Eggemeyer Responds to Criticism of Long
GCISD’s School Board President Jimmy Eggemeyer opened the Sept. 8 board meeting by responding to criticism of School Superintendent Steve Long at last month’s meeting for his handling of the school’s bank depository bids. Eggemeyer said when Long was hired three years ago, his primary job was to handle personnel first and school finances second. But he said Long has done an excellent job of overseeing school funds, especially considering that he came from a Chapter 42 (“poor”) school district to a Chapter 41 (“rich”) district.
Eggemeyer said that in the five years before Long was hired, the school operated at a deficit, drawing from its reserves. He said in each of the past three years, the reserves have increased due to Long’s budgeting skills.
He said the school board accepted the bank depository bid from First National Bank of Sterling City for the 2001-2003 term not realizing the minimum bid would make so much difference. “If we could have foreseen interest rates falling so rapidly, we would have definitely gone with State National Bank’s bid,” he said. “Hopefully, the board and superintendent will watch certificate of deposits and bank bids more closely,” he added.
Eggemeyer listed five grants, totaling $414,000, which Long has obtained during the past three years, plus two more totaling $350,000 which are pending. Eggemeyer said that for most of the past two years, Long was filling two jobs, his own and that of high school principal, due to Faith Scott’s illness. He said Long has “always put the best interest of the school first.”
Long reported that due to new regulations from the Department of Agriculture and Health which go into effect Nov. 1, hard candy and soft drinks will no longer be available in the school’s vending machines. Chips, some candies, water, sport drinks and juice will be offered. The regulations actually permit soft drinks at the secondary level, but not in the elementary school. But Long said because of the way the local schools are laid out, there will be no soft drinks in any vending machines. Students may bring soft drinks to school in their lunches, he said.
Long said he thinks the school qualifies for a National Fitness grant of $200,000 for weight training equipment, treadmills, etc. which would also be for public use. He has also applied for a regional Technology on Wheels grant ($150,000) which would equip a bus with computers and other technology to go to rural schools in the area.
The board agreed to accept the bid for care and maintenance of school grounds to James Schwartz for $10,920. The only other bid was from Oscar Trevino for $12,000. Long said the maintenance, using school equipment, will include such things as mowing, edging and weed-eating, and that an agreement releasing the school from liability will be required.
High School Principal John Petree reported that new school web pages should be online in a week. He said the address is the same, but there’s a new look. The address is gcisd.esc18.net.
Petree said Students of the Month will no longer be recognized at board meetings, but the principals will have an assembly at the end of each six weeks to recognize these students, plus those on the honor roll, and others.
Enrollment was reported to be 271 in grades K-12, down from 303 last year and 378 in the 1998-99 school year. There are 143 students in grades K-6, 128 in grades 7-12 and 88 in grades 9-12.
Dana Cook demonstrated the hand held computers that her fifth-grade class will be using in an experimental program. Ten are in use now, with 33 more on order, all paid for with grant money. They can be checked out for use at home on special projects. Parents will have to agree to pay a $170 replacement cost if the unit is damaged or lost when taken home.
After many years’ absence, FFA has reappeared at GCHS. At the request of Rusty Hollingsworth, the school board accepted the Glasscock County FFA Constitution and Program of Activities.