|
|
|
Members of the audience weighed in on several issues at the Seneca School Board meeting Tuesday night.
Two core discussions drove audience participation, with the board spending nearly a half-hour each on a previously approved transportation bid and a newly opened food service bid. Bus drivers, Bikers Against Child Abuse representatives and lunch ladies in their Fresh Ideas uniforms filled the meeting room.
The board began the meeting by recognizing election results and seating new members. For board president Joe Caputo and members Garry Little and Teryl Malone, the meeting was their last and they were recognized for their service. New board members Kelly Larson, Angie Rhoades and Brad Storrs were seated and first on the agenda Tim Webb asked the new board to reconsider the former board’s decision last month to bypass his business and award the transportation bid to Randy Small Transportation.
“I feel like the previous board felt rushed in investigating Randy Small Transportation,” Webb said.
He pointed out Small’s recent loss of an Odessa contract and pointed to the arguments he supplied the board at its last meeting.
“I just ask the board to consider reversing the decision of the previous board,” Webb said.
Randy Small and attorney Jim Rust took the podium and said they were ready to answer any questions the board might have, but the questions came from the audience.
Drivers called out questions about Small’s business practices, tax liens in his name and one driver asked if he had ever not paid a driver or given them worthless fuel cards.
“Everyone got paid,” Small said.
The driver disagreed.
Another audience member asked if he ever had charges filed against him for abusing a child.
“We do not put up with that kind of stuff,” Small said.
Five charges of third degree assault, a Class A misdemeanor, are pending against Gale Webb, owner of Webb Transportation, with a pre-trial conference scheduled for May 4. Webb has not driven a bus since they were filed.
“I don’t think the decision of this board should be dictated by innuendo, false information and false accusations,” Rust said.
Small told the board that some of the transportation bids he’s been involved in have been highly competitive. The Odessa contract, he said, was a matter of a specific GPS tracking system that another bidder offered. Other companies, he said, have tried to tarnish his name.
Members of the audience weighed in on several issues at the Seneca School Board meeting Tuesday night.
Two core discussions drove audience participation, with the board spending nearly a half-hour each on a previously approved transportation bid and a newly opened food service bid. Bus drivers, Bikers Against Child Abuse representatives and lunch ladies in their Fresh Ideas uniforms filled the meeting room.
The board began the meeting by recognizing election results and seating new members. For board president Joe Caputo and members Garry Little and Teryl Malone, the meeting was their last and they were recognized for their service. New board members Kelly Larson, Angie Rhoades and Brad Storrs were seated and first on the agenda Tim Webb asked the new board to reconsider the former board’s decision last month to bypass his business and award the transportation bid to Randy Small Transportation.
“I feel like the previous board felt rushed in investigating Randy Small Transportation,” Webb said.
He pointed out Small’s recent loss of an Odessa contract and pointed to the arguments he supplied the board at its last meeting.
“I just ask the board to consider reversing the decision of the previous board,” Webb said.
Randy Small and attorney Jim Rust took the podium and said they were ready to answer any questions the board might have, but the questions came from the audience.
Drivers called out questions about Small’s business practices, tax liens in his name and one driver asked if he had ever not paid a driver or given them worthless fuel cards.
“Everyone got paid,” Small said.
The driver disagreed.
Another audience member asked if he ever had charges filed against him for abusing a child.
“We do not put up with that kind of stuff,” Small said.
Five charges of third degree assault, a Class A misdemeanor, are pending against Gale Webb, owner of Webb Transportation, with a pre-trial conference scheduled for May 4. Webb has not driven a bus since they were filed.
“I don’t think the decision of this board should be dictated by innuendo, false information and false accusations,” Rust said.
Small told the board that some of the transportation bids he’s been involved in have been highly competitive. The Odessa contract, he said, was a matter of a specific GPS tracking system that another bidder offered. Other companies, he said, have tried to tarnish his name.
“There’s a lot of garbage floating around,” Small said. “There may be a basis for some of it, but it’s blown way out of proportion.”
Small purchased another company in 2007 and the tax liens and other issues being processed right now, Rust said, were from that purchase. That company, Hill Transportation, had 100 state contracts in a period where the price of diesel fuel rose sharply and the company swallowed a loss. Small said he runs a family business and plans to be involved in the community. He currently operates buses in 37 districts.
The contract is in process, noted newly elected board president Britt Burr, and unless the board wanted to revisit the issue, it would stand. Board members did not motion to change the contract, which arrived at the district Monday.
If there is a problem with the contract, Superintendent Steve Wilmoth noted, the district has 30 days to clear up the problem or contest the contract.
FOOD SERVICE
Bids for a food service contract arrived at the district office Monday.
OPPA Food Management and Fresh Ideas both presented bids for the next year’s contract, currently held by Fresh Ideas. Two rows of food service employees peppered the discussion with reasons to keep the current contractor. OPPA previously had the contract at Seneca School District, but lost to a lower bid from Fresh Ideas in 2008. OPPA bid prices were consistently lower with $2.17 per student lunch and $1.49 student breakfasts for next year. Fresh Ideas bid $2.44 for lunch and $1.67 for breakfasts for next year.
The Fresh Ideas representative said they felt they built good employee and customer satisfaction and offered a fair bid.
Discussion centered on student options and benefits for workers.
Cafeteria employees have assumed new responsibilities in the past year and board members asked if this was included in the lower OPPA bid. Staff have picked up duties previously done by maintenance including taking out trash and dumping trays for students at the intermediate and elementary schools.
“What I’m hearing on the street and from the kids is the food’s better,” Malone said from the audience. “I feel like our kids are really eating well right now and our kids are taking advantage of it.”
Tray sales may have risen under Fresh Ideas, the OPPA representatives said, but OPPA sold on an a la carte system making it difficult to compare the two. They said it was in their best interest to keep the same employees, but would need to interview them first. Their system currently offers three breakfast choices and bonuses for perfect employee attendance.
“I feel like at this point I don’t have enough in front of me to make this choice,” Larson said.
The board asked bidders to return with a comparison of wages, benefits and incentives for workers and options for students and tabled the decision.
Food service profits from state reimbursements go back into the food service operations and surpluses were used to outfit both the new high school and intermediate kitchens this last year.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the board voted Burr as school board president. Both Burr and Wayne Blaylock were nominated, but Blaylock cast the deciding vote to elect Burr. David Pickering was elected vice chair, Kathy Patton secretary/treasurer and Larson was appointed MSBA delegate and with Storrs as alternate.
Summer school will be held from June 2-29 with classes in the high school for high school and junior high students, and at the elementary for intermediate and elementary students. Classes will be out by 2:30 p.m. The board approved a summer contract with Fresh Ideas for $1.80 on student meals and $2.94 for adult meals. They also approved a pool contract with the city for $5,000, the same amount as last year. The school principals opted to use the pool and not take as many trips this year, Wilmoth said.
A school calendar starting Aug. 18 and ending May 18, 2012 was approved.
“We are taking teacher input for the calendars,” Wilmoth said.
Teachers came back with once a month early-outs and requested those times be moved to the 1 p.m. hour so they could have more in-depth training.
Board members debated a May 12 or May 19 graduation date for next year. This year seniors will miss two weeks of school as board members opted not to move graduation date after a series of snow days pushed back the end of school. Invitations had been purchased, buildings rented and Project Graduation plans slated.
“It goes back to when do we make that decision,” Pickering said.
The board discussed amending the calendar later.
“It’s a decision that we have to make today,” Rhoades said. “You can’t wait until the middle of school to do that.”
Blaylock motioned to leave the calendar as is and Rhoades seconded the motion. Unless rescheduled, graduation will be May 12, 2012.
This year, in order to fulfill the 174 days required by the state, school will resume May 31 for one day of classes. The state had discussed waiving four days missed during the blizzard from the calendar, but that will not happen now.
“I’m not sure how good the attendance will be but school will be open,” Wilmoth said.
After the recent departure of high school principal Tosha Fox, Tony Simmons has been serving as interim principal at the high school, splitting his time between the middle and high schools. Athletic director Lori Onstot serves as assistant principal at the high school and middle school counselor Tom Hodge fills in for Simmons at the middle school when he is not there. The district is currently interviewing to fill the position.
Tuition at Crowder College went up 7 percent, an increase of $4,600 for the district’s 55 technical school slots, 39 of which are currently filled by students.
The board approved a national hazard mitigation required by FEMA and heard a report that the district’s park grant has final approval and private donations are ready. The district believes it also has a deal lined out with the National Guard to help with dirt work to level the field.
Wilmoth reported that the district’s insurance network would change to Cox Insurance, but employees will keep their doctors and the move keeps them at the same price point as last year with a guaranteed cap of 7 percent the following year.
