School board

School district juggles budget issues, meets with legislators

 

Last updated 5/10/2018 at 5:07pm

--Photo for The Record by Terrie Schmidt-Crosby.

District 13 legislators, Reps. Tom Dent (center) and Matt Mannweller (top right) and Sen. Judy Warnick (second from left), met with Odessa citizens Tuesday morning in the Odessa Public Library. Only four members of the community appeared to ask questions of their elected representatives, school superintendent Dan Read (left) and businessmen Jeff Huiras (right) and Jerry Schafer (who was seated next to Huiras but didn't make it into the picture).

The Board of Directors of Odessa School District #105 met on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 in the district office at 5:30 p.m. to review district policies and procedures and in the high school library at 6 p.m. for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

Board members Heather Valverde, Chris Crossley and Janie Steward were present, along with Superintendent Dan Read, Principal Jamie Nelson and Business Manager Juli Weishaar. Facilities Director Justin Parr, Athletic Director Bruce Todd, parent Traig Weishaar and Odessa Record reporter Terrie Schmidt-Crosby were also present.

The board approved the consent agenda which included minutes of the March 25 regular meeting, April payroll warrants #610894-610919 and direct deposit warrants #900006138-900006195 for $252,498.94, General Fund A/P warrants #610920-610967 for $67,560.15 and ASB fund A/P warrants #610968-610984 for $38,533.87.


Superintendent's report

Read reported a March enrollment of 243.4 full-time equivalent students.

He reviewed the 2018-2019 school calendar and discussed the process used by the calendar committee prior to its presentation to the school board.

Superintendent Read outlined a security system proposal from Camtek Integrated Security Systems, which would include intercom/video security on the entrance doors to the elementary and high school buildings and a new key system for the gym back door off the parking lot.

Principal's report

Nelson reported that state testing is underway and commended school counselor Kimberly Ryan for her thorough job of preparing the schedule, the staff and the materials for testing days.


Grandparents' Day for the elementary students was a success, Nelson said.

Upcoming activities include the band marching in the Lilac Parade, the National Honor Society induction luncheon, Muffins for Moms for K-5 students, State FFA at Pullman and their annual FFA banquet and the FBLA national conference being held in Baltimore this summer.

The head count for PreK through 12th grade this month is 274.

Board reports

Board member Chris Crossley praised FBLA advisor Terri King and the students for the fantastic job they did at the state FBLA conference in Bellevue. Crossley was one of the chaperones for the trip and said the students did an excellent job of representing the school.

AD report

Athletic Director Bruce Todd reported that the spring sports seasons are wrapping up. Athletes will be preparing for post-season play.

Todd, Nelson, school board member Carmen Weishaar and parent Donald Valverde met to discuss the athletic code and will be recommending minor changes to the document. Todd will present a revised athletic code to the board for approval at the next regular school board meeting.

Facilities report

Parr reported that his staff is busy keeping the fields prepped for athletic events. He has also received a number of applications for the open bus driver positions, and interviews will be taking place in the near future.

Financial report

Read presented the ASB balance sheet for February. He further presented the Financial Activity reports for the General Fund for February showing an unassigned fund balance of $771,114 and in the capital projects fund a total of $161,443.

Grounds/Sports field

improvements

Carmen Weishaar met with Superintendent Read prior to the board meeting to discuss research on possibly relocating certain track events from the football field area. She is finding it difficult to find a contractor who is willing to come do the concrete work.

Bruce Todd reported he is researching multiple choices for erecting above-ground baseball dugouts. The possibilities include concrete walls, cinder block walls or wooden walls with a metal roof.

Traig Weishaar presented a quote from Desert Green Turf, Inc. to replace the grass with a low mow-sports tuff at the football field, while leaving the current sprinkler system in place. The district would be responsible for removing any waste material and hauling in the sand needed for the project. Traig recommended the project be slated to begin next spring, thus giving the district time to relocate the track facilities.

Following a short discussion, the board requested that he continue to solicit private funding for the project and to bring a progress report to the board at a future meeting.

Next regular meeting

The next regular board meeting will be held Wednesday, May 23, 2018 at 6 p.m. in the high school library. The board scheduled a workshop at 5:30 p.m. before the regular meeting.

Policy on medication

at school

Read presented Policy 3146 to the board for first reading with a minor change made to the policy regarding over-the-counter suntan products.

School calendar 2018-2019

Read presented the 2018-2019 school calendar for board approval, with the students' first day being August 29, 2018, and the last day of school being June 12, 2019. Read noted that input was received on several calendar options from staff prior to the recommendation of the final calendar proposal.

Integrated security system

Read explained that the cost of upgrading the school's security system will be costly due to prevailing-wage labor rates. The project would be paid for with funds from the capital projects fund. The board requested that Read bring a proposal to the next regular board meeting for possible approval.

 

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