Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
New Rockford-Sheyenne school board met on Monday, July 20 for the first organizational meeting of the 2020-2021 school year. The board is comprised of seven members, each of whom will have added responsibilities in the year ahead.
On Tuesday, July 14, Governor Burgum made the announcement that schools are expected to be in operation this fall under a new set of guidelines. Superintendent Jill Louters provided an overview of the guidelines and expectations. The details of this re-entry process are published on this week’s front page.
Current board president Alyson Myhre retained her role within the board by unanimous vote. Mike Jacobson was nominated and voted in as vice president. Other board members for this school year include. Mary Kay Price, Mike Schafer, Patti Larson, Travis Benson and David Holzwarth.
Secondary Principal Avolt Baumbach reported that the rescheduled prom event for August 7 has been canceled. “We tried really hard to make it happen,” he said.
In the Superintendent’s report, Louters announced that the school received a $1,500 donation from the recent golf tournament at Buck-It’s. The donation was made specifically to the second gym fund.
In preparation for the coming year, the board approved a 4% cost of living increase to certified staff contracts, as agreed upon in negotiations. The same increase was applied to support staff wages including custodial and kitchen staff.
Foodservice prices were established for the year, accounting for a 20 cent increase to student breakfast and a 10 cent increase to lunch. Adult meal prices had a 25 cent and 20 cent increase, respectively.
In other business, the board:
• Approved the District Pupil Membership Report for 2019-2020, which reported the average daily number of pupils to be 313.85 for the year.
• Approved the Transportation Report for 2019-2020, noting that route usage was less than usual due to the statewide closing of schools last March. Louters conveyed that the decrease may affect future funding in next year’s block grant application, however, it may be possible that the legislative future might remedy the impact of the difference.
•Appointed Superintendent Louters as the Title Program Representative; Louters and Secondary Principal Avolt Baumbach were appointed as representatives to East Central.
• Appointed Janet Heskin as the Business Manager for the board; Bank Foward and Community Credit Union were designated as depositories for school funds.
• Designated the New Rockford Transcript as the official newspaper of the district.
• Renewed membership to the North Dakota School Board Association and associated policy services.
• Approved a preschool grant application that provides funding for preschool.
Provided the second reading of policy DDBE, which accommodates extended leave through the Families First Coronavirus Response.
A special meeting to review the development of the school’s reentry plan is scheduled for Friday, July 31 at 3 p.m. via Zoom video conferencing.
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81002923143?pwd=WlZJdG5ibW11WmtlMVlqK0YxZlZpUT09
Meeting ID: 810 0292 3143 Passcode: wXi46m
The next regular meeting is planned for Monday, August 10 at 7 p.m.
