Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Superintendent Rick McAfee Tells Board School 'Running Smooth'

So far, it's been a perfectly normal year with the Nevada School District, according to superintendent Rick McAfee.

"Overall," he told the Nevada School Board during its regular meeting Thursday, Oct. 12, "everything is going remarkably smooth."

There were minor changes made to two of the three policies which had been tabled in September, but all three were approved by the board.

One policy deals with leave of absence for personal injury from assault or other violent criminal act. This policy states any employee who is absent due to personal injury received during their employment will receive full pay during their recuperation period for up to one year.

However, the criminal act or assault must have been reported and verified by the proper authorities.

In addition, the employee cannot draw worker's compensation or hold any other job while the district is paying their full salary under the conditions of the new policy.

The second policy deals with principals reporting possible students who may have committed felonies to local law enforcement authorities.

Under this policy, the principals are required to report incidents which could be felonious in nature to the proper authorities for investigation. They must also report the acts to the board for adjudication.

McAfee said if a student commits a felony and it is not reported, the principal could face a $500 fine and up to 30 days in jail.

The third policy deals with students being expelled from other districts. The policy states the student in question, after being expelled from another district, must attend a hearing before the Nevada School Board. The hearing can be closed at the request of the student's parents.

Before the hearing is held,the superintendent will get a report from the student's former district concerning the expulsion. This report will be reviewed during the hearing by the board.

The board will also question the student and their parents about the alleged rule infraction(s) before rendering its decision on whether or not the student can enroll in the Nevada School system.

These policies will be presented to teachers for a vote, and if approved will be added to this year's policies.

For the most part, McAfee said the bills for September were in line. The electricity bill, though, was the highest it's ever been at $9,212. This, he told the board, is because of the extreme heat during the month. The bill for natural gas, however, was only $450 for September.

The board discussed a series of bid items, including the purchase of a new car for driver's education, a new bus, a new pickup and for band equipment.

McAfee said the bus bids came in too late to be addressed at the meeting, and, therefore, will be discussed during the Nov. meeting.

However, he said the district received bids on a Dodge Intrepid for the driver's education car at $14,943, which is about $6,000 less than the sticker price.

The two bids for band equipment were higher than anticipated and refused. The band equipment will be let for a second bid. "Both bids were too high," McAfee said, "and we couldn't afford them. We'll check again next month, and if we get no better bids, we'll revise the list down."

Two bids were also received for pickups, one for a half-ton Dodge and the other for a three-quarter ton Dodge.

Other than the obvious weight difference, the larger vehicle has a diesel engine, while the smaller truck has a standard internal combustion engine andoperates off gasoline. The half-ton truck bid was $14,000 from Little Rock Dodge, while the bid for the other truck was $19,401, also from Little Rock Dodge.

Jim Cross, transportation director for NSD, said diesel fuel is a better buy and the fuel bought for the heavier truck will pay the difference in the two vehicles. Diesel, he said, costs the district 20 cents per gallon less than gasoline.

Cross told the board he figured the fuel cost over 100,000 miles at 25 miles per gallon, even though the truck in question will get better mileage than this.

"The chassis is rougher and it's a heavier truck," he said. "It's worth the difference if we can afford it up front. It will be a rougher ride, but will hold up better and is a better deal for the district overall."

This vehicle will be used for hauling commodities and other uses.

The board voted to buy the Intrepid and the three-quarter ton truck, while putting the band equipment up for rebid.

McAfee welcomed Jerry Bishop to the board. Bishop replaced Herbert Coleman, who did not seek reelection. Bishop was elected from the Old Oak Grove Zone 1 district.

Beverly Curtis is the new board president, with Davis Benton vice president. Nelwin Almand will be the secretary.