March 10 School Board Minutes
PENDER PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING MINUTES
Pender Public School– Room #110
March 10, 2008 – 7:00 p.m.
The Pender Public School Board of Education met in regular session in Room 110 on Monday, March 10, 2008. President Connie Felber called the meeting to order at 7:03 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 Sherwood, Secondary Principal Jason Dolliver, and Recording Secretary Barb Preston. Visitors: Carri Mailloux, Jason Sturek, Cyndi Conroy, Tim Olin, Lonnie Ford, Matt Kai and Rusty Bartlett.
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 adding two items for consideration under Agenda Item #18 – Upcoming Meetings/Board Opportunities: 1) School Liaison for Pender/Thurston Community Education Foundation and 2) Board training opportunities. The agenda was approved as amended.
Board members and visitors moved to Room #201 and enjoyed parli-pro demonstrations by the junior and senior teams. Those students will be participating in State parli-pro competition in the near future. Board President Felber thanked the students for an excellent demonstration and wished them well in their upcoming competition.
Motion to approve the minutes of the February 11, 2008 regular meeting was made by McQuistan and seconded by Peters. President Felber 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 - $150,857.29; Hot Lunch Fund - $11,206.93; and Payroll - $104,533.02 was made by McQuistan, seconded by Karlen. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Secondary Principal Jason Dolliver explained to board members the possible impact of LB1157 if it is approved and asked them to delay consideration of the purchase of NE Online at this time. In addition, Mr. Dolliver reported that pre-registration for students in grades 7-12 was completed and efforts to generate a class schedule for 2008-09 have begun. Mr. Dolliver complimented Guidance Counselor Tim Olin on the job he had done on developing the pre-registration process and now the schedule. Curriculum needs/requests as developed by staff on February 15th were presented to the board and additional information on the upcoming registration for preschool and half-day kindergarten were shared. Prom details and guidelines, upcoming parent-teacher conferences, and details of the March Basketball Blow-out sponsored by the Booster Club were highlighted. Lastly, Mr. Dolliver reported that spring sports are in full swing, the high school musical is scheduled for March 28 and 29 and FFA students would be participating in State FFA competition on April 2-4.
Motion was made by Peters, seconded by Wichman to approve building usage for prom and post prom activities using the guidelines presented by Secondary Principal Dolliver. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call motion being all ayes, motion carried.
Superintendent Sherwood used a Power Point presentation to inform board members of an upcoming event scheduled in the Heese Event Center. That event, Sons of Maxwell, will be presented by Arts Across Nebraska on March 31st. Mr. Sherwood asked board members to watch legislation, particularly LB1157 which effects are reporting requirements and LB988 which recalculates State Aid for the 2008-09 school year. LB 988 as it is now projected would favorably impact Pender’s State Aid. Mr. Sherwood thanked board members for providing the opportunity to take advantage of McRel Balanced Leadership training over the past two years.
As the Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment coordinator, Mr. Sherwood shared results of AimsWeb probing of students in grades K-8 and explained how the results would assist staff members in addressing the needs of individual students. Progress monitoring will continue every 3 weeks for 52 K-6 students who have been identified through the process.
President Felber implemented the Procedures for Public Comment established by the board in January. No one took advantage of the opportunity.
Board members reviewed the proposed 2008-09 school calendar. Mr. Dolliver reported that the calendar meets the NDE requirements for hours, days in session and also meets the 185-day teacher contract needs. Board members reviewed the 1 p.m. dismissals and discussed alternative solutions to early dismissals. The calendar includes inservice for teachers on August 14-15, first day of school for students on August 18. First semester ends on December 19, school resumes on January 5 and the last day for students is scheduled for May 21.
Motion was made by Wichman, seconded by Karlen to approve the 2008-09 school calendar as presented by administration. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being: Ayes—Wichman, Peters, Karlen, Felber; Nays—Maise, McQuistan; motion carried 4-2.
President Felber reported that she had received a letter from Greg Conroy representing the Pender Education Association (PEA) requesting that the PEA be recognized as the bargaining agent for all non-supervisory certificated employees employed as teachers, counselors and program specialists.
A motion was made by Peters, seconded by Maise to recognize the PEA as the bargaining agent for all non-supervisory certificated employees employed as teachers, counselors and program specialists to negotiate an agreement for the 2008-09 school year. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
The drivers education program to be offered during the summer of 2008 was reviewed and it was determined that the $200 program fee would remain the same as 2007. The program usually breaks even and it appears that the program will do the same this summer if the fee is established at $200 for a second year.
Motion was made by Peters, seconded by McQuistan to continue to offer the drivers education course at a cost of $200 and that non-district students be allowed to participate, however, district students would be given priority for enrollment. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Principal Dolliver presented the proposed 2008-09 ESU #1 contract for special education services. The 2008-09 contract totaled $140,386.96 and the 2007-08 contract was approved for $169,375.24. The reduction in the amount of the contract was attributed to contracting for fewer days of psychological services and some other minor adjustments.
Motion was made by Karlen, seconded by Peters to approve the 2008-09 ESU #1 special education contract for $140,386.96 as presented. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Matt Peters, Finance Committee Chair, provided an update on new IRS regulations pertaining to 403(b) plans. In the past, the district provided a service to employees through payroll deduction allowing contributions to tax deferred plans with outside vendors. That plan worked well and while there was no savings to the district, there was also no cost to the district either. The IRS regulations have been changed and the financial risk for the district will be greatly increased and many new processes would have to be implemented. Mr. Peters stated that because the district already participates in a retirement plan, Nebraska Public Employees Retirement System, and because that plan is mandatory for all staff employed by a public school, the committee recommendation would be to discontinue offering the service through payroll for 403(b) plans.
The Finance Committee recommendation was made to discontinue offering 403(b) plan participation through payroll effective August 31, 2008 and to move forward with all notifications as required. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
JJ Maise, Transportation/Facilities Chair, reported that his committee members had met with Jason Dolliver and Matt Kai on more than one occasion to develop a plan for addressing the reconditioning and ADA compliance of restrooms in the older section of the building. The scope of the project would be large enough to require seeking bids and specs for the project would need to be developed. After exploring a few options regarding developing bid specs, the committee asked for board approval to move forward with hiring a firm to develop those specifications.
Motion was made by Karlen, seconded by McQuistan to authorize the Transportation/Facilities committee members to proceed using their best judgment with hiring a firm to develop specifications for the restroom projects. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Matt Kai, Maintenance, presented a list of prioritized summer maintenance projects and possible equipment replacement purchases for board consideration. After discussion, board consensus was to allow the Transportation/Facilities Committee members to develop an itemized list using the priorities agreed upon and to present that total to the board for final consideration.
Mr. Dolliver asked the board to consider suspending the cross country program for the 2008-09 school year. At the present time, one student has shown interest and because of lack of interest in the program, Mr. Dolliver felt it would be in the best interest of the district to suspend the program and re-evaluate the program next year at this time.
Motion was made by Wichman, seconded by Peters to suspend the cross country program for the 2008-09 school year. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Policy Committee Chair Jean Karlen reviewed Section 1000, Policy #1000-1250 and highlighted the changes as proposed by members of that committee. The Section 1000 policies deal with Community Relations.
Committee recommendation was made to approve the first reading of Policy 1000-1250 as amended. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Principal Jason Dolliver presented an addendum for filling the assistant track coach position for this year. Due to resignation, the position became available and Mr. Dolliver recommended that Matt Kai fill that position for this year at a salary of $1,608.
Motion was made by Wichman, seconded by McQuistan to approve the assistant track coach assignment and salary for the 2007-08 school year. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Administration informed board members that while formal approval of 185-day teaching contracts was not necessary due to Nebraska’s continuing contract laws, a motion would be allowed to move the process forward.
Motion was made by McQuistan, and seconded by Wichman, that the Board of Education should and does hereby authorize the Administration to issue contracts for the 2008-2009 school and contract year to the certificated employees of the school district that the administration has determined to meet the standards of performance for certificated staff of the school district. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Board discussion on extra duty assignments began and consensus was to move further discussion into executive session to discuss individual personnel and possible assignments.
Motion was made by McQuistan, seconded by Peters to move into executive session at 10:30 p.m. to discuss 2008-09 extra duty assignments, to receive a proposal from Superintendent Sherwood regarding the principal’s contract details and a classified staff salary/benefit proposal, to review a contract and discuss possible personnel assignment and contract details for an assistant principal, to receive additional input on staffing and programs, and how best to fill the tech services coordinator position for the remainder of 2007-08 and how to staff that position for 2008-09. 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 reconvene in open session at 1:00 a.m. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
President Felber stated that as a result of executive session, the board agreed to instruct Jason Dolliver to proceed with plans to fill the tech coordinator as discussed and to report information as it becomes available. In addition, formal consideration of the 2008-09 extra duty assignments will be considered during the April meeting. No formal decisions were made regarding staffing and program changes for 2008-09.
Motion was made by McQuistan, seconded by Peters to approve the 2008-09 contract with Jason Dolliver to serve as the P-12 principal at a salary of $75,000, to increase the district contribution to 50% of the employee’s share of retirement to NPERS and to allow a benefit package of $15,900. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Motion was made by Wichman, seconded by Peters to approve the agreement for assignment of additional duties as assistant principal with Tim Olin to serve as the P-12 Assistant Principal for the 2008-09 school year for a $10,000 stipend in addition to his regular assignment of Guidance Counselor. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Motion was made by McQuistan, seconded by Maise to accept the resignation of Kathy Anderson as technology coordinator effective March 10, 2008, and to thank her for her years of service to the district. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
Motion was made by Wichman, seconded by Felber to accept the classified staff salary and benefit proposal made by Superintendent Sherwood, to omit the line allowed for the technology coordinator at this point and to increase Barb Preston’s salary to $42,315. President Felber stated the motion and the result of roll call vote being all ayes, motion carried.
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, April 14, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. In addition, Connie Felber reminded members of the Negotiations Committee (Felber, Wichman and Karlen) that they were registered to attend the NASB Negotiating Network meeting in Coleridge on March 11th. Board member Karlen shared that the Pender/Thurston Community Education Foundation was looking for a replacement as the school liaison on the Foundation. Jean Karlen volunteered for that appointment and board members agreed that Mrs. Karlen would be an excellent choice as the district liaison. President Felber stated that discussion on the possibility on future board training through the NASB would be held at a future meeting.
Motion was made by Wichman, seconded by Peters to adjourn. President Felber stated the motion and the result of the vote being all ayes the meeting was adjourned at 1:08 a.m. by acclamation.
Matt Peters, Secretary Barb Preston, Recording Secretary
AFLAC March Payroll 36.27
Alltel Cell Phones 166.63
Ameriprise Financial Services March Payroll 900.00
AmSan LLC Custodial Supplies 591.11
A T & T Long Distance 151.62
Best Access Systems Cores/Extra Key 55.62
Blue Cross Blue Shield of NE March Payroll 32,865.66
CDW*G Ethernet Cards 25.14
Crescent Electric Supply Co. Wire Nuts/Power Plug 34.90
Department Of Revenue March Payroll 4,512.49
Economy Market Supplies 10.69
Envisions of Norfolk, Inc. SPED Services 2,435.58
Educational Service Unit #1 DL/Workshop Reg 1,270.43
Farm Bureau Financial Services March Payroll 475.00
Farm Plan Screw/Filter/Air Filter 43.04
First National Bank 401.47
Holiday Inn of Kearney Lodging 67.95
Susan Holstedt Admin Fees 221.40
Janke Auto Co. Service New Van 32.43
Jay's Music Contest Music 53.40
Jean Karlen Mileage 108.58
Linweld Tank Rental 59.70
Madison National Life March Payroll 563.73
Madison National Life March Payroll 456.90
Mass Mutual March Payroll 1,944.62
McDonald Associates Memory 65.95
NASB Annual Membership Dues 2,712.00
NDE EC Training Center EC Workshop Regs 180.00
NE Council of School Admin Labor Relations Conf 205.00
NPERS March Payroll 20,729.11
NSEA March Payroll 1,098.85
Mid States School Bus, Inc. Regular Routes 17,920.04
Omaha World Herald Classified Ads 510.82
Oppenheimer Funds March Payroll 457.64
Pender Ace Hardware Tie Downs/Batteries 30.78
Pender Community Hospital March Payroll 166.80
Pender Municipal Utilities Utilities 15,625.19
Pender State Bank March Payroll 34,432.24
P/T Community Ed Foundation March Payroll 161.20
Pender Times Notice/Proceedings/Minutes 242.52
Perry Guthery Haase & Gessford Legal Services 360.00
Petty Cash Fund Transfer 614.60
Plumbing & Heating Whsl Inc Water Heater Part 116.94
Quill Corporation SPED Ink for Printer 104.95
Qwest Phone 177.63
S&H Tax Service March Payroll 6,294.94
School Specialty Supply SPED 2-Hole Punch 23.61
Joe Sherwood Mileage 48.48
Smith's Farm Service Inc Van/Skidloader Gas/Discounts 796.82
Wenke Manufacturing Repair Blade of JD Loader 99.87
Dan Wichman Mileage 196.95
