Archive for Wednesday, July 23, 2008

School board to get new member at next meeting

By Jesse Truesdale

July 23, 2008

The Bonner Springs-Edwardsville School Board may have a new member when it meets again on Aug. 4.

At its meeting Monday night, the board approved a recommendation by board attorney Charles Thomas to have board president Lewis Wood appoint a committee composed of three board members to make a recommendation from among the five candidates who applied to fill the vacancy left by Bob DiMaggio.

The five candidates are Keith Cushman, Connie Hadley, Starla Newberry, Troy Thompson and Kent Wilson.

DiMaggio resigned last month because he was moving out of the district. Wood appointed board members Olliea Jarrett, Gregg Gibson and Cliff Brents to the committee.

In another change, members voted in Kay Shevling as the new president and Gregg Gibson as vice president. Shevling will begin presiding at the Aug. 4 meeting.

In other actions the board:

¢ Approved the treasurer and clerk's report.

¢ Approved payment of warrants totaling $1,066,822.

¢ Heard a report on the district's Title I program from curriculum director Leticia Porter.

¢ Heard year-end reports from the principals and assistant principals of Bonner Springs High School, Clark Middle School and Delaware Ridge Elementary.

¢ Approved new board meeting dates for the 2008-2009 school year.

¢ Approved the bid of Anderson-Erickson Dairy for $102,317 to supply 384,600 half-pint cartons of milk and 29,000 half-pint cartons of juice.

¢ Considered a declaration of surplus property.

¢ Approved the following required designees: Charles Thomas as board attorney, Van Maren for federal funds administration, Tami Koppang as food service representative, Renee Stanley and Cheryl Arnett as KPERS representatives, building principals as truancy officers, assistant principals as school attendance officers; the director of staff services, principals, assistant principals, counselors and social workers as suspension and expulsion committee members and Union Bank and Trust as the district's official depository.

¢ Approved a 1,116-hour 2008-2009 school year.

¢ Approved waiving the fixed-asset requirements in accordance with state law.

¢ Approved participation in federal programs for the next school year.

¢ Considered home-rule authorization.

¢ Approved payment of $147,238 to Lucas Construction for the remodeling of the district central office.

¢ Heard a bond-issue report and superintendent's update from Van Maren. The consulting firm RSP has located possible sites for a bus barn and new high school, Van Maren said, and will make a presentation to the board in September.

Van Maren also said he and administrators at Bonner Springs Elementary, Clark Middle School and McDanield Learning Center met with city staff on applying for a state grant for the construction of sidewalks near the schools.

¢ Heard a review of the preliminary budget for the next school year from Tami Koppang, business manager. The board may have to look at raising the mill levy above the present 63.921 in order to make up for the increase in delinquent taxes, Koppang said. A mill is $1 for every $1,000 in assessed value. Koppang said the budget would also be affected by sagging property valuations and the apparent stagnation in enrollment, which affects state aid.

The board will consider the preliminary budget for publication at its Aug. 4 meeting.

Comments

  1. IEP_Lawyer (anonymous) says…

    I agree. Its time these WYCO school districts get out of the stone ages. This is one of many issues why JOCO school districts are doing a much better job educating kids. Kid with disability's have just as much right to attend school close to home as any other student. WYCO school districts need to stop asking the question "how are we going to teach these kids", but "what can these kids teach us"?

    "If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain as he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought and could be"

  2. travelinman (anonymous) says…

    Well said Lawyer. The focus needs to be on how best to serve the kids in this community instead of new buildings and feathering their own nest. There is now one kid with autism out of every 144 kids. This district can't continue to hide it's head in the sand.