Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Finance And Administration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Clay County School Board approves bids requests, retains NWEA screener, OKs budget amendments and splits insurance increase
Summary
The Clay County School Board on Aug. 14 approved requests for bids on multiple school facility and equipment projects, retained its current universal student screener, adopted two budget amendments and agreed to absorb most of a roughly $64,000 increase in employee health-insurance costs while asking teachers to cover the remainder.
The Clay County School Board on Aug. 14 approved requests for bids on multiple school facility and equipment projects, retained its current universal student screener, adopted two budget amendments and agreed to absorb the bulk of a roughly $64,000 increase in employee health-insurance costs while asking teachers to cover the remainder.
The board voted to request bids for two telephone-system replacements (Salina K‑8 School and Clay County High School), rock riprap/erosion work near Clay County High School, and a replacement combi oven for Fort Henry Springs School. The board president noted the telephone systems are at “end of life” and that replacing them could require a budget amendment. A motion to seek bids passed without recorded opposition.
On student assessment, the board voted to continue with its current vendor, NWEA, for the universal screener after staff presented three quotes. A motion by Mister Upton, seconded by Mister Sheryl, to select NWEA carried.
The board approved two budget amendments: an amendment to the beginning fund balance as of July 1, 2025, (described by staff as a routine audit recommendation to reconcile projected and final balances) and General Purpose Budget Amendment No. 2 for the 2025–26 school year, which included reclassifying some staff time to fiscal services to simplify special-education maintenance-of-effort reporting. Both motions passed on voice vote.
On employee insurance premiums for 2026, staff said the state-run plan’s increase this year was approximately $64,000 systemwide. Following collaborative conferencing with the teachers’ group, board members and teachers agreed the board would take 75% of the premium increase while teachers would cover about 25%, preserving an average board contribution of roughly 68% of total premiums systemwide. The board approved the defined-contribution amounts to be included in a future Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
The board voted to table final approval of the amended 2023–2026 MOU to a future meeting so its revised board policy language and the MOU would not conflict. A motion to table the MOU was made by Mister Henson and seconded by Mister West and passed.
Other formal actions included approval of multiple trip requests (including Clay County High School FFA’s trip to Doyle for the Cultivate Emerge conference in November 2025) and approval of a first reading for revised policy 5.302 (earned sick leave); both motions passed on voice votes.
Board members and staff framed several items as administrative or routine procurement steps (requesting bids, approving quotes, or moving line items in the budget) rather than final project awards; any projects requiring contracts or budget amendments will return to the board for subsequent action.
Votes at a glance
- Request bids: telephones (Salina K‑8; Clay County High), riprap/erosion work (Clay County High), combi oven (Fort Henry Springs) — motion to request bids approved; mover: not specified; second: not specified; outcome: approved. - Universal screener selection: NWEA (current provider) — motion by Mister Upton; second by Mister Sheryl; outcome: approved. - Budget amendment — beginning fund balance (07/01/2025) — motion by Mister West; second by Mister Upton; outcome: approved. - General Purpose Budget Amendment No. 2 (2025–26) — motion by Mister Cheryl; second by Mister West; outcome: approved. - Insurance premium/contribution amounts for 2026 (split increase ~75% board / ~25% teachers; board contribution remains ~68% on average) — motion by Mister Cheryl; second by Mister West; outcome: approved. - Amended 2023–2026 MOU — motion to table by Mister Henson; second by Mister West; outcome: tabled for later consideration. - Trip request: Clay County High School FFA to Doyle (Cultivate Emerge conference, Nov. 2025) — motion on the floor (mover: Mister Sheryl); second by Mister Henson; outcome: approved. - Policy 5.302 (earned sick leave) — approved on first reading; motion by Mister Wade; second by Mister Cheryl; outcome: approved on first reading.
What it means
Most items approved were administrative (procurement, vendor selection, routine budget housekeeping) rather than final contract awards. The insurance decision will be incorporated into a future MOU; the board explicitly tabled final MOU approval to ensure policy language and the agreement align. Projects requiring funding beyond current allocations (for example, telephone-system replacements) were flagged as potentially needing a budget amendment before contracts are awarded.
The board’s actions on assessment and the budget maintain existing screening practices and enact bookkeeping changes staff said were needed to comply with federal special-education reporting.
Ending note
Staff will return to the board with bid results, any proposed contract awards, and the final MOU and policy language at future meetings. The board chair and staff thanked teachers and union representatives for participating in collaborative conferencing on benefits.
