R-1
will seek tax increase for air conditioning
by Kim
Fickett
Landmark reporter
Students of the North Platte School District are one
step closer to seeing air conditioning in their building.
At last week's meeting of the North Platte Board of Education,
the board voted to place a 10¢ cent additional operating
levy on the April ballot.
If the 10¢ proposal is passed, North Platte's levy
will total $4.35 per $100 of assessed valuation.
The question will be put in front of district voters
to determine their willingness to support air conditioning
in the three buildings that are currently without that
service.
Money raised from the levy will cover electrical and
maintenance costs, with the installation cost to come
from the school district.
The board will continue to look at their options regarding
the quantity of units, as well as where to install them.
Board members also discussed the issue of a tuition reimbursement
policy for those students taking on-line and distance
learning courses.
The first draft of the policy examines implementing scholarship
options for those students involved in the courses.
Dr. Francis Moran, superintendent of the North Platte
School District said, the scholarships would pay for either
50 percent or 100 percent of the students' tuition, depending
on their eligibility.
Some of the criteria the students would need to meet
in order to receive 50 percent reimbursement are: scores
on the MAP (Missouri Assessment Program) tests, at least
a 3.5 GPA, number of community service hours and three
years of no discipline referrals.
Moran stated that while most scholarships would be 50
percent reimbursement, a few may qualify for the 100 percent
scholarship reimbursement. The decision would be based
on the students' scores on the MAP tests throughout the
years and total community service.
According to Moran, the first draft of the policy will
undergo fine tuning before the board makes a definite
decision. The board would like to see a final policy in
place by spring.
The board also heard about the seniors' ACT scores, which
showed 41.2 percent scoring above the state's average.
The district will also be looking to continue the recycling
program and will look for grants to help fund that program,
since the county is no longer offering it.
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