New Roofs for School Houses
Like many property owners in Glasscock County, GCISD has to replace roofing due to recent hail. The school board on June 8 (Kevin Hirt absent) accepted a bid of $105,000 from Clifton Roofing of Odessa to reroof all 18 of the school’s houses. (The metal roofing on other school buildings was not damaged.) The current composition shingles will be replaced with 26-gauge metal panel roofing, and Superintendent Steve Long said he hopes the material will allow the school to “get out of the roofing business,” a reference to the number of roofs replaced over several years. Long has said this is the fourth time in nine years that he remembers roofs being repaired or replaced due to hail.
Long told the board that preliminary estimates indicate tax valuations may go up more than $80 million due to wind turbines located in the county. He also said that wind farm deals done before Sept. 1, 2009 would likely be grandfathered if the state changes its regulations regarding how schools can handle the income from them.
Summer school is in session half days through July 3 and has 35 kids enrolled. Regular enrollment in grades
K – 6 was 129 at the end of the school year, with an additional 17 in the Headstart program. There were 122 students in grades 7 – 12.
In other matters, the school board voted to extend the depository contract with the First National Bank of Sterling City, Glasscock County branch; approved a shared services agreement (for attorneys) with Region 18 for the next school year, and a shared services agreement with Ector County’s Regional Day School Program for the Deaf, if it is needed.
At its May 13 meeting, the GCISD board approved 21 students who requested to attend school here for the 2009-’10 school year even though they live outside the district. School Superintendent Steve Long said there might be more transfer requests to come.
At that May meeting, he also reported that students representing GCHS did well at a recent FFA competition in Lamesa. In addition, he said their appearance and actions were excellent and added that adults from other districts always compliment our kids.
On May 13, the board canvassed and approved the votes from the May 9 school bond election.