CCE board approves 2009-10 budget, computers purchase

"Our budget we're looking at for general fund purposes is $17,000 less this year than we had last year for regular program district cost. This year, we're actually operating about $63,000 less than we did the year before. So, with the accumulation of that, we're about $80,000 less next year than we had in 2007-08. When you compare what we had in 2007-08 for general fund regular program district cost, it will be about $80,000 less next year," Superintendent Monte Montgomery explained.

This reduction is what prompted board members to approve not renewing a four-year deal CCE has had with Clay County Deputy Sheriff Dennis Linn, who has served as the district's School Resource Officer, last month. It also had Montgomery delivering 2009-10 potential reduction notices to a pair of CCE middle school staff members last week.

"The other reduction we're having is with the wind turbine. It was a known reduction in cost for the district. But we're done paying off the wind turbine, so we don't have to pay the $26,000 a year for loan payment on that," Montgomery said.

The CCE board also approved a budget guarantee resolution, authorized participation in the Iowa School Cash Anticipation Program (ISCAP), and adopted a 2009-10 financial solvency workout plan. As stated in this plan, district representatives plan to continue with staff reductions, check out sharing possibilities and monitor supply and equipment purchases where possible and when necessary to enhance revenues or reduce expenditures. To illustrate how reductions and the curbing of spending has had a positive impact on the district's coffers, Montgomery mentioned CCE's -10.1 percent financial solvency ratio this year compares to a -16 percent rate last year.

In other action taken, board members approved 2009-10 contract recommendations offered. Administration and noncertified staff member contracts for next school year are scheduled to be discussed during the May 18 board meeting.

Board members also unanimously approved the purchase of 140 Lenovo Thinkpad R61 computers. Each $770 IBM product would come with a 14-inch screen, two batteries, XP software and a protection plan among its features. Murray Gafkjen deemed them "clunky" laptops, but good "work horses."

"It's not real exciting to look at, but it does the job. Wear and tear is good with them," Gafkjen said.

Board members discussed having more power chargers available in the classrooms. The implementation of a policy allowing CCE students to store their computers in school classrooms overnight, but being allowed to check them out for overnight homework assignments was also broached.

District officials are still contemplating what they'll do with the current computers being used by students. Mentions of allowing others to buy them, keeping the better ones in classroom labs and salvaging as many as possible were brought up.

This technology purchase would be funded from the district's PPEL, capital projects and management accounts.

In his report to the board for the district's Royal facility, Montgomery stated the district's wind turbine was recently repaired and two pinion gears were purchased for it.

"If something's going to break, that's what you want to break," Montgomery told board members.

The board approved field trips scheduled over the next month to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha for the CCE College Ecology class, as well as the district's second and seventh grade students. Board members also authorized a senior class trip the afternoon of May 6 to the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. and the sixth grade's attendance of the Shrine Circus on April 15.

Additional K-12 activities listed during Monday's meeting included the K-8 spring concert scheduled for May 4; the fifth grade DARE graduation on April 24; CCE's high school prom on April 25; a senior awards and scholarship ceremony on April 30; baccalaureate on May 13; and graduation on the afternoon of Sunday, May 17.

"As of Thursday, all seniors are in good standing," CCE High School Principal Al Laboranti reported. As board members approved the list of 30 CCE seniors set to graduate at 2 p.m. on May 17, their principal noted that midterm will be marked today and report cards will be mailed on Friday.

During his report to the board, Laboranti also brought up how current high school graduation credits stand at 44. He suggested increasing this.

"I think that's very low," Laboranti said. "The last four years, the average senior graduated with 52 credits. So, what we're probably going to do, and we've talked it over with the teachers, is go up to 48 credits. The reason being is there's not many, but there are a few kids who are taking advantage of the 44 credits. I really want to raise the bar a little bit, raise expectations, keep kids accountable and keep kids working hard right to the end. And I think by doing this, it's only one credit a year for four years, but in talking it over with the staff, we're all in agreement that the way to go would be to go to 48 now, see how that works and get as many kids out of study halls as we can and into classes getting credit."

The high school principal also mentioned he's been meeting with CCE Guidance Counselor Dennis Harmon. The two are in the process of building a new master schedule.

"Chorus and band right now occupy two separate periods. My proposal is that we combine them and make them one period -- where chorus would be Monday and Wednesday, band would be Tuesday and Thursday, and they could alternate on Friday," Laboranti told board members. "I don't particularly see a need to eat up two periods for chorus and band. ... Right now, we have 15 students signed up for band next year. That's not a whole heck of a lot. So by doing that, it would free some kids up to take some other things as well. That's a proposal that we have in the works."

CCE board members also approved several summer work projects. These included $6,000 being paid to RL Craft Co. of Denison for repair of the Everly and Royal building roofs; $2,500 to Scholastic Equipment Co. LLC of Estherville for commercial carpeting to be installed in Paul Wick's classroom; $6,075 to Mid-Continental Restoration Co., Inc. for brick repair on the Everly school building; $4,180 to Studer Construction of Spencer for the update and creation of a "fitness program" space complete with cardio and weight training equipment in the high school's existing weight room; and $5,000 to Heiman Fire Equipment Inc. for fire suppression systems with hoods in the Royal and Everly school building kitchens. Montgomery indicated bids will be considered next month for new ovens needed in Royal kitchen.