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TOMBSTONE — It was a busy Wednesday night at the Tombstone schools governing board meeting, as the members and district administrators seemed in agreement not to dwell on the defeat of the maintenance-and-operations override referendum in Tuesday’s general election.
There will be plenty of time for that down the road.
Superintendent Ron Hennings told the board that a conference call with principals and other administrative personnel had taken place Wednesday during the day, and recommendations will be forthcoming. The failure of the override to pass is expected to have serious financial consequences for the already-strapped district.
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On a brighter note, Tombstone High School principal Robert Devere announced that installation of the new gymnasium floor will begin on Monday, and is expected to take approximately four weeks. The “old” new floor was destroyed by water when the building’s hot water system failed to operate properly and flooded the gym prior to the start of school.
A new expansion tank and pressure gauge have been installed, and there are plans to build a concrete block dam around the entire tank and boiler system, along with a water escape route to the building’s exterior, should the drain prove inadequate.
Bids are currently being taken on mixing valves that would permit the temperature moderation of hot water in the locker rooms.
Technology coordinator John Holder assured the board that all incidents of hacking the district’s computers have ceased, and that the system’s security has been enhanced.
In October, Holder had helped expose a small ring of high schoolers who were accessing the district’s network, ostensibly to play games, but had caused damage to and loss of electronic files.
In other action at the high school, Devere said that on Wednesday the school participated in an exercise with the U. S. Customs Service and police departments from Sierra Vista and Benson, going into “lockdown” and having the entire campus searched by dogs trained to identify illegal substances.
“The drug dogs didn’t find as much as a cigarette,” Devere said.
The authorities remained on campus for an hour to meet with students and answer any questions.
A shiny new, state-of-the-art, $100,000 school bus provided another bright show-and-tell moment; it was purchased with federal reimbursement funds for special services rendered to students of financially-eligible families.
Superintendent Hennings received board approval to proceed with a grant application with a consortium of schools in other states for professional development in designing and training teachers to teach the history of native Americans.
Tombstone’s share of the grant could be as much as $300,000 and involve 15 faculty.
The district is also involved in the first steps of preparing its capital plan to request building renewal funds from the state. This is a process by which school districts receive some monies toward maintaining their facilities.
“We want to be sure we get every dollar we possibly can,” said Hennings.
Prior to Wednesday night’s meeting at the high school, board members had taken a tour of the Walter J. Meyer elementary school, to examine its physical condition.
Huachuca City School principal Tom Yarborough reported he is meeting in Tucson on Thursday with a school improvement representative from the Arizona Department of Education. Huachuca City School was rated as “Underperforming” on the ADE’s report card system, and the meeting is expected to result in the development of a school improvement plan.
New board members Joerg Wallace and Benjamin Barber were introduced, although their official, four-year terms on the board will not begin until Jan. 1, 2007.
Barber said that he hoped the board would look forward, not back, and that between now and the first of the year he plans to be talking to administrators and visiting with teachers.
Three Tombstone seniors made a presentation, requesting board approval to hold a block party on the tennis courts of the old high school on Dec. 9 to raise funds toward buying a theatrical stage.
Representing the organization Senior Presents, Amanda Fuller said that the group has held a series of projects over a three-year period, and has raised more than $3,000.
“There are lots of events where students could benefit from having a stage,” she said.
The board approved, and the block party will run from 6-10 p.m. and cost $5.
In a Call to the Public, Heather Gardner addressed the board regarding the override defeat.
“How do we let the public know how desperate we are,” she asked, “What do you need from us?” Gardner is a Tombstone parent and member of the Huachuca City School site council.
“What’s on the chopping block? I’m appalled (at the defeat). I get one shot at educating my child.”
The board moved into executive session — closed to the public — to consult with its attorney on pending or contemplated litigation regarding the high school’s water system.
Herald/Review reporter Cindy Skalsky can be reached at 515-4611 or by e-mail at cindy.skalsky@svherald.com.
Patty wrote on Jan 18, 2009 10:40 PM: