By Lucky Kidd
McPHERSON, Kan. — The McPherson USD 418 Board of Education Monday night gave parents in the district some financial breathing room. The Board approved a recommendation from Superintendent Shiloh Vincent to waive on a one-time basis student enrollment and class fees for the 2024-25 school year. This excludes activity participation fees and passes along with yearbooks which are now being purchased directly from the publisher.
Vincent explained they will be able to do this thanks to expenditures normally being covered out of the district’s textbook and materials fund being picked up by ESSER funds. Refunds of payments already made will be credited back to how it was made, such as to a debit card.
One thing that is being looked at in the future is to have one fee to cover both enrollment and specific class fees, further discussion on that after the first of the year. Fee issues were discussed at length by the board during their July meeting
USD 418 will receive insurance funds to help with replacement of boilers at McPherson High School that failed in February. An investigation by EMC found the failure of the three boilers was caused by an uncontrolled combustion in the system.
After you factor in the district’s deductible, USD 418 will receive a settlement of a little under $200,000. With that, the district can now move forward with replacement of the other two boilers. One boiler was installed immediately after the failure took place to get MHS through the spring of 2024.
On a 6-1 vote the Board approved a plan to permanently place two substitute teachers at each building in the district. The plan would address some issues the district has encountered in substitute coverage, some of which has required certified staff to cover some classrooms. The cost of placing 12 substitutes in each building has been estimated at around $300,000.
In other actions the Board accepted various food service bids for the next two years. The district is part of a purchasing consortium that covers many of the food items purchased, and out of five companies that submitted bids purchases were awarded to Ben E. Keith and Springfield Grocers Company. Bid outside of the pool was bread, milk and pizza, with those bids awarded to Bimbo bakeries, Hiland Dairy and Pizza Hut respectively.
Monday’s agenda included provisions to set salaries and possibly act on a negotiated agreement with McPherson Education Association. The board discussed negotiations for close to an hour behind closed doors, but no action was taken. Vincent told Ad Astra News Tuesday morning negotiations are ongoing, and they hope to have an agreement soon.
