Three five minute slots were spoken for during the public presentation portion of the Superior Board of Education meeting Monday evening. Cameras were set to project the meeting into the performance gymnasium, so those attending could social distance and hear and view the presenters.

Andrew Miller spoke first on behalf of the Superior Youth Athletic Association. He thanked the school for allowing SYAA to use school facilities for practice and competition. He also spoke on behalf of his family. “ We have decided to send out children to Superior Public School full-time, because we like what we see happening.”

The family has previously home schooled and attended only enough to participate in activities.

He was followed by three varsity volleyball players who took turns speaking on behalf of Kelsea Blevins. She has coached them since third grade. They credited her with being a great role model and having a fun season.

Kelsea Blevins also spoke. (See related article.)

As usual the board opened the session with roll call and the pledge of allegiance. All members of the board were present. As written in the public presentation instructions, the board did not respond to anything not on the agenda.

Seth Schnackenberg presented the student ambassadors report. FFA has poinsettias for sale which they have grown in the greenhouse. FFA fruit arrived today. FBLA has sold and hung at least 20 red bows on Superior business doors.

The Superior High School Drama Department, under the direction of Tierney Casper and Corissa Arickx performed Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” on Tuesday, Dec. 1, for their parents. The following day, they competed in Geneva at district where they placed sixth as a team and received many positive comments on their improvement.

November claims from the general fund in the amount of $574,210.33 were approved as was the 2019-20 audit.

Policies 2008 and 3001 were approved as revised as recommended by legal council. The revised policies requires the board to publish agendas and budgets in a newspaper of general circulation within the district.

The board agreed to fund the early retirement incentive and accepted the certified resignation of Dayna Miller at the end of the 20-21 school year. Miller has taught math in the district for 34 years. Several members of the board thanked her for her work.

The negotiated agreement with the Superior Education Association was accepted. Peggy Meyer, a board member who served on the negotiation committee, said, “It as fairly easy this year. Both sides agreed extra duty schedule needed cleaned up.”

The bargaining establishes the basis for certified employee contracts. The base salary increased $500. It is now $36,350. Raising the base salary raises all certified contracts $500.

Personal leave request may be made in hour increments. Previously requests were for half day or full day increments.

Bowling was added to the extra duty schedule. A revised extra duty schedule consists of seven categories and designates each position. For example, a head coach of a major sport is in category one on the extra duty schedule. The base pay in category one is 12.5 percent of the base salary or $4,543.75. For each year of experience up to six years, the pay increase .5 percent to a maximum of 15.5 percent of the base salary or $5,634.25.

Class sponsorship is a category eight duty and the base pay is 1.5 percent of base or $545.25.

In addition a pay stipend of $500 per course was added for any Superior School District teacher who meets the college requirements to teach a dual credit course on the Superior High School campus. The class must include Superior High School students and must be taught by the teacher, not delivered as a virtual class from the college.

Bob Cook, secondary school principal, reported winter sports practices began Nov. 16. There are 22 senior high boys and 13 senior high girls out for basketball, 10 senior high students are participating in wrestling and 12 boys and 12 junior high girls playing basketball. The junior high school girls ended their season this week undefeated.

The entire school participated in an intruder lockdown drill, Monday, Dec. 7. The drill lasted 10 minuets. Students practice barricading the doors and staying out of sight during the drill.

Doug Hoins, elementary principal, reported nearly five dozen donuts were given out on “Dads for Donuts” day, a day dads are encouraged to bring their children to school.

“It was a rainy morning and we had excellent participation,” Hoins said. It is one of several activities during the year designed to encourage fathers to be part of their child’s school experience.

Kindergarten through fifth grade students were administered t e MAPS tssts in November. Teachers can use MAPS results to see strengths and areas needing improvements in students and curriculum.

Supt. Kobza will review the MAPS testing results for the board at a later meeting, but said they indicate the interventions being put into practice during the past two years are working.

Jodi Fierstein presented a report on special education. Virtual presentations have allowed more staff to attend professional development training workshops. Dec. 4, Mary Tietjen, Danyelle Mathews, Kara Smith, Tiffany Mundorf, Lauren Issacson and Kristene Boyles attended an emotional poverty training session.

Nov. 5, Fierstein worked with Jessica Shepard to begin developing an “Individual Education Plan” (IEP) academy for ESU 9 schools with the goal of updating Superior Public Schools special education handbook.

Nov.10, Jeanie Keifer, Janice Hatzenbuehler, Angeliza Hermosillo, Crystal Disney and Margaret Brittenham attend a virtual para-educators conference. During the November and December early release day, all para-educators will be able to view recorded sessions of the workshop.

Fierstein also talked about two rooms. In the elementary school, Courtney Utecht, resource teacher, and Harlee Corder, work out of the POWER (Preparing Our Wildcats with Education and Responsibility) room. At the secondary level, Kirstene Boyles, resource teacher, and Christin Hanson, work out of the RISE (Reaching Independence through Structured Education) room.

The rooms and staffing impact the special needs of 14 in-district students who previously needed services at out of town sites. Staff provide alternative individual instruction or group instruction as needed. The rooms provide a place for individual students to “take a break” from the regular classroom if needed. The resource teachers are available to help in regular classrooms as well.

Fierstein also talked briefly about two Profession Learning Community (PLC )sessions in early childhood. PLC is a new buzzword in education. PLC encourage systematic collaboration, planning, goal setting, progress monitoring, assessment and reflection— a full circle of activity being used to address student needs and assure that all students make progress toward stated goals.

In fact, during student and staff reports, Jennifer Utecht addressed the board. Utecht is a reading specialist and reading coach employed by the district. During the 15 minute presentation she compared what is required by LB1081 - Nebraska law designed to assure strong literacy skills in kindergarten, first, second and third grade students with what Superior is doing to assure strong literacy skills in kindergarten through fifth grade.

In Superior, all kindergarten through fifth grade students are screened early in the year. Results are quickly assessed and SMART goals are written. SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. Weekly progress is measured and a multi-tiered system of support is implemented. Results of the plan are once again assessed with three to six minute evaluation tools and cycle continues under the direction of a PLC team to determine what is best for each student. Letters are sent to parents and home plans include instructional material they can use.

“Students do not just meet their reading goals once, but must meet the criteria repeatedly to assure solid performance,” Utecht said.

Utecht also works as an instructional coach to teachers. As a reading coach she consults and collaborates with teachers and serves as a role model, teaching in their classrooms if needed to model instructional techniques.

“It is a ‘I do, we do, they do, celebrate model,” she said.

She thanked the board of education for providing a reading para-educator this year.

“My para has been really helpful this year, allowing more time for me to model,” Utecht said.

Supt. Kobza said, “We are very fortunate to have her level of expertise. She has done a great job. Our MAPS results are very positive. We are seeing some nice achievement. We have been working with Jennifer in this capacity for two years.”

Near the conclusion of the meeting, Supt. Kobza reviewed 28 board accomplishments completed under his leadership of the past two years. They addressed school safety, implementing the middle school concept, bringing special education home, contracting for social worker services and athletic training services, expanding career technical education in the building trades and welding, funding college courses, expanding virtual and alternative school delivery options, implementing philosophical change to re-teach, re-learn and re-take, upgrading shop facilities, adding a weight room and training room and a long term facilities improvement plan.

He also reported that as of Monday, four students were in isolation (meaning they tested positive for COVID-19) and 11 students are in quarantine - they have been in close association with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. None of the students in isolation are there because of close contact with someone testing COVID-19 positive at school.

Prior to adjournment, the board entered into executive session to evaluate the superintendent.