(email questions/comments to wrightted@aol.com).
Ted Wright -- last update 1/9/2004 (SchBrdJan08.html) www.cvilleok.com
Copyright 2004

School Board Meet (7pm) Jan. 08, 2004 at Bank of The Lakes Community Room

If Collinsville voters approve the school bond proposition on February 24th, a building similar to the architect's drawing above could replace several of the outdated buildings shown at right. But that would be just one component of the $4.1 million bond package. The school board prioritized a list of projects as follows:

1. Middle School Addition
2. High School Classroom Addition
3. High School Stage Remodel (as chorus room)
4. Fees and Land Acquisition

These first four projects had received the most discussion in previous meetings and will take a major portion of the money. The remaining projects below would compete for the remaining bond funds.

Middle School Gym (floor, lighting, and paint)

High School Gym (seating, heating, and restrooms)

Wilson Elementary Gym (curtain, floor, walls, and restrooms)

Middle School Parking

Sound System - Wilson Elementary

Middle School Gym Bleachers

Athletic Track (initial phase only)

Depending on more detailed study and costing, items near the bottom of the list might be curtailed. More details will be released before the elections as each project is better quantified.

All board members were present and the following topics were approved:

Payment of Purchase Orders: General Fund $70,300.19; Building Fund $2,381.13; and Child Nutrition $14,449.42.

A building and property liability insurance bid of $69,530 was accepted from Duncan Duvall, Southwest General.. That price excluded terrorism coverage which had such a high minimum damage requirement ($5 million) that it was deemed not useful for Collinsville.

Cinda Lewis' resignation (as teacher's aid, Special Ed H.S.) was accepted. Renee Lankford switched from fulltime to parttime (causing a loss of benefits). Shann Littleton switched from parttime to fulltime bus driver. Tony Ebey was approved for temporary maintenance as required.

The school board voted to approve the contract of James Colpitt for land adjoining the High School. That land would be paid for with the poposed bond and used for the class room addition and track. The amount of land to be purchased is approximately 10 acres, but the exact amount might go up as design of the proposed track is clarified. Mr. Colpitt has agreed to be flexible with the school's needs.

Rita Pate requested and received permission to have school financial records over five years old destroyed. These records are currently stored in the middle school buildings that will be torn down to make room for the new building. The State Department already has a copy of all these financial records. The law only requires they be kept for 5 years, but many of these records are many years older than that.

The pay rate for substitute teachers was restored to $50 for a certified substitute and $38 for non certified. The rate had previously been cutback to $40 & $35 due to the school's lack of funding.

The subject of the City of Collinsville's decision to not pay an $8K claim for the October 2003 repair of a cut electrical line was mentioned in the superintendent and his assistant's reports. Mr. Creech said the bill was already paid and the school should "move on". Mr. Herald said the school had requested the city consider the payment and they had done so, and he "respected" their decision.