Beatrice Public Schools reorganizes leadership, moves meetings earlier and approves routine business

Beatrice Public Schools’ Board of Education reorganized its leadership on Jan. 13, electing Eric as president and Doris Martin as vice president for one-year terms, and appointed Dr. Jackie Nielsen as secretary, Jason Alexander as treasurer and Daniel Fairbanks as recording secretary. The board also voted to move its regular meeting start time to 6:00 p.m. on the second Monday and to hold the Committee of the Whole at 5:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday each month.

The meeting began with the swearing-in of new members and a review of the Open Meetings Act, followed by a series of nominations that were carried by unanimous ballot or voice vote. A motion to table appointment of standing committees under Board Policy 8151 until February — to allow review and discussion at the January Committee of the Whole — was made and approved.

Jason Alexander, who presented the district’s December financial report, said: "Payroll was $1,814,572. Bills were $1,670,307, which brought the grand total expenditures to $3,484,880." He reported revenue for December of $2,703,982 and noted the district is about one-quarter through the budget year and roughly 1.91% under projected expenditures, while cautioning that HVAC repairs and vehicle upgrades will be coming.

The board approved a range of routine business items during the action portion of the meeting. Those approvals included designation of legal counsel (Perry Law Firm or KSB School Law), naming Pinnacle Bank, Security First Bank, First National Bank of Omaha (Beatrice branch), First State Bank Nebraska (Beatrice branch), and Bank of the West as district depositories, and designating the Beatrice Daily Sun as the official newspaper of record. The board also approved current board policies and regulations under Policy 8130 and authorized repairs at Beatrice Middle School based on quotes from Prairie Mechanical.

In other actions, the board approved the consent agenda — which included minutes from the Dec. 9, 2024 meeting; approval of accounts for payment; budget receipts and expenditures for December 2024; the purchase of a 2021 Ford Expedition for $36,099; the resignation of Emily Wenwin (Elementary ACP); and a contract for London Ruprecht as an elementary special education teacher for 2024–25 — and confirmed Jason Alexander as the district’s federal grant and financial representative.

During discussion about shifting meeting times, one member emphasized that Committee of the Whole meetings should continue to be held in the main meeting room rather than a small conference room to keep them accessible to the public. The formal motion to adopt the new meeting dates and times (Policy 99300) was made, seconded and passed. The board scheduled the next regular meeting for Feb. 10, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., and the next Committee of the Whole for Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m.

The meeting concluded after routine announcements and the motion to adjourn.