Although Nye County students are enjoying the long, languishing, and blissfully carefree days of summer vacation, it was business as usual for the school board, which met for its regularly scheduled meeting last Thursday, where a variety of financial matters were attended to.

The final 2006-07 district budget, reflecting the usual revisions and tweaking that all budgets undergo, was unanimously approved by the board. Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Ray Ritchie and his staff were commended for their long hours of labor in putting together an accessible budget.

A 2 percent raise for district employees who are not covered by negotiated contracts was also approved by the board.

The increase in expenditures was reflected in the final budget.

Additionally, a new salary schedule was approved, which included a raise in the starting range for some district employees "as an incentive to move to the district office," explained Richie.

Superintendent Rob Roberts outlined the raise, and the slightly convoluted logic behind it, to the board.

"(Employees) make less money per day when they come to the district office, but they work more days so they make more money, and it results in a significant raise," Roberts said.

The schedule also includes incentives for administrative employees obtaining a degree.

"Those secretarial and professional assistants who do have, or aspire to obtain a college degree, since we're all about education we should promote education as we do with teachers and administrators," Roberts said. "The more educated personnel we have, the more effective and efficient the school district will run."

Four new funds were created by the board with the passage of a resolution.

The funds include a district school improvement fund, which will be used to support school improvement activities for schools, a federal advanced placement fee program, used to pay for advanced placement testing of low-income students, dollars for scholars, which funds high school students' tuition to attend Great Basin College for dual credit courses, and a Great Basin textbooks fund to start a textbook library so the scholastically ambitious high school students will have the books needed to take those courses.

The district will continue to apply for grants now that the Department of Student Achievement has been given blanket approval to apply for recurring grants.

On the more administrative side of business, a vacancy for the school board trustee seat for Area II of the district was officially declared. The vacancy is a result of the resignation of former board member Polly Church.

A new drug testing policy for teachers and principles that will go into effect July 1 was also approved by the board. The new policy allows drug testing pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, and post-accident. All commercial driver license holders working for the district are subject to random drug testing as per federal mandate.