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LAUREL – The Laurel-Concord- Coleridge school district will be asking patrons for feedback at two upcoming community engagement meetings.
The sessions have been set for 6:30-8 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 12, at the Coleridge campus; and 6:30-8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14, at the Laurel campus.
Facilitated by the Nebraska Association of School Boards (NASB), the sessions will include a series of topics with information presented to a large group and then discussion in small groups. Topics are being finalized and will be shared prior to the community engagement sessions, Christiansen said.
He said the goal of the sessions will be to engage community members and receive input regarding the district’s future goals and priorities.
“While the district has continued its focus on providing high quality teaching and learning opportunities for students, the past six to seven years have had a significant focus on quality learning environments and the school facility improvement efforts,” Christiansen said. “The Board of Education is seeking community input related to its goals and priorities moving forward and looking ahead to the next five to ten years.”
After the two community engagement sessions this fall, NASB will send a report to the board. The data will then be discussed at the annual board retreat in January.
Follow-up community engagement sessions will take place next March.
The last NASB-facilitiated community engagement sessions were held in 2017. At that time, along with community engagement sessions, specific engagement took place with business leaders, students and staff.
Results from 2017’s community engagement sessions included the challenges of decreasing enrollment, state budget deficits, and access to qualified coaches, among other issues. Points of pride included state test scores, graduation rates, and good technology, among others.
Mold mitigation
The school district is working on mitigating mold in the auxiliary gym discovered in summer of 2023.
Mold was forming both on the interior of the HVAC unit and ductwork system as well as on the exterior of the ductwork, Christiansen said.
Once the discovery was made, the HVAC system was disengaged and has not operated since that time, he said.
“Since that time, the gym space has not been climate controlled and the district has used fans to attempt to regulate indoor temperature in that space,” he said.
Mold issues were limited and contained to the system for the auxiliary gym only.
The district is continuing to work with vendors to determine the best course of action including mold removal and system redesign or unit replacement.
Two vendors inspected and evaluated the HVAC system Oct. 1 and one - Environmental Services Inc., Norfolk - expressed interest in the project. The district is awaiting results of mold testing and a formal quote from the company.
No final decisions have been made, Christiansen said.
Superintendent evaluation In his seventh year as LCC superintendent, Christiansen will soon undergo his annual evaluation.
The process begins with Christiansen completing a self-evaluation. Each board member reviews that evaluation and then complete their own assessment of Christiansen.
A final report is provided to Board President Carol Erwin mid-November, and then board members meet in small groups with Christiansen to go over evaluation results. At that time, performance goals will be developed.
His goals for 2024 include: - Facilitates development and implementation of short and long-term educational goals for the district.
- Ensures the district develops, maintains, and evaluates an effective curriculum and instruction that challenges each student and ensures college/career readiness.
Christiansen’s evaluation results will be shared at the December school board meeting.
Mark your calendar
LCC School community engagement sessions: 6:30-8 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 12, at Coleridge 6:30-8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14, at Laurel
