On May 7, Kingsland School Board held a monthly work session meeting in the elementary conference room. All board members were present (Doug Plaehn, Ann Oeltjen, Leah Stier, Jackie Horsman, Tiffany Mundfrom, Heather Betts, and Superintendent James Hecimovich).
One item discussed at length was whether or not to raise school lunch prices. It was noted that there currently is no uniform plan for replacing Kingsland’s aging kitchen appliances. Doug Plaehn shared his opinion that many of the appliances are getting old, and will obviously need to be replaced in the next few years, so he asked, “Why wait til it’s busted and you have to panic?” Plaehn suggested raising the lunch prices by ten cents now, to start building up a reserve for when major purchases are needed. Jackie Horsman disagreed, saying she can’t justify any increase without an immediate need. No action was taken at this time, but John Dols will work on creating an equipment replacement gameplan.
Students Hannah Peshel and Kaycie Bellrichard invited the board, and the public, to attend the upcoming Decades event that is put on annually by the sophomore class. They explained the event will be May 17, open from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and from 6:30-8:30 p.m. There will be displays highlighting noteworthy events, fads and famous people from each decade from the 1910s through the 1990s. Superintendent Hecimovich agreed that it’s always a fun event.
Business Manager Amber Herbrand gave a budgetary summary. She said overall revenues are roughly $39,000 ahead of this point last year, while overall expenses are about $12,000 lower than one year ago. Superintendent Hecimovich added, “And good news, we are under $300 district-wide in unpaid lunch debt. It’s amazing how much Kelly and everybody’s been working hard to bring that down.”
The board discussed ways to help students and their families plan ahead, and pay ahead, for the annual senior trip. It was shared that some schools allow students to pay and/or fundraise for a number of years, so that the cost of the senior trip doesn’t hit so suddenly in the student’s final year. Board members agreed that this plan has merits, and that if Kingsland adopts such a plan, they would probably ask students (who are planning to go on their senior trip) to start paying and/or fundraising from seventh grade on. There was also talk of possibly having a recurring senior trip, meaning that Kingsland seniors would take essentially the same trip every year. This would allow for more predictability in pricing and other arrangements. There was also discussion that because some families would choose to simply write a check, the pool of students doing fundraising might quickly shrink and make group fundraising less feasible. No action was taken.
Building & Grounds Director John Dols stated, “I just want to say how lucky we are to have Tyler Heimermann working for us… His construction class and home improvement class… The skills he’s teaching these students,… He’s just been great to work with.” He also shared a number of repairs that Tyler has done which saved Kingsland significant expense. Board members voiced agreement. Dols, who also serves as activities director, was asked his opinion on when to move any salvageable equipment from the Wykoff facility. He suggested early to mid August, because then possibly football and volleyball athletes could be asked to help with the task.
The board changed the date of canvassing the special election referendum results. The amended date is May 16 at 5:45 p.m. Board members asked when they’ll be informed of the special election result; Hecimovich replied, “As soon as I know.” The next regular board meeting will be Monday, May 21, at 6:30 p.m. in the choir room. As always, the public is welcome.
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