NRHEG authorizes new bus, updates phone policies

During their regular August 19 meeting, NRHEG school board members authorized district transportation director Dan Schmidt to place an order for a new school bus to be brought into service at the beginning of the 2025-’26 school year. Schmidt mentioned the base price for a bus is about $135,000.

 

The discussion went on to analyze the status of the district’s bus fleet overall. Schmidt reported there are eight route buses and four spares. When asked whether four were needed, he mentioned that certain extracurricular activities have enough enrollment, or have staggered start times that lead to the need for two buses at a time. Overlapping schedules do sometimes lead to a need for four at once.

 

Of the district’s 12 buses, two are 15 years old, one is 11 years old; the remainder are eight years old or newer.

 

Schmidt told board members he is gradually working toward a schedule under which the times between bus replacements would be more evenly spaced, avoiding a need for nearly $300,000 in expenditures when two buses are purchased. Also part of the discussion was the payment method for new buses: the district has the option of “leasing to own,” thus dividing expenditures out across four or more years, or purchasing outright.

 

Principals Craig Kopetzki and Grant Berg described the updated cell phone policies at each site.

 

When asked whether elementary students typically carry cell phones, Kopetzki told board members cell phones have become a common birthday gift for students in third grade. He estimated well over half of third- through fifth-graders have cell phones. The policy at his site, he said, is that students will be expected to leave their cell phones in their lockers from “bell to bell,” in other words, from the beginning to the end of the academic day.

 

Berg said the policy at the high school is that phones are to be accessed only during lunch and the few minutes of passing time between classes.

 

Both principals stated the policy is similar to what has been used in the past. The most important aspect going forward, Berg said, is consistent enforcement.

 

Kopetzki and Berg said they expect some pushback from parents who are likely to complain they want to be able to reach their children. They suggested parents should call the office or make more persistent use of email.

 

Superintendent Michael Meihak thanked board members and other staff who helped operate the district’s booth at the Steele County fair. The name of Ellendale resident Jenny Vanek was drawn from among the entries submitted by those wanting to win a free pass to school activities for 2024-’25.

 

The annual superintendent evaluation had originally been scheduled to take place during the August 19 meeting; it was delayed because three school board members were absent.

 

The terms of school board members Terri Engel, Rich Mueller and Aaron Phillips end December 31. Meihak informed the board the necessary paperwork would be filed to make the selection of next year’s board members part of the Nov. 5 general election. With the filing deadline already past, only Engel and Mueller have indicated they want a spot on the ballot; former district teacher and New Richland resident Kelly Delacruz has also filed for one of the three seats.

 

District maintenance director Scott Schuller was present at the Aug. 19 meeting to respond to board questions regarding this summer’s construction projects. More information about the construction appears in a separate article in this week’s edition.