Liberty board OKs phone service pact

LIBERTY -- The board of education approveda one-year service agreement Tuesday with Qwest Communications Corp., which will cut the district's long-distance telephone rates by more than half for the next year, reducing them from about 13 cents a minute to about 6 cents a minute.
The old rate was under a contract the board signed eight years ago, said Tony Daniels, technology coordinator, who said he'll try to get the district a rebate for the past year.
Other business: The board also authorized participation in the Power Resources School Buying Group to purchase gas through Enron Energy Services for one year.
The board has saved about $30,000 over the past seven years by using the buying group, said Charles Cera, maintenance supervisor.
"We lock in our price on natural gas before winter, and that price holds throughout the year. For example, last year, when natural gas prices spiked, we didn't feel any effect from that," he said.
John Young, high school principal, announced that freshman orientation will be Tuesday, with students whose last names begin with the letters A through K reporting at 10 a.m. and the rest of the alphabet at 1 p.m.
The first day of school for students is Aug. 27.
Superintendent Lawrence Prince said a committee has been meeting regularly for the past few weeks to promote passage of a 3.4-mill, five-year renewal operating levy on the November ballot. The levy generates $740,680 a year.