The Perry School Board wasted little time in sailing through a limited agenda at their monthly meeting Monday, adjourning in a less than 40 minutes.[wpedon id=”85410″ align=”left”]
The crisp dispatch of business was made possible by the large amount of routine business before the board.
Two reports were heard at the start of the meeting, with EMC Insurance representative Barry Bengston updating the board. A policy renewal with a premium pricetag of $248,000 was approved, which reflected a decrease of over 2 percent from the 2017-2018 premium, Bengston noted.
SkillsUSA coordinator Curt Cornelius informed the board of the June trip taken by 20 PHS students to the National Conference in Louisville, Ky.
Cornelius said Perry students scored quite well in a variety of categories. He underlined the value of bringing freshmen and sophomores on the trip, something many schools opt not to do.
“I think it really works in our favor, because the program really sells itself,” Cornelius said. “The kids have a great time, then come back and tell their friends all about it, and that keeps a lot of energy in the program.”
Television personality Mike Rowe delivered two addresses to the students, Cornelius said. The 2019 conference will remain in Louisville, but then move to Atlanta, Ga., beginning in 2020.
“That is just a bit longer of a trip,” Cornelius quipped. “Louisville is a great host, and there are buses that take you anywhere you want to go, so that is not a problem, but we have looked ahead at Atlanta and everything is going to be right there — you can walk to all of it — so I think that is going to be great.”
Four change orders for a total increase of just over $9,000 were approved for the Dewey Field Renovation Project. Changes included a four-foot black vinyl fence in front of the south bleachers ($4,400), patching done to a total of 656 square feet of 18th Street ($3,004), changes to three separate gates on the south side of the field ($2,923) and a savings of $1,280 made by saving existing bleacher footings on the north side.
PCSD Superintendent Clark Wicks said work is progressing at a steady rate despite numerous delays caused by rainy weather in June. Wicks also noted fundraising efforts are nearing three-quarters of the hoped-for total of $300,000.
Several personnel matters were addressed. A librarian position remained open, as the Woodward-Granger School District informed Perry they would cease their multi-year sharing of the position. A custodial spot remains unfilled, and Wicks informed the board interviews were planned to fill the Teacher Learning Compensation coordinator position vacated by Shannon Cline, who has accepted an administrative position with the Bondurant-Farrar schools.
School Board Vice President Linda Andorf was appointed as PCSD delegate responsible for voting to fill a vacancy on the Heartland AEA Boad.
Approval was given to minor changes in student handbooks as well as for a new Perry Elementary Student laptop handbook for grades two through five.
Kent Bultman was appointed to continue his current roles as both Board Secretary and Board Treasurer, and Drew Bracken of Ahlers and Cooney law firm was retained as legal counsel.
A list of bank deposistories was approved, as were the appointments of Mel Raskie and Clark Wicks at Level I investigators and Perry Police Chief Eric Vaughn as a Level II investigator for the district for 2018-2019.
Angelica Cardenas-Diaz was retained as both the district Equity and Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Officer for 2018-2019 and the district Homeless Coordinator.
Also approved were the selections of Kevin Vidergar as Section 504 Coordinator and Laura Skeel at ADA Coordinator for 2018-2019.
A work session, focusing on district facilities, was scheduled for Monday at 5 p.m. in the Brady Library at PHS.
The Perry Community School District Board of Education meets the second Monday of each month in the Brady Library at PHS at 6 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.
