Ontonagon looks to buy school buses

ONTONAGON — Lisa Johnson, the new Ontonagon Area School District’s superintendent, attended her first Board of Education regular meeting on Monday. A major item on the long agenda was board approval of a resolution for a bond proposal on the November ballot to raise money to purchase four new school buses.

The new millage of .7 mills for five years, will replace an expiring .7 mills, explained Johnson.

The plan is to purchase four new buses over three years, replacing an aging fleet of buses.

Many items on the board agenda related to the opening of school for the year. The school lunch prices remain free for students because the district is eligible for free and reduced lunches through a federal program. Adult lunches are $5.15 per day.

The board accepted the resignations of Tammy Couture, playground aide and kindergarten aide (6.5 hours per day) and Barb Boehm, substitute playground aide (1 hour per day). Both positions have now been posted. The board also hired science teacher Luke Safford as varsity volleyball coach for the 2022-2023 school year.

In other action, the board:

—Approved the contract with the Gogebic-Ontonagon Community Action Agency to transport Head Start students to and from school in the amount of $67 per student per month, a $2 increase due to higher gas prices.

—Approved a boiler project for $31,000.

—Approved a contract with the Gogebic-Ontonagon Community Action Agency to rent two rooms for the Head Start program for $11,220.

—Set the student worker (kitchen) wage at $8.39 per hour for the school year.

—Set the 2022-2023 substitute staff rate of pay at $98 per day for substitute teachers, $119 per day after 10 consecutive days for the same teacher. $9.87 per hour for substitute support staff and $16.84 for substitute bus drivers.

—Set the rate of pay for athletic officials of football, volleyball, basketball and track, and set the mileage rate of $30 if traveled over 50 miles to one driver per game.

—Thanked the custodial staff for their work during the summer and the Gladiator Sports Booster Club for the successful Booster Bananza recently held.

—Jan Tucker