News editor
USD 410 Board of Education voted Monday to increase some fees, eliminate others, and create a few new ones for students in the district.
School meal prices for students and staff were increased 5 cents across the board. The new meal prices are $1.50 for student breakfast, $2.15 for lunch for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, $2.50 for students in grades six through 12, $1.75 for staff and visitor breakfast, $3.25 for staff lunch, and $3.70 for visitor lunch. The meal price increase was required for the district to receive state reimbursement for free and reduced-price lunches.
The board eliminated a course fee for band but added an instrument rental fee for students who rent flutes, clarinets, alto saxophones, trumpets, or trombones. The rental fee will be $50, $25 for students who qualify for reduced-price meals, and $10 for students who qualify for free meals.
Fees for optional middle school T-shirts, high school physical education shirts or shorts, and high school yearbooks were removed and left to the discretion of building principals.
The district ended textbook fees for all grade levels and instituted fees for elementary school consumable materials — things like workbooks. The fees will be $15 for kindergarten — $10 with reduced-price and nothing for free meal qualifiers — and $25 for grades one through five — or $15 and $5 for reduced-price and free meal qualifiers, respectively.
Middle and high school students will be assessed a fee to insure the school-issued laptop computers from accidental damage and spills. The fee will be $30, or $15 or $5 for students who qualify for reduced-price or free meals.
Budget will be published with maximum tax
With the board’s consent, Superintendent Steve Noble said he would publish the 2012-13 budget with the maximum property tax the district can levy, as the district has done each year he has been superintendent. Each year the board has approved a final budget with less than that full tax levy.
Noble said he preferred to publish a high budget then approve a lower one because if the district published a low budget and increased it before approval, the district had to republish the higher budget. The district can reduce the budget from what is published without need to republish.
Tech students fare well
Several Technology Student Association members competed June 21 through 25 at the National Technology Student Association Conference in Nashville, Tenn.
Hillsboro High School had three teams in a robotics competition. All three placed in the top third, despite it being HHS’ first year competing. The team also had top-10 placements in flight endurance, dragster design, and problem solving, adviser Creigh Bell said.
In other business:
- The board scheduled a special meeting for noon today to discuss year-end finances.
- State Sen. Jeff Longbine (R-Emporia) told the board that education concerns would be well represented by Sen. Jay Emler, who after redistricting now represents the area including the school district.
- Custodian and bus driver Ken Pankratz was thanked for his 19 years working for the school district.
- Contractor Brett Miller of Trane spoke to the board about upgrading heating and air conditioning in the schools. He said he was opposed to “performance contracting,” which a presenter at previous meeting touted as a way to get guaranteed energy savings. Miller said the district would have to pay a lot up front for that guarantee, and the same work would generate the same savings either way.
- The board approved continuing membership in the Kansas Association of School Boards for $7,006 and the KASB Legal Assistance Fund for $1,400 for the 2012-13 school year.
- The board re-elected Eddie Weber as board president and KASB governmental relations representative. Gary Andrews was elected board vice president, assistant negotiator, technology committee representative, and Marion County Special Education Cooperative alternative representative. Deb Geis was re-elected MCSEC representative. Mark Rooker was re-elected Technology Excellence in Education Network representative. Rod Koons was re-elected chief negotiator. Joe Sechrist was re-elected TEEN alternate representative. Chad Nowak was re-elected professional development council representative.
- The board approved supplemental contracts for fall weight room supervisor Nathan Hiebert, head middle school volleyball coach Autumn Reece, winter weight room supervisor Phil Oelke, and assistant middle school boys’ basketball coach Jordan Allen.
- Pay rates for temporary employees were approved. Substitute Title I aides received a raise of 25 cents to $7.75 per hour. Substitute positions receiving 50 cent raises to $8 — $8.75 if they previously worked in that position for the district — were cooks, secretaries, and custodians. Substitute bus drivers will be paid $9.35, $9.95 if they previously drove for the district, a 50-cent raise. Substitute paraeducators will be paid $8, a 50-cent raise. A detention supervisor will be paid $9 per hour, a 50-cent raise. An accompanist will be paid $10 per hour, a raise of $1.20. English-language-learning tutors and suspension supervisors will be paid $11 per hour, a 10-cent raise. Student help received a raise of 5 cents to $7.75. Teachers providing summer maintenance help will actually have a pay cut of 35 cents to $12 per hour.
- Substitute teachers will receive $90 per day or $45 for a half day. The rate had been $87.50 and $43.75 since 2008-09.
- The board will have a goal-setting meeting on Oct. 3.
The next regularly scheduled board meeting will be at 7 p.m. Aug. 13.