Leona Hajek elected president of Centre board
Late bus route re-instated
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
At its Monday meeting, Centre USD #397 board of education elected Leona Hajek as president and Clark Davis as vice president. Hajek has served as vice president several years.
The board deadlocked twice before the final vote was taken, with votes of 3-3, John Garrard abstaining, on a Hajek/Davis nomination and a Davis/Hajek nomination. In the end, Davis acceded to Hajek and the final vote was unanimous.
The board tentatively voted at the May meeting to terminate the late bus route based on results from a patron survey. However, after more discussion and based on more feedback from parents, the board voted Monday to re-instate the route with no user fee for the 2003-2004 school year.
The consensus was that the cost, about $7,300, is money well spent. Superintendent Demitry Evancho said not only sports practices, but other after-school activities are available to more students because of the late bus route. Student safety also was a major concern.
"We can find savings other places," Evancho said.
The board spent more than an hour and a half in executive session to discuss a student matter. They met part of the time with the mother and grandmother of the student and part of the time with Evancho.
Many routine matters were handled by consent, including various appointments. Most remained unchanged from the previous year.
Other decisions included:
— Appointment of Julie Klenda as the board's representative to the Centre Summer Ball Association.
— Designation of The Herington Times as the official school newspaper.
— Appointment of Alan Stahlecker as cross-country coach.
— Continuation of board meetings at 7:30 p.m. the second Monday of every month with a few exceptions, to be noted on the school calendar. The final meeting of the fiscal year will be June 29 in the evening.
— Approval of destruction of old and dispensable records, waiver of generally accepted accounting principles, activity funds, bank depositories and petty cash levels.
— Acceptance of the milk bid submitted by Hiland Dairy. Approximate price per half-pint is 19 1/2 cents.
— Adoption of a 1,116 hour school year for all students in grades 1-11, 465 hours for kindergartners, and 1,086 hours for seniors. Two days were designated as makeup days.
— Adoption of amended handbooks.
— Approval of participation in the KASB workers' compensation fund.
— Agreement that substitute teachers' pay will remain at $70 for a full day and $35 for a half day, with an increase in the daily rate after five consecutive days of service.
— Setting cost for copies of public records at 20 cents per copy.
— Setting mileage reimbursement at the state-approved 36 cents per mile.
The board spent 10 minutes in executive session with Evancho and Treasurer Peggy Falen to discuss certificated staff negotiations. No action was taken in open session.
Falen was authorized to develop a 2003-2004 budget based on a 20-mill general fund, an LOB fund not to exceed 15 mills, four mills for capital outlay, and a bond and interest level not to exceed five mills.
According to Falen, the amount of the bond payment increases during the 20-year period of the loan, so the bond and interest fund has to be built up. The present payment is $35,000 but could reach as high as $80,000, Falen said.
Evancho announced that Tom Nelson and his mother Naomi will be hosting a 16-year-old foreign exchange student from Slovakia during the coming school year.
Evancho informed the board about repairs needed on the 45-year-old elementary school roof. He said water is pooling on the roof on the east side. He will obtain an evaluation and estimates on repair costs.
Evancho also said the building is in sound condition, "far from being condemned." He noted teachers like the K-4 set-up at the school. "It is ideal," he added.
