Nodaway County school board notes

By Phil Cobb | October 2, 2023 |

2020 In the News

South Nodaway
BARNARD, Mo. — During the South Nodaway R-IV Board of Education meeting on Sept. 20, the board took the following actions:

The board approved hiring Julie McConkey as the junior high/high school business teacher for the 2023-2024 school year.
Board members approved a contract with Wonder Vision LLC to provide assistance for the visually impaired.
Superintendent Dustin Skoglund presented budget amendments to the board, noting that the district has an estimated total ending fund balance of $1,559,529.33, with $1,204,035.56 of those funds unrestricted. This gives South Nodaway approximately a 40 percent carryover balance in unrestricted funds and 47 percent in all funds, which is a slight increase over previous carryover amounts. “We are in sound financial shape heading into the 2023-2024 school year, even with uncertainty of the economy,” noted meeting minutes.
The board approved the district’s ACES contract, which will cost the district $20,019.32.
Board members approved its board manual and discussed the EEZ ordinance, which was then tabled until the October meeting.

North Nodaway
HOPKINS, Mo. — During the North Nodaway R-VI Board of Education meeting on Sept. 20, the board took the following actions:

Board members approved an agreement with Herner Construction to fix the termite damage at the recreation center, not to exceed $5,000. As part of the agreement, the company will replace drywall, insulation, framing and exterior sheathing as needed due to termite damage for the cost of $86.80 per hour, per man and the cost of materials.
The board approved a bid from Eckard’s Home Improvement to purchase new carpet for the offices in the new addition at the elementary and high schools. At the elementary school, the cost for 142 square yards of carpet along with glue and transition strips is $3,967.10. The cost of 162 square yards of carpet along with glue and transition strips at the high school is $4,355.39. Neither bid includes the cost of installation.
Board members approved the Nodaway County EEZ addendum which establishes a minimum of 50 percent property tax abatement of improvements to real property not to include land or personal property for a minimum of 10 years if qualified businesses in several business types employ at least two new full-time-equivalent employees and reach the minimum capital investment required by the state.
The board approved district bus routes and, in closed session, the employment of Adam James as a bus driver.
Teachers at the middle and high school levels have begun scoring and analyzing data from the writing prompts issued to students at the beginning of the year. The goal is to incorporate literacy into all classrooms, according to North Nodaway High School Principal Roger Johnson’s report.
Superintendent Chris Turpin’s report noted that the gym air conditioning units and the safety film for interior doors at the new addition were being installed last week.
The district received a private grant for the agricultural shop. It will receive $53,000 to purchase a new Lincoln plasma cutter that will accommodate a 4-by-4 piece of metal. The grant includes some training, safety equipment and about $10,000 worth of metal for students to use.
Turpin noted that the district is working on its Lead Out Initiative requirements, and if the district does the testing itself, it is $15 per sample. It would be $55 per sample otherwise, his report notes. He said the district is receiving its sampling materials from Keystone Laboratories in Iowa.

Nodaway-Holt
GRAHAM, Mo. — The following are notes from the minutes of the Sept. 20 meeting of the Nodaway-Holt R-VII Board of Education meeting:

The school board rejected an enhanced enterprise zone addendum by bringing the matter up for a vote that then failed with zero voting in favor.
The board approved a bid from AG Power for a John Deere 318G Skid Steer, and approved a separate motion to get attachments from Hiawatha Implement.
Board members declared elementary playground items (swings, turtle dome, merry-go-round, monkey bars and chin-up bars) and the school bus as surplus. The board’s next meeting was moved to Oct. 26 at 7 p.m.

Personnel
Resignations