School Board Meeting

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times 

RANDOLPH, Utah.  August 21, 2013. The director of the School District’s Food Services reported to the Board that several bids had been received from food service companies.  Glacier Food Services came in with the best prices and have been easy to work with in the past.  This is the company that has been selected to be used this year in purchasing commodities.  The director noted that after orders are made in October, there will be enough hamburger for the rest of the year.  Other items will be purchased as needed. 

Superintendent  Dale Lamborn noted that the tobacco policy has to be updated.  He went through the policy and added the words “nicotine products” in the Tobacco Policy in order to allow enforcement of many of the new products that are being sold that are harmful.  . Lamborn noted that the Cache School District Policy was a good one in this area, but didn’t quite fit the needs of Rich County.  A motion was made to accept the changes in Policies 502.3, 502.4, and 502.4.1 dealing with tobacco and nicotine products. 

Principal  Rick Larsen discussed the policies that have been written to facilitate One to One Computer Education.  The policies used in the Wasatch District were used as a pattern and adapted to fit the needs of Rich County.  All students will go through the same home page which is the school server.  This means that all applications and filters that are currently in use will continue to be used.  The students will be given a statement of acceptable use and a list of Do’s and Don’ts in using the computers.  The computers are for academic use and not for social media. 

There are still some questions concerning how to pay for damaged or broken parts.  The suggestion was made of having a $50 insurance fee charged to handle normal use, breakage, as well as wear and tear on the machines.  A fee waiver may have to be used by those requiring financial help in order for all students to be able to participate in the program.  

The Board Members were asked to look over the insurance policy and other documents that have been written and make suggestions they feel would improve this move to computers.  They were also asked to determine the amount of insurance fee that they feel would be fair and equitable.  The final decisions will be made at the next School Board Meeting. The machines will be handed out after the next meeting.  Any time new equipment and methods are used, problems will occur that will need to be worked through and solved. 

There are two programs that will be used extensively.  One, called Stoneware, is the software used to manage all of the devices and programs district wide.  Canvas is the software that manages classes, students, and so forth.   

Principal Kip Motta reported on a meeting held for parents to introduce them to the new computer math program that will be used in the middle school this coming year.  He noted that the meeting was well attended, and parents seem to be pleased with the new direction being taken.  The computer software was demonstrated to them so that they could see the types of problems presented, the examples that could be worked through, and how more tries in order to give mastery to the concept are handled.  He felt there was good discussion with the parents and was pleased with how the meeting had gone. 

Two Board Members, Ralph Johnson and Scott Saby had a good discussion with the classified employees.  Consensus was reached, and they accepted the agreements that were made. 

Board Member Tammy Calder reported on the Opening Institute that was held prior to school starting.   Anita Archer was the main speaker and did an outstanding job.  She is based out of Portland, Oregon, and has a tremendous background and great way of presenting information.  Those attending benefitted from this activity, Calder reported. 

There are 489 students enrolled in this District Schools this fall.  This is slightly higher than anticipated. 

The USBA Delegate Assembly was held.  The group did not create anything new but decided to continue to fund current programs.  A determination was made to look into the hidden costs on fully funding growth.  Also Social Security and retirement monies should not be taken from WPU. 

The CNA program at Bridgerland has been changed and requires 60 hours of instruction by a registered nurse.  Classes do not start until the second trimester and will be scheduled back to back. 

It was noted that rural students need equal opportunity for the same type of education given to students in urban areas.  Students shouldn’t be denied opportunities just because of where they live. 

A discussion was held concerning the property owned by the District in Buttercup Estates.  It costs the District about $1,000 a year for taxes, upkeep, and maintenance.  Sale of this property is an option.  It was decided that the property should be held for at least another year. 

The State Auditor sent a letter dealing with Senate Bill 190 including a copy of a suggested policy to cover all parts of the bill.  The Board must acknowledge receipt of these documents even though there are many stipulations and problems concerning this bill.  The Board Members were asked to read through the policy prior to the next board meeting looking for conflicts that will need to be resolved by either revising some of the current board policies or changing some of the suggestions in the state policy that has just been received..  Since the document is lengthy, it will take some time and effort for the board members to carry out this request.

It was noted that the document must be adopted so that the School District will be in compliance with state law.  However, it shouldn’t be adopted as written.  The motion was made to comply with Rule 277-13, 177-13-5, and 177-13-6 as outlined in the model policies.  This was necessary so that after changes are made during the next meeting, it can be ratified. 

The next Board meeting will be held September 18.