The Nashville CCSD #49 Board of Education met last night.  They heard a report from the Communications team on Strategic Planning for the school.  Music Director Steve Northup made the presentation on how the school can communicate more efficiently for the betterment of the staff and students.  Ideas the committee came up with include a use of emails during the day for urgent notifications, establish the all-school calendar and have everyone contribute to make sure it is accurate, as well as have some sort of forum for teachers to discuss the Common Core changes and how to make them work.    He added that for these forms of communication to work properly, everyone was going to have to contribute and participate.  He also said there is plenty more work to do to make communication better.  Superintendent Mike Brink told the Board that money is coming in from the General State Aid, but that is it.  They should have had other funding come in the amount of approximately $200,000, half of the yearly anticipated $407,000, but at this time only $16,000 has be received by the school.  This could become a problem in the future for other projects to be approved or completed.  He said at this time the school is in good shape on its expenditures.  The Board also approved a contract with Emling & Hoffman, P.C. to conduct a financial audit, as is required every year.  Brink also told the Board about the Partnership for Assessment Readiness of College and Careers pilot test for 3^rd and 5^th Graders in the Spring.  This will be in preparation for the change in testing next year and these students may be opted out of the ISAT test.  Principal Chuck Fairbanks said today is the last day of school is today and students return on January 6, 2014.  Picture retake day is January 8^th and the S.A.F.E. Program is coming up next month also.  In boys’ basketball news, they are hosting the Regional at the end of January.   The big topic of discussion was during Superintendent Mike Brink’s report and that was about the 1 to 1 conversion the school is discussing.  This is essentially having each student, either in 2^nd through 8^th grade or kindergarten through 8^th grade, possessing a laptop computer that they can use at school and at home.  Eventually, textbooks would become digital textbooks, at a large savings.  This is a move in the future, as other schools are making this change.  There was a sample computer at the meeting for them to look at and the rental contract and Brink explained the money aspect.  The cost would be about $609 each for 2 through 8, or $548 for K through 8.  The cost of the computers and textbooks, professional development and infrastructure would come out to about an additional $16 per student, after taking into account the offsetting costs of what wouldn’t be needed in other areas.  There many advantages to make this move, such as moving into the future, extending the children’s use of computers outside school to their studies, updating textbooks digitally, instant access to information, etc., but there are also concerns, such as viruses and connectivity for all students outside the school building.  The administration is gathering more data for the Board to make a decision in the next couple of months on proceeding or not for next school year.