Board Approves Security System

Written by Kevin Gray

Wednesday, 01 July 2009 07:00

With summer break well under way, the Osawatomie USD 367 Board of Education met Thursday morning to give final approval to major projects, review the district’s cash balance history and classified employees work agreements, and approve end-of-year purchases.

Superintendent Gary French also updated board members on 2010 budget plans.

Board members approved resurfacing of the high school track. French recommended and the board approved a bid submitted by Fisher Tracks for $62,840. French said the actual cost will depend on the extent of repairs to the track’s surface.

The board also approved the purchase of new carpet for a few classrooms at Swenson Early Childhood Education Center for a price of $9,508.20 from Edgecomb Flooring. Heartland Seating’s bid of $13,481 was accepted to provide swimming-pool bleacher seating for 191 people at the Miami County Family YMCA, which is an annex to the high school.

After some discussion, the board approved a security system at Osawatomie High for $19,975 from All Systems; it will include three outside cameras with 180-degree views and 10 inside ones.

“Our number one job in education with 1,100 children and four buildings is to send children home safely every day,” French said.
And although the security system will be installed at OHS, the district will be able to expand the system to the other buildings via the server at the high school.
French said the buildings already have the fiber optics needed to link new cameras to the system.

“If we find a hot spot in need of a camera, it will just be the expense of a camera,” he said.

French said the YMCA and exit door on that side of the high school building is a problem area, as is the bus parking lot.

“There are no classrooms and no teachers over there, so we would need to place a camera in that location,” French said.

Board member Richard Fisher voted against the security system. “I like the three outside cameras, but not the 10 inside. To me, this is a privacy issue we need to discuss,” he said.

In a review of classified employee work agreements, French provided a listing of staff members. New hires include Gerri Byard as a half-time transportation clerk and Michelle Green as a cook. Brenda Bacon will be an OHS library paraprofessional.

In a review of cash balance history, French reminded the board how the district made necessary cuts. “But the state still doesn’t have any money, so we may have to face more cuts again,” he said.

The superintendent also reviewed capital-outlay, contingency-reserve and special-education balances from the 2006-07 school year to the present. He told the board the balances were low in 2006-07 “because we added on to the high school.” By the next year, they were up.

The 2009-10 figures stand at $593,304 in capital outlay, $150,123 in contingency reserve and $108,369 in special education.

“This is not a lot of money, but it is an improvement. I will work hard to increase the cash balances,” French said.

The meeting closed with French presenting plans for preparing the 2010 budget. Having just received the proper software and information necessary to create the new budget, he said, he will begin work on it immediately.

French plans to present a preliminary budget at the board’s July 9 meeting. He invited board members to stop by his office afterward at their convenience to ask questions and discuss items after they have time to study his plan.

On July 27, the board will approve the budget for publication in the July 29 edition of the Osawatomie Graphic. French said he is scheduling a public hearing for Aug. 12, and the budget will be submitted to the county Aug. 25.

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