Board approves laptop computers at middle school
Staff writer
Topics discussed at the USD 410 Board of Education meeting Monday evening included a policy change in the high school handbook, retirements, computer purchases, contracts, salaries, financial planning for the upcoming school year, and legal publications.
High school principal Dale Honeck asked the board to consider changing the school's policy. Currently a student must be in school half a day to participate in extracurricular activities. Some students have abused this policy, and Honeck suggested changing the policy so that students must be at school by 10 a.m. on the day of an activity in order to participate. The board took no action on the issue.
The board accepted the resignation of Karen Wiens who has been a bus driver for the district for 38 years. Honeck told the board that at-risk aid Don Bookless also would not be returning and that the high school is still looking for a special education teacher.
Technology director Charles Jones presented the board a proposal to purchase 25 laptop computers for the middle school. The computers will be available for classroom use in the morning and used in the computer lab in the afternoon.
"I feel it would be a good start on seeing how laptops will work for us," said Jones.
The board approved the proposal and voted to lease the computers through Central National Bank.
Employee contracts for Jerry Hinerman, district clerk and business manager, and Keith Goossen, director of maintenance and transportation, were renewed, and new supplemental contacts were approved for Sharon Loewen and Michele Melton as sophomore class sponsors, Sharon Funk and Dustin Dalke as junior class sponsors, and Christy Wulf as middle school year book sponsor.
The board approved a three percent salary increase and a monthy insurance benefit of $625 for Hinerman, Goossen, Honeck, Corey Burton, HMS principal, Max Heinrichs, HHS activities director, and Evan Yoder, HES principal. The board also approved increasing classified employees' salaries three present and decreasing insurance benefits from $315 to $285 creating a 1.35 percent total increase for employees.
Superintendent Gordon Mohn told the board that the Hillsboro Free Press Extra had submitted a request to publish the board's legal publications. Under the law the publications must be printed in a paid circulation newspaper. The Extra currently has a paid circulation of 100 according to Mohn. He said that the legal publications would also be put in the regular Hillsboro Free Press at no charge. The Hillsboro Star Journal currently publishes the school's legal publications, and the board plans to give both companies an opportunity to submit a bid.
Enrollment has been set for Aug. 9 from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Aug. 10 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the commons. The next school board meeting will be an organizational meeting on July 12. Prior to the meeting the board will host a dinner honoring recent retirees.
