NewsLincoln School asking price approved
By Steve Dunn/Gate City Managing EditorThe Keokuk School District is asking $146,000 for the old Lincoln Elementary School on South Seventh Street.
On Monday night, the Keokuk School Board set the price after hearing Steve Haage of Arista Appraisals review the appraisal process for the 20,000-square-foot building. In reality, the asking price could be set between $120,000 to $180,000, Haage told board members. “There is not a real active market (for such types of buildings),” he said. Nevertheless, board president Dr. Wilson Davis and business manager Greg Reynolds indicated the district has received some inquiries about the structure. Haage explained that market value is predicated on the highest and best use, of which there are four factors, including what is physically and legally possible to put on the property. Most of the 20 school buildings he's appraised over the years ended up having multiple-family uses, he said. “It would be a very expensive conversion,” he added, referring to the feasibility of turning the old Keokuk school into multiple-family dwellings. The property would have to be rezoned if it's used now for something other than residential purposes. “The inquiries so far have been for business purposes, which would require rezoning,” Reynolds commented. Board member Tyler McGhghy, who voted against setting the price at $146,000, asked what will happen if there is an influx of students into the district and whether a new school would be built. Elementary Principal Russ Derr said there is room for more students in the existing grade schools, although class sizes might increase slightly. At present, the first grade classes have 18 to 21 students, according to Derr. The district's Facilities Committee has recommended building a new elementary school on the south side of town to replace Lincoln and Wells-Carey elementaries. The state projects a steady decline in the Keokuk public schools' enrollment over the next seven to eight years. Board member Brent Gatton also voted against the $146,000 figure. The school board decided to hire a network manager to oversee the district's computer network, with a potential salary in the range of the $30,000s to $50,000s. The position was proposed originally in 1999 when the district had only 400 computers. The district has more than 1,200 computers and 120 network printers now, Assistant Superintendent Lora Wolff said. “We're at a critical point where we need someone who knows the file servers and their backups,” she added. Board member Bruce Dunek asked if the services provided by a network manager could be contracted. Superintendent Jane Babcock responded that timeliness would be an issue if an outside provider was used. And Keokuk High School Principal David Keane said, “We're really shorthanded in teaching teachers how to use the technology.” Babcock also said the network manager probably won't be hired until the end of February and start his or her job until March. Professional development Keokuk Middle School Principal Steve Carman updated the board on the activities of the new Teacher Quality Professional Development Committee. The committee's goal is to provide the best professional development for the teaching staff. Funded by the State of Iowa, the committee has an $88,170 budget this year. During this school year, Carman has attended a training session in Des Moines and three meetings have been held. Based on teacher input at the start of the school year, the committee came up with four areas to address: love and logic, character education, parental involvement and assessment. A full day of professional development will be held on Jan. 22, and three half days of professional development also are scheduled before the school year ends. “I see this as one of those committees that needs to stay intact for at least two or three years,” Carman told board members. Collaboration is another goal of the committee. Carman, who has worked in the district for 15 years, said the atmosphere during contract negotiations has changed for the better in recent years, which has carried over into other areas. Committee member and middle school teacher Louis Clark said the Keokuk district is ahead of many others in terms of professional development for its teachers. In other business, the board: n Accepted the retirements of Kid Zone site coordinators Jackie Scott and Dawn Butler, middle school guidance counselor Don Lohr and middle school cafeteria manager Nonda Clett, who have a combined 99 years of experience. Other personnel moves include hiring Diana Davis as seventh grade head girls basketball coach and Amanda Pearce as seventh grade assistant girls basketball coach and hiring Sharon Lemon as a bus driver, Patricia Petty as a two-hour food server and Trina Gaylord as a 1 1/2-hour food server. Jill Evans is resigning as a middle school supervisor. n Heard Ed Kiedaisch report on the Keokuk Community School Foundation, which now manages about $475,000. The foundation has opened another account in the form of an endowment, he said. “We get to spend 5 percent of the money in the endowed fund if we want,” he explained. “We can never touch the balance.” n Was told a special meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Educational Technology Center at the high school. More information from Monday's school board meeting will be published later this week. Copyright © 2010 - Daily Gate City
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