The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
With 25 Carrington students qualifying for national competition, the matter of how much of the costs the district would cover was again up for discussion by the Carrington school board.
At the Wednesday, April 12 meeting, board members learned that 23 FBLA members recently qualified for the National Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, in June, and two archers are headed for Sandy, Utah, to compete in the NASP Western National Tournament this week.
Last spring, after a thorough discussion at a special meeting, the board agreed to pay a flat stipend of $300 for each student that had qualified for national competition. The intent was to put a formal policy in place over the summer, but with the change in administration the matter was overlooked.
Board members acknowledged that travel to national competition can be expensive, yet they want to remain mindful of the budget.
“I think $300 is a bit high,” commented board member Kevin Wolsky. “Whatever we decide, we have to do it for everybody,” he added, and suggested $150 per student.
“I would like to see $200, to at least cover their registration fee,” Tonia Erickson replied. She was referring to the fact that the cost of registration for an FBLA student is $195. In contrast, registration for the national archery tournament is only $35.
Harvey pays $200 and Napoleon pays $150, officials noted.
“I would be in favor of $200 myself,” said President Joel Lemer.
The board approved a $200 per student stipend, which will become official district policy this summer. The funds will be disbursed to the appropriate school activity accounts and then used to cover the costs of travel.
As planning for the 2023-24 school year continues, board members were made aware of two personnel changes. Superintendent Janelle Helm recommended that the board hire Josey Skytland as the new Technology Coordinator, which was approved unanimously. Skytland will succeed Wayne Shipman, who announced in January that he would retire from CPS at the end of the school year.
With the appointment, the administration will now have to look for a new high school business instructor, as Skytland will move from full-time teaching into the technology position.
The board also accepted the resignation of high school FACS instructor Jessica Skadberg, who stepped down from her position to care for her daughter Emerson, who was diagnosed with leukemia. The district will now have two teaching positions to fill before the new school year begins.
A shiny new activity bus is slated to arrive in late fall. That’s after board members opened bids prepared by I State Truck Center and Harlow’s, both of Bismarck.
The winning bid came from I State Truck Center, who proposed a 2024 Thomas 40-passenger with Cummins 250 hp engine, to come fully wrapped with Carrington Cardinals graphics. The total cost of the bus is $178,000.
The bid from Harlow’s was on par with I State, but was a 44-passenger International with no graphic wrap, for $9,000 less. However, the timeline for delivery was out a full year, twice as long as the I State bus.
The big question for board members was whether to pay extra money for air conditioning, which was included in the top end bid on both buses. Both proposals also included some special features recommended by Helm, such as undermounted storage, cozy seats, reading lamps, USB plug ins, tinted windows and security cameras.
“Why can’t we have a bus with bells and whistles?” board member Angela Kutz asked.
“It’s way less than I thought it was going to be,” Wolsky said of the $178,000 price tag. A member of the transportation committee, he recommended the Thomas bus from I State due to the shorter timeline for delivery. In addition, he noted that the Thomas buses have been more reliable than Internationals, as well as ride quieter and are sealed better.
The board unanimously approved the bid from I State.
Due to the shortened spring season for athletics, Helm proposed to the board whether they would allow golf tournaments, baseball games and track meets to be scheduled on Sundays in order to ensure that athletes have the opportunity to get in the required number of contests.
“I have no issues with this, as long as they don’t leave before 12 o’clock,” Randy Hooey said.
“I would have a tough time if athletes get penalized for not being able to attend a game on a Sunday,” Wolsky added.
The board approved the scheduling of games and meets on Sundays for the spring 2023 season only, with the stipulation that students do not leave for away games and meets before 12 p.m.
Elementary Principal Jenna Helseth reported on the recent Kindergarten Round-Up. She said although attendance was light with only 13 students participating, she had heard from all but two parents on her list about their plans for kindergarten. Therefore, she is confident that two classrooms each with a full-time teacher and paraprofessional are adequate to accommodate.
Pre-K registration was scheduled to be held last April 17-20. Board members approved edits to the pre-K handbook and confirmed that tuition would remain at $150 per month per student for the 2023-24 school year. The schedule will also remain the same, with students attending full-day pre-K on either Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday, as well as every other Friday.
High School Principal Connor Weber reviewed the proposed 2023-24 schedule with the board. He noted that the district plans to bring back Consumer Math to help students fulfill their third math credit. Weber said the decision was made to offer “real-world” applications of math in order to help progress students that are lower in math and don’t need Algebra II for their chosen career path. This applies to trade school, military ready or workforce ready students. He plans to rotate Consumer Math with Applied Math to give students a choice of which to take.
Weber reported that the legislature recently passed a bill requiring students to have a computer science credit to graduate starting in 2024. He is currently exploring options, including coding and other related offerings. A cybersecurity class will also need to be added, Weber said.
The next regular Carrington School Board meeting is set for Tuesday, May 9 at 7 p.m.
