Hoisington B.O.E. and Rec hold joint meeting
During the February B.O.E. meeting Monday night, a joint meeting with the Hoisington Recreation Commission was held. The consensus was that Summer Rec had a good 2014. Looking ahead to 2015, there will be fewer field trips planned, and they will be closer to home. They examined ways to improve transportation of kids from Kids Club to other locations, especially during rainy weather.
Usage of the Rec facility has been increasing, and $3,085 in fees were taken in over the past year. Making Rec sports a priority for scheduling has worked well, and the number of teams requesting court time is on the increase. A proposal was made by B.O.E. member Kelly Urban to increase the number of hours the facility is available on Sunday evenings to better respond to the demand. The Rec commission will discuss it further at their next meeting.
Transportation to events in places like Kansas City, Salina and Dodge City have been popular in the community, so Lowry suggested the two boards look into sharing the purchase of a smaller, 28-passenger bus for use when a 49-passenger bus is not needed. Both boards agreed it was something to examine further.
Lowry reported he received a bid for $24,900 to strip the gym floor to the wood and repaint and reseal it, which is recommended to be done every 10 to 12 years. The current floor is the original, but he asked both boards to begin planning for it to be done in about two years, as the middle school gym is currently in worse shape and is a higher priority.
The baseball fields are improving, with new sod installed, and new scoreboards for both softball and baseball set to be installed as soon as the weather allows. Rec board members said they would like to look at installing awnings over the dugouts for the coming summer.
They jointly approved a memorandum of understanding that will allow for Barton County Continuity of Operations in case of a natural disaster or other crisis.
The USD 431 Board of Education welcomed newly appointed member Ben Brewer who filled a position formerly occupied by Maggie Alderdice. Alderdice filled the position formerly occupied by Deb Stevens, who resigned in January. Now, with all the seats filled, the board went to work sorting through several applications for the Construction At Risk Manager position.
Draft bond issue
Roger Edgar presented the draft of the bond issue resolution they will need to take action on at the March meeting to keep the Lincoln Elementary School build project on schedule. Once approved, it will be published and a special election by mail ballot will be set for June 16.
Board members then turned their attention to what to do about collecting student fees and charges for the 2015-2016 school year. While the district has seen an uptick in the number of past due payments for school lunches in the district, other fees and charges remain unpaid.
Collections
One solution Superintendent Bill Lowry suggested was to provide for means for the B.O.E. to use the small claims courts for collections as a last resort. This was met with resistance by board members Dean Stoskopf and Maggie Alderdice. Stoskopf was concerned about the legality of the proposal, and asked Lowry to seek the opinion of Bob Peters, the district’s legal affairs consultant. Alderdice was concerned that the policy be open written in such a way it could be decided on a case by case basis whether to seek a legal remedy or not. Lowry assured her that before such action would be taken, he sends letters to parents asking they pay or make a plan to pay. Board members agreed to discuss the issue again at the March meeting after Peters has had an opportunity to advise them.
Legislative update
Lowry provided a legislative update, outlining several key bills being considered in both the Senate and the House. Among them were SB71, which proposes to change the way supplemental general state aid is figured. If passed, the district will lose about $75,000 that has already been budgeted for in the current school year.
The board also approved a resolution concerning a proposal, supported by Senator Mitch Holmes, to pass a law that would change the election cycle and the nonpartisan status of local board of education elections. The effort seeks to eliminate the spring election, adding more races to the November ballot. One of the top reasons school boards around the state are in opposition to this is the current election cycle follows the fiscal school year. Newly elected board members are able to take office at the beginning of the new year on July 1.
The board entered executive session for 40 minutes to discuss items that related to trade secrets. When they returned to open session, no action was taken.
Lowry reminded board members to attend the legislative coffee on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Hoisington Activity Center. Both Sen. Holmes and Rep. John Edmonds are expected to be there, he said.
He informed members that the board would need to attend a city zoning meeting on March 2. The board approved moving the March meeting time to 7:30 p.m. to accommodate the schedule.
Other actions taken and items of discussion included:
* After receiving three sealed bids for the purchase of a Chevy pickup truck that has outlived its usefulness, the board approved the bid for $1,002 from Don and Tammy Sanders.
* Approved the district’s ongoing technology plan.
* Approved retaining the districts membership with the Hoisington Chamber of Commerce at a cost of $140 annually.
* Approved the applications of three non-staff drivers who will be able to help transport students taking part in activities with FCCLA and the music department.
* Discussed reducing the amount graduating classes can fund raise for activities feasible for their high school career. They also agreed that the classes should plan to donate excess funds to a cause of their choice after graduation.
* Heard a first reading of the proposed 2015-2016 school calendar.
* Heard an update on Pertussis cases in the county. So far, there have not been any reported in Hoisington, and students that are exempt from immunization have been informed about district policy concerning outbreaks.
* Approved continuing the Senior class honors banquet.
* Approved the resignations of Marcia Williams from Middle School Girls Basketball, Carla Richards from Middle School Volleyball and Lloyd Harms as High School Custodian effective June 30.
* Heard administrative reports from building principals.
