Mid-Plains set to plan strategies

NORTH PLATTE -- Budget strategies for the next two years are among the topics the Mid-Plains Community College board of governors will address at its meeting this week.

The board's regular monthly meeting is 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Technical Campus board room, 1101 Halligan Drive in North Platte.

Mid Plains and other Nebraska community colleges have faced a 4.11 reduction in state aid, but have also been given authority to increase property taxes to fully fund their portion of the state funding formula over the next two years.

After that, the state could restore the funding and remove the additional levy, leave the additional levy in place permanently or remove the additional levy and not fully fund the entire formula.

At Wednesday's meeting, the finance committee will submit a recommendation to deal with the situations.

In other business, the board:

- will be asked to approve an additional $54,307.07 for furniture to complete projects at McMillen Hall in McCook and McDonald-Belton in North Platte.

- will be asked to seek bids for athletic insurance for 2003-04 school year.

- if a candidate has been selected, will be asked to hire a new director of student housing and activities for McCook.

- will be asked to approve on second reading policies on tuition and fees, smoking and tobacco use, alcoholic beverages and illegal drug use, and, on first reading, a policy on residence hall operations.

- will be asked to approve a contract with the North Platte Telegraph for $8,339.21 for production and distribution of the fall schedules.

- will be asked to approve a contract with Sears for $30,625 for appliances for the McDonald-Belton Student Housing Complex in North Platte, and $6,660 for coin-operated washers and dryers for the same complex.

- will be asked to approve an ad hoc foundation committee to determine the future of the Mid-Plains Technical Community College Area Foundation, which is not functioning.

- will be asked to approve a search for a full-time English instructor in North Platte to replace Ron Block, who has accepted a position in New Jersey, and approve a search for a new career center coordinator/evaluator to replace Amber Macias, who is moving to Wichita, Kan., to teach and get married.