Today's Feature
Board Seeking Candidates.
The Carthage
R-9 School Board held a special meeting Thursday
evening in the Fairview Elementary Multipurpose
Room. The first matter for discussion was
establishing a process to fill the seat on the
School Board that was recently vacated by Mike
Wells.
The School Board needs someone
to fill the vacancy for the remaining three
months until the election April 6th.
Carthage Superintendent Gary
Reed stated that the logical thing to do is find
someone who is interested in the remaining three
month term and will also run for the April 2004
to April 2005 term.
The School Board agreed to take
applications for the seat. The deadline for
applications is Tuesday, January 20th at 5 p.m.
which coincides with the filing deadline for the
April 6th election. The Board also agreed to set
up a special screening committee consisting of a
few Board members, teachers and administration.
They will meet this Thursday to review the
applications and set up interviews. The special
committee will then bring three individuals to
the School Board meeting February 9th and the
Board plans to hold special interviews and
appoint someone for the remaining three month
term.
Also on the agenda was
budgetary planning. Carthage School Board of
Education President Debbie Baugh appointed Board
member Nate Stokes to chair a special committee
to bring about an outside audit.
All members of the Board
confirmed that the citizens who attended the
public forums concerning the proposed levy
increase wanted to see some kind of audit
performed. The Board is seeking an audit that
would look at their current budget, expenditures,
long term suggestions on how to save money and a
plan of action.
Baugh stated that the audit
probably couldn’t be done by election time
but was needed anyway.
"We’re looking at
long term," said Baugh. "We have to
look at ways to manage what we do have."
In related business,
Superintendent Gary Reed stated that a solid
budget cut list was needed before the election.
Reed said that the current cut list needed to be
reworked.
Reed stated that he plans to
put together a solid cut list as soon as
possible.
In other discussions the Board
spoke of the levy amount to put on the April
ballot.
"We all have to agree on
this," said Debbie Baugh. "We have to
leave this meeting tonight in agreement."
School Board member Tony Diggs
said that he felt that majority at the public
forums were in favor of supporting Carthage
Schools and ask the Board to submit a 67 cent
operating levy increase.
"We ask them and they told
us," said Diggs.
Debbie Baugh and Mariam Putnam
agreed that the majority were in favor of a 67
cent levy increase.
Board member Dan Beck also
agreed with asking for 67 cents, but felt the
majority wanted a sunset clause in place.
Beck stated that a time limit
needed to be in place on the proposed levy
increase.
"A time limit will allow
us to go back and review it again," said
Beck. "We can reevaluate and ask for it back
if we need to."
Board member Nate Stokes showed
hesitation at first with asking for a 67 cent
levy increase. Stokes felt that because the
future of state funding to schools is so
uncertain, he wanted to propose some now and some
in the future.
Tony Diggs disagreed with
Stokes, and stated that the publics trust issues
would be compounded if they did other that what
they ask. Diggs also agreed with the sunset
clause, stating that it was what the public ask
for.
Superintendent Reed suggested
that the sunset clause be for four years.
"I think four years is
plenty and very satisfactory," said Reed.
The Board did not have an
official vote on a proposed levy increase.
Although discussions indicated they were all in
favor of asking for 67 cents.
The Board agreed to meet at 6
p.m. tonight at Fairview Elementary, one hour
prior to their regular meeting to set up
campaigning categories and committees. Persons
interested in helping are urged to attend or call
359-7000.
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