By Sam Conner
Winslow School District Assistant Superintendent Lance Heister advised the school board last week that the solar power projects being constructed at no cost to the district would save an estimated $400,000 in 20 years of use.
Arizona Public Service (APS) Co. has received considerable federal money for grants such as the one the district received, and needed to use the funds or return them. Aneresco, formerly APS Energy Services, will build an 84,000 square foot solar panel unit east of the baseball field. There will be solar use on the main Winslow High School build-ings, with three electrical panels planned. There are meters to measure the usage.
Heister said that there may someday soon be solar panels used on a covered parking area similar to some others in Arizona such as at the Carl Hayden Veterans Administration Hospital in Phoenix.
Board members offered praise for Heister’s report on the solar power project, and saw this as an important asset for the district.
In other business Aug. 15, the board approved the hiring of Leland “Bubba” Billie and Quentin Hayes as eighth grade football coaches; Kyle Johnson and Anthony Petranovich, seventh grade football coaches; Brianna Conatser, seventh grade softball coach; Becky Barris, seventh grade basketball coach; Gina Williams, Winslow Junior High School Student Council sponsor; Cassie Schumacher, WJHS Honor Society; Kelli Fifelski, head WHS softball coach; Steve Sartain, freshman football coach; Cassandra Schumacher, stage manager at WHS; Karen Clay, emergency sub-stitute teacher; and April Jacot, sub and trip driver for the district.
A transfer was approved for Rudy Aragon from sub and trip driver to part-time bus driver for the district.
Approved as volunteers were Carlos Zamora and Daphne Barton as volunteer softball coaches, and Jason Hartnett as volunteer football coach at WJHS; and Leif Seed as volunteer cross country coach and Jim Keller as volunteer sub-stitute teacher at WHS.
The board approved acceptance of two musical instruments valued at $200 each from Cassie Schumacher for use at WJHS.
The sale of two used buses was authorized by the board.
Superintendent Doug Watson said that the district was in the process of purchasing a new bus and wishes to sell the old ones, which are around 20 years old and have high mileage.
Deletion of metals and precision metals courses at WHS was approved, as these are now part of the agriculture courses. Many of the concepts in these courses are taught in the agriculture courses.
Watson asked each board member to prioritize his or her top 10 legislative issues before the next meeting so that a consensus could be reached.
The first readings of a long list of Arizona School Boards Association policy advisories were heard.
Watson spoke briefly on most of the 21 items and said that some of them could be handled at the nest meeting, but that some would take two or more meetings.
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