Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Logan Municipal Schools received a $12,000 fine-arts grant from the Singleton Family Foundation, much which will pay for improvements to its Performing Arts Center.
Gregg Gudgell, manager for the Pecos-Trigg Ranch that is part of the Singleton family’s ranching operation, presented the check to the school board during its Nov. 13 meeting.
Superintendent Dennis Roch said some of the money would be used to improve the audio system, microphones and lighting on the center’s stage.
Tears in the stage’s curtains would be repaired, along with the installation of a new motorized opener, he said.
Funds from the foundation also would be used to introduce a pottery program with the purchase of a kiln and molds, plus a new stained-glass program.
In other business:
— Roch and several board members said residents during the Nov. 7 election expressed confusion about the vote for Logan school board races.
Voters were allowed to vote for up to four Logan school board candidates. Roch said he heard anecdotally that voters received no verbal instruction on how to vote or that others were told to vote for all four candidates.
“It’s not the election workers’ responsibility to make sure a voter knows how to vote or mark their ballot,” Quay County Clerk Ellen White wrote in an email Wednesday. “Likewise, many voters have said the poll workers did tell them to take extra time to read their ballots because some races allowed for voting for more than one candidate. The ballots and instructions were clearly marked in those races.
“As well, the villages and schools held meetings and informed their entities of that change way in advance of Election Day and early voting and discussed it at length, I was told,” White added.
Three incumbents — Laurie Strebeck, Kene Terry and Tom Humble — and one newcomer, Cole Wallin, were unopposed for the Logan school board seats.
Voters also approved a $1.1 million school bond issue by a 3-to-1 margin.
— The board approved Clovis-based Willoughby & Willoughby CPAs’ annual audit for the fiscal year ending June 2023. It was an unmodified report, which is the best available.
The audit found only one significant deficiency regarding the lack of review and approval of bank reconciliations. Those reviews and approvals began in September.
— The board approved moving the football team from the eight-man to six-man division for two years starting in 2024 due to declining participation. (See other story the Sports edition.)
— The board changed the adult fees for breakfast from $1 to $2 and lunch from $3.25 to $4 to help cover rising food costs. Children’s lunches remain free due to law passed last year by the state legislature.
— In his academic update, Roch said reading and math proficiency had improved in the elementary school but remained flat with the middle school. He also said the graduation rate in the high school had risen to 97%.
— The board received results from a survey of district staff. About 70% said senior trips should be scaled back or discontinued in the wake of the Class of 2024 taking a trip to Alaska, forcing the move of graduation to mid-June.
About 69% of staff said cellphone use by students was a distraction, but they split on whether to ban them.