Ord Talk

Watch the video, but Max is calling it quits after next year. In comments he made to the board, 65 is old enough and time to retire. It would almost behoove him to stick around a couple of more years until the construction is done and see the project through, but when its time to go, its time to go! We'll miss Ya Max! (just not for another year or so!)

Questions to ponder:

How long will it be before the school board decides it is in the best interest of the children to close Elyria and Vinton?

With the huge influx of new students from the North Loup/Scotia area coming in to make use of the new gymnasium, upgraded modernized and safe school, won't more teachers be needed to handle the overcrowded classrooms? No use to hire new if you can make use of teachers you already have and just move them around. Plus, by closing Elyria and Vinton and selling the properties, the school system could make up some financial ground in order to fix the Grade School. There are apparently safety issues there also as well as general upkeep, and none of those problems were addressed with the current bond. Don't look for that 11.4 cents to last more than a year before it pops back up to the original 19.4. After all the bills have to be paid and it is our childrens safety as well as their educational needs that are at risk here.

In addition, the school year gets longer every year with the need for teachers to continue their education and teacher inservice days. Automatic raises, union negotiations and health insurance must also be taken into account, and the budget managed accordingly.

As our sports teams continue to improve, trips to state and regional athletic events increase causing the need for extra days at the beginning or end of the year to make up for days lost as our students travel en masse to watch and cheer on their victorious classmates. Fortunately we now have a remodeled bus barn and a fleet of busses that is up to the task of transporting our children in a manner befitting of our soon to be improved school. The longer year also adds to the need for increased wages for the employees of the school system as they are faced with an ever shrinking summer vacation period. The above does not even touch on the fine arts, Drama, Speech and Music and the added burden it puts on our students to excell in these areas also.

Now is NOT the time to rest on our laurels! The Bond Passed! but so much more needs to be done and we must open our hearts and our wallets to assure that our childrens safety and education is all that we expect it to be!