Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel And Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wakefield Public Schools board hires interim superintendent, approves $153,200 school bus
Summary
The Wakefield Public Schools board voted 6-0 June 15 to offer Dr. Ted DeTurk an interim superintendent contract for July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027, and to purchase a new 71-passenger school bus for $153,200 after finding repairs to the 2014 bus carried substantial risk and uncertain costs.
The Wakefield Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously June 15 to offer an interim superintendent contract to Dr. Ted DeTurk and to buy a new 71-passenger school bus for $153,200.
The board voted 6-0 to offer Dr. DeTurk the contract for the term July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. KSB attorney Karen Haase drew up the proposed Interim Superintendent contract; the board next approved a separate motion appointing Dr. DeTurk the district's authorized representative for state and federal programs, a formal act required to permit approval of certain state reports.
Board members said the purchase of a new bus followed a Building, Sites & Transportation Committee review and concerns about the district's 2014 bus. The district reported repair estimates of at least $16,500 with a potential additional $9,000 and no guarantee repairs would resolve the underlying issue, creating a financial risk of spending as much as $25,000 on an unreliable vehicle. On that basis the board approved buying a new 71-passenger bus with air conditioning and luggage racks for $153,200 (motion by Eric Riewer, second by Sherri Lundahl), the vote 6-0.
Motion records filed with the board show routine mover/second pairing on the actions: the consent agenda and the superintendent contract motions were moved and seconded by board members and carried unanimously.
The meeting packet and staff summary noted the new bus purchase was recommended after the committee compared options including new versus used vehicles and outright purchase versus financing. The board also declared the district's older transportation vehicles surplus to be sold at a district-sponsored silent auction consistent with Board policy and Nebraska law.
The board convened at 5:30 p.m., conducted committee and administrative reports, and adjourned at 6:03 p.m. The next regular meeting is scheduled for July 13 at 5:30 p.m.
