Rich County School Board Meeting

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah. January 20, 1026.  School Board Chair, Pete Cornia, asked for a vote to purchase a new Bluebird school bus to replace an older bus.  The new bus will be a clean diesel bus. It will cost approximately $136,297.  Robin Esterholt, transportation manager, noted that the next oldest bus has 295,000 miles on it. The board voted to approve the purchase.

A Driver’s Ed car needs to be purchased.  The state gave the district $13, 483 for a car or simulators.  Simulators are very expensive. The district has chosen in the past to buy a vehicle and then to take the previous Driver’s Ed car and add it to the district fleet.  They would like to buy a Ford Taurus as the Taurus is heavier and better in the snow.  It will cost the district an extra $7,000 for the Taurus, but it will hold up better for the fleet later.  

Minor changes were made to the existing district transportation policy.  They will no longer allow bus rentals because the school district insurance companies advise against it.  No guns can be carried or transported on the bus. Cornia asked about concealed carry.  If the driver or the students know about the gun then it is not considered concealed, so they are not allowed on the bus.  Even within the school no guns are allowed including look alike toy guns.  There will be no animals excepting for service animals on the bus.

Bryce Huefner, board member, asked if the district had any insurance when the bus goes out of state, going through Evanston on the way to Salt Lake for example.  Three or four small districts are affected by this, so there is no cap on liabilities but the state has looked the other way.  Huefner asked if the district needed a rider to protect us from liability.  He was asked to do research on the cost of such a rider.

Middle school principal, Kip Motta said that he would like to propose a vote in the next agenda to use the drug test for the first sport as the only drug test as so many sports seasons are short and back to back.  They would continue to randomly test.  Only one positive drug test has been found in the eleven years the district has been testing and that turned out to be a legally prescribed medication.  Random drug testing does become a deterrent for drug use in the high school.

Board members reported on the Utah School Board Association meetings.  Bryce Huefner said that the USBA suggested that the districts do school finance training for staff, so when the public asks them about school finances they have better information.  There are fixed costs whether there are 100 students or 50.  Huefner said we could put this information on the website. 

Andy Stokes, board member, said that in some districts a board member is responsible for a school and are responsible for interface with teachers and students and the board.  He suggested that schools and board members could be rotated which would give board members a chance to get into the schools.  He suggested that the student body presidents do a report at school board each month. 

The next  meeting will be changed to February 24, at 6 p.m. as the regular school board meeting and girl’s state basketball conflict.