North Clay Board Approves Hike in Driver's Ed Fee

North Clay school board members Thursday approved an increase in the district's driver's ed fee to $75.

The hike was approved after no comments were heard from the public at a hearing during the meeting.

The Board also received no comments on a proposal to seek State permission to charge less than 10% above normal tuition for non-resident children of district employees.  The proposal will be submitted to the State for approval.

In personnel moves, the Board accepted the resignation of Allen Lucas as fulltime bus driver and then hired Lucas as a substitute bus driver...hired Billy Coble as junior high boys track coach...hired Jeremy Edwards as high school softball coach...hired Leslee West as high school head Scholar Bowl coach...and set salaries for admnistrators, the technology coordinator and Unit office staff members.

The Board agreed to approve fundraisers and the field trips reimbursable by the State during the regular school day while allowing other trips to be self-funded if approved by the building principals.  In addition, Pre-K through Grade 4 trips will be limited to Clay and surrounding counties. 

Superintendent Monty Aldrich explained Illinois reimburses a maximum of 64% of the costs associated with an educational field trip that is started and completed within the student attendance day time period.  Field trips taken after school hours and/or on weekends are not reimbursed by the State.  Neither are overnight trips unless certain conditions exist.  With pre-approval by the building administrators, self-funded trips will be approved as long as the group taking the trip fully funds all costs including the bus driver, fuel, substitute teachers, other substitute personnel and any hotel, ticket or other expenses incurred.  Aldrich said the idea is to have shorter field trips for Pre-K through Grade 4, and lengthen the trip possibilities as students progress to the upper grade levels.

The Board also voted to add Clay County Counseling Services as a vendor for the district's Random Student Drug Testing Policy.  Current board member Cara Rinehart owns Clay County Counseling Services and desired to be on the vendor list for the current policy.  It was agreed that if the situation existed where a student needed to be before the Board, Rinehart would not be allowed to participate in the Board closed session nor other discussion.  The motion was approved 4-2 with Rinehart abstaining from the vote and members Simmons and Ballard voting No.