CARDINGTON — Members of the Cardington-Lincoln Board of Education approved a three-year contract for High School Principal Joseph Mills, beginning August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2023. Voting against the contract was board member Marilyn Davis.

Superintendent Brian Petrie told the board April 15 he had met with the third grade staff on the matter of administering the third grade test by paper as opposed to the computer. The staff’s response was that the students are using paper and pencil for their primary instruction so the decision was approved by the board as suggested by the superintendent that the test be given by paper and pencil.

Deb Hart, Food Services Manager, said a total of 401 lunches and 211 breakfasts had been served earlier in the day in the high school lunchroom, breaking records. These are all reimbursed meals, she said.

Petrie said the Summer Meals program will begin June 10 and the meals will be served at the Cardington Pool and the Mt Gilead Pool, all served between 11:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. so groups can plan events around their schedules. Eligible is anyone 18 and under or those with disabilities who are 22 and younger. Adults can eat, too, he said.

Petrie also gave a summary as he stressed the vision of having all students in grades 7-12 have a career pathway.

District Treasurer Jon Mason offered his view of the Fair School Funding Plan which “has a lot of positive support behind it. What started over a year ago with superintendents and treasurers, this plan is simply focused on calculating the resources needed to educate students. Something has to change with the current formula we have,” he said, “as four out of five districts are either funded at minimum ‘guarantee’ or ‘capped’at a maximum amount.”

“Cardington is currently funded at the guarantee, meaning we receive about the about the same amount as the year before. Until the student population becomes much larger, the amount of funding from the state stays the same.”

The projections under the Fair School Funding Plan could potentially raise the state’s funding to the district by $200,000 to $300,000 per year, which would certainly go a long way.”

Three members of the National Honor Society gave a brief review of their recent trip to South Dakota. Delisa Goodman, Dylan Goodman and Branden Steckel.

Approved was the 2019-2020 school calendar. School will begin September 3, 2019, the day after Labor Day.

A contract beginning Aug. 1, 2019 and continuing to July 31, 2022 was approved for Tabitha Wall, school psychologist.

The appointment of Soledad Baker to the Cardington-Lincoln Public Library board of Directors was approved for a term beginning Jan. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 2025.

By Evelyn Long

The Sentinel