Colfax school district pays off 2 loans with payments totaling $71,723 annually
By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — The School District of Colfax has paid off two loans that amounted to annual payments of $71,723.
William C. Yingst Jr., district administrator, reported at the Colfax Board of Education’s June 17 meeting that the two loans were officially paid off this month.
“The total amount (for the loan payments) is $72,723.96, and that adds to the positive cash flow of the school district,” Yingst said.
A loan to buy additional land next to the Colfax school property was taken out in 2015 for $95,000, and the annual loan payment amount was $10,885.48.
The Colfax school district’s unfunded pension liability had an initial balance from 1987 with the state Employee Trust Fund of $368,456.84.
The unfunded liability was refinanced with Dairy State Bank in 2015 in the amount of $392,512.48 with an annual payment of $60,838.48.
Carpeting
One of the projects for this summer will be to replace the carpeting in the middle school hallway, Yingst told the Board of Education.
The school district did an experiment six or seven years ago with carpet squares in a high traffic area of the building, he said.
The carpet squares have held up well, Yingst said.
If the carpet becomes damaged or stained, then the carpet square can be pulled up and a new square put down, he said.
The next logical test zone is in the middle school, Yingst said.
Carpet squares are typically two feet by two feet (or 24 inches by 24 inches).
Other business
In other business, the Colfax Board of Education:
• Learned that the school district has received a $6,000 grant from the Mayo Clinic Health System for school-based skills and therapy sessions and for the food pantry.
• Learned that the school district has received a grant of $2,500 from the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region from the Trifecta Foundation Fund. Liz Tice, the reading specialist, applied for the grant to support the One School, One Read Project, in which each student in the school receives a copy of the same book to read at home as a family.
• Received a reminder that the Colfax school district annual meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 19, at 5 p.m. The regular Board of Education meeting will follow at 6 p.m.
• Established the date for the audit review at 5 p.m. Monday, July 15, with the budget review meeting at 5:30 p.m. and the regular school board meeting at 6 p.m.
• Authorized Yingst to pay any bills yet to come in June. The school year officially ends on June 30.
• Approved milk bids with Kemps of .298 cents for eight ounces of one percent white milk and .300 cents for eight ounces of chocolate skim milk. The price for 2024-2025 represents an increase of .006 cents over last year.
• Approved the bread bid with Pan-O-Gold. The previous bakery was Bimbo Bakeries. The bids are through CESA 11. Whole grain steak buns, 24-count, will be $5.60, representing a decrease of $1.20. Whole grain coney buns, 16 count, will be $5.21, representing an increase of $1.57. Whole grain hamburger buns, 30 count, will be $6.45, representing a decrease of 38 cents over last year’s bid with Bimbo Bakeries.
• Approved Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association membership in the following boys’ sports: baseball, basketball cross country, football, golf (cooperative with Elk Mound), track and field, and wrestling (cooperative with Bloomer). And approved WIAA membership in the following girls’ sports: basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics (cooperative with Bloomer), softball, track and field, volleyball and wrestling (cooperative with Bloomer).
Following a closed session, the Colfax Board of Education:
• Accepted the resignation of Mark Noll, boys’ basketball coach.
• Approved hiring Nicholas Heit as the boys’ basketball coach.
• Approved the following fall athletic coaches: high school football — Joe Beranek (head coach); Chad Evenson (varsity assistant); Hayden Goodman (junior varsity/varsity assistant); Jacob Steinke (junior varsity/varsity assistant); Mark Pankow (varsity assistant). Middle school football — Nick Heit, Tristan Kittilson. High school volleyball — Kari Sedivy (head coach); Kirk Secraw (junior varsity); Nichelle Broten (C-team); Felisha Glomski (C-team). Middle school volleyball — Carly Kittilson and Dianna Dachel. High school golf — Ryan Krall. High school cross country — Joe Doucette and Chuck Brown. Middle school cross country — Courtney Sarauer.
