New Zone 1 Trustee Approved By Board
At the regular monthly meeting of the Midvale School Board, a new trustee was approved to finish the term of Dan Uhlenkott who retired. The new Zone 1 trustee approved by the board is Daniel Leuthold. He was present at the meeting and mentioned how he was willing to serve simply as community service. The current trustees shared several practical suggestions for serving in the office, including approving policy, paying bills and supporting the school administration. “Our administrative staff is tremendous, “ they agreed. Leuthold will be sworn in at the next meeting and will then sit on the board.
Bus driver pay was discussed at length. The district currently pays $20 per hour and a typical day is four hours split between morning and afternoon routes. The district currently has only one route driver. The state average ranges from $21-23 per hour. Most of the nearby districts pay more than Midvale. Council is paying $35 per hour. The board approved raising the flat rate up to $25 per hour in hopes that it will encourage more interest.
Also discussed was activity bus driver pay. They currently receive $12 per hour, including waiting time for the activity. The school has several people who are driving the activity van. The board approved a raise in pay to $16 per hour, including waiting time for the activity.
Bids were opened for snow removal and the board approved the bid from Craig Excavation of $110 per hour which includes several pieces of equipment for snow moving and removal. They estimated that a typical storm would require four hours of work.
Bids were opened also regarding the paving and drainage project between the old and new high schools. It was unclear as to the extent of the work so the board voted to table the issue for another month. It is likely the work will have to be done over spring break in March.
The enrollment numbers total 140 for K-12. The state looks at the enrollment in November to determine funding. Superintendent Morris said the district “sweet spot” is 150. This year there are just 12 new students, compared to 26 last year.
The 2001 Freightliner diesel bus is for sale for $3,500, with 153,000 miles on it. It is a standard transmission. The new white bus van driven down from Seattle is now at the mechanic’s for a once-over. Morris mentioned that the wheel chair ramp is much safer than a regular bus, being just a few inches from the ground.
Parent-teacher conferences were well attended with near 100% of elementary parents coming and an encouraging 26 secondary coming.
The zoom accreditation meeting will be December 16 and Jerry Piper volunteered to be the trustee in attendance for the exit interview.
Titan football is now in the state playoffs. They will face North Gem on Friday,November 1, on the Cambridge field. Both boys and girls cross country teams will be running in the state final Saturday, November 2.
The SRO (School Resource Officer) grant was approved. It is now up to the county Sheriff to provide the officer which will be shared with Cambridge. He will alternate between schools and will attend all home games.
The next regular meeting will be November 25 at 7:00 p.m. Of note is the new provision for public comment at board meetings. The time slot for that is near the beginning of the meeting and may only address items on the current agenda.
