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Mike Hanner, a representative of S.M.
Wilson construction, said that they are almost finished wrapping up
the Central School project. He stated they still have minor issues
of missing shelves and countertops, but those have been ordered and
should be arriving soon. He also requested a letter from the board
regarding a certificate of substantiation: a necessary document that
says the building is near completion and is habitable. The company
needs this before they can receive their grant money from the state.
Central School Principal Christa Healy
was on hand and said there are still several small details that need
to be taken care of in almost all areas but that Hanner has a list
and is aware of the problems.
Another representative of the company,
Court Coles, said that the ground has been cleared and new
construction bids for the new junior high building are being
accepted at this time. The bid is to include removal of an old
foundation discovered on the site, presumably from the senior high
building that once occupied the lot.
Coles stated that there has been much
response from individual contractors to work on the building.
Bidding deadline will be Oct. 2. Coles also introduced the project
superintendent for the new building, Sid Wilson.
They will discuss bids for the new
building and make the preliminary decisions. The board president,
Bruce Carmitchel, promised to do what he can to keep the general
public more aware of progress during the building of the junior
high.
Carmitchel also asked for explanations
of added costs from the building of Central so that they can stay
closer to budget on the new building. He hopes this will help the
board to make better decisions and be more informed of the process
and fees involved when they are voting for revisions to plans or
more upgraded features.
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The district is in the black overall on
their budget, pending money from the state to help with the building
funds.
The board unanimously agreed on a
waiver of administrative cost limitation, for which District 27 has
qualified over the last few years. A criterion for the waiver is a
low administrative cost as compared with other districts in the
state.
The board has decided to plan an
auction to dispose of some extra equipment that was left over when
they finished moving the two schools and buying new things for the
new Central building. The equipment will primarily consist of
students' desks and chairs and a few teacher desks as well.
The superintendent's report handed out
at the meeting included some interesting information on the state
testing and the requirements for scoring. In the next couple of
years, children across the state will have to be tested from third
through eighth grade.
The state is also planning to publish
the exact standards it will use for this year's ISAT test, which
will help the teachers and administration to better prepare students
for the test and hopefully raise scores across the district.
Other business discussed included the
hiring of several new teachers and staff members, bills and payroll,
and an approval of an application for recognition of schools.
The board opened the floor for
suspension hearings and for individuals who might wish to address
the board, but no one wished to speak.
As the
meeting was adjourned, all in attendance had a chance to take a
sneak peek at the newly finished gym at the school, which the
students have not even had a chance to scuff yet.
[Ruth Halpin] |
