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Board Meeting Bulletin: January 13, 2025
Christopher Villarre

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.

Teacher Agreement Progress: The Board received details of the tentative 2025-26 teacher agreement, which includes a $950 increase to the base salary (moving to $44,750). When factoring in both vertical and horizontal movement on the salary schedule, this represents a 4.2% increase in salaries. While health insurance premiums will increase by 5.49% for the upcoming year, the district will continue to cover 100% of single coverage for qualifying staff and 93% of the premium costs for other coverage levels. The total compensation package increase, including both salary and benefits, is 4.69%. This agreement reflects the district's ongoing commitment to competitive compensation and benefits for educators.

Board Leadership Transition: The Board elected new officers for 2025, with SuAnn Witt selected as President, Brian Lodes as Vice President, Lisa Wood as Secretary, and Marcus Madler as Treasurer. The transition marks an important milestone in district leadership as we continue our commitment to educational excellence.

District Growth & Demographics: Dr. Settles presented the annual demographics report, highlighting that total district enrollment has grown to 12,069 students, an increase of 30 students from last year. The district's diversity continues to increase, with 29.33% of students identifying as non-white, up 1.5% from the previous year. Due to continued growth, Ashbury Elementary and Prairie Queen Elementary will remain closed to option enrollment for the 2025-26 school year. The report also noted strong military family presence, with Anderson Grove Elementary having the highest percentage at 18% military-connected students. Notably, Ashbury Elementary grew by over 45 students this year, reflecting the ongoing expansion in certain attendance areas.

Fine Arts Excellence: The district celebrated outstanding achievements in music performance, with multiple students earning state-level recognition. Twenty-two students earned All-State Chorus honors (4 from PLHS, 18 from PLSHS), and sixteen students qualified for All-State Band or Orchestra (7 from PLHS, 9 from PLSHS). These students will have the opportunity to perform under the direction of nationally known conductors at the Lied Center for Performing Arts following an intensive two-and-a-half day rehearsal period. This recognition from the Nebraska Music Education Association (NMEA) represents the highest level of achievement for high school musicians in grades 9-12 across the state, highlighting our district's exceptional music programs and dedicated educators.

PLHS Renovation Project: The Board approved a $5,365,753 guaranteed maximum price from Sampson Construction for the Papillion La Vista High School renovation project. The project, scheduled to begin in spring 2025 with completion targeted for December 2025, includes new PE classroom space with turf areas and renovations to several areas of the building. This project continues the systematic implementation of improvements approved in the 2023 bond initiative.

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.

 

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