Clovis board makes school trip policy change

CLOVIS — The Clovis Municipal Schools Board of Education approved an out-of-state trip that conflicted with district policy, and soon after changed the policy that created that conflict.

By a 4-0 vote Tuesday, the board altered its school-sponsored travel policy to say, “no group sponsored by the School District and with a school employee on duty will take a trip of more than 600 miles, one way, unless an exception is granted by the Superintendent. Exceptions can be granted when status of an organization is dependent on national competitions, organizations advance through local, state and regional competitions, or when adequate local, state and regional options are not available.”

Prior policy did not allow 600-plus mile trips for an organization more than once every three years.

Just before that vote, the board approved the Clovis High FFA dairy team’s request to travel to the FFA National Convention in Indianapolis in late October. Teams that win state-level competition can never compete in that category in future state competitions, FFA Advisor Kalynn Baldock said. So a national opportunity isn’t something that works with a policy only allowing trips every three years.

The team is comprised of junior Grant Palla, sophomores Cara McWilliams and Robert Gage Myers and freshman Thomas Palla.

“We’re all very passionate about this,” Myers said. “We feel we have a good chance. If we could bring (a national title) home for Clovis, that would be awesome.”

The board also approved a Sept. 17 sale of $3 million in bonds, coming from the $20 million approved by voters in 2017.

The money will be pooled with more than $2 million already set aside by the district for the following projects:

n Barry Elementary renovations: $3,053,604, representing a 31% match to the Public Schools Finance Authority

n Floors for Cameo and Mesa elementaries: $250,000 each

n Roofing for the Clovis High School G Building: $350,000

n HVAC upgrades at the central office: $600,000

n Arts Academy at Bella Vista upgrades: $325,000

n Fencing, security cameras, doors and windows at CHS: $434,446

Erik Haragan of RBC Capital Markets told the board that given interest rates, the district was offering a sale at the right time.

Following the sale, the district would still have $5 million remaining from the $20 million authorized.

In other business at the Tuesday meeting:

• Carissa Caroland, director of health services for the district, recapped 2018-19 statistics for the district’s school nurses.

Caroland noted two of the district’s nurses, Sharon Ray of CHS and Jennifer Martin at Parkland, were recipients of the 2019 Merit Award from the New Mexico School Nurses Association.

She said the Clovis nurses’ offices received 16,204 visits for acute illnesses and 6,932 for injuries last school year — 6,673 accidental, 259 from violence.

Caroland said school nurses play an educational role, from presentations to staff and students to instructing students how to manage medicine.

• Shawn Hamilton and Cindy Osburn were appointed to be board representatives on the CHS Foundation board.

• Joe Strickland, deputy superintendent of employee services, went over exit survey highlights to have a board-requested discussion on retention efforts.

The biggest concerns raised, Strickland said, tended to be wages, policy consistency and overall communication. Strickland said wage concerns are understandable for people who may have a house payment, a car payment and a student loan payment and find a $32,000 salary is a challenge.

Regarding the latter, Strickland said fixing those items don’t cost money but do require time and attention.

Strickland pointed out obstacles in the salary schedule and the school’s requirement of a master’s degree to remain employed at the district after a period of up to 10 years. The deadline to reach a Level 3 license (master’s degree) is five years after obtaining Level 2 licensure.

The master’s degree requirement helps thin out a candidate field, Strickland said, but, “it seems counterproductive to me when we have 20 openings.” He suggested non-enforcement of the policy for now and reconsideration when the district is fully staffed.

• The next meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at the CMS main office.