Early in Monday night’s meeting the board of USD 257 assumed their parallel duties as Bowlus Trustees and heard updates on the financial health of the fine arts center from local banker Jim Gilpin, chair of the Bowlus Investment Committee, and from the institution’s executive director Susan Raines.
Gilpin, 65, warned the board that he was mortal and wouldn’t be at their service forever: “What we’re preparing the trustees of the Bowlus trust to consider is that at some point you may want to hire professionals to do what we are doing voluntarily.” Gilpin is aided on the committee by Jay Kretzmeier and Glen Buchholz.
“Now, Jim, are you trying to get out of this,” kidded board member Buck Quincy. “Is that what you’re telling us?”
“Like you, Mr. Quincy,” said Gilpin, “I’m getting older and we don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, do we? … As a volunteer I may not have the time to continue to do this the way I have in the past.”
The cost to replace the handful of free volunteers — who have no immediate plans to step down — was spelled out by Gilpin. “You’ll pay a third party, probably, anywhere from $4,000 to $8,000 a year to do what we’ve been doing for free.” Such a move, said Gilpin, protects — without, of course, guaranteeing — the trustees’ liability by demonstrating efforts to maintain the high standard of care on behalf of the trust.
Following Gilpin’s advice, the board then approved a change of brokers from Raymond James to Cetera.
Raines’s first order of business on the night was to introduce Karen Works as the newest Bowlus Commission member (Karen replaces Janie Works). Works also serves on the board of the Friends of the Bowlus.
Raines then summarized the Bowlus’s operations budget, which the trustees swiftly approved. “Hopefully our income will be more than this, but right now we’re looking at $404,735.26 for this year.”
SUPERINTENDENT of Schools Jack Koehn, after the board reconvened under the USD 257 label, offered updated numbers on enrollment, which showed overall enrollment down by two from last year’s figure of 1,341 (different from last month’s projections, which showed enrollment up by 19 students.)
High school and middle school band director Matt Kleopfer is seeking the board’s permission to submit a grant — with the aid of Thrive Allen County — worth $25,000.
In Kleopfer’s absence, Koehn explained to the board the gist of the band director’s request and touched on the substance of the grant.
“They’re making the argument that marching band is a very physical activity that can help with diabetes and things like that, and it serves a population in schools that may not be going out for sports. … The $25,000, funded by [the Healthcare Foundation of Greater Kansas City], would help with instruments and scholarships…for kids that may not have the wherewithal to purchase instruments and some of the incidental things that go with marching band.”
The grant money, said Koehn, will be given directly to the district.
Sticking with Thrive Allen County, Koehn announced that the non-profit has requested a joint meeting with the City of Iola and the USD 257 board for Oct. 26. According to Koehn (reading from the invitation), guest speaker Mark Fenton, “a nationally recognized expert in public health, planning, and transportation issues,” will address the combined group.
SINCE publishing the budget weeks ago, Koehn is revisiting the topic in light of the lucrative evaluations awarded the surrounding districts situated along the path of the Enbridge pipeline — a factor not previously considered in the district’s budget discussions.
Factoring in this new information, said Koehn, the district’s evaluation has changed such that “it would mean $12,000 more in our capital outlay.”
Is it worth going through the bother of republishing the budget in light of this new information? “To me,” Koehn answered the board, “it is. I know what a compressor on an HVAC unit costs right now. It’s about $4,000 — this means three of them. And we may have to replace three of them before the year’s up. … I think $12,000 is worth it. …And it’s for capital outlay and, frankly, we need every dollar in capital outlay we can get.”
Koehn promised to pursue the topic with the county clerk and report back to the board.
MIDDLE school principal Jack Stanley delivered good news to the board with his announcement that the Chromebook program — which arms each student with a laptop for the entire day — has reached near saturation point at the middle school. Only four students, reported Stanley, have failed to make arrangements to receive a laptop. (The cost to participate in the program is $1.25 a month ($15 per year).)
The board approved the hiring of Shannon Simpson and Phyllis Young as point of sale attendants.
The next board meeting was rescheduled and will take place Tuesday, Sept. 29.
