With A/C limping along, heat days are possible

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

McCOOK, Neb. — The air conditioning system is still working at the McCook High School but is running at about 50 percent capacity.

Superintendent Grant Norgaard told the McCook School Board last month about the problem, with costs to repair the system at $50,000 to $60,000. At the regular McCook School Board meeting Monday night, he said with school starting Wednesday, they will take a “wait and see” position to see if the high school needs to dismiss early at 2 p.m. because of excessive heat.

If the recent spate of cooler temperatures continues, dismissing early may not have to occur, he said. But that can and probably will change so dismissing early will be decided on a day-to-day basis, he said.

Costs to repair the system will come out of the depreciation fund. This fund has been built up to about $1.2 million. Norgaard said they have inquired at three industrial HVAC companies across the state for repairs with two responding with bids. The repair does not have to have school board approval as it is under $100,000.

The depreciation fund will also be dipped into again later this year to help soften the increase in costs that the district will be looking at in next years’ budget, Norgaard said. With the anticipated decrease in state aid, property taxes end up picking up the slack, due to the way state aid funding is calculated. “The state doesn’t seem to care about property taxpayers,” Norgaard said.

The 2018-19 budget will be brought to the school board at September’s meeting.

Classes at McCook Schools started today, with about 1,450 students, two new administrators and five new teachers, The new administrators are John Brazell as the district’s business manager and Joel Bednar as the principal/curricular director at Central Elementary.

New teachers are Jamie Ascherl, seventh-grade math;

Christian Conroy, fifth-grade social studies; Philip Osten, sixth-grade social studies; Kaylee Thompson, fifth-grade writing; and Ron Wolf, junior high behavior.

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