Mondovi School cafeteria to receive facelift with new furniture

by Beth Kraft

Tables and chairs in the Mondovi School cafeteria that have been around since the 1960s will soon be replaced with modern cafeteria furniture.

The Mondovi School Board at its monthly meeting on Monday, Dec. 14, approved purchasing the new tables, which fold up with attached seats, at a cost of $28,592 plus freight.

The approved bid from Alexander Furnishings calls for 16 rectangular 12-seat tables and 12 round eight-seat tables.

Mondovi superintendent Greg Corning said it has come to a point where the current tables and chairs have served their purpose and should be replaced for safety reasons, to assist with cleanliness and to improve the aesthetic appearance of the cafeteria.

A change to a special education aide position was also approved that night. The position will offer an increase in hours from a 15 hour per week aide position that was recently vacated.

Corning said a jump in the number of special education students in the district created a need for an aide one additional hour per day, necessitating the increase in hours from 15 to 20 to meet the needs of those students.

The district plans to post for the position with hopes of filling it soon after winter break, said Corning.

In his report that night, Corning announced that the second school bus the Mondovi district offered up has sold for $43,000. That sale brought the total generated from selling two used buses up to $97,000.

Corning said the district was offered $64,000 total to trade in two school buses, but he decided against it to see if he could obtain more money for the vehicles by exploring sale options himself.

The Mondovi Schools expect to purchase and receive two new Thomas school buses soon, a move that was approved by the Board at last month’s meeting.

Corning also said the district’s new ParentLink app was up and running, available for downloads via Google Play or iTunes, and a new video about the School District of Mondovi featuring various administrators and staff is posted on the district website.

Deadlines concerning spring elections were also discussed. Incumbents must file non-candidacy by Dec. 28. Those who wish to appear on the ballot to run for a school board seat will need to file paperwork by Jan. 5, 2016.

Board members Barrett Brenner and Laura Wolf are up for re-election to two open seats.

In other business that night, the Board approved the following:

• individual contract for Lori Ness, Prom advisor

• Yvonne Herpst Memorial Nursing Scholarship

• donation of computers from Marten Transport

• first reading of Board policies