The Hearltand School Board had a lengthy agenda for its regular meeting on Monday, March 9, at 7 p.m. Here are the highlights from the meeting. Here is the link to the March agenda on the Heartland Community School Website.
Present Board members: Lacey Gloystein, Ryan Goertzen, Jen Hiebner, Jeb Mierau, Tyler Newton, and Tammy Ott.
Administrators present: Superintendent Jeremy Klein, Secondary Principal Tim Carr, and Elementary Principal Dana Reinke.
There were eight patrons present at the meeting, and during the public forum, Trevor Nunnenkamp raised concerns about the funds allocated for restroom renovations, the new playground, track resurfacing, and salary increases.
Final K-6 Playground Project Design
Superintendent Klein presented the board with three designs, each with multiple options, for the elementary playground renovation project. The board has been discussing this project for a few months with members of the building committee, Superintendent Klein, and Elementary Principal Reinke, who have provided bids, research, and multiple design preferences.
The board had extensive discussion about the high price tag for the new playground and about the pros & cons of synthetic turf vs. sod, gravel, and synthetic bark. They ranked each design option until they were down to two top options: C-2 and B-2. The lower-priced B-2 had less square feet, sod, and fewer pieces of playground equipment.
After several rounds of ranking the options, each board member voiced their reasons for their choice and the value of completing the playground. “I think it is our duty to do this project right and plan for the long term, not cutting corners,” said Newton.
“I like to be a good steward of money as a member of the board, but we are also here to be advocates for all of our students. When the board approved the new weight room, we didn’t blink an eye at the price tag, so I don’t think we should be nitpicking about a playground that serves more of our kids and provides not only a time for recess but also a range of educational needs. We need to do this for the kids and wrap up the whole project,” said Ott.
The consensus was to proceed with Option C-2. Later in the meeting, in action items, the board unanimously approved Option C-2.
This was the most expensive plan, which includes synthetic turf, subdrainage, and a larger playground area with six pieces of playground equipment. The median cost estimate is $664,014.
Here is the link on the Heartland website with all the design concept choices created by Clark & Enerson.
Here is one photo of the proposed Kompan playground equipment for the new playground.
Track Resurfacing Proposal
Another item on the agenda was the track resurfacing project. Superintendent Klein explained the life cycle of a typical track, as well as the process and timeline for resurfacing it.
“The last surface treatment was about ten years ago. It’s time to remove the surface and take it down to the base and repair any base problems before applying the new surface,” said Klein. He presented the board with two proposals from Midwest Tennis & Track Company and Pro Track & Tennis. The Midwest bid was the lowest at $144,800.
Mierau questioned whether the school needed to let the project out for bids rather than choosing between the two proposals. There was some discussion about whether this was necessary. The Midwest proposal was also unanimously approved as an action item.
Hallway Carpet Replacement & K-6 iPad Replacement
Other action items approved by the board were for new hallway carpet and K-6 iPads. Prior to approving these two items, the board discussed research on the digital impact on students and expressed a desire to learn more about how students were using them in classrooms. The school will use a REAP (Rural Education Achievement Program) grant to purchase the new iPads.
Superintendent, Administrative & Classified Staff Compensation
The board discussed the compensation recommendations and how salaries and wages compared to those of comparable schools in the conference. “I think we are in line for where we should be,” said Goertzen. Mierau stated, “I’m concerned that our salaries are number one in the conference, and I know there are additional duties for some, but it seems slightly out of whack.”
Ott reminded the board to take these conference comparisons “with a grain of salt, because often duties for staff are not the same, as well as levels of experience.” For example, she cited Elementary Principal Reinke, who is serving as the curriculum coordinator and handling the school improvement process evaluation, and asked what it would cost to hire for these jobs.
Superintendent Klein explained that classified staff includes paras, bus drivers, food service workers, maintenance workers, clerical employees, and any non-certified staff. Heartland employs 39 classified staff, both full-time and part-time. With the 4% increase, they are trying to catch up with other schools in the conference, said Klein.
Board members commended Klein for his work in creating a more effective, better-organized structure for evaluating classified staff. Mierau said he thought the clerical staff’s salaries were too high, while Klein said they were average or below average for schools.
Future Agenda Items
The Board will hold a retreat on Monday, March 23, at the Hatchery at 5:30 p.m. Newton told members to give him any items they would like to add to the agenda and said a few members of the NASB (Nebraska Association of School Boards) will be there to help facilitate the retreat.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:31 p.m.
The next regular meeting will be held on Monday, April 13th, at 7 p.m.
