On July 10th, not one but two School Board meetings were held. The first meeting was called to order by School Board President Alan Rops. The main topic of interest for the meeting was the budget hearing. Angela Arlt, the board business manager, gave a PowerPoint presentation which outlined the proposed budget for the 2017-2018 school year. Arlt started the presentation by reviewing the budget from the previous year. The budget allowed for the use of $250,000 in the fund balance from the general fund. The Lennox School District kept costs down and only spent $128,000. The board always plans in case of deficit spending. Costs that are included into a general fund and that the School Board keeps track of includes; Capital Outlay, Special Education, Pension Fund, Food Service, and OST/Preschool funding.
The proposed overall budget for the 2017-18 school year is $6,960,386. Arlt went over different items and projects that would be paid for using the newly proposed budget. Worthing Elementary will have new carpeting placed in the library, principal’s office and computer room. Laptops, projectors and other technology has been taken into account as well as the new Silverado truck that the school board approved. To improve the look of the schools in the Lennox School District a new flag pole will be put up at the football field, the track is being resurfaced, a new wrestling mat was ordered and the cement around the concession stand will be replaced. According to Superintendent Chad Conaway the district is ahead of school with these projects and making very good progress.
The Board then moved through a list of action items. The list contained an approval for the 2017-18 Totally Kids Handbook and the 2017-18 Pre-School Handbook, Confirmation of open enrollments, the adoption of the 2017-18 budget, the approval bid for a sign at the track and field complex and a few others. The 300 series policies were also approved, along with the first reading of the 216 policy Conflict of Interest Disclosure & Authorization.
After a break for executive session was taken, a new meeting was called to order but this meeting held some new faces. Mary Peters and Dawn Wolf decided to retire from the School Board. Peters had served on the board for nine years and Wolf had served for six. Scott Sandal and Heidi Bowers both took up positions on the board. The new meeting was opened with Arlt giving Sandal and Bowers “The Oath of Office”. The next order of business was electing a new president for the 2017-18 fiscal year. Alan Rops was reappointed and Sandy Poppenga was elected as the vice chair of the school board.
An approval list for regular items for annual meetings was then discussed. City Review Board representatives were picked, Merris Miller will represent Lennox, Renae Buehner will represent Worthing and Sandy Poppenga will represent Chancellor. Nancy Nelson was selected as the representative for the East Dakota Cooperative Board, with Sandal as the Alternative. Tuition rates, laptop fees, and activity and admission fees were all set. Meal prices for staff, students and travel were approved as well.
There are four committees that act within the School Board. Those committees are Long Range Planning, Policy Review, Finance and Negotiation. Sandal, Buehner, and Poppenga belong to Long Range Planning. Buehner, Sandal and Bowers took over the Policy Review committee. Miller, Nelson and Bowers are working as part of the Finance Committee and Rops, Nelson and Miller are set up on the Negotiation committee. Superintendent Conaway oversees all four of the committees.
The meeting was adjourned after the T&A Account for Girls Basketball was approved.