The Paton-Churdan board of education at approved an operational sharing agreement with Manson Northwest Webster for a transportation director and for maintenance on the buses.
Superintendent Rob Olsen told the board he had very good conversation with the MNW superintendent Mark Egli and the transportation director there. The MNW board meets the third Thursday of each month. Olsen was confident that board would approve the agreement.
The state offers an incentive equaling the per pupil funding for five students for five years to districts that enter into sharing agreements. That equals more than $30,000 per year. According to Olsen, the incentive does not decrease over the five year agreement. From that, P-C will reimburse MNW for 20 percent of the transportation director’s salary, requiring less than half the state incentive funds.
Paton-Churdan first asked the Greene County district to share its transportation director. The Greene County board denied the request after P-C refused to discuss the transportation of open enrolled students.
In other business, board president Steve Burrell appointed board members Deonne Reed and Jennifer Maach to work with principal Annie Smith and incoming superintendent Kreg Lensch in determining the future use of the portable classroom that has in recent years been home to Tracy’s Tots Daycare.
The rental agreement between Tracy Wilson, owner of Tracy’s Tots, and the school was discussed at the May meeting. The agreement was set to expire at the end of July. Olsen had suggested a significant increase in rent and that Tracy’s Tots be billed directly for utilities rather than through the school.
Wilson said then that she would consider closing the daycare center as it would not be profitable at the higher rent. The rental agreement was not discussed at the June meeting. According to Wilson’s husband Brad, a member of the P-C board, Tracy and the board came to a mutual agreement that she would close the center. The last day for child care there is July 3.
The June meeting was Olsen’s last. After two years at Glidden-Ralston, with P-C sharing the contract, he will assume the post of superintendent at the Newell-Fonda district July 1. He thanked the P-C board for their support. “You’ve been a great board to work with. I know I’ll look back and appreciate that in many, many ways,” he said. “Keep your focus on kids. That’s what being on the board is all about.”
Kreg Lensch, K-12 principal, curriculum director and varsity football coach at Glidden-Ralston, will be the superintendent. He attended the April, May and June board meetings with Olsen. He intends to continue coaching football, calling coaching his “stress relief.”
