HNS Board accepts teacher resignation, hires replacement

HARTINGTON — The Hartington- Newcastle School Board Monday approved a late change to its teaching roster.

The Board accepted the resignation of kindergarten teacher Melissa Campbell and hired Samantha Stevens as a new elementary school teacher.

Stevens will teach second grade, while the kindergarten will only have one section this year, instead of the two they previously had.

Campbell resigned so she could take the same position closer to her home. That position opened up when long-time Laurel-Concord-Coleridge teacher Julie Hart decided to retire.

Supt. A.J. Johnson also told the Board Amber Collier will be the new vocal music teacher next year. She will serve as a substitute teacher for the year, while she works to complete her teaching certification, he said.

A current coach also tendered her resignation. Cross country coach Mandy Hochstein decided not to coach that sport, so she had time to attend her daughter's HNS Wildcat volleyball games.

Tanner Fischer and Lisa Rolfes will take over the cross country duties. Hochstein will continue to be the head coach of the girls track team.

Johnson said the addition of Kyle Stevens to the staff has led to another coaching change. Stevens had been the head coach of the Wausa speech team for several years. He will take over Johnson's position as the head speech coach. Johnson, who has been involved in coaching the team for 27 years, will continue as an assistant coach.

'With Kyle taking over as the head coach, I will have more time to concentrate on my administrative duties,' Johnson said.

The HNS Board spent much of Monday's meeting reviewing and approving policies.

Most of the changes were needed because of changes to state law.

One new bill, LB287, allows for a school district to post the notice of a meeting in three public places, but only in those instances where a newspaper fails to publish a meeting notice correctly, or the school is unable to schedule a public notice with a newspaper.

Beginning in January, such exceptions will be resolved by the notice being put on the newspaper’s website and on the statewide public notice website, which is operated by the Nebraska Press Association.

Nebraska Press Association Executive Director Dennis DeRossett said this new law came about after several discussions with state senators, education leaders and the Nebraska Press Association.

'LB287 is intended to be a solution to enable tax-supported bodies to hold regular meetings – or possibly a special meeting -- and conduct public business in the event normal public notice of the meeting did not occur,' he said.

“We agree the intention was to address exceptions to current notice publishing requirements, but not become the rule. Those exceptions have been rare but can occur if a meeting notice is not properly published, or the entity needs to meet before a publishing deadline can be met,” DeRossett said.

The language requires an entity to still provide notice through local newspapers, the key independent third-party in the legal process of public notices, by now including the newspaper’s website, DeRossett said.

“Also, and very importantly, the notice will then be uploaded on the statewide public notice website, www.nepublicnotices.com, which is owned and maintained by Nebraska’s community newspapers,” said Cedar County News publisher, and current Nebraska Press Association President Rob Dump.

The Board also adopted a statemandated policy requiring school districts to allow for public participation at board meetings, except in the case of an executive session.

The HNS Board already had an unwritten policy in place that allowed for public comments at each meeting.

The board also deleted its policy which allowed for textbook loans to Holy Trinity and Cedar Catholic. The state is taking this over, so the school district will no longer have to, Johnson said.

The Board also passed a new policy concerning school district records. If an outside agency makes a record request, the first eight hours of work on that request are free if the entity is in Nebraska. If an out of state person or company makes such a request, the school district has the authority to charge for every hour they put into the project.

Johnson also gave the Board an update on the building project.

“We’re very, very close,” he said. Some doors, cabinets and flooring still need a little work, he said.

Johnson said the concrete work for the playground is behind schedule, but it will be completed before the start of school. Shot clocks have also been installed in both gyms.

The next School Board meeting will be Aug. 12.