Kearney Public Schools Administration Office, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — The Kearney school board approved offering 7th grade volleyball and 7th grade boys and girls basketball during their meeting on Monday, Feb. 12.
The move to add these sports came after a group of parents appeared during the January meeting, requesting the sports be offered.
The group did some research and noted that Kearney Public School might be the only Class A school that doesn’t offer these sports at the 7th grade level. They also noted surrounding communities and smaller school districts also offer it.
Other parents said that offering these sports will help to build a strong program in the future at Kearney High School. They said this will also open the door for new opportunities for the students.
The coaching positions for these sports were also added to the 2024-2025 Negotiated Agreement with the Kearney Education Association, (KEA.)
Board member Paul Hazard appeared via Zoom and said that adding the middle school sports is of minimal cost to the district and increases the activity offerings for students.
During the presentation section of the meeting, the board received a report from Horizon Middle School on the student organizations and clubs offered at the school.
Roan Howard, counselor at HMS, said the clubs offered after school hours are a way to help foster student connection, friendship and leadership.
Several of the offerings include a Minecraft Club, Chess Club, Improv Club, D&D Club, Finger Boarding Club, E-Sports Club, Junior Rowdies, Slime Club, Art and Fishing.
Howard said through these clubs the students can show off their creativity, all while forming connections with their fellow students.
The board thanked HMS for the presentation and said the clubs can have benefits that reach the classroom as well.
Superintendent Jason Mundorf gave a legislative update on the activity of bills in this session of the Nebraska Unicameral that deals with education.
Mundorf said the Legislature is about halfway through the session and most of the bills are still being discussed in committee and activity will pick up when these bills begin reaching the floor for debate.
Around 610 bills have been introduced in this 60-day session and the district is tracking around 100 of them.
He also noted that Governor Jim Pillen’s goal of lowering property taxes could mean changes for school districts, and they continue to monitor the progress of related bills.
There are also bills that will allow for off-duty law enforcement officers to carry their firearms on school property. Another provision of the bill also includes allowing teachers to carry firearms.
Mundorf said there are some mixed feelings about arming teachers and districts are seeking greater clarity from the bill.
Board member Drew Blessing also provided a Legislative update on the bills that are being monitored by the Nebraska Association of School Boards (NASB).
Blessing said one bill seeks to change parental involvement policies. He said the Kearney district is already doing a majority of the items the bill will mandate, such as having the library’s full catalogue available for public review.
Blessing said more parental involvement in the schools is good and they welcome it. He did note the NASB wants to ensure districts can afford any changes mandated by a possible law and that they are not disruptive to the classroom.
During the regular agenda, the board approved the purchase of Chromebooks for fifth and ninth grades and upgrades to Meadowlark and Park Elementary technology.
The bid was awarded to Connection in the amount of $351,898.75.
The board also voted to replace a special education bus that was damaged in an accident and put out of the fleet for a replacement bus.
The Transportation Director received three bids and recommended the purchase of one Blue Bird Micro Bus at a cost of $129,000. The expected delivery date of this bus is March 2025.
It was also recommended that the district replace an existing route bus that was purchased in 2013 with a new 72-passenger route bus.
The board voted to purchase a 2025 Blue Bird (propane) bus, which includes 12 integrated child safety seats, REI camera mounting, and additional undercarriage storage at an approximate cost of $146,000.
The board accepted the resignations of Pat McFadden, science teacher and cross country/track coach at Kearney High School; and the resignation of Nicole Andreasen, second-grade teacher at Emerson Elementary School, effective the end of the 2023-2024 school year; and the resignation of Sue Liveringhouse, kindergarten teacher at Kenwood Elementary School, effective January 18, 2024.
There was a large number of staff whose hirings were approved by the board which included: Averie Clanton, first-grade teacher at Kenwood Elementary School; Stephanie Flint, school counselor at Central Elementary School; Laura Lucas, 7th grade ELA teacher at Sunrise Middle School; Jody Nissen, special education teacher at Bryant Elementary School; Mattie Traphagan, ELL teacher at Northeast Elementary School; Sadie Uhing, orchestra teacher at Kearney High School; Cale Uhrmacher, special education teacher at Sunrise Middle School; Abby Webb, art teacher at Bryant and Central Elementary Schools; Dee Westcott, special education teacher at Buffalo Hills Elementary School; Heather Atkinson, 4th grade teacher at Emerson Elementary School; Tori Lindner, kindergarten teacher at Glenwood Elementary School; NeLeigh Owens, kindergarten teacher at Kenwood Elementary School; Whitney Kuhn, counselor at Emerson Elementary School; Megan Homolka, Spanish teacher at Horizon Middle School; Alan Varela, math teacher at Kearney High School, for the 2024-2025 School Year; Elliot Lebsack, social science teacher at Kearney High School; Whitney Lewis, special education teacher at Kearney High School; Thomas Harling, woods teacher at Kearney High School, and Molly Lambert, first-grade teacher at Emerson Elementary School, pending certification, for the 2024-2025 school year.
The board also approved the classified, classified-exempt and administrative employee compensation for the 2024-2025 school year.
There was an average increase in total compensation of five percent for classified employees, an average increase in total compensation of four percent for classified-exempt employees, and an average increase in total compensation of 3.5 percent for administrative employees in Kearney Public Schools.
There was also an increased in staffing which included two English Language teachers, two special education staff, one counselor and one school psychologist.
During the miscellaneous items section, the board approved for board president Steve Gaasch and Mundorf to attend the NASB Federal Advocacy fly-in event to Washington D.C. from April 29 to May 1.
The next regular meeting of the Kearney school board will be held on March 11, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. in the Staff Development Room in the Administration Building.
