Tuesday, November 17, 2015
By AMANDA TONOLI
NORTH LIMA
Treasurer Jim Phillips moved for a cash request out of a grant to keep South Range Board of Education out of a deficit.
Phillips did not have the total request at Monday night’s meeting, but he reassured the board he avoids taking the full 10-percent cash request allowed, and only the bare minimum of necessity.
Phillips also reminded the board refinancing the balance of the bonds taken out for 2007 and 2008 was still in progress.
Phillips said he is taking all the steps to get ready to take the bonds to bid dependent on the Federal Reserve’s interest rates.
“The day we go to [bond] sale we can say the deal is not as good as we thought it would be – we don’t have to do it. The talk of interest is starting to affect how that might work out,” Phillips said.
Phillips didn’t haven’t the specific bond amounts, however.
Superintendent Dennis Dunham said the board has purchased two more Chromebook carts, which is roughly 60 Chromebooks, for the elementary school. The middle school and high school are looking into the procurement of devices as well. The amount was not available at the meeting.
In this purchase, Dunham said he hopes to move toward the one-in-one-initiative – putting a laptop or computer-type technology into the hands of every single student.
“I want this to be second-nature for kids to have that device with them when they walk into ninth grade,” Dunham said. “We are developing infrastructure with technology in our building.”
Dunham also announced an athletic booster kickoff 7 p.m. Dec. 2 in the South Range auditorium to raise money for new turf for an athletic field.
The boosters are looking to start a 300 club – 300 people to donate $1,000 a piece to raise $300,000 for phase one of renovations and revamping the athletic department.