School board meeting paves way for potential lawn care, technology updates

The Summerland Public Schools Board of Education discussed lawn care, board policy and tech upgrades at its June 13 meeting.

During public participation, the board learned more details about the pep rally honoring the Summerland SkillsUSA national qualifiers, sponsored by the “Summerland Advocate-Messenger.”

Superintendent Kyle Finke outlined mower equipment available from Lazy T, with board members receiving information on lawn mowers in a range of prices. AKRS has also been contacted to give more information on the mowers that they offer.

According to Finke, one mower with a bagger needs to be purchased “so that the field does not have clumps.”

The superintendent reported Bob Napier has loaned his shed as storage until a shed is built at the school. Remarks were made on trying to figure out the most cost-efficient method and purchase, as the equipment has to be taken back and forth from the school.

When asked how much the lawn attendant currently made, Finke responded around $600 a time.

When questioned about manpower issues, Finke stated since it’s the first year, it’s difficult to calculate at this moment. He wanted to crunch some more numbers before giving a detailed estimate and plans to discuss options with custodian Tony Tabbert.

Ed Norby asked if the mowing equipment has towing capabilities, to which the answer was no. Scott Thiele mentioned it might be possible to hook up a sprayer, but there are no plans to do spraying at this moment.

A decision was tabled until July.

“I’m curious about the yellow spots in the grass and whether or not this could be solved with maintenance," said Austin Twibell.

Tabbert replied that they are pumping water constantly, with Finke backing up this claim, stating, “The well just doesn’t have enough power and we are already exerting thousands of gallons a day.”

Next on the agenda was new business, regarding the technology plan and Rural Education Achievement Plan funding that the school receives. After meeting with the principals, Finke believes that the best plan is to phase in new technology, as many of the computers are from the previous schools. This phaseout of old technology would begin with the incoming freshman and sophomores, who will receive new devices. The school would purchase around 75 new devices for students to carry through their careers, and the old computers would get pushed to the elementary.

Next year, new freshman would get the devices and teacher laptops will be on the docket. Finke believes that the school should continue to use REAP funding for computers, as this will ensure that the district won’t have to put in money toward these technological advancements.

Three companies gave bids on the project, Bluum, DakTech and SHI. Bluum provided the best quote on chromebooks at $321, with SHI being $406 and DakTech providing no bid. Finke said he believed Bluum is the best choice, with the exception being DakTech providing a cheaper bid for laptops at $919 versus Bloom’s $1,023. Although there is a difference in price, Finke said that it would be easier to use one company so that there aren’t multiple warranties and policies.

A motion to approve the the bid from Bluum, using REAP funds, for laptops, desktops, and computers was made by Scott Thiele, and seconded by Ed Nordby. Motion passed 6 - 0.

Finke updated the board on two required changes on the 3000 policy section. Finke stated that next month there will be a new 4000 series regarding part-time students and new policies will have to be discussed.

Twibell motioned to approve the policy changes, and Norbdy seconded. The motion carried, 6 - 0.

Board president Steven Thiele filled the board in on the new goal/evaluation process adopted by the board. He stated that the old process was messy and the new process will allow for more input. This new process was adopted last month, filed and sent to Finke for self-evaluation. Board members also filled it out, and a summary was sent out to everyone based on the comments. All agreed that the process was a lot more thorough and thoughtful than before.

Comments on the report are confidential, so not everything was shared with the public, but comments on the report were based on eight categories. Thiele said that many of the comments stated Finke had great input on strategic planning, communication, financial matters, staff morale and positive community involvement.

In order to guide the new process along, Thiele suggested the formation of a subcommittee that will work with the superintendent to establish goals and help with strategic planning. Each year this will be revisited to decide if the subcommittee should stay, and who members will be. The goal is to have this subcommittee sync with the strategic planning. A paper ballot decided that Nate Schwager, Jeremy Wagner and Steven Thiele will be on the subcommittee until the next evaluation.

Finke offered thoughts on the strategic planning that was held, stating that not everything is done, but should be soon. He thinks that getting the community involved will make this go smoother. A link will be sent online and will be shared with all district stakeholders.

Finke noted that Summerland is officially a Rule 10-accredited school, once again.

He also gave an update on the construction happening on the building, as there was seepage into the CTE classroom. As it was a dry winter the previous year, and heavy this year, it was just recently discovered that the wall was not waterproofed.

“It is being taken care of and the old rock will be used around the property, and new rock will be placed in the construction area,” Finke said.

A new director for ESU 8 has recently been hired and will be at the school later this summer to help with the technical issues the school has been facing.

Finke showed the board the $19,000 donation to the school’s booster club, following the annual golf tournament.

“It was a very big success. Rita (Anson) did a very good job contacting businesses. We never thought we would get that many sponsors. We were able to make a nice donation to the booster club.”

Finke hopes to use some of the money in the weight room and to condense old equipment.