The Ames Community School District will receive $75,000 for costs associated with storm damages because of participation in a Storm Protection Fund, Sherri Ruzek, district chief financial officer, said at Monday’s school board meeting.

“This year, several schools have formed a pool to try to minimize the exposure that would happen,” Ruzek said.

According to the board meeting agenda, “The loss fund can build over time and earn interest, works well with the new proposed caps to the management fund, can be paid from the management fund, no carrier overhead/profit, the contribution is less than the 1% deductible, and less than the buy-down insurance.”

The district’s EMC property insurance currently includes a 1% hail or wind deductible.

“It probably makes sense, at least to summer residents, given the derecho and hail damage and things we’ve had in the past ten years,” Kelly Winfrey, board president, said.

Also noteworthy

• Ames High Future Farmers of America member Elijah Magtoto was named the individual state champion at the Iowa FFA State Food Science and Career Development Event in May.
• The board approved the final acceptance and completion of geothermal improvements at Ames High School following a lawsuit against Q.C. Geothermal Inc for contamination issues.
• Ames elementary schools will implement the pilot program ($23,320) of Benchmark Advanced, an English and language arts curriculum, which was unanimously selected by Ames’ elementary educators.
• 1,100 Chromebooks and 34 computer carts will be purchased to replace those at Ames Middle School ($463,246).