The Nashville High School Board of Education met last night. They began with a special Public Hearing on the increase in the driver education fee. There was no one present to talk about it, so the hearing was closed and the meeting began. They would later approve an increase from $75 to $100 beginning with the next school year. The plan a few years ago was to increase it gradually from $50 to $100. Superintendent Wendy Davis reported that today is the last day for seniors still taking final exams. They will be off until they report for graduation practice on Friday. Graduation will be this coming Sunday at 2 PM in the Assembly Hall. All other students will be done with final exams next Wednesday at 11:30 AM. She updated the Board on some projects they approved. The baseball fence moving project will begin on or after June 9th, while the architects are going over the layouts for the auditorium to put in new chairs. They should have something ready to go out for bids soon. The Regional Office of Education completed their building inspection and the school received an “A” as they were in full compliance and there were no recommendations to fix anything. Davis thanked Barry Morris and the custodial-maintenance department, as they are very thorough at keeping the grounds in good shape and in compliance and ready for any type of inspection, and do a fantastic job overall. She also mentioned, as we did earlier this month, that NCHS received $10,093 in a security grant. They will use these funds to purchase 8 Motorola 16 channel radios and the installation of the system that goes with it. They will also buy a repeater unit to allow for farther reach and 4 interior cameras, including cabling and installation. They have not received the funds yet, so they have not made any purchases at this time. The Board approved an overnight field trip for 10 to 14 volleyball players to go to a camp in Bloomington, Indiana from July 10th through the 13th. Summer office hours were set from 7 AM to 1 PM with no lunch break. Davis did say that there will be occasions when workers will need to stay longer. Registration will be on August 4th from 8 AM to 4 PM and on August 5th from 11 AM to 7 PM. Freshman Orientation will be on August 7th beginning at 7 PM. A public hearing has been set for June 23rd, before the next monthly meeting for those wishing to talk about the 2013-2014 Amended Budget. Davis says she expects it to be over budget, but part of that is due to the fact the school had to spend more on special education, which could be up to $50,000 over budget, as more students needed special accommodations. Principal Brian Pasero talked about some changes and updates in the Student Handbook, but the Board did not take any action last night. Pasero reported that students must have their health exams and immunizations up to date by October 15th or they will be excluded. Also, they have added tobacco look-alikes and e-cigarettes to what is not allowed at the school. Another item added, but already enforced, is that no attire may suggest or promote violent behavior. Davis told the Board of the Olympiad Teams’ 2nd and 6th place finishes in the State finals. The physical education waiver will be a thing of the past at NCHS in another couple of years. Legislation has done away with it after this next round of requests are granted. NCHS will have the waiver for those participating in a sport to have a study hall instead of P.E. class during that sport’s season. In 2 years, freshmen and sophomores will have to take P.E. class no matter what sports they are in. Marching band is exempt already per legislation. Davis also said the pension law has been temporarily halted, which saves the school time and money it would take to make the change over to the new system. Also, the House of Representatives has approved a pro-rating of transportation and general state aid will be at 89 percent again, as schools are asked to do more for less. The 1 to 1 computer integration is going along, as the teachers were all told what is going on last Thursday. There will be plenty of training opportunities during the summer. The committee will also be looking at policies and procedures that will need to be in place for students being responsible with their computer. Board member Dave Ibendahl asked if the B.E.S.T. program was working well, as school starts an hour later on Thursdays, as teachers meet as a whole or with those in their department. Davis and Pasero said it was beneficial, as it allows for everyone to get on the same page with all the changes in education, as well as allowing for training if needed. He said this will be important as the 1 to 1 computer component is implemented. Wendy Davis is retiring after the next school year, so the school needs to begin the process of finding her replacement and they approved going with the Illinois Association of School Boards, with whom they are a member of. As such, the school will only pay $5,500, as membership helps pay the rest. The Board agreed that this is a professional group and are the experts at it, so they should go with them. As all schools have been doing, the Board approved the prevailing wage for the next school year for anyone wanting to do work at the school. In closed session, the Board approved English instructor Jennifer Olsen as the Assistant Drama Club Sponsor, while they hired Carmen Keller to be Stinger Co-Coach. There will be 3 cheerleading coaches this year. The Board hired Briana Hug as coach, Codi Scarborough as assistant coach and approved volunteer Roxen Pelczynski to help.