Board of Education Regular Meeting School District of Seward 410 South Street Seward, NE 68434 Monday, January 12, 2026 5:30 PM Attendance Taken at 5:32 PM. Paul Duer: Present Matt Hastings: Present Jill Hochstein: Present Ryne Seaman: Present Danielle Shipley: Present Shawn Svoboda: Present 1. Preliminary Procedures 1.1. Call meeting to order & announce Open Meetings Act is Posted 1.2. Public Notice as publicized per board policy The public notice was publicized in the Seward County Independent and posted at city hall, library and courthouse. The public notice was dated January 7, 2026. 1.3. Roll Call 1.3.1. Action to excuse board members if necessary 1.4. Pledge of Allegiance 1.5. 1.5 Mission Seward Public Schools - a district rooted in excellence - in cooperation with family and community members is committed to the development of the whole student and affirms that all students will have the skills to become productive, resilient, and contributing members of their community. 1.6. Approval of Agenda Motion to approve the agenda as presented Passed with a motion by Paul Duer and a second by Jill Hochstein. Paul Duer: Yea, Matt Hastings: Yea, Jill Hochstein: Yea, Ryne Seaman: Yea, Danielle Shipley: Yea, Shawn Svoboda: Yea 2. Recognition of the Classified Staff Member for the Bluejay Award Cathy Wignall was presented with the District Bluejay Award for classified staff. Cathy is a para at the Elementary School. 3. Election of Board Officers 3.1. President Paul Duer nominated Ryne Seaman for President and all members agreed. 3.2. Vice President Jill Hochstein nominated Paul Duer for Vice President and all members agreed. 3.3. Secretary Shawn Svoboda nominated Jill Hochstein as Secretary and all members agreed. 3.4. Treasurer Danielle Shipley nominated Heidi Covert as Treasurer and all members agreed. 4. Public Forum: (The Board President reserves the right to place time limits on individuals and topics.) 4.1. Public Forum on Agenda Items: This is your opportunity to speak to items on the agenda. If you are not a part of the presentation of the agenda item you need to speak now. Thank you for your participation. There was none. 4.2. Public Forum on Any Topic: This is your opportunity to speak to any topic concerning the school district. Since it is not an agenda item the board cannot discuss or take action at this time on the matter. Future discussion can be requested as an agenda item. Thank you for your participation. Lynn Ihde discussed the Life Skills teacher hire at the high school. 5. Discussion Items 5.1. Bond Update Dr. Fields reported on the Community Forum and the women's club presentation. Informational postcards will be sent out soon and the next Q and A session is on January 21 at 7:00 pm at SHS. 5.2. Transportation Update and Discussion Dr. Fields, Marty and Joel discussed drivers, routes, number of vehicles, miles driven, amount of time it takes for training and certification, and what the future looks like. 5.3. Annual Safety Audit Dr. Dominy went over the safety audit which is required yearly by rule 10 and is always a good reminder for us in what we can do to improve and what we do well. This was also shared at our recent annual safety meeting on January 5. 5.4. Concordia Rental Agreement for Legion Field Dr. Fields discussed the Concordia agreement at the legion field for the remainder of this year. 6. Short Recess If needed Motion to take a 5 minute recess at 6:54 p.m. Passed with a motion by Paul Duer and a second by Matt Hastings. Paul Duer: Yea, Matt Hastings: Yea, Jill Hochstein: Yea, Ryne Seaman: Yea, Danielle Shipley: Yea, Shawn Svoboda: Yea 7. Reports 7.1. Administrator Reports Written reports were received from the administrators. 7.2. Student Board Report Cardyn Goracke presented his report to the board. 7.3. Superintendent's Report The NASB Legislative Conference is January 25-26, 2026. Dr. Fields updated the board on the new platform for the 26-27 school year which is Apptegy that will cover the following - Website, Alert, Parent Communication, and Communication between teachers/coaches with parents/students. The Professional Development Day on January 5 was a success and a great collaboration with other school districts in our county. The house and shed next to the middle school will be for sale soon. Board Quicks link - January 2026 e-update 8. Action Items 8.1. Superintendent's Contract Extension Motion to extend Dr. Fields' contract to June 30, 2028. Passed with a motion by Paul Duer and a second by Shawn Svoboda. Paul Duer: Yea, Matt Hastings: Yea, Jill Hochstein: Yea, Ryne Seaman: Yea, Danielle Shipley: Yea, Shawn Svoboda: Yea 8.2. New Suburban Motion to approve the bid of $61,792 from Husker Auto Group for a new Suburban Passed with a motion by Danielle Shipley and a second by Paul Duer. Paul Duer: Yea, Matt Hastings: Yea, Jill Hochstein: Yea, Ryne Seaman: Yea, Danielle Shipley: Yea, Shawn Svoboda: Yea 8.3. 2026-2027 School Calendar Motion to approve the 2026-2027 school calendar Passed with a motion by Jill Hochstein and a second by Shawn Svoboda. Paul Duer: Yea, Matt Hastings: Yea, Jill Hochstein: Yea, Ryne Seaman: Yea, Danielle Shipley: Yea, Shawn Svoboda: Yea 8.4. 2026-2027- Teacher's Negotiated Agreement Motion to approve the 2026-2027 Teachers' Negotiation Agreement as presented. Passed with a motion by Paul Duer and a second by Matt Hastings. Paul Duer: Yea, Matt Hastings: Yea, Jill Hochstein: Yea, Ryne Seaman: Yea, Danielle Shipley: Yea, Shawn Svoboda: Yea 9. Future Agenda Items Bond update 10. Consent Agenda 10.1. Approval of Minutes 10.2. Approval of Financial Reports 10.2.1. Treasurer 10.2.2. Budget 10.2.3. Activities 10.2.4. Athletic 10.3. Approval of Claims 10.3.1. General Fund - $1,864,245.91 10.3.2. Gifts & Donations Fund - $1,307.77 10.3.3. Depreciation Fund - $57,420.00 10.4. Approval of Consent Agenda Motion to approve the consent agenda as presented Passed with a motion by Paul Duer and a second by Jill Hochstein. Paul Duer: Yea, Matt Hastings: Yea, Jill Hochstein: Yea, Ryne Seaman: Yea, Danielle Shipley: Yea, Shawn Svoboda: Yea 11. Adjournment Motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:31 PM with the next regular board meeting scheduled for Monday, February 9 at 5:30. Passed with a motion by Matt Hastings and a second by Danielle Shipley. Paul Duer: Yea, Matt Hastings: Yea, Jill Hochstein: Yea, Ryne Seaman: Yea, Danielle Shipley: Yea, Shawn Svoboda: Yea Prepared by: Jill Hochstein Heidi Covert Secretary Salaries for December 797,461.63; Jones Bank, 28,151.11; Tennessee Child Support, 9.99; Jones Bank, 185,026.76; Nebraska Child Support, 1,166.00; ASPIRE, 8,305.00; Jones Bank, 29,516.50; Tennessee Child Support, 9.99; NPERS, 163,095.24; NE Dept. of Revenue, 34,563.83; Inspira Financial, 8,518.57; AGIRepair, Inc, 999.50; Allo, 179.00; Alvine & Associates, Inc, 1,551.52; Amazon Capital Services, 548.66; Ameritas, 1,257.44; Apace, 4,471.27; Axt, Scott, 150.00; Bauer, Alan, 42.65; Benes, Julie, 60.00; Bisbee, Jill, 132.50; Bishop Business, 200.32; Blue Cross Blue Shield, 265,975.20; Campbell Cleaning, 17,361.00; C.A.P. Inc, 179.00; CDWG, 736.33; Cerris Systems, 779.26; City of Seward, 31,831.95; Class Intercom, 975.00; Concordia University, 200.00; Connot, Megan, 278.00; Credit Bureau Services Inc, 251.27; Crete Public Schools, 13,750.00; Crouch's Farm & Hardware, 574.49; Culligan, 40.00; Curry, Scott, 150.00; Dana F. Cole & Company, LLP, 3,323.37; DAS, 317.87; Dietze Music, 92.90; Duer, Paul, 90.00; Eakes, 10,299.60; Eber, Rich, 150.00; Elan Financial, 607.53; Engineered Controls, Inc, 1,627.14; ESU 5, 21,396.50; ESU 6, 36,084.43; Follett Software, LLC, 3,367.08; Go Physical Therapy, 5,925.85; Grainger, 2,248.74; Hardwood Heaven, 1,363.77; Henson Heating & Cooling LLC, 32,378.14; Hobson Tree Service, 475.00; Inspira Financial, 127.50; ISTE + ASCD, 129.00; John Deere Financial, 1,857.12; JWPepper, 2,718.13; Kozisek, Morgan, 40.00; KSB School Law, 580.50; Langner, Katie, 290.00; Lee's Refrigeration, 208.68; Madison National Life, 3,049.57; Mahrt, Kirsten, 4,290.23; Matheson, 2,740.30; Maxim Healthcare Services, 5,567.76; Meehl, Jan, 1,180.00; Menards, 24.04; Merle's Flower Shop, Inc, 386.15; Midwest Auto Parts, 462.73; Midwest Petroleum, 453.94; NCECBVI, 950.40; NCS Pearson, 45.20; Nebraska Council of School Admin, 395.00; Nebraska Department of Education, 875.00; Nebraska Library Commission, 391.66; Nebraska Safety Center, 670.00; Occupational Health Centers of NE, 284.00; Omnify, 62.10; One Source, 163.00; O'Reilly Auto Parts, 347.91; Pac N Save, 208.17; Paper Tiger, 35.00; Pinkall, Jenny, 35.63; Platte Valley Equipment, 1,599.54; Ratkovec, Tina, 67.20; Really Good Stuff, 247.86; Rising, Sarah, 46.30; Saunders County Chiropractic & Acupuncture, 100.00; Schlueter Repair & Specialties LLC, 2,420.55; School Dist. Of Seward-HS Activity Fund, 7,153.89; Seaman, Ryne, 75.00; Seward County Independent, 1,395.91; Seward Lumber, 239.00; Seward Wellness Center, 1,168.50; Sodexo, 74,991.26; Sparq Data Solutions, 5,700.00; Staples, 1,783.47; Starhouse Media, LLC, 700.00; Tim Elmore, Inc, 2,000.00; Truck Center Companies, 175.88; Unite Private Networks, 1,829.43; Unity School Bus Parts, 215.52; UNUM, 536.40; Uribe, 2,647.00; US Bank, 3,154.13; Verizon, 253.46; Visa, 137.62; Voss Lighting, 130.00; Waterlink, 225.00; Windstream, 318.85; WoodRiver Energy, 5,797.94; Zultys, 2,320.58 SCI — January 21, 2026 ZNEZ
