The USD 410 Board of Education approved a resolution at its Jan. 12 regular meeting to ask patrons to vote for a ?continuous and permanent? authorization to adopt a local option budget of 33 percent.
In June 2014, voters approved an LOB authority of 31 percent, which was raised to 33 percent through a one-time increase option taken by the school board. However, in order to maintain the 33 percent level, a majority of qualified electors who submit a ballot must vote to approve.
?If they don?t want this resolution and/or voters don?t approve this it will result?everything else being equal?in a decrease of our budget authority by $99,000 and change,? saud Superintendent Steve Noble.
?Just pennies under $100,000 to our operating budget. You already know the cuts we?re faced with, this would add to our cuts.?
Clerk Jerry Hinerman reported that the government funded program eRate will be reduced in 20 percent increments until it is completely phased out after fiscal year 2018.
The focus of the program, originally designed to get technology?including cellular, local and long distance into schools?is now changing because Internet is no longer supplied through phone lines.
Through eRate, USD410 has received 67 percent back yearly on cellular, basic and long-distance bills. The percentage is based on the number of students on the reduced and free lunch program.
?For us, this year we?re going to spend about $16,800 on those services,? Hiner?man said. ?We?re going to get about $11,250 of that back in eRate funding. That is the amount that we?ll lose in funding on an annual basis.?
The district?s Internet service, which is now obtained through TEEN, is $15,000 to 16,000 per year. Seventy to 75 percent of that will continue to come back through eRate.
A new expanded Cate?gory 2, which covers equipment, is available. USD 410?s available amount will equal to about $60,000 over five years.
The current equipment priorities presented by Hinerman and Brad Just, technology coordinator, are the upgrade and replacement of switches that will allow for the eventual addition of a VOIP (Internet based) telephone system.
A motion was made to approve the request for proposal on the eRate site.
Noble said the district received a bid from Kansas Truck Equipment Co. for a new 2015 C2 model 47-passenger Blue Bird bus. The cost of the bus would be $77,497, minus trade-in credit of $1,150 for a spare 1995 Ford/Thomas 47-passenger bus, for a total cost of $76,347. This is under the budgeted amount of $85,000. It was noted the spare bus would need to be replaced.
Board member Joe Sechrist questioned if three spare buses are needed. The board agreed to table the bid approval for a month to allow Noble time to research that question.
In other business, the board:
? received -plaques from Noble for Board Member Appreciation Month. Public recognition will take place Tuesday, Jan. 20, during halftime of the first boys? game during the Trojan Classic.
? heard reports about the Gannon School Funding Court Case as well as from the Stadium Operations Committee, Student Perfor?mance and Efficiency Com?mission, Technology Excellence in Education Network, Marion County Special Education Cooperative and business manager.
? noted the filing deadline for board positions is noon Jan 27. The general election will be April 7.
? approved the resignation of Michele Melton as HHS cheerleader sponsor at the end of the current basketball season.
? approved a contract extension for Noble as superintendent of schools through June 30, 2017.
? met in executive sessions for personnel and negotiations with no action taken in public session.
