Guthrie Center School Board President Matt Van Meter swears in Vice President Cara Underwood.
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
The Dec. 18 regular meeting of the Guthrie Center School Board included the board’s annual organizational meeting, in which board leadership and committee assignments were decided, along with several annual designations. Matt Van Meter will continue as president of the board with Cara Underwood to serve as vice president.
High School Principal Brian Sauser gave a report on his area. He pointed out the trend regarding very few failing grades has remained steady.
“At the high school, things are going really well,” Sauser said. “Our F list at the high school continues to be in the single digits, and there are almost 500 As. For those that struggle, we’ve got a lot of interventions in place to help them.”
Superintendent Josh Rasmussen gave an update on how the district’s safety grant funds have or are being used.
“All of our phones have been installed. They work; we’ve got intercom,” Rasmussen said. “Next steps, we are seeking approval to finish up some of our key fobs so we can monitor where people are coming in and out of the building.”
Rasmussen explained that classroom door locks will allow anyone inside a classroom to quickly lock the door as needed for safety. Later in the meeting, the board approved Rasmussen’s recommendation for door lock upgrades to use the remaining grant funds.
Rasmussen shared praise for the service given by Paul Downing, who is resigning from his position as bus driver.
As part of the consent agenda, the board approved contract recommendations for Justin Slaybaugh and Ryan Cline as volunteer wrestling coaches.
Superintendent Josh Rasmussen explained his recommendation for the board to approve a stipend to be paid to the person(s) serving as the “substitute teacher finder” when a staff member calls to report being unable to work. Rasmussen said the calls to find a substitute teacher usually happen outside of normal scheduled work hours. Rasmussen suggested a total stipend of around $600 per semester for this work. After some discussion, the board approved this recommendation.
The board voted to keep the regular schedule of meetings the same as it has been (third Wednesday of each month starting at 7 p.m. with the location to alternate monthly between Adair-Casey Junior High and Guthrie Center High School). Most meetings will be held jointly with the Adair-Casey School Board but may be held separately as needed.
The next regular meeting is set for Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. The public is welcome.