The North Mercer R-3 Board of Education the evening of Monday, July 13th discussed alternative plans for education for the upcoming school year. Phase 1 would include having children attending school full-time with modifications in the classroom and with special classes. Social distancing will be considered, and masks will not be required at this time.
The plan will be presented to teachers this week to gather input. Final decisions will be made at the August 10th board of education meeting. Classes at North Mercer are scheduled to begin August 24th.
The board was informed a county commission meeting was held, and additional funding for the COVID-19 pandemic might be possible. An application is to be made before Wednesday, July 15th.
Board of education goals were approved for the 2020-2021 school year. One goal added involves the COVID-19 pandemic.
The board approved bids for milk from Anderson-Erikson of Des Moine and bread from Bimbo Bakeries of Kansas City. Those bids were the only ones submitted. Secretary Jennifer Wilson reports the bid for milk involves an escalator clause and could change monthly. The bread bid includes 24 ounce packages of sandwich bread at $3.17 each, 12 packs of hamburger buns at $3.36 each, and 16 packs of hot dog buns at $4.47 each.
The tax rate hearing for North Mercer was set for the evening of August 10th at 5:55. That is five minutes before the regular August board meeting.
The board was informed preliminary assessed valuation numbers make it look like there will be a slight decrease. The board of equalization meeting will be held at a later date.
Several staff members were appointed to positions. The appointments included Terry Bomgardner as homeless liaison and migrant education director, Lauren Guilkey as foster care point of contact, and Greg Frost as English language learners coordinator.
Open record laws were reviewed. The review involved organization, philosophy, and goals of the board and code of contact policies for board members.
