consensus to add consideration of personnel implications for possible program changes in 2008-09 during executive session, to consider donations of a kiln and record boards, and to table consideration of Policy #5303, 5307 and a new administrative regulation regarding student checkout procedures for laptop computers.
Motion to approve the minutes of the October 8, 2007 regular meeting was made by McQuistan and seconded by Peters. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being: Ayes—Felber, Maise, Wichman, Peters, McQuistan; Nays—None; Abstain due to October absence—Karlen; motion carried 5-0-1.
A motion to approve payment of bills as follows: General Fund - $174,317.44; Hot Lunch Fund - $12,143.09; Bond Fund - $281,235.02; QCPU Fund - $64,582.50 and Payroll - $106,259.28 was made by Maise, seconded by Peters. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Secondary Principal Jason Dolliver presented his administrative report including recognition of Rusty Bartlett for receiving the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum’s Educator Award and career path education developed by some teacher curriculum committees. Parent-Teacher conference participation was at a rate of 47% for the conferences held on October 26th. Teacher Evaluations are moving forward on schedule and school nurse Leslie Timm has been named Chair of the Wellness Committee. Mr. Dolliver reported on his experiences being a Peer Reviewer and updated the Board on student happenings over the last month. The National Honor Society (NHS) will be hosting the Siouxland Blood Bank on November 13th and again on April 11th. As a result of the NHS hosting the drive, a $500 scholarship, plus $1 for every unit of blood will be awarded to a Pender student upon graduation. The One-Act play cast is rehearsing “The Monkey’s Paw” for upcoming conference and NSAA competition. Winter activities have begun and participation numbers are as follows: Wrestling – 16; Boys’ Basketball – 17; Girls Basketball – 12. In conclusion, Mr. Dolliver provided a fall sports wrap-up indicating that football ended with a 5-4 season and volleyball with a 6-26 record.
Board member Dan Wichman asked to be on record thanking the instrumental and vocal music students and sponsors for their attendance and participation at many football and volleyball games this fall. Board members agreed and offered their compliments to the music department for providing the National Anthem and other music at those contests.
Elementary Principal Joe Sherwood using a Power Point presentation shared statistics following the fall Parent-Teacher conferences indicating that 91% of the students were represented at conferences. A survey of those attending indicated that 51 people liked the new conference format, 8 people did not like it and 3 didn’t care either way. October principal activities were reported and Mr. Sherwood indicated that he was on schedule with teacher observations.
As part of his Superintendent’s Report, Mr. Sherwood provided information on birth to 4-year-old census figures indicating a rise in the number of students born in 2007, discussed 5-year-old eligibility issues as it relates to recent NDE decisions and informed board members that preschool students are being assessed using Creative Curriculum materials as required. Mr. Sherwood surveyed board members to see if there was interest in re-joining the Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association (NRCSA) at a cost of $700/year, and board members concluded they were not interested in re-joining this year. Superintendent Sherwood asked board members if they would like to attend or have him attend a hearing for Rule 91 (Transportation Rule) on November 29th. President Felber asked the Transportation Committee members to consider attending this hearing.
Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment (CIA) Director Sherwood previewed an update on LB 653 addressing the STARS components of assessments. In addition, he reviewed the Peer Review conducted at Pender on November 1st and commended Jason Dolliver, Lanette VonSeggern, Gary Walker, Rae Brown, Vicki Smith and Lisa Johnson for their work in preparing for the review. Mr. Sherwood shared State of the School District Ratings from 2004-05 through 2006-07 in the areas of reading and math and an additional graph depicting Pender’s results against other East Husker Conference districts. Aims Web benchmarks were shared from spelling, reading and maze probes given to students in grades 2-8 this Fall.
President Felber implemented the Procedures for Public Comment established by the board in January. No one took advantage of the opportunity to address the board at this time.
Motion was made by McQuistan, seconded by Maise to approve the enrollment option application of Brian Hansen (6th grade) to continue attending school in Lyons-Decatur. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Superintendent Sherwood asked the board to approve the 2006-07 audit prepared by Mike Pommer, CPA. The report indicated that no improprieties or infractions were reported and that the district financial records were acceptable. In addition, Mr. Sherwood reported that the audit had been filed with the State Auditor’s Office and the Nebraska Department of Education as required.
Motion was made by Wichman, seconded by McQuistan to accept the 2006-07 Audit as prepared by Mike Pommer, CPA. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
On behalf of the Board, President Felber commended Barb Preston for the work she does.
The technology plan recently submitted to and approved by the Nebraska Department of Education was presented for consideration. Mr. Sherwood stated that Kathy Anderson, Jason Dolliver and he had reviewed and updated the information and he recommended their approval of the document as well.
Motion was made by Maise, seconded by McQuistan to approve the technology plan as presented and previously approved by the Nebraska Department of Education. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Building and Grounds Committee Chair Robert McQuistan shared that the committee had met and their recommendation to the board was to not enter into a performance contract with Siemens at this time. Mr. McQuistan added that his committee did not feel it would be in the best interest of the school district at this time. Further discussion ensued regarding the pros and cons to entering into a contract with Siemens allowing an engineering study to be completed at no cost to the district. Mr. Sherwood encouraged board members to consider using this tool for evaluation and planning to address future building needs.
A motion was made by Dan Wichman to refer the performance contract issue back to the Building and Grounds committee to obtain additional information and address issues that board members listed. Motion failed for lack of a second.
President Felber appointed the Building and Grounds Committee to clarify the resolution and letter of intent with Siemens for a performance contract, to obtain additional information and to report back to the board during the December meeting.
Activities Director Ford distributed bids on 25 uniforms each for junior high boys and girls to be used for boys basketball, girls basketball and volleyball totaling $4,812.02, DVD cameras (2) and a duplicator totaling $2,378.96. These items were presented on a prioritized list during the October board meeting. The purchase of these items would be made through the Activity Fund. Board consensus was to allow the purchases under established board policy of these items for a total of $7,190.98. President Felber thanked Mr. Ford for doing the work to put together these bid packages and for his presentation.
Superintendent Sherwood reported that while the Heese Event Center committee had met, no further information regarding exact location of the new sign, advertising proposed, Nebraska Department of Roads approval of the placement of the sign, cost to the district, etc. No action was taken on this item.
Principal Dolliver asked the board to consider accepting the donation of a kiln from an area resident, because the value of the donation exceeded $500. Mr. Dolliver further explained that the kiln currently in use is not working well and is very slow. The plan would be to install the donated kiln in its place and the cost to the district would include installing a different plug in and reconnecting the new kiln to a chimney. The old kiln would be kept in storage.
Motion was made by Maise, seconded by Peters to accept the donation of the kiln and to thank the donor for their generosity. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
The Pender Booster Club offer to donate athletic record boards was presented by Mr. Dolliver. Ron Williams was on hand representing the Boosters stated that the Boosters’ intention is to promote spirit and recognize accomplishments of Pender athletes. Mr. Dolliver recommended the board accept the donation totaling $3,500 for 7 large and 3 small record boards with updates free for life. A small plaque recognizing the Pender Booster Club would be installed near the boards and Mr. Dolliver indicated that the cost to the district would include moving the Wall of Fame and installing the new record boards.
Motion was made by Wichman, seconded by McQuistan to accept the Pender Booster Club’s donation of 10 record boards to capture and display athletic records as allowed by policy and to thank the Boosters for their continues support of the district. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Mr. Sherwood reported that he did not have the number of participants and project possible cost to the district available for the Science Club trip. No action was taken on this item.
Instrumental music instructor Matt Dregalla distributed copies of proposals for trips to 4 different destinations and asked the board to consider approving a trip sometime in the spring of 2009 to one of the locations and the ability fundraise. Mr. Dregalla stated that he would like to excite kids about band and felt that a trip would provide that extra interest he is looking for. The trip would be educational and entertaining. On behalf of the Board, President Felber asked Mr. Dregalla to work with administration to develop a specific plan, possible cost to the district, plans for fundraising and to present that information at a future board meeting.
The Policy Committee members had met earlier and had prepared suggested modifications to Section 4000. Board members reviewed all policies in Section 4000 and made amendments.
Committee recommendation was made to approve the first reading of the 4000 policies. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Policy Committee members assigned numbers to the memorial policies presented for consideration at the October meeting. Board members were asked to approve the first reading of Policy 3203 – Staff Memorials and 5610 – Student Memorials.
Committee recommendation was made to approve the first reading of Policy 3203 – Staff Memorials and 5610 – Student Memorials as presented. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Superintendent Sherwood presented a list of all employees used as substitutes, including subs for teachers, paras, secretaries and food service staff and asked for board approval. The new Policy 4001 states, “All personnel applying for employment shall be recommended for hiring by the Superintendent with the final approval by the Board of Education prior to hiring. Final approval must be made by formal motion of the Board of Education.”
Motion was made by McQuistan, seconded by Karlen to approve the list of substitutes as presented and recommended by Superintendent Sherwood. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Motion was made by Wichman, seconded by Maise to move into executive session at 11:00 p.m. to allow board officers to discuss personnel implications of possible program changes for the 2008-09 school year and to review the Superintendent’s July evaluation information and contract. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Motion was made by Maise, seconded by Felber to reconvene in open session at 12:25 a.m. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
No action was taken on personnel implications of possible program changes for 2008-09 school year or on the superintendent’s evaluation follow-up.
Superintendent Joe Sherwood stated, “After much consideration, I have determined to seek employment elsewhere for the 2008-09 school year. I count it a privilege to have served as Pender Superintendent for these three years. Therefore, I will resign effective at the end of the contract year.”
Motion was made by Maise, seconded by McQuistan to accept the resignation from Superintendent Joe Sherwood effective at the end of the contract year. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Board member McQuistan thanked Joe Sherwood for his three years of service to the school and community and wished him the best in the future. Board members concurred with Mr. McQuistan’s statement.
President Felber asked if anyone would like to address the board regarding agenda items discussed by board members. No one took advantage of the opportunity.
President Felber reminded board members that the next regular board meeting will be held on Monday, December 10, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.
Motion was made by McQuistan, seconded by Wichman to adjourn. President Felber stated the motion and the result of the vote being all ayes the meeting was adjourned at 12:31 a.m. by acclamation.
Matt Peters, Secretary Barb Preston, Recording Secretary
AFLAC November Payroll 36.27
Tab Albus Meals 23.68
Alltel Cell Phones 190.15
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. November Payroll 900.00
A T & T Long Distance 160.36
Best Access Systems Keys/Cores 546.37
Blue Cross Blue Shield of NE November Payroll 32,865.66
Bobcat Bookstore Textbooks 1,160.25
BoyTownNational Research SPED Supplies 103.99
Control Management Inc Boiler Controller 878.04
Dell Marketing L.P. Computers/Bags 20,250.50
Department of Revenue November Payroll 5,026.87
Dolezal Motor Co. Van Repairs 37.25
Jason Dolliver Mileage 327.38
Ebsco Subscription Services Magazines 240.90
Echo Group, Inc. Ballasts/Lamps 170.42
Economy Market Classroom Supplies 4.68
Egan Supply Co Vac Repair 537.37
Envisions of Norfolk, Inc. SPED Services 2,667.54
Educational Service Unit #1 DL Coor/Angel Licenses 4,357.28
Farm Bureau Financial Services November Payroll 475.00
Farm Plan Oil Filter 6.50
Michelle Fendrick Meals 26.46
First National Bank Camera/Lodging 1,845.13
Shirley Frey Meals 17.81
Dawn Goodman Mileage 174.21
Holiday Inn of Kearney Lodging 200.85
Susan Holstedt Admin Fees 442.80
LaRue Coffee 96.00
Linweld Rental 62.20
Lorensen Lumber & Grain Custodial Supplies 21.67
Madison National Life - LTD November Payroll 563.73
Madison National Life - Life November Payroll 456.90
Mass Mutual November Payroll 1,963.99
McDonald Associates Memory 59.95
Midwest Office Automations Toner 683.20
NASB NASB State Ed Conf Reg 855.00
NCSA Para Workshop Reg(6) 270.00
NPERS November Payroll 20,925.93
NSEA November Payroll 1,098.59
Tami Nelson Mileage 52.38
Mid States School Bus, Inc. SPED/Activities/Overage 18,527.57
Sheila Nichols Meals 23.00
AmSan Custodial Supplies 198.27
Norfolk Winnelson Co Window 28.88
Tim Olin Mileage 78.57
Oppenheimer Funds November Payroll 462.28
Pearson Education, Inc. Phonics Workbooks 36.22
Pender Lunch Fund P-T Conference 196.00
Pender Municipal Utilities Utilities 4,411.05
Pender State Bank November Payroll 35,340.84
P/T Comm Ed Foundation November Payroll 161.06
Pender Times Kitchen Uni/Legal 8.18
Perry Guthery Haase & Gessford Legal Services 120.00
Pam Peters Mileage 19.40
Petty Cash Fund Transfer 515.00
Plato Inc. Physical Science 280.00
Michael J. Pommer, CPA 2006-07 Audit/AFR Prep1,900.00
PSAT/NMSQT PSAT Scoring 390.00
Qwest Phone 33.00
Qwest Distance Learning 1,662.10
Ray's Midbell Tenor Sax Repair 201.36
Renaissance Learning, Inc. AR Tests 67.79
Linda Ritter Meals 23.00
S&H Tax Service November Payroll 6,364.63
Sandra Sands Meals 21.38
Joe Sherwood Mileage 360.84
Smith's Farm Service Inc Van/Mower/Discounts 532.74
Tremco, Inc. Roof Repair Kit/Sealant 1,171.02
General Fund Total $136,982.61
Hot Lunch Fund Total $12,143.09
Payroll Total $106,259.28
Bond Fund Total $281,235.02
QCPU Fund $64,582.50
