Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Board Hears of Grant Applications

More good news for the Nevada School District. It could be receiving more grant money.

Natalie Sherwood, principal of the Nevada Elementary School, told the Nevada School Board a grant for $30,000 had been completed. Should the grant be approved, she told the Nevada School Board during its regular monthly meeting, Thursday, Feb. 19, it would help establish an after school tutoring program on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The program, she said, would utilize outstanding high school students as tutors. It would also include field trips and other activities for the students involved.

Sherwood also informed the board the IMPACT lab is up and running with the teachers having been trained in its proper usage.

In addition, she said, each elementary class from kindergarten through the fourth grade will soon include visits from Deputy Thomas Goad, the Nevada County Sheriff's Office's new DARE officer.

Goad will ride the bus with students, eat breakfast with them and visit their classrooms during the remainder of this school year. Next year, she said, his presence will be expanded to include grades five and six.

Nevada Superintendent Rick McAffee lauded Sherwood and her staff for the work they put in writing grants. "Grants are hard to put together," he said.

McAffee said the IMPACT lab would soon be hooked to the internet to help the students with their reports and assignments.

He informed the panel the homecoming game and 10th anniversary reception were well attended earlier in the month.

Jim Cross, transportation director, said everything is holding together and a new driver should be coming on board soon.

The new driver, he said, will be a member of his staff who's been working to pass the required commercial driver's license (CDL) testings.

Going to diesel buses, Cross said, was the best move the district has made in a while. These vehicles require less maintenance than gasoline engines and get better mileage.

McAffee said the lunchroom budget is returning to normal with federal funds coming in.

He said the traffic and work pattern in the cafeteria will be studied to see if they can be improved. Additionally, the menu is being inspected, analyzed and audited to make sure it meets all federal guidelines.

And, he said, the district is being audited at this time as well. So far the audit is going smoothly with the auditor being thorough.

However, there is a problem financially within the Nevada district. McAffee said last year when the funding formula cut some $90,000 from the transportation budget, most of these monies were made up from the governor's emergency fund.

But, he said, this year Gov. Mike Huckabee has announced no money will be released from this fund. The problem for the district is the money cut from the transportation budget has not been returned by the state under the new formula.

This means the district will be tight with money for the remainder of the year. McAffee said expenses will be held down as much as possible for the rest of the year.

Sherwood's contract was reviewed by the board, and extended for another year.

Hardy Herrington, NHS principal, wasn't on hand for the meeting, so the board decided to table discussion on his contract until the March meeting.

Gladys Smith tendered a letter of resignation effective at the end of the year. McAffee said the computer room aide will be moving and this slot will not be filled.

Because the March meeting coincided with the start of Spring Break, the board agreed to move their meeting to Tuesday, March 17.

A special called meeting of the Nevada School Board will be held Thursday, Feb. 26.