Department+Reports

As our Team Leaders you continue to move us forward and upward as a Unit. Any success we have is because of your work ethic, knowledge and leadership skills. I very much appreciate your commitment to ESU #1 and the work you do with each of your departments!! ESU #1 had many very positive responses on the Annual Survey from our customers about the services offered this past year. We expanded and restructured various special education services and staff development activities, coordinate PSP services, supporting the Priority School’s initiatives and continue to work with technology initiatives (Single Sign On) (Technology User Agreement) and the Data Dashboard for schools to name just a few changes this past school year. Included with these projects are some very nice databases that help streamline our work. We also continue to improve and/or offer new or updated services highly valued by the schools in ESU #1. GREAT JOB!!!!! EXCELLENT DATA RETREAT DAY AS WELL!!!
 * Department Reports**
 * Attending: Bob Uhing, Stuart Clark, Billie Sitzmann, Scott McIntosh, Jim Hopkins, Kristine Kleve, Wendy Consoli, Rhonda Jindra & Lisa Salmon**
 * Absent: Cheri Matthews**
 * __ Thank YOU!!! __**

August 5 (A.M. Team Leader Meeting 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.) September 2 October 7 November 4 December 2 January 6 – meet virtually via Zoom No Meeting in February due to (All Staff Day on February 10) March 3 April 7 May 5
 * __ 2016 – 2017 Team Leader Meetings (Friday’s @ 1:30 PM) __**** : **

The Nebraska Legislature adjourned Sine Die on April 20. State aid went from $973 million in 2015 – 2016 to a proposed $990 million for 2016 – 2017. At this point, ESU #1 has districts that will experience an increase in state aid and a number who will experience a significant loss. The changes are based on enrollment increases/decreases and land valuations. ESUs Core Service Dollars have not changed for the past 7 years. ESU #1 lost $24,222 in Core Dollars for next school year. This will not impact the services we offer to school districts. This next year the Nebraska Legislature with start the session with a budget shortfall of $235 million dollars. LB 930 is a bill that was passed and requires each school district to administer a standard college admission test (ACT) to all students in eleventh grade attending a public school.
 * __ Legislation __**

ESM is a vendor that ESUCC contracted with to provide our school districts with digital access to order COOP supplies. This vendor did not provide the products or services, which they promised in our contract. As a result area schools had a very negative experience when ordering products off of COOP. As a result the ESUCC dropped ESM and hired another vendor. Currently school staff speaks very highly of the new software and the transition has been a very positive move for the ESUCC. Regarding the lawsuit, insurance will not protect the ESUCC, however we have budgeted significant dollars in anticipation of the lawsuit. Last week we visited with Karen Haase our attorney regarding this situation. ESUCC intends to vigorously defend the lawsuit and we expect a positive resolution to this matter.
 * __ ESM Lawsuit __**

ESU staff had a number of meetings with the Santee administration and NDE regarding addressing the Priority school designation. Two major meetings occurred on April 23 in Omaha and May 3 in Kearney. In between we have had conference calls and meetings with Santee school staff and administration. Our ESU will be committing significant amount of time and resources in support of the various improvement efforts as outlined in the Diagnostic Review by NDE’s consultant Dr. Kathy Kennedy. I expect this project to continue over the next 3 – 5 years.
 * __ Priority School Update __**

The Tower and Central Office safety committees each meet four times a year. Their purpose is to discuss potential safety issues affecting the people in their respective buildings. Arianne has developed numerous forms and facilitated trainings to help ensure the safety of students and staff. Tracey and Arianne have worked hard to include safety-related items, as well as healthy tips for better living, in almost every issue of the staff newsletter. Please thank them for all of their efforts!
 * __ Safety Committees __**

Bloomfield ~ Shane Alexander; Superintendent Bloomfield ~ Tabitha Gilsborf; Elementary Principal Creighton ~ Ryon Nilson; High School Principal Emerson - Hubbard ~ Lindsay Burback; Superintendent Emerson – Hubbard ~ Dustin Nielsen; High School Principal Santee ~ TBD; Superintendent Santee ~ TBD; Elementary Principal Wausa ~ Brad Hoesing; Superintendent Wausa ~ Tish Hennings; Elementary Principal
 * __ Administrative Changes __**
 * // Questions about our written Comments: //**

**Personnel/Finance Report (Lisa Salmon)**
 * SPED Reports (budget and rate analysis)
 * ESU #1 2015-16 analysis and 2016-17 draft
 * Summer Service Work Agreements
 * Exiting staff paperwork
 * Purchase orders should have been submitted by 4/15/16
 * Orders will be released as soon as the individual departments have been reconciled
 * Report any changes within your department as soon as possible (new/different programs, expenditures, revenue, etc.)


 * Staff Development Report (Rhonda Jindra)**
 * Bob and members of the Professional Services Team (PST) attended the April 18-19 AQuESTT Conference in Kearney. Many assessment changes are in the works including no online NeSA Writing Assessment for Grades 8 and 11 during 2016-17, a college entrance assessment will replace the 11th grade NeSA Assessment by 2017-18 (and possibly during 2016-17), etc. More details to come.
 * Bob, Sarah and the Staff Development team participated in a book study on April 26 at ESU 1. Kellen facilitated the discussion using Anthony Muhammad's book, [|Transforming School Culture].
 * The Staff Development team met with Sarah Hansen and the Team Leaders (Billie, Wendy, Cheri and Kristine) on Monday morning, May 2. Staff developers updated the Team Leaders on revised Department Action Plan templates. Action Plans will guide department professional development for 2016-17 (and beyond) as well as artifacts to support the work of agency improvement.

**Technology Report (Jim Hopkins)**

 * Our Technology Budget is set at just over $300,000
 * We're starting to plan for our updates and computer replacements.
 * Moving to gmail is being planned. Will announce the move at SPED meetings and here. Will really get after it in August.


 * Special Education Director (Stuart Clark) **
 * Evaluations - I am finishing up evaluations and following up with individual staff regarding annual survey comments and responses
 * Hiring - currently fully staffed in VI, Aud, Deaf Ed, Transition, Psych, PT and OT. Those assignments can be shared on May 23rd. I have interviews scheduled for EDN, ECSE, Speech and paras, so those assignments won’t be available until hiring is complete. Nationally there is a growing shortage of all educators and we are definitely seeing that in Nebraska, especially in specialty areas.
 * PSP - trainings with NENCAP Head Starts have gone really well and we plan to continue those communication and education efforts with other Head Starts and preschools
 * MOE - compliance reports are all submitted but we learned there is less flexibility for exemptions so staying on top of MOE calculations is more important as there is greater likelihood districts could have to pay NDE money back if they are found to have a shortage
 * RDA - we continue to be part of the state’s pilot for Part C and will be a model for other districts as they come on board to start using PSP, RBI and child/family outcomes. In part B we have been provisionally approved for a DTIPS grant to support our districts’ TIPs through an innovative collaboration with Marzano and utilizing Sarah Hansen. Statewide there is growing traction to align RDA and school improvement
 * Planning for next year - we will be providing student support team training in the fall to give foundational instruction and guidance for teams. We will also be continuing our PLC model for area sped teacher professional development and we will be refining and regenerating our PSP practices to improve fidelity and ensure sustainability

Speech/Language (Wendy Consoli)

 * Currently interviewing for next year- we have 4 people resigning: Pam Barnes, Nancy Dean, Jenna Napierala-Simonsen, and Molly Stenger.
 * It continues to be very busy right up to then end... still having referrals and end of the year IEPs


 * School Psychology: (Billie Hightree-Sitzmann)**
 * Keeping everyone this year! Yay!
 * possible AIMSweb changes


 * PT/OT (Kristine Kleve)**
 * Everyone continues to be busy
 * PSP has seems to have helped even out the summer caseload for our department with some people working more than in the past and others less


 * Early Childhood (Cheri Matthews)**