As Manhattan continues to expand and prosper, USD 383 is looking to plan and prepare for growth and possibly update facilities. At Wednesday night’s board of education meeting, assistant superintendent Eric Reid addressed the board on behalf of the Facilities and Growth Committee.
The committee has received eight proposals from various firms looking to help the district with a facility needs analysis and even help them move forward with any plans. The board decided to hold a special meeting next Wednesday afternoon to look at the various proposals along with the members of the special committee. Transparency seemed to be a popular idea with most of the board members.
“We’re talking about a big financial commitment…just to formulate the plan,” Reid said. Board member Dave Colburn expressed his interest in the planning process after Reid noted half of the current proposals are from local firms.
“On one level, we’d like to say this is just business. But as Eric said, they have put a lot of work into this. It’s their town, they pay taxes,” Colburn said. He also noted the growing number of elementary students may have a significant impact on middle schools and the elementary facilities moving forward.
The board also heard from Larry Doll, Director of Human Resources, who did research about possible health insurance plans for the upcoming year. The board selected a plan from Aetna, as opposed to Blue Cross Blue Shield. James Neff, NEA representative, told the board most teachers he had spoken with were satisfied with the plan. Board members also approved a bid to Cheney Construction of Manhattan for drainage repairs at Ogden Elementary.
At the beginning of the meeting, President Marcia Rozell was re-elected to serve another term. Pat Hudgins was elected to serve as Vice President. Dr. Marvin Wade, the new Superintendent at USD 383, was also in attendance.
