Mark Valenzuela, school bond advisor, presented at work session

By Margaret Hopper

The regular Silver School Board June meeting on June 20, 2017 was preceded by a work session at 5:30 to allow Mark Valenzuela of George K. Baum & Company, the firm assisting the board with the planning on the bond issue, and Alicia Edwards of the Wellness work, to present more lengthy information on their presentations before the main business meeting. The work session went on past its time, ending about 6:30 and breaking into the period set for the regular board meeting.

Those present included Justin Wecks, Patrick Cohn, Ashley Montenegro, Frances Vasquez and Mike McMillan, board president. In the absence of the superintendent, Audie Brown, Candy Milam, assistant superintendent, presented information for the administration.

Luis Carrasco, attorney for Rodey Law Firm, alerted the board of the signatures needed that night on the compliance documents to keep the timing going for bringing in the funds needed to get the work started. Valenzuela was available for advice, but Carrasco reviewed the major points of the resolution and the interest rates that would be applied during the life of the bonds. June 30 was the all-important day for this to be in place.

He was followed by Barry Ward, district maintenance division, who named the first projects to use the bond issue for repairs. Ward noted that Ben Potts, technology, had been instrumental in keeping this plan in an informational form for public tracking. He then named the schools and the projects that each would receive. There were roofs, floors and playground equipment to be purchased and set up, some of it hopefully finished before school starts in August, or as soon as possible.

Cliff and Silver High are getting the roofing work. Classrooms should be roofed by the end of July, he said. The gym roofing in other areas can be worked at a later date, with less noise for the students when they are in the classrooms. Some air conditioning work is being done now, as and when it is affected by the roofing.

The playground demolition work is finished and the new equipment at Sixth Street and Jose Barrios is to be delivered this week. The sand is on site, ready for when installation is finished. This should be done by the end of July. The gym floor at La Plata has planking in place; the sanding and new graphics will follow. The main gym is next.

Sixth Street is getting some plumbing in July. Harrison, Sixth and Barrios are getting flooring. Most of this should be finished in July. He said the bidding and selection of contractors had gone quickly, and the crews were in place and working just as soon as school was out. So far, the work has been routine, without any major problems, and none are anticipated.

Asked about roofing and monsoons, Ward said that had been planned; no work is scheduled that can't be watertight by the end of the day. Past rains have come, but there have been no problems from them. Funding comes from the bond issue and will be paid after the first of July, although the work began earlier. He says he inspects the work for quality and signs off on it. Labor is both local and outside; the larger projects are with known and proven firms.

CES, Cooperative Education Services, is a purchasing co-op in the state of New Mexico. Ward spoke of the advantages of using this group and better prices the district gets with its help. He mentioned the adjustable agreements with contractors, so Silver is not locked into future work with any single firm. Much of the anticipated work in future years, as more bond funds are released, can be awarded to contractors who have shown quality, deadlines kept, clarity of agreements and similar factors. So far, he notes, the work has been good.

Discussion went to future projects such as Cliff, Harrison, the daycare and other projects. He told how the carry-over funds from the first bonding could prepare for the next round of funding, with plans, permits and other early work. There was much change from first ideas to reality on the Harrison and Cliff projects. Time was needed to develop better results. He introduced a visiting architect who is helping with the processes. He also noted that the school website carried updates on the bond improvements.

As Katrina Bustillos was not present, McMillan suggested that her report be read and included in the board minutes. In the absence of Brown, Milam reported end of year work, the adoption of new social studies books for high school, middle school and 6th grades. As a result of the reorganization, the moving continues, with some student help.

Hiring and interviews continue: Shane Kogerer will oversee academics; Victor Oaxaca is the athletics director and assistant principal; Jason Ping will transfer to Stout; Bobby Trujillo will be principal of Sixth Street; and other positions are being hired. Two resignations need to be filled. And a number of financial applications are on the agenda for this meeting, she said.

Michele McCain, director of finance, reported May checks totaled $2,448,576.66. Individual action items included approving the Sale Resolution for General Obligation Bonding Funds and an application for the Elementary Fine Arts Art Program, for 1515 students at that level. Other applications included a request for Title I, $255,276,77; Title II, $123,083; IDEA-B, $751,796 and $20,287 for the pre-school portion.

The 2017-18 budget for the district was $23,065,609. Bus contracts included Cliff Bus Line, $151,302.94; Shelley Bus Farms, $36,881.57; Montoya Transportation, $608,014.72; Mangas, $64,900.58. The Wellness policy was conditionally passed with two sections of that to be passed with promises of further clarification at a special session.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for July 18, with a work session starting before that at 5:30. A Region VIII meeting is to be held Tuesday, September 26, at Silver. The open meeting ended about 8:45 as members voted to go into closed session to discuss limited personnel matters and attorney/client privilege-litigation information.