By WILL PERKINS
Glasgow News 1
Glasgow Independent’s board of education approved the purchase of a new scissor lift to be used throughout the entire school district. The approval came during the board’s regular monthly meeting Monday evening in the CO2 Board Room.
Even though it would cost $22,000, Superintendent Chad Muhlenkamp said this move will save them money in the long run.
“We spent $8,000 last year in lift rentals to do repairs throughout the district,” he said. “And $6,000 the year before.”
Muhlenkamp said the district currently owns a scissor lift that it purchased when Glasgow High School was built, but since the lift is four-feet wide, it’s hard to reach certain areas including classrooms. So for these projects, the district would rent a scissor lift that fits into these areas.
Considering the savings in rental costs, Muhlenkamp said the lift would pay for itself in about three years.
“I just thought it made more sense,” he said. “So it would not be an ongoing expense for the district.”
Muhlenkamp said they would be able to use the lift almost weekly, as opposed to having to wait until enough projects pile up to make renting worth it. For instance, when lights needed to be replaced, the district wouldn’t immediately change them out.
“We’re waiting until enough (lights) go out to make it cost-effective to rent a lift for a day,” he said. “We rent one about once a month because we try to wait and stockpile (projects and repairs).”
Before unanimously approving the purchase, board members agreed that it makes financial sense for the district.
“How do you say ‘no’ to that?” board member William Thornbury said. “I support that.”
There was some discussion about what to do with the current scissor lift, and since it needs thousands of dollars worth of repairs and annual inspections, the board agreed to trade it in for a $1,200 credit when purchasing the new one.
In other business, the board approved the district’s working budget for the 2025-26 school year.
Finance Officer Sandy Moore said 77 percent of the budget — about $15.5 million — goes toward staff salaries and benefits.
During the board’s August meeting, Thornbury commended the district for supporting its employees, stating that “our faculty and our staff are the people who really, really make us successful.”
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