The Goessel school board heard at its July 8 meeting that the district is projecting a slight increase in enrollment for the coming school year.
John Fast, superintendent and elementary principal, estimated a ?head count? of 267 students for 2013-14, compared to 265 for the past school year.
Fast said most classes likely will have 19, 20 or 21 students, with 20 in kindergarten and 31 in fourth grade. Seven exchange students are expected.
Enrollment is scheduled for Aug. 7 and 8, with sports practice to begin Aug. 19 and the first day of school Aug. 22.
Since this was the first meeting of the new fiscal year, the board appointed members to a variety of roles. Dan Miller, president; James Wiens, board vice-president; Darla Meysing, The Learning Consortium representative; Kelly Booton, Marion County Special Education Coop?erative representative; James Wiens, Kansas Association of School Boards representative and legislative liaison; Maynard Knepp, meet and confer.
Aside from board member appointments, the board also appointed personnel to other positions: Joni Smith, board clerk; Denise Nickel, alternate board clerk; Peggy Jay, board treasurer; Brian Bina of Kar?stetter & Klenda, school board attorney; Scott Boden, hearing officer for free and reduced meal applications; John Fast, food service representative and homeless coordinator officer; Fast and Boden, truancy officers.
Other business
In other business, the board:
? heard that all teaching positions are filled for the new school year.
? voted to hire Marc Knowles as the van driver for vocational technology students.
? heard that one bus driver position still needs to be filled.
? approved the resignation of Gina Bergin as assistant Scholars Bowl coach. She will continue her other teaching duties.
? briefly reviewed the bond project. Fast said the engineers had come the previous week and will be back multiple times. They have been measuring and locating services and are currently working on detailed blueprints. He said bids would be accepted in August, with plans to begin construction in late September or early October.
? discussed possible dates for a ground-breaking ceremony, and what to include in the ceremony; no action was taken.
? adopted the school year of 1,116 hours.
? set the mileage reimbursement rate at 45 cents per mile.
? set meal prices. Breakfast will be $1.35 (reduced rate 30 cents), $1.50 for adults. Lunch will cost $3.10 for adults and visitors, $2.15 for grade-school students and $2.35 for high-school students, with the reduced rate price of 40 cents. Extra milk will cost 30 cents. The rate for seconds has not been set yet.
? set the laptop computer rental fee at $50 for those who opt to take a laptop home.
? set the book rental fee at $35, but $25 for grades one to five and $17 for kindergarten books and materials. The grade five planner will cost $4.70.
? set fees of $15 a semester for art, nutrition/wellness, culinary essentials and food science classes.
? set the Horticulture I and II fees and the physics, animal science/advanced animal science fees at $20 for each of those classes.
? set the agricultural mechanics and advanced mechanics fees at $30.
? set a calculator fee of $15.
? set a fee of $10 a semester for essentials of interior and textile design.
? set $10 fees for band, choir, Elbiata and high school physical education and health.
? set the skate fee at $7.
? set the first aid fee at $5 and the chemistry fee at $6.
? set the eighth-grade life skills fee at $3 per nine weeks.
? set the optional elementary yearbook fee at $13.
? heard that Ben Schmidt, Morris Ewert and Londell Duerksen had been making progress on summer maintenance projects and plan to be done by the first week of August.
? heard from Meysing that the FCCLA students were in Nashville, Tenn., at a national event.
? discussed the need for children sixth-grade and younger to be accompanied by a parent or guardian at school ball games.
? heard about the possibility of advertising banners on the football fence.
? heard from Boden, junior high and high school principal, that a group of teaching staff attended McRel teacher evaluation training in Hillsboro.
? heard Chet Roberts, business administrator, report that utilities were a little higher this past year. He said the contingency reserve fund is ?a good thing to have,? but added that he hopes the school never has to use it.
? decided to continue membership with the Kansas Associ?a?tion of School Boards.
? heard that the auditors would be coming July 12. Roberts commended district secretary Joni Smith for ?doing a great job.?
? heard that the school plans to participate in a direct-messaging system so information can be sent easily. School closings would be one example.
? approved the purchase of 55 computers to be used in the fourth and fifth grades. Fast said the school has a bid for $26,125, which is $12,000 less than a competitor?s bid. The cost could be partly covered with a small-schools grant.
