by Evelyn Pyburn-Originally published in the Yellowstone County News 8/19/16 print edition
LOCKWOOD — After interviewing two applicants to fill a vacant position on the Lockwood School Board, the board selected former board member Teresa Stroebe to fill the position. They were quick to ask the other interviewee, Sylvia Noble, to resubmit her application as other positions on the board come open, and there will likely be a few.
Board member Sue Vinton will probably resign if she is elected as a state representative in November, and the board will again have to go through the process of appointing a replacement. If that happens, with the terms of two other board members expiring at the end of this school year, next spring Lockwood School District will be electing four board members, since both appointees must run for election to permanently fill the positions to which they were appointed.
Superintendent Tobin Novasio said that they actually had three applicants for the board position opened with the resignation of Don Reed. Pam Ask also applied, but could not be at the board meeting last Tuesday to be interviewed. All the candidates submitted their answers to questions in writing.
With board member Scott Kiekover absent, the election of Stroebe was split in a three to two vote.
Stroebe, who served previously on the Lockwood School Board, as well as, serving as Lockwood’s high school representative with School District 2, said she wanted to return to the board to help in the process of getting a high school for Lockwood. Vinton said that she supported Stroebe because she believes that Stroebe’s experience will be invaluable in that process.
Stroebe was sworn into office, and the board presented Don Reed with a plaque recognizing his service to the school district.
In other business, Lockwood trustees took final action to refinance bonds that were originally sold to build the Eileen Johnson Middle School. Because of low interest rates, the bonds were able to re-sold at a lower interest rate of 1.76 percent, saving the district taxpayers 10.8 percent on the outstanding balance over the previous average rate of 4.05 percent, or $950,813. The final year for paying off the bonds is 2027.
Purchasers of the bonds included a “mix of investors,” said Bridget Ekstrom, of D.A. Davidson, who handled the sale on behalf of the school district. Among banks purchasing the bonds were Stockman Bank, First Interstate Bank and Western Security Bank. Board member Joe Borgstrom said he wanted to thank the banks and other investors who purchased the bonds. They show “a huge vote of confidence in our community,” he said.
It was announced that the grand opening for the Lion’s Lair 2.0 will be Sept. 16. The installation of the new playground equipment is complete and most of what remains to be done is the placement of blocks for the sidewalk and spreading wood chips, according to Sue Robertson, a PTA member and recently retired school board member who has helped to spearhead the fundraising effort behind the project. They are but a few thousand dollars short of their fundraising goal, said Robertson, who was optimistic about fulfilling their goal and itemized some of the volunteer man hours and other contributions that have come from area businesses.
A special meeting of the Lockwood School Board will be held at 6 p.m. Aug. 18, to review the FY 2016-17 budget.
