USD 258 adds technology fee

HUMBOLDT — Students who enroll in USD 258 classes, fourth grade through senior, will pay a $50 technology fee with the advent of the district’s new computer-based instruction.
The district will issue laptop computers to each student fourth grade and above in place of textbooks this year. They also will be issued backpacks to tote their laptops about.
Board members Monday night settled on the fee, which will replace a $25 enrollment fee.
In the past, students who qualified for reduced-price lunches paid half the enrollment fee and those who qualified for free meals paid no fee. Supt. of Schools K.B. Criss will flesh out a similar schedule for the technology fee for board members to review at their Aug. 12 meeting.
Money accumulated from the fee will pay for computer maintenance, and philosophically give students ownership in the hardware.
Criss also suggested board members take a look at how special education is delivered for local students.
He noted the district’s share of financing the ANW Special Education Cooperative had increased $51,000 for the upcoming school year, pushing the total, much of which is state money, to just over $1 million. He said the district might be as well off financially to have classes for special needs students within the district, rather than through the cooperative.
“That’s the way Eureka does it,” he said.
The cooperative embraces districts from Allen, Anderson, Neosho and Woodson counties.
Criss had no definite proposal, though, rather gave board members a thought to consider.
Continuing with financials, board members approved the 2013-14 budget, which Criss said would be tweaked a tad before a public hearing at the Aug. 12 meeting.
Total expenditures will be $11.5 million, up $36,000 from the previous year. The ad va- valorem tax levy settled out at 62.955 mills, .007 of a mill less than last year. The levy for bond and interest payments was down 1.4 mills, which offset most of a 1.9 mill increase for the local option budget.
General fund expenditures are pegged at $4.85 million for the upcoming year, essentially the same as for 2012-13, and LOB expenditures will increase $117,000 to $1.65 million.
Another levy reduction came in the special capital outlay, at 2.5 from the previous year’s 2.989. The district has authority to spend up to $1.1 million in that fund, but may not. Capital outlay funding in many respects is a contingency fund, with the money set aside for equipment and facility improvements.
The district’s property, casualty, liability and worker’s compensation insurance premium will increase by $20,000 to about $80,000, mainly because of inclusion of the new sports complex, appraised at $2.5 million.
Brian Walker, a representative of the district’s carrier, EMC, said it covered about 90 percent of the schools in Kansas and often the loss ratio was above 100 percent.
“We make up for the loss with (income from) municipalities and counties, most of which we also cover in Kansas,” he said.
Walker also confirmed that the company would drop the district’s insurance if it permitted concealed carry of firearms in schools.
“It’s because of kids,” he said, and access they might have to a firearms left in a teacher’s purse or elsewhere easily accessible.
“It’s the liability issue,” he added. “If you want an armed police office or security guard in the schools that’s fine.”

THE SPORTS complex at the east edge of town is nearing completion, Criss told board members. The football field will be ready for the fall season, he said, including a set of bleachers for visitors approved Monday evening.
Plans had been for the bleachers to come from Capital Concrete, a division of Monarch Cement, Humboldt, but cost of installation at a minimum of $60,000 isn’t workable, Criss said. Instead aluminum bleachers will be purchased from Heartland Seating for $69,000, including erection.