Unit 40 Board Decides to Seek Bids on High School Entrance Project

Effingham Unit 40 school board members Monday decided to seek bids on the addition of an entrance to Effingham High School.

The entrance would be south of the entrance to the Hearts Rock Cafe and would run along the south side of the high school office.  The entrance would be used during the school day to control access to the school building.  The project is estimated to cost $180,000.  The goal is to have the entrance in place by September 1.

The Board heard that the work to replace the surface of the track at Effingham High School is to take 12 to 15 days to complete.  The contractor is to be on site May 28.  The Board also approved tuckpointing and sealing work on the exterior of Effingham High School.  R.L. Contractors of Butler will do the work, which will be completed over the summer, for $73,800.

Board members got good news on health insurance premiums; the district received an 8% decrease in premiums.  The savings of $231,000 is due to fewer claims and will benefit staff members since the District pays a flat fee share of the premiums.  Board members also hired Glass and Shuffett to do the district's audit work.

Superintendent Mark Doan reported the district got its third quarter financial payments from the State, only late by about a month.  The District received $200,000 in transportation funds and about $180,000 in education fund dollars.

Bev Soltwedel and Robin Klosterman were approved as board members of the Effingham Unit 40 Foundation, and the Board approved a reduction in force of Allen Birch as a part-time maintenance worker.  Birch remains as a bus driver.

In other personnel moves, the Unit 40 Board hired Judy Ruffner as a summer food service program cook, hired Cathy Hille, Pauline Sapp, Pat Clough and Pansy Limes as August 1 and 2 registration cafeteria staffers and Pauline Sapp and Pansy Limes as August 7 and 8 registration cafeteria staff, and hired Rhonda Tweedle, Kim Knierim, Janet Inman, Denise Willenborg and Vickie Schoenhoff as August 1 and 2 registration transportation staff and Rhonda Tweedle and Kim Knierim as August 7 and 8 registration transportation staff.

Also hired...Donna Walls, who although retired as a teacher will return to serve as junior high drama director, along with Ty Totten as a high school Industrial Arts teacher, Nicole Runde as a first grade teacher at South Side, Katie Breer as an extended school year teacher, Jennifer Castillo as an extended school year Speech teacher, Diana Brown as an extended school year paraprofessional, Rhonda Tweedle as an extended school year bus driver, and Rita Bushue as an extended school year bus aide.  Family and Medical Leave Act status was approved for Michelle Beck, Allen Birch, Katherine Mette and Lisa Borries.  Resignations were approved from Tiffany Gould as junior high cheerleading sponsor, Emily Quast as high school Prom sponsor, Peggy Walls as senior class sponsor, Kim Henning as a security worker, and Clark Williamson as a summer worker.  Charlotte West was transferred from a three-hour cook to a two-hour cashier at the high school.