The USD 327 Ellsworth Kanopolis-Geneseo board of education approved improvements to the bus barn during Monday night’s meeting.

The final cost will be about $71,700 and include improvements to both the shop and the garage parking.

“DCS Services suggested, and both agree, they can work together as a team and bring us the best price,” Superintendent Deena Hilbig said.

Pro-R will handle the insulation installation and Doubrava Woodworking will handle lighting/ electrical upgrades, as well as panel installation to cover the new insulation.

Board Clerk Dina Rankin said 40 percent of the price can be applied as a transportation expense.

“I appreciate everyone working quickly to get the information we asked for. This is a better price than last time,” board member Gina McGowan said.

In other business:

• The board approved a memorandum of understanding with the City of Ellsworth for use of the city hall gymnasium, golf course and sports complex for $8,900, which is the same as the previous school year.

• Approved a $1,125 Southland/Southwest Dairy Farms Chocolate Milk Grant. Hilbig said the grant would cover about 3,040 pints of chocolate milk for football players during the season.

“Coach assures me we will not run out (of chocolate milk),” Hilbig said.

• Discussed year-end financial transfers.

“Our general fund has to be at zero on June 30,” Rankin said. “Anything left in general fund we transfer to special fund. Our goal is to be able to cover special ed assessment for next year, then it won’t come out of general fund.

“It’s been our goal, but we haven’t hit it for three years. This year, it’s exciting to me because I think we’re going to have enough money to cover our assessment plus a little bit.”

The district will have about $675,000 to transfer. Rankin suggested allotting $510,000 for special education.

Hilbig said the state of Kansas hasn’t fully-funded special education.

“We should only have to pay 8 percent of that; the rest should be paid by the state of Kansas,” she said.

Transferring some of the money to the special fund would allow future flexibility.

“The thing that worries me a couple years from now when we run out of ESSER money,” Rankin said, “we have three positions paid for with ESSER. I’m advocating to put some of this in the contingency reserve fund to help fund some of those positions.”

• Discussed food service. For the 2020-21 school year, the school subsidized the program with $13,894. This year, the district was ahead about $54,000.

• Ellsworth resident Jerry Marsh spoke in favor of a public forum before the upcoming election.

• Went into executive session for 15 minutes to discuss personnel. Approved hiring Teryn Irvin as secretary at Ellsworth Elementary School and the resignation of Virgil Ranker as assistant track coach.

• Went into executive session for 25 minutes to discuss teacher negotiations. No action was taken.

“Our goal is to be able to cover special ed assessment for next year, then it won’t come out of general fund. It’s been our goal, but we haven’t hit it for three years. This year, it’s exciting to me because I think we’re going to have enough money to cover our assessment plus a little bit.”

Dina Rankin

USD 327 Board Clerk