Board approves addition for school

Budget discussions dominated Tuesday night’s Portales Municipal School Board meeting.

School board members approved an agreement between the school district and Greer Stafford Inc. for a new wing at Brown Early Childhood Center. The agreement requires the project not exceed the allocated $1.5 million before taxes.

“(Cost) is going to be on a sliding scale rate,” Finance Director Murphy Quick said. “The scale goes down as the cost goes up. If there is any change on their end in the project, there will be no compensation. No fee change.”

Board members also set a date for a Fiscal Year 2004-05 budget meeting at 4:30 p.m. on April 21. Superintendent James Holloway said Quick is working on the budget and has taken into consideration the salary increase and the new three-tier licensure system passed by Gov. Bill Richardson and Legislature in the recent legislative session.

“We’ve met all of the mandates of the raises and the three-tier licensure,” Holloway said. “Documentation for the figures, you will have in the budget.”

The three-tier licensure system means a minimum salary of $30,000 for Level I, II, and III-A teachers in Fiscal Year ’03-04; a minimum salary of $35,000 for Level II and III-A teachers in FY ’04-05; a minimum salary of $40,000 for Level II and III-A teachers in FY ’05-06; a minimum salary of $45,000 for Level III-A teachers in FY ’06-07; and a minimum salary of $50,000 for Level III-A teachers in FY ’07-08, according to the Teach New Mexico Web site.

Also at the meeting:

l School board members recognized the Portales girls basketball team, which won the Class 3-A state championship, and the Lindsey Middle School band.

l They also recognized Cynthia Flores, an administration intern, and the collaboration of Eastern New Mexico University and New Mexico State University with the Portales Municipal School District.

NMSU’s Isela Jaquez praised the Portales Municipal School District for providing mentors for their interns.

l School officials also made announcements regarding the High School prom, which will take place on Saturday in the Portales High School cafeteria, and the Broad Horizons Educational Center Prom, which will take place on April 23 in the Portales National Bank Rough Rider Room.