By Stacy Hawn, Bennington Public Schools
Updates & Reports Presented to the Board of Education
Throughout the meeting, building and district administrators presented reports and updates to the Board of Education. Click here to view the agenda with each presentation attached.
Reports included:
- Overview for elementary, middle school and high school
- Student Services
- Operations
- Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment
- Superintendent
- Transportation & Facilities
- District Technology
- Spotlight on Elementary and Secondary Social Studies Curriculum Adoption
- Legislative Update
Dr. Plas Provided a Monthly Update to the Board
During each regular board meeting, Dr. Plas provides an update to the Board on various topics. You can view the full report online as an attachment to the meeting agenda. Click here to view the agenda.
This month’s report included an update on:
- State Apportionment
- Kindergarten Numbers
- Final Day of School
Curriculum and Personnel Proposals Approved
Dr. Thoendel and Mr. Feeney provided an update on the curriculum and personnel proposals for the 2026-27 school year. The Curriculum Committee met on February 16th to continue the process of determining which curriculum and personnel proposals to recommend for the 2026-27 school year. There were 50 proposals this year for consideration.
At the previous meetings, the BOE approved seven of the 50 proposals while utilizing fund reallocations and special education reimbursements. The Curriculum Committee has continued to review proposals that were highly prioritized by both the Curriculum/Proposal Committee and the Administrative/BOE Committee, including those with offsetting costs. The table below shows the proposals approved.
District Technology Purchases Approved
Each year, the district continues to invest in the technology necessary to operate the school in the current digital age. Below is the technology purchase approved for the 2026-27 school year. The funds were included in the 2025-26 budget approved at the start of the school year. Mr. Uchtman has a five-year plan for technology purchases that is continually under review to ensure it meets the needs of our growing student population.
The hardware budget for this fiscal year was set at $500,000, with the BOE previously approving $314,880 during the December meeting. The current proposed upfront expenditures total is $158,762, but after factoring in an e-rate reimbursement of $24,808, the district’s net out-of-pocket cost is $133,954.
This creates a total technology hardware purchase of $448,834 for the 2025-26 school year, which is $51,166 under budget.
Bond Issue Update
Storm Sewer and Paving Project Bid for the Second High School Approved
On February 26, 2026, Bennington Public Schools received bids for the Omaha Public Works (OPW) Off-Site Storm Sewer and Paving project associated with the second high school project. This work will be completed with DLR Group providing construction administration, under the supervision of the City of Omaha, and in coordination with Bennington Public Schools. The Board approved the bid from Valley Corporation for $1,618,655, which is $99,949 under the preconstruction estimate for this item. This represents the second of three bid packages for the public infrastructure work on the project. The final package will be for improvements to Military Road and 180th Street, which is anticipated to be under construction during the Summers of 2027 and 2028.
