Additional laptops purchased for RV

With the purchase of 85 additional laptop computers approved Monday evening, Royal Valley’s one-to-one technology initiative will now span grades fifth through 12.

During the board’s meeting, new Lenovo Chromebook laptops were purchased from Twotrees Technologies of Wichita at a total cost of $26,886.

 Mark Haefke, district technology coordinator, said that during this school year, only students in grades sixth through 12 had individual access to Chromebooks. 

At the high school, students are each assigned a Chromebook, which they can use and take back and forth from home to school with parent permission. 

At the middle school, students are assigned a Chromebook for use just at school, and the laptops are not allowed to leave school grounds.

Haefke said that the Chromebooks used by this year’s senior class will be shuffled down to the fifth grade. Next year’s freshman class will receive the bulk of the new Lenovo Chromebooks.

“Lenovo is a new model of Chromebook,” Haefke said. “These won’t have a touch screen, but they are very durable.”

The Chromebooks were first utilized in the district January 2015, and Haefke said that the goal is that each freshman will be given a new Chromebook to use all four years of high school.

Once those students graduate, Haefke said the district could offer to sell that four-year-old Chromebook to the student at a discounted price. Chromebooks that don’t sell could be used as a back up or to replace older laptops at the middle school.

Also during the meeting, the board approved a contract with Mike Jewell of Mayetta to purchase a parking lot on Main Street in Mayetta, which is located just to the east of the RV bus barn. 

The purchase prices is $21,500 and it will be paid for with capital outlay funds from next year’s budget. 

The district currently rents the parking lot from Jewell for $175 a month. 

In other business the board:

* Approved consent items.

* Met with a district parent Kerry Wathen, who expressed his concern with the district’s policy regarding graduation requirements. The parent’s son is half a credit short on the requirements for graduation but will be allowed to make it up the credit through the Fresh Start program. The student is unable to take part in this Sunday’s graduation.

Wathen asked the district to consider additional solutions for kids in the future who may be half a credit shy so they can graduate on time and continue to further their education outside of high school in a timely manner.    

* Discussed possible time and dates for the board of education retreat, which has been set for Wednesday, June 15.

* Received a legislative update from Superintendent John Rundle.

* Received an update on the district budget from Rundle.

* Approved a request from the Jackson County Historical Society to use two district buses for the Jackson County Barn Tour, set for Sept. 24 and Oct. 1. The historical society will pay for mileage expenses and also contract with two of the district’s bus drivers for the tour. 

* Approved the Kansas Association of School Boards membership dues of $9,446 and the KASB legal assistance fund of $1,650. These are the same fees as last year, it was reported.

* Approved the escalating milk bid of $49,641 submitted by Hiland Dairy, which was the only company that submitted a bid.

* Met in executive session for 10 minutes to discuss non-elected personnel with Rundle and Susan Pfrang, director of curriculum and instruction. 

Back in open session, the board accepted resignations from Dennis Dillner, groundskeeper at the Hoyt schools, and Deb Cochran, food service worker at Mayetta.

The board accepted the retirement notice from Russell Pugh, district maintenance supervisor, effective Aug. 31.

The board also approved the following Rule 10 coaching contracts for the 2016-2016 school year: David Barta, assistant high school football coach and assistant high school baseball coach; Jamie McKinsey, assistant middle school volleyball coach; Doug Spencer, assistant high school and middle school wrestling coach and assistant high school softball coach; Kevin Cathcart, assistant high school wrestling coach; John McManigal, assistant high school softball coach; and Brenda Hainey, assistant middle school track coach. 

* Adjourned the meeting. Board member Boone Smith was absent. Also present were Aaric Davis, who will replace Rundle this summer as the new superintendent, and Travis VanVleck, RVHS assistant principal.