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Beatrice school board reaffirms policies and approves routine purchases, handbooks and contracts
Summary
At its July 8 meeting the board reaffirmed several policies required by new state laws, approved a Safe Return Plan reaffirmation, adopted handbooks for 2024–25, increased substitute pay, approved a commercial oven purchase, ratified a lease for the new elementary and approved contracts for special education and transportation addenda.
The Beatrice Public Schools Board of Education used its July 8 meeting action portion to reaffirm multiple policies required by recent state legislation and to approve a series of routine contracts and purchases.
Reaffirmations and policy votes: The board reaffirmed its Safe Return Plan (ESSER III funds remain to be expended by Sept. 30) and reaffirmed Policy 5415 (anti-bullying), Policy 5416 (student fees), Policy 64100 (parental community involvement), and Policy 6410 (Title I parental and family engagement). Jason told the board several of these reviews reflect statutory changes such as LB 43 (public-records response time), LB 1329 (training and meal-charge rules) and LB 287 (conflict-of-interest and meeting-notice changes).
Handbooks and personnel items: The board approved the 2024–25 student handbook, certificated and classified staff handbooks, and the substitute handbook; Dr. Nielsen said changes are mainly grammatical and involve aligning district- and building-level sections as well as adding a substitute attendance incentive. The board also approved raising substitute teacher pay to $165 per day, with a $150 stipend for substitutes who teach 30 or more days in a semester, and $100 for paraeducator substitutes who hit that threshold. Jason said the stipend will net roughly $100 after taxes and retirement deductions.
Purchases and contracts: The board approved an agreement with the Nebraska Center for Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired (NCEC BVI) for special-education services for 2024–25. It approved the purchase of a mobile commercial oven for Beatrice High School from Cisco for $45,958.40, to be paid from the nutrition services account. The board also approved an addendum to First Student’s transportation contract for routes and pricing for the coming school year (Jason said about 525 riders were currently signed up). Finally, the board ratified and reaffirmed the lease dated June 1, 2022 with the Southeast Nebraska Education Agency related to the new elementary school; board members said the reaffirmation continues the seven-year lease arrangement the district previously adopted.
Why it matters: The votes implement routine operational and statutory requirements ahead of the 2024–25 school year and make several budget and personnel decisions that affect school operations, nutrition services and transportation.
Next steps: Several items were first readings or procedural re-affirmations tied to statute and will require no further board action; the random drug-testing policy, though discussed at length, was only at first reading and will return for a vote after administrators provide requested cost and outcome data.
