HES media center hours increased
Monday night, USD 410 Board of Education approved extending Lori Thurston's, Hillsboro Elementary School library aide, contract by two hours for the remainder of the school year. The increase will add $1,971 to Thurston's $3,942 per year contract.
"For about $2,000 we can have someone in the elementary library full-time," said superintendent Gordon Mohn.
Another option for the board was to change Sandy Arnold's, HES media specialist, 54 percent contract to full-time.
"I don't know how we can justify adding a full-time media specialist after we cut teaching staff last year," Mohn said.
Arnold's contract is $18,370 and increasing her to full-time would have cost the district $9,365.
"We can find $2,000 in the budget," Mohn said. "Finding almost $10,000 is more of a strain."
According to Evan Yoder, elementary principal, increasing Thurston's contract gives students more time to check out books at critical times in the week. The additional hours the media center will be open are on Monday and Friday afternoons from 2:30 to 3:30.
"If we increase Lori's contract, we can keep the library open at critical times," said Yoder. "This is definitely a step in the right direction."
The motion to increase Thurston's contract to provide library coverage from 2:30 to 3:30 on Monday and Friday was made by Rod Koons and seconded by Eddie Weber. It was approved 6-0.
Yoder said the extended-kindergarten is going well. Currently eight students are attending morning kindergarten classes and staying for the afternoon session.
"Not all of the students attend the afternoon class five days a week," said Yoder.
Corey Burton, Hillsboro Middle School principal, demonstrated the computer program which will be used by high school and middle school students to take state assessments online. Assessments begin Feb. 28.
According to high school principal Dale Honeck, Centre, Marion, and Peabody in the TEEN network are considering schedule changes for 2005-06. The possible changes will include 55-minute class periods each morning and 86-minute block classes Monday through Thursday afternoons.
Hillsboro will stay on its current block schedule of four 86-minute classes Monday through Thursday with classes meeting alternating days. On Friday, all eight classes will meet for 41 minutes.
"What this means for Hillsboro students is that they will not be able to take morning ITV classes," said Honeck.
The board approved a lease-purchase agreement from Wells-Fargo Financial Leasing, Inc. for three Lanier 5455 digital copiers from Modern Office Methods. The lease-purchase contains 27 monthly payments of $1,996. Adding the months to the lease will allow all copiers in the district to be tied to the computer system, allowing documents to be printed directly from any computer desktop to the copier.
Mohn anticipates the change will result in a substantial savings in printer cartridges. Currently, the district expends approximately $1,100 per month for printer cartridges.
Using copiers for printing will eliminate nearly all of the printers in Wiebe Media Center where the district spends about $200 per month for printer cartridges. Eliminating the cost of cartridges for 27 months will save the district $5,400 and adding months on the lease will cost the district $5,988.
The board went into executive session from 7:43 to 8:30 p.m. to discuss first semester teacher evaluations. No action was taken.
The board went into executive session from 8:38 to 8:45 to discuss the superintendent's contract. Mohn's contract was extended for three years by a 6-0 vote of the board.
In other business:
— Mohn recommended, as part of the district's vehicle replacement plan, the purchase of a 47-passenger bus at an estimated cost of $58,000 and a pickup at a cost of $10,000.
— The district purchased a process for evaluating the superintendent from Kansas Association of School Boards.
— The board approved payment of bills totaling $298,093.16.
— The district purchased two defibrilators. One will be kept at the elementary school and one in the high school/middle school complex.
