Welcome to our Board Meeting Bulletin series, where we highlight key takeaways from each board meeting to keep our community informed and engaged with the latest developments in our school district.

2024/25 Inclement Weather Adjustment: Due to seven cancelled school days in the second semester for weather, the board approved updates to the 2024-2025 calendar. Changes include converting April 21 from a Professional Development day to a Regular School Day for all students, adding additional time for PM preschool on April 28, extending senior attendance on May 8-9, and designating May 27 as a Professional Development day. Board members and administrators emphasized the importance of meaningful instructional time and discussed looking at future calendars to better accommodate potential weather days. 

Legislative Update: The Nebraska Legislature is approaching day 60 of its 90-day session, with April 29 (day 70) being the last day for bills to come out of committee. Bills of note include:

• LB390: Requires notification to parents of library book checkouts by students; has advanced and expected to be signed by the governor soon
• LB140: Mandates school boards to have a policy on electronic devices within school properties; has advanced to final reading
• LB653: Education committee priority bill addressing special education option programs, which would limit districts' ability to close enrollment due to capacity constraints. The district has concerns about staffing challenges and space limitations that already exist.

Track Construction Projects: The board approved a track replacement and improvements project at PLHS and track surfacing at Liberty Middle School. Nemaha Sports Construction, LLC submitted the low bid of $1,295,233.58 and was awarded the contract. The project includes replacing the Monarch track, concrete replacements, improving the shot put area, installing new goalposts on the practice field, and replacing siding for the shed at the Monarch site. At Liberty Middle School, the track will be resurfaced. All three middle school tracks will now have proper track surfaces, as Papillion Middle and La Vista Middle are already scheduled for total track replacements this summer. The project will be completed over the summer of 2025 and funded through the Special Building Fund.

Mass Communications System Update: The board approved a contract addendum with Finalsite to upgrade the district's mass communication system to Messages XR Enterprise and Teacher Communications Enterprise. The upgraded system will provide modernized communication tools with improved features while maintaining system continuity, with updates to the PLCS mobile app coming for the 2026-27 school year.

Contract Cancellation for Jeffrey Fauble: The board approved the cancellation of Jeffrey Fauble's employment contract effective immediately. Mr. Fauble had been placed on administrative leave on March 25, 2025, and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office delivered a letter to him the next day that the Board would consider cancellation of his contract. Mr. Fauble did not request a hearing within the required seven-day timeframe. The district has also notified the Nebraska Department of Education about the situation and will file a formal complaint regarding violation of professional practice.

2025 Student Technology Purchase RFP: The district has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for student technology devices for the 1:1 program. The RFP opened on April 2 and closes on April 16, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. The district has received demo units and technicians are evaluating them for repairability and quality. A purchase recommendation is anticipated for the April 28 board meeting. The RFP includes a 60-day price lock to help maintain pricing stability.

These are just a few of the topics discussed during our recent board meeting. For full access to agendas and minutes, please visit our website. Broadcast recordings of the meetings are also available on our YouTube channel.