Featured Blog Posts (15)

Valparaiso Lady said… I have recently found out from a reliable source that although the voters were told that all rooms would be worked on in the school, that is no longer the case. No work will be done to any classrooms except for the FCS room. No other room will be remodeled in any way. Nothing will be done to the ceilings in any of the rooms, the plumbing won't be fixed in the art room, or any other room in the school. Also, I am wondering why we are building a paint booth. The IT teacher… Continue

Just wanted to pass along my experience at the august 12-09 "informational" meeting at the high school

The sign indicates a public meeting at the public school open to the public, "for all INTERESTED patrons" Well I am interested. I got the notification in the mail. I checked the serial number on the meter against a letter from the school.

No question that postage was paid by the school the message on… Continue

JOURNAL-2-09



WAVERLY NEWS 8-13-09



WAVERLY NEWS 8-20-09 BOND REPAYMENT…



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I have had one person tell me they would not vote for the bond if the gym was not included. I have many MANY district residents tell me they will not vote for the bond because it includes a 4th Gym. I personally do not believe this is a necessary item. since we already have 3 gyms we need to invest in improvements we do not have or that should have a high priority such as efficient heating, cooling, lighting, and additional insulation to reduce operating costs. Instead adding more specialized… Continue

No particular order, just thought as I think of stuff.



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the 2007 Kids Task Force used school funds to mail out surveys that were for a citizens group. this is not allowed as I understand the rules.



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Why did taxpayers spend $175,000 to construct a bus maintenance facility, then as soon as it was done eliminate the bus mechanics position? Patrons pay for heat and utilities for a building used to store junk while bus… Continue

The current tax levy for 2008-2009 is $1.22 per $100 valuation. the spring 2009 bond would have added 18.5 cents if passed for a total of $1.405 per 100.



The estimate for the levy increase for the September 15, 2009 referendum is 16.5 cents. $1.385 total



So currently for every $100,000 of valuation you now pay $1220 for the school portion of your tax bill. that will increase to $1385 if the bond is approved by voters.



According to superintendant Paul Hull per… Continue

This is the phone survey that was done after the 2007 referendum failed. This was authorized by the board. Cost was approximately $12,000, one half was paid by Ameritas the financial agent retained by the district for the project. Keep in mind Ameritas has a financial interest in the passage of the bond issue and the subsequent issuance of bonds. It is my understanding that the agent worked with research associates and superintendent Oxley to develop the questions used for the survey. The board… Continue

More TAX money wasted Approval of Concrete Work " Superintendent Hull received concrete work bids from Macintosh Concrete, Inc. and R and B Contractors, Inc. Motion by Christensen, second by Maresh to approve the concrete work by R and B Contractors, Inc. for repairs at the Junior-Senior High School and Valparaiso Elementary School at a cost of $6,910.00 RCV 5-0. Motion carried." From the 6-15-09 board meeting Superintendent Paul Hull… Continue

Well another one has went down. FOR

932 AGAINST

1,013 A difference of 81 votes About 60% of the ballots mailed out were returned Here are the reports from local papers

Waverly News

Wahoo Newspaper…

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Here we are battling it out in the paper. Here are some letters from the Waverly News ================ (note, this was from the journal-star and was also in the Waverly news) Invest in kids’ future Saturday, Feb 21, 2009 - 12:18:09 am CST The Raymond Central School Board is being fiscally responsible with our tax dollars while attempting to provide, to the best of the district’s ability, the highest quality education to our students. With bond costs down and construction contractors hungrier… Continue

Attached is an energy audit by Norris Public Power and Nebraska Public Power completed in 2000. Some of the lighting has been updated since the audit was done. Parts of the HVAC system in the Main Building and some of the Barracks used for the junior high wing was replaced in 2004. No work was done with the admin building or the wrestling building. It might be difficult to get through all the numbers. Here are the highlights. 1999 energy use 76,116 btu/sqft, Total cost $52,189 cost/sqft $0.67… Continue

Here is something I looked at really hard. I tried to come up with a solution to make the former military building functional for our school. the biggest problem is the difference in the level between the high school building and the original military buildings. this presents a difficult problem when it comes to access and traffic flow, plus it is an ADA… Continue

I think a auditorium or performance area is a very important part of any improvement project at Raymond Central, after all the speech team has just won another state title. This makes 14 consecutive state championships. that record is unmatched by any other school in the state! Think about that for a moment.... if the Nebraska football team won 14 national… Continue

For anyone reading this that is not familiar with the 6th grade at Raymond Central Schools, the Ceresco school is K-5, Valparaiso is K-6 so all 6th grade students from the district attend classes in Valparaiso. Not an ideal situation because of the location



After talking with the elementary principals recently I found out our current buildings are at capacity. The 08-09 kindergarten class is so large it has been split into 4 classes which required some creative re-arranging at both… Continue

The History of Raymond Central Public Schools District #161, more commonly referred to as Raymond Central Public Schools, was founded in 1966. On August 2, 1966 District #19 in Raymond, voted to merge with Ceresco and Valparaiso into the new district, #161. An abandoned Nike Missile site was given to District 161 by the federal government as a 21-acre site for the Junior-Senior High School. At the time, many buildings were already at the site, but a… Continue