R-5 steering committee to hold town hall meetings in March

Friday, February 10, 2012

By Ralph Pokorny/Nevada Daily Mail

The Nevada R-5 Board of Education will be holding a public hearing in March to let the public comment on the district's 2012 calendar. The public hearing will be held at 7:15 p.m., March 21, just before the March school board meeting, which was rescheduled to 7:30, March 21, because the regular meeting date would have been during spring break. Missouri state law requires that school districts that plan to start the school year more than 10 days before Labor Day hold a public hearing. The board is currently considering three different options for the 2012 calendar.

Dr. David Stephens, R-5 superintendent, told the board that if the steering committee that is set up to oversee a campaign for an upcoming bond issue is good he would only need to come to the first meeting and then sit back and let it run.

That is what is happening this time, he said.

Dr. Jason Meisenheimer is the chairman and Ricki Woods is the treasurer of the Prop K.I.D.S. steering committee, which is spear heading the campaign to convince district voters to approve a $5.9 million bond issue in April to build a new performing arts center, multi-purpose building, replace the roof and the floor at Wynn Gymnasium, make repairs to the tennis courts and upgrade the district's technology.

Stephens said the steering committee has a Web site and Facebook page and is in the process of setting up a speakers' bureau.

"They are getting ready to hold some town hall meetings in March," Stephens said, adding that the meetings will probably be held during the last two weeks of March.

"I talked to the architects and by the end of next week they should have something visual to present to the public," Stephens.

However, these drawings will not be the final project, Stephens told the board.

Final drawings will not be done unless the bond issue is passed.

During an executive session the R-5 board voted 7-0 to accept the resignation of Heather Davenport, effective Jan. 24, 2011, as a para at Truman Elementary; the transfer of Rodney Blakeman from the high school to the middle school special education for the 2012-'13 school year, and the hiring of Rhonda Harris for NHS special education for next year, contingent on her certification.

The board also approved the termination of Tom Reardon, effective Jan. 27, 2012.

Comments

View 16 comments

Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.

They have already drawn next year's calendar. The meeting is only because state law requires it.

-- Posted by sam floor on Fri, Feb 10, 2012, at 7:10 AM
Sam have you ever attended the public hearing concerning the school calendar? Just curious.

I know at one time several residents did attend to try and get the starting date moved with no success. :(

-- Posted by ccmom on Fri, Feb 10, 2012, at 7:47 AM
That is exactly what he is saying CC. Their minds are already set on all these issues. They are only going through the motions for compliance. Dr. Stephens pushes forward with so many of his ill convinced ideas regardless of science or the will of the district he is supposed to serve. I am all for making the required repairs to the gym, and tennis courts. No sense allowing facilities to fall into disrepair. The technology upgrades have been going on for years, to a tune of the ludicrous so that in many cases they are not useful to the teacher and merely a financial burden in many cases. I believe the district would be better served by looking into a renovation of the current auditorium opposed to this fools errand being proposed. When the drainage and other things become an issue they will call it job over runs. Then you will have no choice but to follow through on their plan.

-- Posted by USS_Missouri on Fri, Feb 10, 2012, at 9:12 AM
Have you ever attended a public hearing regarding the school calendar USS? Again, just curious. (keep in mind it is a yes or no question no lecture required we all know your opinion)

-- Posted by ccmom on Fri, Feb 10, 2012, at 10:48 AM
Yes I have attended. The calendar was already settled and printed before the meeting.

-- Posted by sam floor on Fri, Feb 10, 2012, at 6:54 PM
I am sorry but the school district has just received one of he biggest checks from our personal property taxes...We have a bad economy and the schools want more money? Why? Maybe they need to learn ,just as our government,how to budget...

-- Posted by tobeornottobe on Sat, Feb 11, 2012, at 7:57 PM
It's not real money, it's tax money.

-- Posted by sam floor on Sat, Feb 11, 2012, at 11:52 PM
ccmom i can with out a dout tell you that uss-missouri has been to a school board meet ive seen him there so yes he has and what we were both trying to talk to the school board about fell on deaf ears well why would i say that they didnt even consider what we were trying to say well cause they had already made up there minds to hold our kids hostage yes our kids had the choice on rather to take a drug test or dont do anything with the school if you ask me its black mail but at least there drug testing was a HUGE HUGE success what was it i do believe 1 kid out of 300 tested over welming success i do 100% agree with sam-floor to this school board its not real money its just tax money well put sam

-- Posted by 3D-shooter on Mon, Feb 13, 2012, at 5:37 PM
I don't like the school calendar and have spoken out at meetings, not recently because my children are no longer involved, with no results. As far as this committee is concerned I need to know more about what is going on. This is a bond not a tax but tax dollars will be used to staff and maintain the addition. So my question to this group would be, what is the dollar amount to staff and maintain this building and what will suffer to cover that expense.

-- Posted by ccmom on Tue, Feb 14, 2012, at 8:32 AM
First of all this is only about the the calendar year. In their minds the bond issue is settled. Secondly what happens when they hit the cost overruns that have already been predicted by the architect and reported in this paper? Last year we gave them a tax that was supposed to expire so that was not enough and again this year we see them ask for more money. Then we look at the proposed construction, this isn't a building that will increase educational opportunities now is it. This is a monument for what. So why at a time when we keep being told how desperate the schools situation is (enough they went to Jeff city to lobby) do we look for the most expensive way to do anything.

-- Posted by USS_Missouri on Tue, Feb 14, 2012, at 11:52 AM
My mistake, I was going by what the article said rather than what you say.

*Dr. Jason Meisenheimer is the chairman and Ricki Woods is the treasurer of the Prop K.I.D.S. steering committee, which is spear heading the campaign to convince district voters to approve a $5.9 million bond issue in April to build a new performing arts center, multi-purpose building, replace the roof and the floor at Wynn Gymnasium, make repairs to the tennis courts and upgrade the district's technology.

I understood this to mean the town hall meetings would be about the bond issue.

-- Posted by ccmom on Tue, Feb 14, 2012, at 1:51 PM
So what do you believe could be said to them to sway them from this fools errand?

-- Posted by USS_Missouri on Wed, Feb 15, 2012, at 8:55 PM
If your speaking of the school calendar, I think that they are doing what they thinks is best for scheduling purposes. I don't like it, I would like to see them start a little later, shorten Christmas break, and do away with, or at least modify spring break. That being said, I am sure they have studied that matter far more extensively than I have and respect their decision. If you are asking about the bond issue, I need more information and to get it I will attend at least one of the informational meetings.

-- Posted by ccmom on Thu, Feb 16, 2012, at 7:51 AM
So when you have stalled clear past the time of choice then what is left? What do you think any of us could say to turn them away from this building effort to something more financially responsible?

-- Posted by USS_Missouri on Thu, Feb 16, 2012, at 8:13 PM
If you are not in favor vote no on the bond issue. The majority will rule, not the school board.

-- Posted by ccmom on Fri, Feb 17, 2012, at 7:38 AM
The sheep will vote yes, they always do.

-- Posted by sam floor on Sun, Feb 19, 2012, at 3:08 PM

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration:

If you already have an account, follow this link to login
Otherwise, follow this link to register