Supt. Cline discusses Waynoka School building project
Town Hall set for Feb. 26 at 6 p.m.
February 7, 2018
All members were present Monday night, Feb. 5, for Waynoka's monthly school board meeting.
Superintendent Scott Cline gave his report right after the consent agenda was approved. Starting with the school's financial situation, he said revenue for this month is up about $400,000 more than last year due to the valuation increase while expenditures stayed relatively the same. More money is being brought in compared to what's being spent.
Building fund revenue is up as well while building expenditures are down. He said though expenses in child nutrition have increased, the revenue has too.
He passed out some photos of the first renderings of the building project and said another town hall meeting is slated for 6 p.m. on Feb. 26. Architects will be in attendance to answer any questions the public may have. Tax cards were given as a quick reference guide with the renderings to give board members an idea of what previous tax amounts were and to show what consumers can expect in a tax increase.
Sports Purchasing, Sound System Report
The superintendent said he talked to the football coach about getting on a purchasing “rotation.” This would consist of purchases of things like the helmets and jerseys. About three years ago, he said, 40 helmets were purchased all at once, and instead of buying such a large amount in one sitting, he would like to get on a rotation to only buy 15 or so a year. His goal is to implement the purchasing rotation strategy across all sports.
He briefly mentioned that some people have been over to the school to look at and give an estimate on fixing the sound system in the multi-purpose building. Once that estimate is in, he will share it with the board.
Carryover Too High
Lastly, Cline said the school received a letter from the State Department stating that the school's carryover was too high, and will be imposing a penalty of keeping $7,000 from the school's state aid.
Principal’s Report
Next, Principal Michael Meriwether gave his short report. He said teachers are still preparing the kids for the upcoming tests and mentioned an interesting project one teacher is doing with her students. They did plantings, including tomato plants that have grown to be over 13 feet high. The teacher and her students plan on making homemade salsa with what they've grown.
Board Action
The board's next agenda item was to take action (and was approved) on the Board Policy DDCA Acceptance of Letters of Resignation. Right now, policy states that resignations are not official until they come to the board, whereas this new policy states that resignations will become official when received by the superintendent.
The Trends Software License and Support Agreement with ADPC for the 2018-2019 school year was next on the agenda to be voted on. This software is used for the school's accounting purposes, and after Cline said he would recommend voting to continue its use, the board approved.
Also approved was the motion to release school at 12:30 on Thursday, Feb. 15. Because the school is hosting games and a large number of people will be in and out, the superintendent said he would like to have students out of the school. The early release won't cause the kids to have to make up any time later on in the school year.
Buses, Tractors
Next, three sealed bids for school buses were opened. A Blue Bird, Thomas, and International were compared and ultimately the board decided to purchase the less expensive Thomas from Midwest Bus Sales for $100,331. Cline said most of their fleet is currently made up of Thomas buses.
Among items up for purchase was a John Deere utility tractor with a 15-foot-wide mowing attachment. Cline said they desperately need a bigger horsepower tractor that can pull a bigger mower. The current tractor in use provides a horsepower of only 40, while the proposed tractor boasts a horsepower of 90. Quotes from Western Equipment and P&K Equipment were received and discussed. After mulling it over and comparing the two quotes, they chose to go with Western Equipment.
Another quote was discussed, but this time on a John Deere HPX615E utility vehicle.
The utility vehicle provides several functions, one being to haul trash daily from the cafeteria to the dumpsters. Cline requested the unit have doors on it to provide its driver an enclosure to block wind. He said it can be used to haul sports equipment as well. Board members chose to purchase the utility vehicle from Western Equipment. Rick George suggested looking into negotiating the price.
Principal’s Contract
Lastly, the evaluation of Michael Meriwether was discussed in an executive session that lasted almost an hour. The board voted to renew his employment for the 2018-2019 school year.
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