Congratulations:
-To Instructor Peggy Parker and the Personal Finance students who placed 9th in the EconChallenge event. Good luck at state!
-Sponsor Bill Polson and Quiz Bowl team members on winning two contests this past month.
Donations– We would like to thank Helena and Top Hat for the score clock donation for the high school gym. The clock has been very helpful for the fans sitting in the high areas of the gym. We would also like to thank the Hansen Foundation for two grants this month; one for technology equipment ($25,000) and one for playground landing material ($10,000). We sincerely appreciate the benevolence of the many that have helped us through the years.
District Track – We will be hosting the Class D district track meet this spring. This will be about the 20th year for us to host the district meet. We were selected by the Nebraska School Activities to host the meet for area teams. We are Class C in track and will be in another district.
State Aid – The Nebraska Department of Education will be releasing state aid calculations on March 1. With the economic news being what it is, we are planning that the certification amount of state aid may not be very reliable for planning. From the information I have read and heard it seems that we will have a significant shortage of revenue at the state level this year. The forecasting board is scheduled to meet in late February and will estimate state receipts at that time.
February Board of Education meeting highlights:
High School East Hallway Refinishing Project – The board discussed the project timeline and costs provided by W Design. We concluded that with the economic news from the state and the timeline being short that putting the project into phases would save time and short range costs. Phase one includes a special education classroom, a science classroom, two regular classrooms the corridor (hallway) and entrances to the hallway area. W Design recommended that corridor work be completed first due to construction concerns. As stated in previous reports we have the funds for this project in the Depreciation Reserve Fund. We anticipate the refinishing (no new construction except entrance changes, no HVAC needs and minimal electrical work) costs will be less than 30% of the budgeted amount in the fund. With the phasing of the project we feel that about 70% of the Depreciation Reserve Fund should not be used until we know more about the future economic condition of the state. The other phases (north classrooms of the east hallway and offices) will be considered next year.
2010-11 Calendar – The board adopted the 2010 calendar, it is as follows:
Vehicle Quotes – We solicited quotes for an activity van and a SUV type vehicle. Purchasing of vehicles is an appropriated cost in the general fund and depreciation fund. The board accepted the low/best quote from Knoles Ford for a 2009 used van in the amount of $18,445 that has 8,900 miles on it. Quotes were also received from Master’s Transportation for a 2008 van with 40,000 miles for $17,375 and for a 2009 with 18,184 miles in the amount of $18,952. We decided that because of the uncertainty of the economy we should not purchase another vehicle at this time. The appropriated funds can be carried forward to the next budget and we will not need to budget for another purchase then.
Roof Bids – Williams Construction received the contract to replace the shingle roof at Haigler Elementary. The roof was covered by insurance because of hail damage. The bids were as follows:
Williams Construction $27,636
Roofmaster’s $27,832
Weathercraft $28,106
Specifications were released for bids in the newspaper last month and we received the three.