CCS board still waits on fuel contract

    While it was on last week’s meeting agenda, board members at Chase County Schools once again chose not take action on a fuel contract for CCS busses and vehicles in calendar year 2023.
    That mirrored the board’s action from November, when the board also opted to wait and see what the gas prices do before locking into prices for diesel and unleaded gas.
    Supt. Adam Lambert said the board opted to continue to pay the pump price for now.
    School districts, as a government entity, also receive a discount from the pump price, he noted.
    “The board wants to continue to wait. We will continue to monitor prices, but as of right now, we’re not going to do contracts,” he said.
    Since late November, Nebraska’s average gas price has fallen close to 50 cents/gallon for unleaded, according to GasBuddy reports.
    For the past several years, the school has contracted for fuel with Frenchman Valley Coop, often approving contracts in November.
    In other business, the board accepted four contracts with providers of special education services.
    Occupational Therapy Services, LLC of Chappell was contracted for occupational therapy     at $74 per hour plus mileage.
    Chase County Community Hospital will continue to provide physical therapy services at $19.75 per 15-minute session.
    St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf will serve hearing impaired students at a rate of $72 per 30-minute session.
    Rural Rehabilitation Services, LLC of Wauneta will provide early childhood (preschool) speech therapy services at $79 per hour plus mileage.
    All of the providers above have been contracted with CCS several years, except for Rural Rehabilitation Services in Wauneta, which has been at CCS the last two years or so, he said.
    In other action, the board approved the school’s American Rescue Plan Reopening Plan, which sets forth actions the school will take related to COVID-19.
    Lambert said since CCS receives federal dollars, a plan must be approved each year. The one approved last week has no changes from the previous year, he said.
    Board members will have some homework over the holidays and before their January meeting, reviewing the first section of school board policy dealing with community relations.
    Board President Karl Meeske suggested the review of policy so all members are familiar with them. He asked they bring suggestions, if any, to the January meeting.
    Lambert said it’s his understanding the board will continue into the year with monthly reviews of board policy sections.
    Four separate closed sessions were held at the end of the meeting with no action on any of them.
    Closed session topics included personnel, negotiations, annual superintendent’s evaluation and strategy/legal advice on pending, imminent or threatened litigation.