School Nurse’s Position Still Topic of Debate
At its regular meeting Sept. 9, the GCISD board spent 90 minutes in closed session, presumably discussing the school nurse’s job description and salary schedule, but no decisions were announced. In a meeting Aug. 28, the board had voted to hire Christy Seidenberger as nurse/para-professional. School Superintendent Steve Long said Seidenberger was offered $24,786 for the first year.
The board also approved enrolling in the TEXSTAR pool, so that some school funds can be invested there at higher rates of interest than at local banks (currently 5.3 percent vs. 4.7 percent). The pool is sponsored by First Southwest Securities, and operates much like a money market fund; money can be moved in and out with no penalty. Long says the pool is insured and very sound.
At the Aug. 28 meeting, the board adopted a $10 million budget for 2006-07, with revenues projected at $109,000 less. It set the tax rate at $1.33 per $100 valuation, plus a .0996 tax for bonded indebtedness, for a total of $1.42.
According to Long, federal monies account for one percent of the district’s total revenue, state dollars amount to five percent, and local tax money provides 92 percent. Long said the district will pay out almost $6 million in “Robin Hood” money in the coming year. He said from 2000 to 2007, the district has gotten in excess of $1.4 million in various grants.
Long suggested that interested persons should take a look at the school’s web site, which Reta Bell’s web class has redone. The site is at http://gcisd.esc18.net