GIPS Board Brief - December 2022
A Monthly Update from the GIPS Board of Education
Welcome to GIPS Board Brief!
December 13, 2022
The Grand Island Public Schools "Board Brief" is an online monthly publication dedicated to sharing the Board of Education meeting highlights, updates, campus recognitions, and more.
Today's edition focuses on the December 2022 monthly GIPS Board meeting.
From Mrs. Albers, Board President
Dr. Grover Announces Resignation from GIPS
Dear GIPS Families,
We grow, discover, and evolve together – even as seasons change.
When I joined Grand Island Public Schools it was my first time stepping foot in Nebraska and I immediately fell in love with the heart our staff and our community had for supporting students. Now in year seven of my tenure I look back and am overwhelmed with gratitude for the work that we – and all the partners that came alongside us – have accomplished. In many ways GIPS has raised the bar, and set a path for innovative programming, transformational leadership, and maintained a steadfast commitment to students and to you.
Serving as the Superintendent of Grand Island Public schools has been one of the most extraordinary and inspiring opportunities an educator could ask for. But as we face the dawning of a new season, we find ourselves facing new terrain.
In that light, it is with a heavy heart of appreciation and admiration I share that I will be offering my humble letter of resignation to the Board of Education at Monday’s Board meeting.
Click here to read Dr. Grover's full message that was shared last Friday (12/09).
Board of Education Meeting - 12.12.2022
- Public Meeting Agenda
- Board Meeting Video Stream
- Below are highlights from last evening's Board of Education Meeting
Special Recognition
Superintendent's Holiday Card Contest
"We are all unique like snowflakes!"
Congratulations to Penelope, 4th Grader at Engleman Elementary, for her selected design as this year's Superintendent Holiday Card Contest winner!
Her art will be shared with the Grand Island community on the cover of this year's GIPS holiday card.
We also want to congratulate Brooke, 7th Grader at Westridge Middle School, and Marvin, 10th Grader at Grand Island Senior High, for being honored as finalists!
Hundreds of submissions were shared for the annual contest from nearly all of our buildings. Students from Preschool all the way through Senior High shared fabulous designs with us by November’s end. Thank you, students, for sharing your wonderful artwork!
2022 Holiday Card Finalists
Brooke, 7th Grade - Westridge
Marvin, 10 Grade - GISH
Campus Highlights
Reaching Academic Goals through Intentional Action Steps at Howard Elementary
Principal Julie Schnitzler and Mr. Jason Weseman shared how an update and future trajectories for how Howard will continue to meet grade level academic goals.
They shared goals for each grade level in the building, snapshots of assessment data as they currently stand, and the higher bar they are committed to hitting by the end of the year.
A few of my Favorite Things at Knickrehm
Principal Opal Bentley shared insight into the Knickrehm building culture, parent engagement, and student success.
Utilizing survey data, they are able to see positive progression towards greater trust in the building for both staff and families and ultimately championing greater student success. She expressed growing excitement for her Knickrehm team.
Information Items
Hope Squad - Zoom Presentation
Dr. Robin Dexter, GIPS Associate Superintendent, introduced Dr. Hudnall via zoom.
Dr. Hudnall provided an overview of the Hope Squad Program. The Hope Squad Program is under consideration to train GISH students to support their peers in to create a safe school environment, promote connectedness, support anti-bullying, encourage mental wellness, reduce mental health stigma, and prevent substance misuse.
This item will be voted on as an Action Item next month.
Staffing Positions - West Lawn, Dodge, & GISH
Mr. Brian Kort, GIPS Recruiting Coordinator, shared three opportunities for adding additional full-time staff within the district.
West Lawn - Social Worker
West Lawn serves approx.300 students. Within the past 6 years, there has been a transition of principal leadership and staff turnover. The pandemic has had an impact on our students resulting in an increased number of students in need of additional support behaviorally and academically. The West Lawn staff is committed to Every Student, Every Day a Success. With eight teachers in their first year of teaching (and seven teachers in their second or third year), there is a collective focus on building strong tier I systems, learning the standards, maximizing the curriculum resources, implementing positive supports, and balancing work/life. Adding a full-time social worker through Title funds would benefit the students and staff of West Lawn greatly.
Dodge - Paraeducator
Dodge had a .5 secretary position open. This fall, HR approved the to change from a .5 secretary position to a .5 para position as that fit our needs better. Dodge was recently able to hire and fill this position.
Dodge would like make this a full time position by using Title 1 funds to pay for the other .5 part of this position. Currently Dodge have 4 general education paras for 18 classrooms. At Dodge we have our K-1 (four sections of each grade level) student needs covered by 2 bilingual paras and 1 general education para; with another general education para divided between our four sections of 1st and three sections of 2nd grades. Also, 2 general education paras assist in 4th and 5th grades (two sections each with 26-27 students in each section). It is difficult to find time to schedule para support in 2nd and 3rd grades where needs are just as high as our other grade levels (see data below). Making this a full time position would help ensure all grade levels are getting adequate support.
GISH - EL Newcomer Teacher
We are experiencing a significant increase in the number of English Learner (EL) Newcomers enrolling at Grand Island Senior High.
- As of November 30, 2022 -- 124 Newcomers (plus 5 in the registration process at the Welcome Center)
- At the end of May 2022 -- 92 Newcomers
- At the end of May 2021 -- 68 Newcomers
- At the end of May 2020 -- 93 Newcomers
The student profile has also changed over this past year. 50% of our students enrolling are between 17-19 years old. 50% of the students are from Guatemala, many with limited or interrupted formal educational experiences. About 39% of our Newcomers come to GIPS without high school credits. The grades completed in their home country range from first through eighth grade.
Our current Newcomer classes are reaching 30+ students in a class, making it more difficult to fill in foundational skill gaps and provide individualized instruction to set students up for success as they transition to Sheltered Instruction core class and their path toward graduation.
420 students identified as ELs at GISH (30% Newcomers). Adding another Newcomer teacher at GISH would help with class size management and overall student support.
Student Representative Report
Mr. Zach Cloutier, GISH Senior, shared his student representative report with the Board of Education. Here are a few highlights he presented:
- Class Officers have been working to put Prom plans in-place. The event will be held at Riverside and the theme will be, "Casino".
- Winter sports is in full swing! Our teams are experiencing great starts to the new season.
- Show Choir competition season begins soon.
- Finals week is here for GISH students. Mr. Cloutier gave a special acknowledgement to teachers during this time and the extra availability they've been providing for students: “Shout-out to these teachers to make all this possible; all the successes come from their effort and that’s not something to take for granted."
Thank you for your continued influence, Zach!
Action Items
Proposed 2023 - 2024 GIPS Calendar
Dr. Robin Dexter, Associate Superintendent, presented the proposed calendar for the 2023-2024 school year.
The calendar was developed by the District Calendar team with representatives from each school. This calendar is for information and discussion and will be considered for formal approval at the December BoE Meeting.
Perhaps the biggest adjustment that is being considered is a potential 3:05 p.m. dismissal time for Elementary Schools for the '23-'24 school year.
Over 150 Elementary teachers shared feedback on the newly proposed calendar through an internal survey. Overall, findings were that 80% of the teachers that shared insight were in favor of the dismissal time change.
Motion Passed: 9 - 0
Amplify Science Renewal
Amplify Science carries a 93% approval rating from GIPS Teachers and throughout its seven year implementation in the district has proven to be a positive difference maker in meeting and surpassing learning benchmarks for students.
Through negotiation and additional professional supports the proposed contract renewal would be just over $530,000 which reflects an over $1million savings overall. This would serve as a huge savings for the district budget while still providing the full slate of Amplify Science resources GIPS teachers need.
Motion Passed: 9 - 0
Staffing Positions - West Lawn, Dodge, & GISH
Mr. Brian Kort, GIPS Recruiting Coordinator, shared three opportunities for adding additional full-time staff within the district.
- West Lawn - Social Worker
- Dodge - Paraeducator
- GISH - EL Newcomer Teacher
Details may be found at the same information item listed above.
Motion Passed: 9 - 0
Special Education Para-professional longevity stipend for FY 2022-2023, Increase SE Para base salary for 2023-2024
During Dr. Grover's listening tour, a common theme from buildings was to increase Para-professional pay. Special Education Para-professional positions are increasingly difficult to fill in every building. Some buildings are short special education para-professionals.
This proposal would provide both a stipend and an increased base pay salary for Special Education Para-Professionals.
CLICK TO READ A RECAP FROM DR. GROVER.
Motion Passed: 9 - 0
Fiscal Year 2021 - 2022 Audit Report & Annual Financial Report
Annually, all Nebraska school districts are required to have an independent audit and file an annual financial report (AFR). For the Fiscal Year ending August 31st. The audit report is attached to this agenda item for BOE and the public to review.
A draft of the Audit was provided to the Facility & Finance Committee for review and consideration at their November 1st meeting. Both the annual audit and the AFR were submitted to the proper local, state, and federal agencies in a timely manner. The AFR matches the audit report, so only the audit report will be presented as an action item next month for the BOE to approve and to place on file.
Highlights of the Audit Include:
- The school district increased its cash reserves during the 2021-22 fiscal year.
- General Fund cash reserves increased by $2.7 million.
- Depreciation Fund cash reserves increased by $1.1 million.
- General Fund revenues were $126.7 million, $2.7 million more than expenses.
- General Fund operational costs were $123.9 million, a 4.7 percent increase, which was caused primarily due to increased spending for federal programs (ESSERs).
- The school district decreased its long term by 5.0%
Dr. Ken Schroeder, GIPS Chief Financial Officer, shared the Audit Report update at last month's Board meeting (Nov. 2022) as an information item. Since that time, he received no questions or concerns regarding the audit.
Motion Passed: 9 - 0
Approval of the Resignation Agreement and Transition with Dr. Tawana Grover
Dr. Grover offered her letter of resignation from her post as Grand Island Public Schools Superintendent. Her proposed last day in the district is January 11, 2023.
Motion Passed: 9 - 0
Approval of Hiring the Nebraska Association of School Boards to Conduct an Interim Superintendent Search
Authorizing the Board President to contract with the Nebraska Association of School Boards to immediately begin the search for an Interim Superintendent, and authorize the Board President to take all other necessary action to assist the Nebraska Association of School Boards to begin advertising, recruiting, screening, and scheduling the Interim Superintendent search process.
Motion Passes: 9 - 0
January '23 Board of Education Meeting
Live stream for the Board meeting will be available on the GIPS YouTube channel.