New finance class next year for MHS students

McCOOK, Neb. — How to buy a car, rent an apartment and other financial decisions will be part of the curriculum next year of a new personal finance class at McCook High School.

The class, required for graduation by the Nebraska Legislature, will be offered to juniors and first semester seniors, said MHS Superintendent Grant Norgaard at the regular school board meeting Monday night during a discussion of facilities and activities.

The curriculum is still being put together and will include important life skills that sometimes students have a hard time figuring out, Norgaard said.

Board member Loretta Hauxwell suggested that local real estate agents and others in the community could also be part of the curriculum. Tom Bredvick, another board member, added that these kind of skills can’t be learned by “osmosis” and sometimes, students come from households where they aren’t practiced or talked about.

By changing a computer application course to an elective, this will free up time for the high school business teacher to teach the class, Norgaard said.

Other topics discussed Monday night included:

-The four basketball hoops that are raised and lowered from the ceiling at the senior high gym: a study by a basketball company engineer determined that since the cast iron casings and fittings are very difficult to find, the equipment has to be replaced. Jeff Gross, McCook Business Manager, said this could get a little pricy and he will bring back an update to the board in the next couple of months.

-The high school boys football team will compete next year as Class C1, instead of Class B, due to the number of boys in freshmen through junior classes. All other sports will still compete as Class B as football is the only sport that determines classification on the number of boys participating. For Class B, 160 boys are needed and McCook has 148. However, these classification will probably change back to Class B in a few years as there are large group of eighth grade boys coming up, Norgaard said.

-A $38,000 Cops safety grant will be used to stabilize doors at the high school. Last year, the grant purchased keyless entry systems at all the buildings in the district. This year, it will be used to stabilize the hardware and center posts for doors at the senior high.

-The concrete steps at McCook Elementary need to be repaired and a Request for Proposals is being prepared for this project.

- The Nebraska Association of School Boards and the Nebraska School Activities Association have recommended that a new policy on racial slurs be included in schools. The proposed policy is in response to high school athletes in some parts of Nebraska encountering racist comments during competition. A new policy would be approved by the school board before it’s included in the district’s handbook.

-The concession area and rest rooms at the track are in need of updating and will be the next project after the new track is completed. The restroom has three stalls and is not adequate for competitors/attendees at competitions, especially during conference meets for track or tennis that can draw up to 400.

-Two roofs were repaired this year at the senior high and more roofs in the district that are nearing the end of warranty are being looked at for repair.

-The water lines throughout the senior high are difficult to fix as they were installed in 1955. The water lines are encased in concrete so they take a lot of boring when leaks occur, Gross said. Administration is currently researching the costs of updating these lines.