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 The evening started with the annual budget hearing.
The public has time during this hearing to make comments about the
budget. Mr. Jeff Beccue addressed the Board reaffirming the
conversations the district had with the community concerning
district finances and tax dollars when passing the construction
referendum in the fall of 2018.
The Board began the regular meeting by approving the Consent Agenda
which included payment of bills, approval of minutes from the August
Board Meeting, the September 2nd special meeting and sales tax
revenue report. Mr. Lamkey reported that while sales tax revenues
were still down about 12%, they were on the rise from previous
months. Mr. Wilham asked for clarification on a billing item which
was explained by Mr. Lamkey. The Board passed the Consent Agenda
7-0.
Under Reports, Superintendent Lamkey entertained questions on his
report to the Board. He provided a construction update, discussed
recent donations and updated them on the high school principal
search. Also in Reports, it was noted that Don Adams with Municipal
& Scholastic Placements asked for our current insurance policy
package issued by the school district through a FOIA request.
The Board recognized recent donors who have extended resources to
the district during the last year. The Lincoln Elks Club, Lincoln
Kiwanis, Johnson Hardware and CORE have all been very generous in
supplementing the school district.
The meeting then progressed to Unfinished Business, where
Superintendent Lamkey presented a budget summary for the upcoming
school year. He noted that there were additional expenses related to
the construction and renovation projects from this past year. Even
with these expenses, he was confident that the district could
maintain sufficient reserves for the start of next school year. The
budget was adopted 7-0.
Mr. Lamkey then updated the Board on the construction and renovation
project that was finishing up at the high school. The Board will
discuss potential dates for an open house that would allow the
public to tour the new building once the project nears 100%
completion. Sometime in late October, the Board is planning for an
open house once construction is complete.
Mr. Wilham asked Superintendent Lamkey about revisiting the
agreement between the school district and the park district
concerning use of the baseball field, soccer field and track. Mr.
Lamkey replied by saying the Building and Grounds Committee would
look over the unsigned agreement then reach out to the park district
to arrive at a solution.
Under New Business, Superintendent Lamkey discussed the interior
design plans with the Board to get approval to move forward. The
plans center on promoting the district Vision and Mission Statements
as well as the district slogan, Empower – Engage – Inspire. The
interior design project is being designed by Ace Sign Company. After
discussion, the Board advised Mr. Lamkey to move forward with the
plans.
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The next item was an informative discussion with administration
to discuss in-person and remote instruction through the first two weeks of
school. Mr. Morgan and Mrs. Lora offered insights to the teacher’s efforts and
student’s successes. Students and teachers alike are becoming more and more
comfortable with the new normal. The teachers worked through more professional
development last Friday to support their instructional classroom efforts. The
BLT’s in each building will keep their finger on the pulse of students and
teachers so adjustments can be made and students can be supported. The Board
adamantly expressed their desire and the communities desire to get our students
back to a longer school day. Superintendent Lamkey reassured the Board that this
was the desire of teachers and administrators alike. He reiterated that if this
transition is to be successful, it has to be well-planned and systemic.
Discussions of what an extended day would look like have already begun among
teachers and administrators. It will next be discussed among building leadership
teams.
The Board then approved (7-0) the second reading of updated Board Policy before
discussing proposed changes. The major change came with the designation of
Superintendent Lamkey as the district’s Title IX Coordinator. The policy changes
were focused on maintaining people’s rights and developing systems to protect
them. The Board adopted the policy update 7-0.
The Building and Grounds Committee presented the Capital Projects List of 2021.
This list is designed to offer direction to the district’s infrastructure
planning. While the list is prioritized, it is still fluid. This means that the
items on the list can change as variables change. Variables can include cost,
need, timing, safety, etc… There will be a Health Life Safety Survey conducted
with architects this fall with to determine what the district needs are. The
Capital Projects List was approved 7-0.
Next the Board approved the Personnel report 7-0. The following actions were
approved by the Board:
• Resignations were accepted from Clayton Lindley, Marla Blair and Ashton Blower
as paraprofessionals.
• Sarah Lones and Esther Farmer were hired as para-professionals.
• Ron McCarty was hired as MPHS Head Custodian and Kevin Kirk was hired as a
part-time custodian.
• Chris Doherty was hired as MPGS Scholastic Bowl Sponsor.
• Lucy Woodworth was hired as a MPGS Scholastic Bowl Volunteer Sponsor.
• Janet Cooper was hired as the MPHS Yearbook Sponsor.
• Mark Graue was hired as the MPHS Scholastic Bowl Sponsor
The Board then entered Executive Session at 7:55 PM to discuss personnel
matters. The meeting adjourned at 8:25 PM.
[Submitted by Sarah Farris
Administrative Assistant] |
