Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Nevada Examines Phones

Nevada Schools will be getting a new telephone system.

The current system has been in service for 11 years and breaks down often. Rick McAffee, Nevada Superintendent, said the problem extends to the fax machine as well. It will, at times, show a document has been sent, when it wasn't.

The system, he told the Nevada School Board Tuesday, June 22, is also expensive to repair.

Bids will be taken on a new phone system. They must be able to be hooked into the existing public address system with connections in all 53 rooms at the facility.

McAffee said the existing system has 27 stations, and needs to be expanded to 32. The new system, he added, will be digital instead of analog, with a 30 minute memory backup system.

In other business, McAffee said extensive in-service has been going on by the teachers in the district, with several going to Y2K workshops to see what the district needs to be looking for as the millennium nears. It is hoped, he added, there will be little problem statewide with the Y2K problem.

The Nevada district is working to solve any problems when the year 2000 arrives in a few months. Fiber optic lines are being ran, with a T-1 phone line installed for the Internet service. This line, McAffee said, is five times faster than a 56k modem.

The board also approved a budget for 2000-2001 as required by the state. McAffee pointed out this has little actual meaning as the budget can be adjusted as needed based on actual funds instead of projected revenues.

He told the panel Nevada Elementary School Principal Natalie Sherwood is taking courses and working toward her doctoral degree.

Blake Epperson is also in summer school, he said, finishing the courses required to be a principal.

Jim Cross, maintenance and transportation director, told the board maintenance on the bus fleet is being done at this time, with work to clean and repair the building being ahead of schedule.

Following a lengthy executive session, McAffee recommended hiring four people and increasing the pay for bus drivers to $34 per day, with increments of 10 center for the first year and a dime raise every other year.