Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Nevada School Prepares For Evaluation

Nevada schools are working to get ready to be evaluated.

Nevada Superintendent Rick McAfee told the Nevada School Board, at its regular monthly meeting Thursday, Nov. 16, the district has to show the COE group and North Central Association its five-year plan.

This plan, he said, will show how the district fits its curriculum into all of the standardized tests students are required to take. It also shows where the district is and where it wants to be, along with how it will get parents more involved.

In the past, he told the board, administrators put the plan together and submitted it. Now, though, teachers are more involved in preparing the plan.

The teachers update it annually, check their progress and make changes they see as being necessary.

Jim Cross, maintenance and transportation supervisor, said his crews have been working to make the building more presentable for the COE and NCA groups.

In other business, the board voted to purchase a new diesel bus from Ward for $45,275.

The original bid price had been $46,275, but as Ward has the bus in stock and wants to move it, the company gave the district $1,000 off.

McAfee suggested the district consider leaving the option of using the revolving loan program open for making the purchase, even though money for buying the bus was placed in the budget.

His reasoning is because fuel prices continue to go up, with OPEC already having said it doesn't plan on increasing production next year, it may be in the district's best interest to keep the ready cash on hand to help offset rising fuel prices, instead of using it to buy the bus.

In addition, he said, the district could pay off the loan in five years. This program has a 6.4 percent interest.

The board agreed with McAfee's reasoning and voted to accept the bid from Ward.

Nevada High Principal Blake Epperson said NHS started the DEAR program in October. This stands for Drop Everything And Read.

Once a week, he said, for 15 minutes, students are required to bring a book to class and read it.

The time changes from week to week so the same class isn't affected all the time.

Epperson praised the work Kris Tippett has put in for the COE and NCA visit, scheduled for Dec. 14.

Natalie Sherwood, Nevada Elementary principal, said a math night for students and parents was held recently.

Those involved worked with teachers to help the students improve their math grades.

The board agreed to transfer a student from NHS to Hope High School.

The student is a senior at HHS and wants to stay there. However, his parents had to move to the Rosston district to care for his grandparents and will only be in the area a short time.

Nevada will be advertising for a vocal music instructor, a middle school history teacher and cheerleader sponsor. McAfee said it would be great if the district could find someone who could handle more than one of these duties.

There will be no school board meeting in December. This meeting was postponed until Jan. 18, 2001.