The board meeting this evening was fairly brief. There was not a lot to the agenda and there weren't many people in attendance.
Highlights:
1) Facilities: Supt. David Olney discussed facility needs. He talked quite a bit about the old elementary site. A plan is being developed for removing heating and cooling equipment and for capping utilities. He explained that it is much less costly to remove than to fix old facilities. Also discussed was a plan to repaint the high school. Issues involving lead paint require guidance to ensure compliance with laws and regulations regarding hazardous materials.
2) VFW Donations - The VFW plans to set up a scholarship fund. At this time the plan is to deposit $40k into a special account and award a scholarship annually based on the amount of interest earned on the account that year. Guidelines for determining recipient qualifications are being developed at this time. In general the scholarship is intended for students showing "need and determination."
3) Career Day - March 22 is Career Day at the high school. Twenty-six reps will be on hand to provide information about various career choices. The elementary will have a Career Day on March 20 and an Awards Assembly on March 27. Also March 28 is a staff development (non student) day for both the high school and the elementary.
4) John Ciani, reporter for the Daily Independent, is retiring this year. He usually attends board meetings and reports on events involving the school district.
5) Financial Report - Dawn McMillan presented the 2nd Interim Report for the 2012/2013 school year. The most interesting info was that royalty income has been way up since the rate increased from 2% to 5% of potash revenues. However, there are efforts underway to reverse that change and so royalty income increases may only be temporary. Also discussed was something called a Local Control Funding Formula which may be implemented in the not too distant future.
6) 2013/2014 School Calendar - The first student day for the 2013/2014 school year will be August 15. Trisha Funke expressed concern about the heat. Olney assured board members that steps will be taken to ensure that students are comfortable while the weather is hot. Also discussed were the reasons for starting school so early. It was mentioned that some school districts start early enough to finish the first semester before Winter Break and the school year before Memorial Day.
7) Bus Surveillance Cameras - Language was added to the Bus Conduct Policies and Procedures regarding surveillance cameras. A short paragraph was added which addressed tampering with cameras by students and outlined disciplinary action that would be taken if students were caught tampering with cameras. A sentence was added regarding guidelines for using recordings for disciplinary purposes. As a joke Olney assured those at the meeting that he and Mark Goins had no plans of popping popcorn and sitting down at the end of each day to review the recordings to see how many students they could bust for disciplinary infractions. The recordings will be used only to verify or investigate possible misconduct reported by staff, parents, or other students.
Next Regular Meeting: Thursday, April 11, 2013 (public meeting at 6 p.m.)