WNDLC

Members Present: Lewis Gellett-Rushville, Gayla Fredrickson-Hay Springs, John Cruzeiro-Sioux County, Don Wagner-Mitchell, Dale Eberhart-Chadron, Gary Fisher-Crawford, Rod Borders-Gordon, Ed Hollinger-Hemingford, Randy Marymee-Morrill, Lewis Shoff-Bridgeport, Bruce Epstein-Gering, Joe Baker-Scottsbluff.

Also present: Jim Copley, B.J. Peters

WNDLC Policy Manual – General discussion on the proposed policies centered on discipline and teacher evaluation. As proposed the host school will handle both. It was suggested that maybe in the future that some of the teacher evaluation should be based on DL teaching skills and involves the evaluation among all the schools that a specific DL class is delivered to.

Moved by Gary Fisher-Crawford, Seconded by Randy Marymee-Morrill to approve WNDLC Policy Manual as presented. Motion carried unanimously.

Classroom Equipment – B.J. Peters presented information on the three classroom equipment proposals that were received by the bid deadline in February. He recommended that the Cytek proposal be accepted based on the fact that they were the low bidders and has already demonstrated in Nebraska to deliver quality products and service. B.J. was asked to investigate whether the VCR and fax machine could be purchased separately through coop purchasing to get a better price. The group also agreed to include the option of wireless room control. B.J. told the group that the lottery grant does not cover the entire cost of the classroom equipment but that he proposed using the $150,000 grant from NET to cover the shortfall. Moved by Dale Eberhart-Chadron, Seconded by Gayla Fredrickson-Hay Springs to approve the proposal submitted by Cytek and to pay for it with both Lottery and NET funds. Motion carried unanimously.

Review visits with WNCC & CSC Presidents – B.J. Peters and Don Wagner briefed the group on the meetings that had been held in the past week with John Harms of Western Nebraska Community College and Tom Krepel of Chadron State College. Don Wagner noted that both meetings went well and that both seem very willing to work with WNDLC to make this new venture work. (See attached documents summarizing meetings.)

College Tuition – General discussion was held on how college tuition is currently being handled with high school students taking classes. It was decided that the consortium is not in a position to dictate what another school does…. that is should be an individual school position, but it was noted that schools need to share with everyone else on what their policies are in order to keep lines of communication open.

Teacher Stipends – This is another area that for the time being will be left as an individual school decision. In an informal vote about two-thirds of the schools indicated that they plan on offering some sort of a stipend to faculty who teach over the DL system. There was agreement though that it was something that needed to be discussed and share policies in order to try and maintain consistencies in policies and amount of stipends.

General information - B.J. Peters reported to the board that not much was happening with the telephone companies until Sprint signed their contract with US West. It was being help up by attorneys. B.J. passed out the T-1 Frame Relay contracts from Sprint for the Phase One schools.

B.J. said that he, in cooperation with Chadron State College, was filing for a $10,000 NET grant to help pay for the teacher training workshop scheduled for this summer.

Registration for classes to be offered over the DL system this fall will be held between Mid-April and Mid-May. He shared what Chadron State is proposing to offer this fall. B.J. will get WNCC offerings later in the week.

B.J. reminded the group that he had sent each school’s e-rate application for distance learning to them in the past week and that it needed to be signed and mailed in to the SLC.

The next meeting of the WNDLC will be held in May and will try to meet the same day again as the Western Nebraska Administrators meeting. Notices will be sent out.

Moved by Lewis Gellett-Rushville, seconded by Lewis Shoff-Bridgeport to adjourn. Motion carried, Meeting adjourned at 12 Noon.