School board ready for mil levy election

Tony Parra: PNT Staff Writer

The Portales School Board members during a school board meeting on Monday unanimously approved a brochure informing Portales residents of how passing a mil levy in a February election will help the school district.

The passage of the Public School Capital Improvements Tax will not increase tax rates because the tax rate is currently in place. If approved, the mil levy would retain a property tax of $2 per each $1,000 of net taxable value of the property. The tax would be imposed through 2010.

The money generated from the property tax portion of the 2006-2010 years would be used for renovations such as carpet replacements, room painting, new windows to help save on energy costs and leasing vehicles, among other items.

The election will take place on Feb. 7.

Mary Lou Rowley, school board member, suggested school district members meet with the Partners in Education group in Portales about helping with support of the mil levy.

Rowley said the Partners in Education group is comprised of Portales merchants, clubs, organizations and other community members.

• Portales School District Director of Technology Mike Rackler updated the board members on a computer program used to send technical issue requests to technology workers. Rackler said the Information Technology Direct program is used by district personnel to send in information on a technical problem that is occurring.

Rackler said the program started on Dec. 1. He said before using the program, technology representatives would receive requests by e-mail. Rackler said through the new program he can see if the technical problems have been resolved, what reoccurring problems are going on and when each request was sent in.

“We have control over every incident in the district,” Rackler said. “We feel like we have a much better handle on what’s going on within the district.”

• Shirley Chatterton, food service director, said the newly implemented breakfast program is going great and for the most part running smoothly.

The implemented breakfast program is for all students from grades kindergarten to fifth grade. The school district qualified for $22,445 from the state for equipment and the lost revenue from paid meals.

Chatterton said some of the issues they are having is carpet-cleaning, desk-cleaning and hand sanitation. She said they are getting easy-to-use carpet and desk cleaning supplies and provided teachers with hand-sanitation pumps in classrooms.

The breakfast program started at Steiner Elementary on Jan. 3 and at Valencia Elementary on Monday. The program will start on Thursday at James Elementary and at Brown Elementary on Jan. 17.