Kathy Dzewaltowski, observer
Regular meeting:
The board approved 6-0 the sale of the remaining bonds in the amount of $6,125,000 and also approved refinancing some outstanding bonds from 2001.
The board was provided with an update on the construction project at Wilson Elementary School, which has been behind schedule and has had problems with the quality of work. Wilson's principal said he was feeling cautiously optimistic about the project due to the general contractor's hiring of a new project superintendent. It was anticipated that staff and students will be able to move into the new spaces around Oct. 27-28. Curt Herrman said he had recently toured the building and thought the new addition looked good, but the restrooms still looked terrible. The district's program manager said there will be a list of repairs and a schedule for completing them. The program manager also said he plans to report on Wilson's project at all board meetings.
Dr. Bob Shannon, Superintendent, presented a recommendation to increase the pay for substitute teachers by $3/day to be more competitive with neighboring districts (Junction City pays $20/day more) and to be able to attract quality substitutes. Pete Paukstelis asked if the district has had difficulty in being able to find substitutes, and Shannon said that some days it has been "tight," and he was worried about what might happen during flu season. Dave Colburn suggested increasing the pay by $5/day, and Shannon said that the board might have to use contingency funds in order to do so. Paukstelis said he would like to pay substitutes more, but not if that meant using contingency funds. The board approved 4-2 to increase the pay for substitute teachers by $5/day, with Paukstelis and Herrman dissenting.
The board discussed the county's half-cent sales tax that will be up for renewal in 2012. Paukstelis and Leah Fliter had attended an intergovernmental meeting and also a City Commission work session to discuss the possibility of using some of the generated sales tax for the school district. The tax's structure could include schools, roads, and jobs. The City Commissioners had said they were willing to listen to ideas.
The board approved 6-0 the criteria for redrawing school boundary lines, which include following geographic barriers, maintaining contiguous areas, maintaining diverse student populations, and maintaining a "feeder" school system for the middle schools.
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