November 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale: 

1.  Review monthly bills using the EMeetings Software.

2.  Review all credit card transactions for the month

3.  Finance Committee Members Sign-off on the review of monthly bills, credit card transactions, and district fund balances.

4.  Approve superintendent's expenses (mileage & reimbursement).

5.  Lunch Fund Review-Monthly Lunch Fund Balance Worksheet Attached

6.  General Fund Review-Monthly General Fund Balance Worksheet Attached

7.  Payroll Ledger Review

8.  Insurance Billing Review

9.  ACH Payroll Review

10.  Prior Year Correction - See Attached "2025-26 Prior Year Correction - NDE" -$4,914

11.  Payroll Audit Attached as "Payroll Audit Figures 2025" - Total payroll increased by $236,000 over the prior fiscal year.  $1,000 increase on the base salary for teachers and increased classified staff compensation.  During next year's audit, that increase will likely be higher due to the additional payroll expense created by the addition of a full-time LMHP.  80% of that money will be recoverable through SPED reimbursement, but it will still be an expense.

12.  Annual Audit - Attached as "Audit 2025"

 

Rationale: 

Members of the Public, 

This is the portion of the board meeting when we invite anyone in attendance to address the board of education. If you would like to speak to the board regarding any of the items on tonight's agenda or a public concern, now is your opportunity to do so.  Please review the orange sheet (found on the visitors' chairs) of paper that contains the guidelines for public participation.  If you wish to speak to the board at this time, please let me know.  "Would anyone like to address the board at this time?"

 

AFTER THE PERSON(S) INDICATE(S) THEY WISH TO SPEAK

1.  Please stand and state your name?

2.  What topic will you be speaking on?

3.  Are there others in the room who wish to speak to the same topic? (If so, ask that they be recognized so that 30 minutes of time for public comment can be apportioned as per the policy-5 minutes per person).

4.  Optional-"Please understand that public comment is your opportunity to speak to the board and present your concerns, thoughts, feelings, ideas, and observations.  Members of the board are happy to hear from members of the public, but the board will not engage in conversation or dialogue with you during public comment."

4.  "You'll have approximately 5 minutes to address the board, as we allow 5 minutes per person and a total of 30 minutes for public comment.  You may begin when you are ready?"

 

 

 

Rationale: 


 

Rationale: 

When the Activities Handbook was approved, girls wrestling was not listed as an activity and the lettering requirements were omitted.  The proposed, revised version now includes this information.  This is the only change.  These edits appear on pages 14 & 17 of the Activities Handbook attached to this agenda item.

Rationale:  The superintendent discussed entering into a Memo of Understanding (MOU) with the Buffalo County Sheriff's Office for the purpose of having the Buffalo County Sheriff's Office provide School Resource Officer (SRO) services to Ravenna Public Schools.  This conversation occurred at the October 13, 2025 board meeting.

The MOU was reviewed by KSB School Law.  They suggested a couple of modifications to the MOU to ensure it met the standards called for in statute.  The suggested revisions from KSB School Law have been implemented by the Buffalo County Sheriff's Office and the Buffalo County Attorney.  The final draft of the MOU is ready for review and consideration by the Ravenna Public Schools Board of Education.

Rationale:  The first bond debt service payment is due in December.  As previously discussed with the board, until the county treasurer's draw in the Bond Fund has enough revenue in it to make the bond fund debt service payments, we will exercise an interfund loan from another taxing fund, namely the Special Building Fund, to make the payments.  Once the tax proceeds come into the Bond Fund, the interfund loan from the Special Building Fund will be paid back.  By statute, the district has up to two years to repay an interfund loan.

This interfund loan was budgeted for and approved by the Nebraska State Board of Education, as part of the 2025-26 Ravenna Public Schools Budgeting Process.

When the district uses an interfund loan, the board should be aware of the interfund loan and its repayment.  It will also be important to keep a written record of the loan and repayment of the loan for auditing purposes.  That is the purpose of this agenda item: to make the board aware of the transaction and to ensure their is a clear papertrail for the history of issuance and repayment of the loan.

Rationale:  Mrs. Wiarda and Mr. Anderson are requesting a new curriculum for the pre-school program.  The information regarding the proposed curriculum is attached as part of the proposal, for review by school board members.

Mr. Anderson will share the proposed cost of the curriculum at the November Board Meeting.  Mrs. Wiarda will be at the December Board Meeting, where the agenda item will be considered by the RPS Board of Education.

Funds are available in the General Fund and in the Depreciation Fund for the purchase of a curriculum.  The only other curriculum purchase for this year will be the middle school English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum.

Rationale:  The 2025 Annual Financial Audit for the Ravenna Public School District is attached to this agenda item for review and consideration by the school board.

Rationale:  This standing agenda item will appear on the board agenda throughout the length of the bond building project to create a touchpoint for board members on the building project.

Rationale:  The board approved up to $20,000 for the purchase from the Depreciation Fund of a UTV for use by the school.  The superintendent advertised and requested bids.

Bid Tabulation:
Kearney Powersports: $12,986
Ag-Land: $15,000
Heartland Motor Sports: $15,184
HFK Honda Powersports #1: $16,500
Bobcat of Central Nebraska: $17,819.46
HFK Honda Powersports #2: $18,132
John Deere: $19,220.14





 

Rationale:  No action is needed on this agenda item.  It has already been discussed and decided.  It was discovered after the meeting agenda was published that the item was on the agenda twice.  It was too late to revise the agenda (less than 24 hours before the meeting) when it was discovered it was on the agenda twice.

 

Rationale:  The superintendent was authorized at the October 13th board meeting to purchase a van with the following limitations "no more than $50,000, no more than 50K miles, and no more than 5 years old."  

No van found yet, no need for action.

Rationale:  The superintendent is to be evaluated each contract year.  This agenda item is to provide the board of education notice of this need to evaluate the superintendent at the regular December Board Meeting.

Also, as per the language of the superintendent's contract below.  The superintendent is to remind the board of the terms of his contract renewal in writing at the November Board Meeting.  That informational reminder appears below:

Section 2. Renewal of Contract.  If a Board representative does not inform the Superintendent in writing on or before the seventh day after the regular December 2024 board meeting (and each December thereafter) of the Board’s intention to consider the non-renewal or amendment of this contract, the contract will automatically renew for a period of one year from and after the expiration date provided in Section 1 of this contract.  The Superintendent shall remind the Board in writing of this provision no later than its regular November meeting of each applicable year in which this contract may renew, starting in November 2024, and shall make the renewal of the Superintendent’s employment contract an agenda item for the regular December board meeting during each applicable contract year.  At the time of each contract renewal and/or amendment, the Superintendent shall be responsible for taking all necessary steps to insure that the School District has complied with the Superintendent Pay Transparency Act.
 

Rationale: 

Kid Governor
Reid was chosen to take part in the Kid Governor Election last week on Tuesday, November 4.  Congratulations Reid!

Lions Peace Poster 
Lucy Adams was this year's winner of the Lions Peace Poster.  It has been sent on to the State competition.  Congratulations Lucy!

STEMFest
Mrs. Nozicka took a group of 5th-6th-grade students to the STEMFest in Kearny on October 27.

Winter MAP Assessments
We will begin Winter assessments the week of December 8.

 

Rationale: 

Principal Report November Board Meeting

Academic

• Mrs. Loeffelholz set up Apply to College Day on Friday, October 17th. 

• Teachers created a Teacher Professional Development Plan (TPDP) around our CIP goal, which is improvement in the area of reading. 

• ESU 10 staff provided professional development to our staff on vocabulary instruction and reading stamina on Friday, October 24th. 

Student Behavior/Mental Health

•  Students in grades 8-12 participated in the SHARP Survey for Buffalo County. 

  • The survey is anonymous and confidential. 

  • Youth Risk Behavior Survey

  • Nebraska Risk and Protective Factor Student Survey

Activities

• Girls Golf State Qualifiers

  • Jordyn Larsen - Placed 15th and medaled.

• Mrs. Maulsby took 6 JH HAL students to Kearney for STEMfest.

• Mr. Ellis took Josey Moore and Abby Lewandowski to Phoenix for the National Fall Leadership Conference as a part of FBLA. 

• Winter activities are getting started with conditioning this week. 

Rationale: 

1.  Roof of Ag Classroom & Custodial Storage: Budget Pricing Attached ($9,770 - $32,000)

2.  SNAP Benefits Impact-

• Families current certified are good through mid September of 2026, due to carry over provision.
• Poverty numbers are used to calculate TEESOA (State Aid) and Title (Title 1 & Title II) Programs.
• Lower poverty numbers will impact 2027-28 Title Funding allocations, as there will be a year lag in the data catching up, since the October 1 free/reduced count is used for the 2026-2027 calculations

3.  2026 Legislative Calendar - 60 day short session

• Property Taxes
• Bond Elections
• Revaluing of Ag Land
• $50,000 minimum teacher salary
   

Rationale: 

The notice from the Buffalo County Election Commission is attached.  My records show that Misti Fiddelke, Ryan Osten, & Dawn Standage have terms expiring.

The attached filing notice will be completed and submitted by the superintendent.  It details when the filing deadlines for incumbent and non-incumbent candidates will be for the next election cycle.