Central Community School Board Approves Sale of Bonds

By Dave Freneaux

The Central Community School Board held its regular meeting on Monday, June 8th and authorized the sale of the final $10 Million in bonds which will pay for the new school construction.  Mr. Grant Schleuter, the bond attorney, shared that the bond market is very favorable and expects an excellent interest rate on the bonds, resulting in significant savings for the taxpayers in Central. 
With Ronnie Devall having retired as the assistant superintendent, Mr. Faulk requested, and the board approved, the hiring of the International Center for Leadership in Education for one year to provide the administrative training and improvement services formerly overseen by Mr. Devall.  This move, if successful, will eliminate the need for the position of assistant superintendent.  Mr. Faulk also received approval from the board to begin the process of hiring a Purchasing Agent, a Director of Human Resources, and an IEP Specialist.
In other matters, an additional $14,359 was approved to replace the ceiling in the canopy in front of CHS, and Mr. Ross Bogan, the construction coordinator, reports that school renovations are proceeding on schedule.  The school board also voted for a 25 cent increase in meal cost to cover rising costs to provide those meals.
In other routine actions, the School Board filled three teaching vacancies, approved the renewal of contracts for four administrators, selected The Advocate as the official journal of the School System (because that is the only publication meeting all legal requirements), engaged Hannis T. Bourgeois to perform this year’s financial audit, adjusted the contract for accounting software, and approved new software for School Activity Fund Accounting.
Prior to the regular Central Community School Board meeting, an informal hearing was held regarding the disqualification of Industrial Enterprises’ earthwork bid in the new school construction project.  Their bid, which was the low bid by a small margin, was considered to be “non-responsive” because an outdated bid form was used to prepare the bid.  School Board attorney Sheri Morris explained that the school system was legally bound to reject the bid and is not given the latitude to waive compliance.  The board voted unanimously to disqualify the bid.  The representative from Industrial Enterprises was understanding and took the news graciously, adding that they look forward to future opportunities in Central.