Creede BOE selects Gibbons to BOCES ReEnvision board

CREEDE — The Creede Board of Education held their monthly meeting Dec. 17 to discuss a wide variety of topics and work through regular business in preparation for the end of the year. After hearing a report from financial director Lori Heinrich, the board decided to table the approval of the annual budget until their meeting in January due to some questions board members had on several line items.

Under the advisement of Sherry Scallan, who suggested waiting on the approval of the budget, the board opted to table the motion until January. Scallan explained that the budget did not need to be approved until the end of January, which would afford board members more time to look over the document before committing to an approval.

After making that decision, board members listened to President Damon Gibbons who presented them with a proposal to continue their membership and keep their seat on the BOCES ReEnvision Board. Gibbons explained that he had been contacted by the Boards of Cooperative Education Services who asked if the Creede School District still wanted to be a member of the board.

Gibbons continued to explain that Liz Richards, the previous superintendent, had been a member of the board and because she was no longer with the school, they needed to find a replacement. Gibbons explained that he felt that their representation on the BOCES board was important and that he would volunteer to be the replacement to fill the vacant seat. Board members voted and approved to have Gibbons as the new BOCES board member.

During the meeting, the board also discussed the potential sale of one of their school busses. Gibbons explained that the school had been approached by a member of the public who was interested in purchasing their Bluebird bus. In response to this inquiry, the school had the vehicle inspected and was provided with a cost estimate of what it was worth to sell and what it needed in order to be compliant with the state for regular use.

As part of this discussion, Mineral County Public Health official Joni Adelman spoke up stating that the public health office had the bus listed as a potential mode of transportation in the event of an emergency, or mass casualty, and that if the board opted to sell the vehicle that the department would have to find an alternative.

Board members discussed the two estimates and voted to approve the use of funding in the amount of $1,500 to bring the bus up to compliance instead of selling. The vote passed unanimously.