School Board Meeting, March 8, 2021

By Izabel Bowers Koval

School Board Meeting

3/8/21

Izabel Bowers Koval

School Board members are: Chad Sealey, Tom Vandeberg, Duane Snook, Clay Bedford, Chris Brewer, Ken Larsen, Amy Angel and Rick Griffith. All members were in attendance.

Meeting started with the Pledge; approval of the minutes; review of budget. No public comment was presented.

The school board is visiting investment options should additional funds be found to do so. Stifel Investments did a brief overview of investment possibilities, including “ladder” investments, where maturity dates are staggered, or “laddered.” This school district can only invest funds that are government guaranteed; there a numerous opportunities for this. Stifel Investment is a fiduciary, essentially meaning they are “stewards” of the monies invested through them, and can additionally look for reinvestment opportunities as maturity dates expire.

Scholarship opportunities through the Cody Harper Memorial Scholarship will be disbursed this year. There will up to four $1,500 scholarships per year. This scholarship is funded via private donations from the family, matched from a business where an extended family is employed. Recipients must be involved with 4H or FFA. Scholarship is renewable with a 3.0 GPA.

Discussion about potential COVID funds and uses for the schools took place; further information will be gathered and shared when available.

COVID 19 Emergency Measures 1905, developed and adopted August 2020, continue to be in place. However, discussion and review continues. Currently, masks are an individual choice in the high school; teachers can require students to wear masks in class. Desks, tools, and other physical items continue to be cleaned. Discussion about 1905 will be revisited at monthly Board meetings.

Bus route 87 has changed again. The route will be going to the main Pronghorn Rach but no longer up Graves Road.

Teacher’s contract negotiations start the first week in April.

Chris Bourn has been hired as the assistant high school football coach.

The spring prom is anticipated to tentatively take place April 24. More public information will be available in the near future.

The high school is also doing a play about….high school students doing a classic play. Entitled “Crumpled Classics” this sounds like an entertaining and fun event to watch. Dates are March 26 & 27th.

School board meetings are held the second Monday of every month except July. The public is welcomed to attend.