Nevada hires 7 teachers

ROSSTON – In a special meeting of the Nevada School Board, seven teachers were hired Wednesday, May 2.

Four of the teachers were hired for the elementary school, with the rest hired for the high school. Nevada Superintendent Rick McAfee told the panel another meeting may be necessary later in the month to hire as many as four more instructors. The board, instead, gave McAfee the authority to advertise the positions and offer contracts as needed and formalize them at the June meeting.

Nevada’s graduation is set for 7 p.m. Thursday, May 10, in the school’s gym. It was pointed out this year’s graduation should be cooler, with the air conditioning, and easier for the patrons to understand with a new sound system and new baffling. The students will again be the featured speakers.

McAfee told the board the school’s electric bill dropped. He credited the installation of LED lights throughout the facility as making the difference. However, he added, the bill will go up again as the weather warms up and air conditioning has to be used.

The board was also told the district needs to reduce $100,000 to $150,000 from its budget to meet the new state guidelines. McAfee said the district has options and could move money to the building fund. He pointed out new buses are needed and he found three two-year-old lease buses with less than 30,000 miles on them that could be bought for $65,000. This, he said, would be a good deal as the district would get two buses for less than the cost of one new one. The last new bus purchased cost $90,000.

The board was given proposed changes to the 2018-19 school handbook, and told the teacher’s committee also has them and the changes will be addressed at the board’s June meeting.

The district will be buying six new Promethean active panels, at a cost of $29,000.05. This purchase will make sure all rooms have such a panel. The money, McAfee said, will come from Title I funds, adding this is a Tip-Tap company already vetted by the state to provide the best price.

The board also voted to participate in the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) for the third consecutive year. This program allows all students to eat at no cost. Nevada has 73 percent on free and reduced lunches, and is reimbursed accordingly by the state, with the remaining 27 percent coming from NSL funding. This program, McAfee said, helps parents and provides breakfast and lunch for all students.

The district will have to reapply next year to see if it’s still eligible.