Kitchen upgrade OK'd

McCOOK, Neb. -- The McCook Board of Education approved more than $70,000 for stainless steel upgrades at the junior high cafeteria.

Equipment now at the cafeteria is original to when the building was first built in 1967, said McCook business manager Rick Haney at the regular school board meeting Monday night.

Two bids were approved by the board for the improvements. A bid from Sysco for $14,020 was approved unanimously for stainless steel cupboards and prep tables, along with a $62,696.22 bid from Performance Interiors, for serving line equipment. The serving line equipment includes the stainless steel food bar, rails that students use to slide their lunch trays and kiosk cashier stand items.

Costs of the improvements come from the "lunch fund" account in the budget, that is funded by rebates from Sodexo, the food service program used by the McCook School district.

This fund receives about $25,000 to $30,000 annually in rebates, according to Superintendent Grant Norgaard and was the source of funds for the construction two years ago of the new lunchroom and equipment at Central Elementary and for recent improvements at the high school. The new equipment at the junior high cafeteria is expected to be in place by next year school year.

After meeting in closed session after the regular meeting Monday night, the board reconvened in open session and unanimously approved the 2015-16 salary and benefit contract with the McCook Education Association.

The new contract increases the base salary for teachers by $875 per year, part of the 3.55 percent increase in salary and insurance benefits.

The contract also allows teachers to participate in two types of health insurance, the traditional insurance program offered or a health savings account with higher deductibles.

Other items the board approved Monday night include:

* the hiring of JoDee Waldriege as a special education teacher at the Developmental Learning Center at McCook Elementary

* resignations from Tori Peters at the McCook Junior High after one year of service, effective at the end of this school year; and from Laura Blomstedt from the Developmental Learning Center after five years of service, effective Jan. 16.

* several anonymous donations to FFA totalling $1,370 and a $1,000 donation to the men's golf program