HOLYROOD — Along with the annual approval of appointments and policies and procedures, Monday’s meeting of the Central Plains USD 112 board of education was marked by the refusal to pay an invoice.

After two, 20-minute executive sessions to discuss matters pertaining to attorney-client privilege (a potential legal claim against the district), the board approved a motion by six to one directing John Sherman, board attorney, to draft a letter to Pro-Bound Sports LLC of Dorrance advising that its invoice in the amount of $3,500 will not be paid and that Sherman draft a letter in such form as he deems appropriate.

No further comment was given by either the board or Sherman.

In other business: • Superintendent Greg Clark said the KJUMP class action lawsuit against Symetry should be settled within 14 days and USD 112 should only have to pay only 50 percent of the $13,000 total natural gas bill it received from Symetry from a extremely cold period in February.

Clark said the USD 112 board, unlike other school boards across Kansas, will not have to call a special meeting to approve final payment of their natural gas bill for that period. He said several school boards will since their total due will still be over the $20,000 limit requiring board approval even after being cut in half by the legal settlement with Symetry.

“Hopefully, within the next week or so we’ll have a dollar amount, I’m thinking in that $6,000 to $7,000 range, that we can settle on,” he said. “Basically, Symetry got caught without having the gas supply they needed and had to go out on the open market. And then they tried to pass that on to us.”

• Clark said the material for the new 583 seat bleacher at the Central Plains Junior-Senior High School football field in Claflin is being currently fabricated by DGJD. The $156,500 purchase was approved by the board in June and will be paid from 2021-22 budget funds.

“I will suspect they will get out there and do some grading, then start pouring the concrete before the end of the month,” he said. “We’re moving forward.”

Estimated installation date of the bleacher is Sept. 1.

• The donation of beef from Mike and Patty Hipp was approved.

• Approval was given to a resolution not to exceed the revenue neutral rate.

Clark said the intention of the law, which was passed by the state legislature, was to hold taxing entities accountable if they raise taxes.

“It was supposed to exclude schools, but they did not,” he said.

Clark said barring an odd year, everybody’s valuation will increase.

“So every year we will exceed our revenue neutral rate, where we will raise more revenue,” he said.

“The interesting thing is it’s state statute that everybody is taxed 20 mills for public education,” he said. “We have no control over that.”

Clark said that 20 mills goes to the state, which then provides school districts state aid.

The next meeting of the Central Plains USD 112 board of education will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 9, at CPES in Holyrood.