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Tribute, budget, bond plans highlight school board meeting
McCOOK, Neb. — Monday night’s school board meeting closed with a heartfelt tribute to a school employee and volunteer who passed away last week following a “good long hard fight” against cancer.
Business Manager Jeff Gross called the late Lori Dack-Pearson a “rock star” in serving the community and school, particularly at-risk students in alternative education.
Calling her an “unbelievable mother, parent, former, business owner and employee” who did many things behind the scenes to make life better for the school and community.
Gross said he had talked to her family and they planned to continue her tradition of providing home-baked treats to alternative education students once a week.
Gross and other members of the staff were on the receiving end of praise at the same time, with positive comments following approval of an annual budget up a modest 1.54% despite inflation, with a levy reduced 6 cents per $100 of property valuation, $1.06 last year to $1 this year.
Since the increase is under 2%, the school will avoid a dreaded “pink postcard” public hearing to justify the increase.
That was accomplished thanks to an 11% increase in property value, upping the school’s tax request by about $316,000, from $9.25 million last year to $9.57 million this year. The school has a full budget authority of $29 million but is calling for $22.462 million in spending compared to $21.611 million last year.
Most of that goes toward salaries, Superintendent Grant Norgaard noted, with $3.2 million going for health insurance alone, about the same spent for the operation of the entire rest of the facilities.
The new state school aid formula reduced McCook Public School’s “poverty dollars” from $1.3 million last year to about $500,000 this year. However, an increase in special education funding helped offset that somewhat, officials said.
Tom Bredvick congratulated officials on the conservative budget and reminded board members that they have ultimate local control over school spending. He also urged residents to claim property tax credits on their state income tax forms, saying some $200 million was unclaimed statewide.
Parents of children who are eligible for free and reduced-cost school lunches were also urged to apply as soon as possible because those statistics help determine state aid. About 47% of students are eligible school-wide, 50% of elementary students.
Gross noted that Sept. 1 enrollment was up by 33 students from last year.
He also noted that the school is planning to purchase a new special needs bus able to accommodate more wheelchairs. It will replace a 2000 model.
The board voted to approve a “construction management at risk” method for planning a new junior high school addition and senior high school renovation project, which it hopes will control the costs of the proposed project.
As recommended, a committee was selected to pick the company to manage the project, including board members Mike Langan, Teresa Thomas and Scott Barger of the school board, Norgaard, Gross, Greg Wolford of W Design and Associates, Kurt Vosburg, Mike Gonzales and Rick Haney.
Gross noted that the elementary school bond will be paid off in 2025, and no property tax will be collected toward that bond after this year, which should make a new bond easier to pass.
Norgaard noted that the proposal calls for continued use of the junior high gym and office space, and high school students will benefit from improved facilities for industrial arts, agriculture, art class, band and music.
“It will impact grades 6-12,” he said.
Norgaard said the project would include a new auditorium and connect the high school and junior high, addressing many safety and other concerns.
A bond issue may be ready to go next August, he said on a radio broadcast today.
Norgaard also reported on increased recruiting efforts to attract student teachers to McCook at job fairs. Gross said a majority of graduating math and science teachers have jobs by Christmas.
The board also accepted an anonymous unrestricted donation of $1,000 and another $1,000 donation to the tennis program from the Graff Charitable Foundation.
The board also agreed to change the meeting time from 6:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.