Board of Education Selects new President &amp

The USD 480 Board of Education met Monday night for a regularly scheduled meeting at the Education Service Center.

The meeting was the first for the 2010-11 school term so the first item was to elect officers. Board member Reid Petty was elected the new Board President by a 4-2 vote over incumbent Dan Diepenbrock. Petty’s four votes came from Tammy Sutherland-Abbott, Stacy Johnson, Cheryl Louderback, and himself. Diepenbroc s two votes came from Nick Hatcher and himself. Dr. Jim Jury was absent.

Sutherland-Abbott was then elected Vice-President of the board beating out the incumbent Jury 4-2. Southerland-Abbott voted for herself along with Hatcher, Johnson, and Petty. Louderback and Diepenbrock voted for Jury.

Another action item was to designate an official newspaper for the district.The board voted to keep the High Plains Daily Leader as the district’s official paper. The Times Publisher James Gutzmer addressed the board before the vote and requested that they vote for the low bid. However, The Leader actually had the low bid and their Publisher Earl Watt thanked Gutzmer for encouraging the board to vote for his paper. Petty then asked Gutzmer and Watt to explain how they can both claim to have the low bid, but Gutzmer said, “We don’t have the low bid.” The board then voted 6-0 in favor of the Leader.

The board also selected committees for the upcoming school term, approved a 25 cent raise for classified staff, and approved certified resignations, transfers and employment.