Additional money in Dexter-area school budget will fund nurse assistant
DEXTER — A sum of $30,000 added to the 2026-27 Dexter-area school budget at the May public meeting will fund a nurse assistant for the Ridge View Community School.
The SAD 46 budget committee decided this was the best use of the $30,000 adjustment to the approximate $16.9 million budget. The school board approved reinstating the position during a July 1 meeting at Ridge View.
The $30,000 came from a budget adjustment to the regular instruction line, which exceeds $5 million.
The request called for the additional funds to be used for health insurance expenses for support staff, including ed techs, food service employees and secretaries. The school board could determine where the money went.
“We felt with (School Nurse Crystal Greaves) leaving and the new person coming in and having that new person in there — I don’t think there’s a better place,” Vice Chair Heather Miller said.
The budget committee unanimously approved using the $30,000 for the nurse assistant.
“It’s not quite enough, but I am confident we can find the difference in the budget,” Superintendent Brian Leavitt said. The difference is several thousand dollars.
The meeting was the first for Leavitt as superintendent. He succeeds the now retired Kevin Jordan. Leavitt had been director of the Tri-County Technical Center for six years.
The regional council is reviewing candidates for a new tech center director.
“We have a very strong candidate pool. It is going to be very difficult to make a selection because they’re all qualified,” board member Mike McCormick said.
The position could be finalized by the middle of the month.
The school board authorized a $24,530 lease purchase of an intercom system for Dexter Regional High School.
Funding for the intercom is included in the budget and a lease purchase option provides a better rate.
SAD 46 officials are unsure exactly how old the current intercom is. Given the age, it can be hard to service.
Lights and poles for the high school football field were set to arrive at the start of the month. Cianbro will install the poles in July and Steve Herring and crew will install the electrical system.
The first Friday night football game is set for the evening of Sept. 4.
Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Adam Gudroe has arranged for Varney Chevrolet to sponsor the 7 p.m. game, so everyone will get in free and the first 300 spectators will receive a food voucher.
SAD 46 launched a $250,000 field lighting project in late February, with a post on the school Facebook page including diagrams of a synthetic athletic field and track and grandstand and concessions and storage buildings.
The lighting project will be the first phase of a larger multi-sport turf field renovation project for the school and community at the site of the current football field and surrounding dirt track, the post said. Installing permanent lights will increase safety, allow evening practices and games, create more opportunities for athletes and make it easier for families to attend.
Last fall a T-Mobile campaign awarded the school $75,000 toward an upgraded athletic facility.
The school finished third in T-Mobile’s Friday Night 5G Lights contest with more than 500,000 online votes cast from around the country, receiving $50,000 along with another $25,000 for being one of 25 national finalists. The money was ceremonially awarded at a November assembly in the Ed Guiski Gymnasium.
With more than 2 million votes received out of the 8 million cast for 25 national finalists, Dierks High School in southwestern Arkansas won the $1 million prize. Lebanon High School in northwestern Oregon came in second with nearly 1.5 million votes.