Board pleased with online traffic

Portales Schools District Director of Technology Mike Rackler was pleased to report a good number of parents going on the school’s Web site to view their children’s grades during Tuesday’s school board meeting.

Rackler said approximately 20 percent of the parents are viewing the weekly progress reports on their children who are in high school.

“I’m surprised by this number at this stage of the program,” Rackler said. “I’m very pleased with the number. I think it will only grow.”

Rackler said that passwords were sent to parents for the school’s site, located at http://www.portalesschools.com, on Nov. 19. Parents can also view attendance records, lunch balances and school bulletins.

Portales High School principal Melvin Nusser said there will be a computer on hand during parent/teacher conferences on Friday at Portales High School Gymnasium so parents can learn how to get onto the Web site and view their children’s grades.

Rackler reported 18.4 percent of the Portales Junior High students’ parents are viewing their children’s grades and 14 percent at Lindsey Elementary School. The numbers dip down to 3.4 percent of the parents of Brown Elementary students.

Parents that do not have a password or have lost the password can contact the technology department at 359-0944.

— School Board members approved to award the bid of the toilet room renovations at the high school auditorium to Wilson and Wilson General Contractors of Clovis for the base bid amount of $109,920 plus gross receipts tax. The other competing bids were from LCI 2 Inc. from Clovis ($149,465) and United Enterprise Builders from Clovis ($161,635).

Portales Schools Superintendent James Holloway requested that Paul Reed of Paul Reed Architects take the next step in informing the contractors of the board members’ decision.

— Physical Education will begin on Tuesday for Lindsey and Valencia Elementary school students after an absence for the physical education requirement.

Valencia principal Todd Morris said Valencia Elementary students will have P.E. three times a week, while Lindsey Elementary students will have it two days out of the week. According to Morris, each P.E. session will be in 30-minute intervals.

“We will come close to servicing 600 students,” Morris said. “It’s very exciting for us.”

— School Board president Inez Rodriguez advised attendees the board of education election day will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 1. District Three polling place is Calvary Baptist Church and District Four polling place will be in the board room of the Portales Municipal Schools Central Office, instead of the Brown Early Childhood Center.

Absentee and early voting is currently taking place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Roosevelt County Courthouse and will conclude on Jan. 28.