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Friday
March 29th, 2024

actual usd 480 logo ELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times

 

The USD 480 school board will have several new faces to introduce during its next meeting Monday evening starting at 6:30. 

Newly elected board members Mike Brack, Kathy Fitzgerald, Sarah Foreman and Naomi Vargas will have their first board meeting Monday evening as new members, and the board will also be electing a new president and vice president to begin the meeting. 

After those elections take place, the board will hear administrator reports, including from USD 480 Director of Technology Rusty Tuman. 

“A big project lately has been the vape detectors,” the agenda information noted. “At Liberal High School, the vape detectors were installed and tested prior to students returning Jan. 7.  From Jan. 7 to Jan. 15, we have had 46 alerts, three of which were related to sound. The 43 vape alerts represent 33 separate events, with the earliest being 7:37 a.m. and the latest being 9:23 p.m. LHS administration has confirmed and suspended 10 students with the assistance of this system. At Eisenhower Middle School, installation of these devices and cabling will be done during spring break. We will also be bringing back the number of detectors needed to finish coverage for the rest of LHS, Eisenhower Middle School, and Seymour Rogers Middle School.”

The board will also be discussion leasing airport property.

“USD 480 is currently paying $297.86 per month on lease 32.04 The new amount will be $353.61 for lease 32.04 and $102.20 for lease 32.05.  A total amount of $453.61 which is an increase of $155.75 per month,” the agenda information noted. “The Airport Lease #32.05 is for the area at 7th and Stadium for the Shot Put. We received approval to the language offered by USD 480 legal counsel Rick Yoxall to paragraph 5 (g-i). As a result, attached are the Airport Leases for 2019 as well as the 2020 lease renewal. The 2020 lease contains the same amendments that are in the 2019 lease, with the addition of amendments to the standard airport lease agreement, as follows: #2. The date of the lease has been changed to January 1, 2020; #3. The rental amount has increased. All the Airport leases are increased across the board by 10% every ten years (the last time was in 2010); #4. The language regarding the security deposit has been revised; #5 (p) The language has been updated regarding weed control; (s) Language has been added regarding the consumption of alcohol on City Airport property; (t) Language has been added regarding animals at large; and (u) Language has been added regarding land purchase.”

Other information regarding this was noted in the agenda information. 

“Now that we have moved forward with the Lease for the Shot Put area, please find attached the 2019 and 2020 leases for the property west of LHS where vehicles park by the weight room,” the agenda information noted. “This will make both of the USD 480 Airport leases (#32.04 and #32.05) expire/renew at the same time. The same language appears in both leases, as offered by Mr. Yoxall to paragraph 5 (g-i). As a result, attached are the Airport Leases for 2019 as well as the 2020 lease renewal. The 2020 lease contains the same amendments that are in the 2019 lease, with the addition of amendments to the standard airport lease agreement, as follows: #2. The date of the lease has been changed to January 1, 2020; #3. The rental amount has increased. All the Airport leases are increased across the board by 10% every ten years (the last time was in 2010); #4. The language regarding the security deposit has been revised; #5 (p) The language has been updated regarding weed control; (s) Language has been added regarding the consumption of alcohol on City Airport property; (t) Language has been added regarding animals at large; and (u) Language has been added regarding land purchase.”

Resolutions A and N will also be up for discussion with the board. 

“In July of 2019, the board of education approved Resolution A which sets the date, time and place of board meetings.  The meeting time and dates will remain the same with the following exception: The April 6 meeting will be moved to Tuesday, April 7 as the board will be returning from the National School Board Conference April 6. There may also be a change in location of meetings if the board wants to proceed with hosting meetings in school buildings during the current school year,” the agenda information noted. “With Resolution N, the district has several committees approved by the board of education.   When a committee is approved by the board, board members serve on the committee to represent the board.  Each board member serves on thee to five committees. The time commitment varies with these  committees.”

The board will also be discussing mobile board meeting equipment. 

“This system would be utilized for mobile board meetings, regular board meetings and any event we wish to stream,” the agenda information noted. “This system would include a sound board with the ability to control remotely, wireless receivers, wireless microphones, cabling and snake to accommodate 12 wired microphones, 12 wired microphones, two speaker monitors (audio for those in the meeting), two forward facing speakers with stands (audio for audience), crates and rack to house the equipment, and the streaming server. The estimated cost of all this would be $35,000.”

To conclude the meeting’s new business, the board will discuss the sale of the former Garfield Elementary School property.