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NORTH MANCHESTER - Re-carpeting will take place this summer in three kindergarten rooms at Laketon and Manchester elementary schools.
The North Manchester Schools board of trustees Tuesday approved a contract with Jack Laurie Floors for $21,867 to re-carpet the rooms.
Assistant superintendent Kim Thurston said the rooms will be re-carpeted with the same grade of carpet used the past two years in the elementary schools. Carpet replacement will begin this summer.
Approximately 10 Manchester Community Schools teachers attended the board meeting again Tuesday. They sat silently in the audience wearing red buttons with bold black letters: "TWANC (teachers without a new contract), 212 Days."
Teachers attending school board meetings - sporting their red buttons - is a trend that's been a norm for the past few months.
On Jan. 23, 19 MCS teachers signed in at the board meeting as "Teachers without a contract."
Then again at last month's meeting Feb. 20, nearly 50 teachers attended and passed out fliers in red and black lettering.
Teachers passed up two opportunities to speak at all five meetings they've attended in the last three months.
Manchester teachers are the only teachers in the area still working this school year without a new contract - 212 days, to be exact.
In other business, the board:
• Approved Mark Underwood as girls' varsity basketball coach at MHS.
Superintendent Connie Curry said it was nice to hire a "home-grown" coach. Underwood was a Manchester Community Schools student and has taught at MHS as well as worked as the athletic director at the high school.
"We certainly wish him well with his new position," Curry said.
• Tabled consideration of a contractor roof bid for the junior high roofing project. Thurston said Luther Mock, of Martin Riley Mock, will present the bid at next month's business meeting April 17. He said Mock is in Hawaii and was unable to attend the meeting.
Advertising for bids began last month, bids were opened March 12 and Mock will present a recommendation to board members April 17 on the successful bidder and on who should be awarded the contract.
Martin Riley Mock Architects/Consultants, Fort Wayne, was hired in January to oversee the roofing project. The contract was for $15,800 (all-inclusive).
The roofing project will be completed in phases, beginning with the worst areas this summer. The work will take place over two or three years, being completed no later than 2003.
• Granted Rhonda Bright, MHS teacher, permission to take a group of Key Club members to the Indiana Key Club District Convention in Fort Wayne April 20-22.
"This is a great activity for this group of students that the club serves," Curry said.
• Granted Bright permission to take Key Club members to Wabash Sunday for a community service project at Wabash Cannonball Lanes.
• Accepted Matt Webb's resignation as student council coordinator at Manchester Elementary School. Webb's resignation is effective at the end of the year.
• The next school board meetings are April 3 and 17 at 7 p.m. in the board meeting room at Maple Park.
Manchester Community Schools Board of Trustees members are: president Kent Trickle, vice president Virginia Gunter, secretary Larry Miller, Todd Speicher, Sally Krouse, Brad Perrott and Thom Frantz. Superintendent is Connie Curry. Assistant superintendent is Kim Thurston.
