July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
SA handbook gets changes (05/10/06)
South Adams School Board
By By BETH A. CLAYTON-
BERNE — South Adams schools students will be riding new buses to school, adhering to a revised student handbook and visiting a new guidance counselor this fall.
The school voted Tuesday night to award a contract to purchase three new buses from Midwest Transit for $180,905 after a trade-in of $9,700 for the old buses.
Midwest Transit was not the lowest bid, but Mark Cook, director of transportation for South Adams schools, said the buses provided by the company fit the needs of the school.
“We received some other bids, but they didn’t really come up to the specifications we want,” said Cook.
The board also approved a recommendation to sell a dump truck and maintenance truck.
The maintenance truck will be sold to Hoffman Sales for $200 and the dump truck will be sold to Tom Neal for $3,402.
In other business, the board approved several changes to the Jr/Sr High School Handbook submitted by high school principal Brent Lehman.
The changes focus around the elimination of Saturday school due to questions about its effectiveness as a disciplinary measure, but Lehman said a revision was long overdue.
“The whole handbook is based around Saturday school which will no longer exist,” said Lehman. “No one could remember the last time the handbook was reviewed.”
The board voted in January to replace Saturday school with in-school suspension.
Lehman said middle and high school staff went through the book page by page and voted on changes and corrections, including an update on the definition of bullying as it is now defined by the state.
He also said that each grade will be presented with the changes in the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year.
Also, the board voted to approved revisions to the high school athletic code as presented by Lehman.
Lehman said the changes were minor and had been approved by the athletic coaches.
Board members also voted to approve a recommendation to hire Heather Kohler as the new director of guidance.
Guidance director Malcolm Stauffer announced his retirement in March.
In other business, board member Steve Hampshire presented an update on the facility review of the elementary and middle schools.
Hampshire said the building committee met with John Lamson of Lamson & Condon, Inc., the company that assessed the buildings in 2002, to review old assessments and make new recommendations.
According to Hampshire, a new 105,000-sq. ft. building would cost approximately $13 million, while repairs to the buildings would cost roughly $12.4 million.
Lamson estimated repairs at about $10.7 million in 2002, but said that due to a rise in construction costs and greater severity of problems several years later, the board should expect a 20 percent cost increase.
Hampshire said he hopes the committee will meet with Lamson later this week and will be able to come to the June board meeting with a recommendation.
Denny Affolder, who also serves on the committee, said that the board will take into consideration time, convenience and quality of work since the estimates to repair and rebuild are similar.
“When we compare numbers, there’s not a great deal of difference,” he said.
Affolder went on to say that the committee is also considering changes that can be made to alleviate the discomfort of not having air conditioning in the elementary school.
“We are concerned with fall and spring temperatures in the school being so high, and I promised we would look in to it, and we are looking in to it,” said Affolder.[[In-content Ad]]South Adams schools announced today it will hold a special meeting Friday, May 12 at 4:40 p.m. during which a new superintendent will be recommended.
Current superintendent Connie Bailey announced her retirement in March, citing health reasons.
Her retirement will be effective June 30, 2006.
At the close of Tuesday’s meeting, community members were invited to speak with school board members about qualities they hoped for in a new superintendent.
An executive session was then held.
The meeting will be held in the Jr/Sr High School cafeteria, 1000 Parkway, Berne.
The school voted Tuesday night to award a contract to purchase three new buses from Midwest Transit for $180,905 after a trade-in of $9,700 for the old buses.
Midwest Transit was not the lowest bid, but Mark Cook, director of transportation for South Adams schools, said the buses provided by the company fit the needs of the school.
“We received some other bids, but they didn’t really come up to the specifications we want,” said Cook.
The board also approved a recommendation to sell a dump truck and maintenance truck.
The maintenance truck will be sold to Hoffman Sales for $200 and the dump truck will be sold to Tom Neal for $3,402.
In other business, the board approved several changes to the Jr/Sr High School Handbook submitted by high school principal Brent Lehman.
The changes focus around the elimination of Saturday school due to questions about its effectiveness as a disciplinary measure, but Lehman said a revision was long overdue.
“The whole handbook is based around Saturday school which will no longer exist,” said Lehman. “No one could remember the last time the handbook was reviewed.”
The board voted in January to replace Saturday school with in-school suspension.
Lehman said middle and high school staff went through the book page by page and voted on changes and corrections, including an update on the definition of bullying as it is now defined by the state.
He also said that each grade will be presented with the changes in the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year.
Also, the board voted to approved revisions to the high school athletic code as presented by Lehman.
Lehman said the changes were minor and had been approved by the athletic coaches.
Board members also voted to approve a recommendation to hire Heather Kohler as the new director of guidance.
Guidance director Malcolm Stauffer announced his retirement in March.
In other business, board member Steve Hampshire presented an update on the facility review of the elementary and middle schools.
Hampshire said the building committee met with John Lamson of Lamson & Condon, Inc., the company that assessed the buildings in 2002, to review old assessments and make new recommendations.
According to Hampshire, a new 105,000-sq. ft. building would cost approximately $13 million, while repairs to the buildings would cost roughly $12.4 million.
Lamson estimated repairs at about $10.7 million in 2002, but said that due to a rise in construction costs and greater severity of problems several years later, the board should expect a 20 percent cost increase.
Hampshire said he hopes the committee will meet with Lamson later this week and will be able to come to the June board meeting with a recommendation.
Denny Affolder, who also serves on the committee, said that the board will take into consideration time, convenience and quality of work since the estimates to repair and rebuild are similar.
“When we compare numbers, there’s not a great deal of difference,” he said.
Affolder went on to say that the committee is also considering changes that can be made to alleviate the discomfort of not having air conditioning in the elementary school.
“We are concerned with fall and spring temperatures in the school being so high, and I promised we would look in to it, and we are looking in to it,” said Affolder.[[In-content Ad]]South Adams schools announced today it will hold a special meeting Friday, May 12 at 4:40 p.m. during which a new superintendent will be recommended.
Current superintendent Connie Bailey announced her retirement in March, citing health reasons.
Her retirement will be effective June 30, 2006.
At the close of Tuesday’s meeting, community members were invited to speak with school board members about qualities they hoped for in a new superintendent.
An executive session was then held.
The meeting will be held in the Jr/Sr High School cafeteria, 1000 Parkway, Berne.
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