Budget ready for public hearing
Board approves publishing date
By Bobbi Mlynar (Contact)
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Notice of a public budget hearing will be published in The Gazette, after a unanimous vote by the Emporia board of education during its meeting Wednesday evening.
Associate Superintendent of Business Susan Hernandez said the board must wait 10 days after publication before holding an official public hearing, which will begin at 7 p.m. Aug. 8 at Mary Herbert. The board can approve the budget that evening, she said, or can wait until its Aug. 22 meeting.
The adopted budget must be received by the state on Aug. 24 this year. Aug. 25, the traditional deadline, falls on a Saturday.
A public budget workshop will be at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Mary Herbert Learning Center to give patrons an opportunity to ask questions about the proposed 2007-08 budget.
Board Clerk Norma Stinnett presented information about insurance, including upcoming costs and a claim submitted this year for damages incurred when construction workers cut through wiring while working on a concrete floor.
Stinnett’s records showed the district’s total insured value for all buildings and contents is $140,317,636. Values were increased by three percent this year and, when the new fitness center at Emporia High School is finished, it will be added to the coverage.
Stinnett’s report showed Hawkeye-Security Insurance had paid $25,000 for a sewer back-up at Lowther North Intermediate School. The coverage for back-up loss has been increased to $100,000 as a precautionary measure.
Hawkeye also paid $4,937 for damages done when contractors working in the pool area at EHS severed wires as they cut into a concrete floor. The district paid a $5,000 deductible on the claim.
Contractors working in the kitchen area at Emporia Middle School also severed wiring as they cut into the concrete floor in several locations. The claims for about $15,000 in repairs are under review. The district will be responsible for paying another $5,000 deductible.
In addition, major rewiring and clean-up, as well as a replacement electrical panel, was the result of a short in the panel during construction at the high school. The claim is being handled by the contractor’s insurer.
Construction workers doing demolition work at Lowther South Intermediate School damaged the building’s main gas line. The contractor has acknowledged full responsibility in resolving problems and expenses incurred from the incident.
Stinnett had good news for board members regarding health insurance.
“Our health insurance went down,” she said.
The district again hired Bob Charlesworth of Charlesworth Benefits LLC, Kansas City, to review proposed plans and premiums.
“He has the ability to talk to Blue Cross at a different level,” Stinnett said. “It was a good investment. ... All of a sudden, they found lower premiums for us.”
Maintenance Director Curt Lanpher presented information about a long list of construction projects, renovations and repairs underway at district schools.
Work is on schedule for fitness and weight rooms, locker rooms and showers, and other renovations at EHS. A roof replacement project there will be completed this week.
Among other major projects:
• a kitchen expansion, complete with walk-in coolers and refrigerators, at Emporia Middle School
• renovation of two floors at Lowther South Intermediate School
• interior and mechanical improvements, carpeting, ceilings, lighting and main office renovations at Logan Avenue School
• replacement of lower-level classroom floor tile at Lowther North Intermediate School
• replacement of gymnasium floor at LNIS
• abatement of asbestos and re-insulation of pipes at William Allen White School
• replacement of ceiling and light fixtures in a Maynard School classroom because of leak damage
The board also heard or approved:
• the district’s fourth-quarter budget report for the year that ended June 30
• purchase of a work pickup truck from North Ford for the low bid of $19,740
• asking for bids to repair mechanical and other problems at the EHS swimming pool
On behalf of the school board, president Grant Riles congratulated member Glen Strickland and his wife, Carol, who have been inducted into the Kansas Speech Communication Association Hall of Fame.
“I think this is the first husband-and-wife duo to go in at the same time,” Riles said.
The board also met in executive session to discuss a student and staff personnel issue. No action was taken.
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