Board hears report about grades, health issues

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Heating units at Truman Elementary were the focus of the Nevada R-5 Board of Education meeting, conducted Wednesday evening at the district's central office.

During the Christmas holiday break, cracks were discovered in the heat exchangers on four heating units at Truman -- two small units that heat the front office and cafeteria and two large units that heat the gymnasium and fifth grade pod.

Noah told the board that the units were originally installed when Truman was built in 1993 and that this would be an appropriate time to replace them. However, he also reported that because replacement units would take three to four weeks to manufacture and install, administrators decided to repair the two small units during the break for a cost of $8,537 and to wait for the board's decision on the purchase of two large units, which will cost a total of $30,620.

"We felt that because of the time of year it was necessary to repair the smaller units and get them operating," Noah said. "Trane had the parts in stock and overnighted them to us the next day."

During the wait for the two large heating units to be manufactured and installed the affected areas are being heated by increasing the airflow from other heating units, placing space heaters in cooler areas and leaving the thermostat set at the higher daytime temperature to keep the air circulating throughout the structure.

Nevada High School Principal Bryan Thomsen reported to the board on the effort to reduce the number of students receiving Ds and Fs using the principle of professional learning communities. Thomsen said the effort had been largely successful, reducing the overall numbers from 13 percent for the first quarter 2006-'07 year to 9.9 percent for the first quarter 2007-'08 year. Thomsen said there were some students who received Ds and Fs on second quarter grades that didn't during the first quarter.

"I think that may be due in part to some students coasting after receiving good grades during the first quarter. They know that overall, the grades will even out," Thomsen said.

There was also an increase in the number of Ds and Fs among seniors, but Thomsen said this could be attributed to a program aimed at preventing drop-outs; students with lower grades are staying in school rather than throwing in the towel. "In many cases the students who drop out are the lower performing students," Thomsen said. "They are the ones who receive a lot of the Ds and Fs. Keeping them in school increases the number of students who get these grades."

The district's Health Services Coordinator Denise Nelson reviewed the districts health services program for the board and suggested a new program, dental varnish for kindergarten and fifth grade students.

The new program would have dental professionals evaluate the students and would require parental notification and permission before students participated.

Assistant Superintendent Christie Peterson reviewed a five-year comparison of district food services costs, revenues and participation in programs. Peterson pointed out that costs to the district had risen 14 and a half cents over the five-year period, yet the district kept the charges to students the same over that time.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: