USD 410 board OKs student trips

By ADAM STEWART

News editor

Hillsboro USD 410 Board of Education approved out-of-state trips for four student organizations during the board’s meeting Monday.

Technology Student Association sponsor Creigh Bell told the board that the organization plans to attend National TSA Conference in Orlando, Fla., and a robotics competition in Ponca City, Okla. This year the group has 19 students who want to compete in robotics, compared to 10 in 2011-12.

Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America member Clay Etheridge said the group plans one out of state trip, Nov. 16 through 18 in Oklahoma City, Okla.

FFA adviser Sonya Roberts said FFA National Convention will be Oct. 22 through 27 in Indianapolis, Ind. Ten students would miss three days of school during the trip.

Hillsboro High School band teacher Bruce Major wants to take the band to a competition May 4 and 5 at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Mo. The trip would be during a weekend, so students wouldn’t miss any school.

In other business:

• The board updated a lease for Grace Church to use Hillsboro Elementary School for church services. The update will allow the church to have a service Dec. 24 for an extra $375 payment.
• HES Principal Evan Yoder said enrollment at the school was down a little bit this fall compared to the spring, but first through third grades all have large classes.
• Dental screenings at HES are scheduled for today, with funding coming from a grant from the Hillsboro Community Foundation.
• HHS Principal Max Heinrichs said enrollment at HHS is the same this fall as it was last year. The school continues to expand career and technical education opportunities. Students who take a full set of health science classes can graduate as a certified nursing assistant. Board president Eddie Weber asked how much is too much with career and technical education. Heinrichs said many of the classes are modified versions of previously existing classes, and that other electives such as physical education and the arts remain mostly full.
• Tom Storrer of Don’s Heating & Air discussed possibilities for updating heating and cooling equipment at the high school.
• The board accepted resignations of Patty Putter as a Parents as Teachers parent educator and Dustin Dalke as junior class sponsor.
• The board approved contracts for Alissa Unruh as school nurse, Gita Noble as Hillsboro Middle School yearbook sponsor, Shandi Tobias and Pati Funk as junior class co-sponsors each receiving one-half of the supplemental pay, Tiffiney Harms as Spirit-N-Celebration accompanist, Julia Jost as HHS Choir accompanist, Ethan Riggs and Lynn Just as assistant drama coordinators with Riggs receiving 70 percent and Just 30 percent of the supplemental pay, and Suzy Lindsay as an at-risk aide. The board also approved adding 1 hour, 15 minutes per week to kitchen assistant Kathy Carr’s work and 45 minutes per week to kitchen assistants Mary Loewen and Bernice Mains work.
• The board instructed Superintendent Steve Noble to talk to Keith Goossen about a custodian cleaning the district office. Since moving to the location on D Street, district office employees have been sharing the duties. “When you think about it, we’re paying a superintendent to clean part-time,” Weber said. Noble estimated three hours per week from a custodian would be enough to clean it better than dividing cleaning duties among the office staff.

The next board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 8. The board will also meet to discuss goals for the district at 6 p.m. Oct. 17.