By BILL HARGRAVESSchools are important to the entire community. School Board decisions directly affect outcomes and success of our schools. For good reasons, it is difficult and time consuming to stay informed about School Board activities. These columns, planned prior to each Board Meeting and Work Session, highlight Board agenda items that might interest students, parents teachers and the community at large.
A Work Session is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. today at Pinon Elementary School. Agenda item 10 is a budget presentation and discussion. Deadline for submittal to PED of SY 2017-2018 is in the first days of May. A budget committee is working to prepare a budget request to present to the School Board.
The presentation at this Board meeting includes:
- LAPS Strategic Plan;
- District priorities set in the Strategic Plan;
- Alignment of Strategic Plan and Budget;
- Set of Frequently Asked Questions about the Budget Development Process; and
- PED guide to “How New Mexico Public Schools are Funded”.
Agenda item 12 requests the New Mexico Public Schools Insurance Authority to permit our District to offer to part-time employees the ability to participate in the NMPSIA employee benefits line of coverage. Part-time employees are defined as those employees who work 0.5 FTE and those employees who work between 15-20 hours per week. In addition, the District will provide the employer’s share of the insurance premium.
Agenda item 13 asks approval from School Board to hire Trane Corporation to install heating and air conditioning equipment this summer at Chamisa and Pinon elementary schools in White Rock. The requested funds for work at Pinon is $750,000 and $76,000 at Chamisa. The recommended source of funds is not identified; the School Board may have a couple of options for funding the projects.
Presentation slides and documents for agenda item 10 as well as the complete Work Session agenda with related material is found on the School Board meetings webpage (URL http://laschools.net/Page/7716). Scroll down to meeting date 03/23/2017 then click on the [ Packet ] link in 4th column from the left.
Attending School Board Meetings is the best way to participate in discussions and decisions made by thel Board. It is difficult with demands on our time from jobs, family and community to attend or even know what topics are being discussed by the School Board. Hopefully this and future columns will help to inform in a small way.
Comments and suggestions are welcome and can be sent to b.hargraves@laschools.net.
