Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes Editor The Mount Pleasant Community School District School Board met in a special session and later had a work session Monday, March 23rd. In their special session, they passed a resolution that declared, as of it’s passing, that the last day of school in the MPCSD would remain May 29th; that all district employees will be paid through April 10th; that all employees may be recalled at the discretion of the Superintendent; and that the schools will remain closed through April 10th per the governor’s recommendation.
They also approved a motion contracting Shive-Hattery Architecture as the engineering firm for the Van Allen exterior renovation. The board has been discussing the renovations of the elementary school for months now, they hired the firm to examine the structural integrity of the structure and if there are any biological contaminants in the structure. The architectural test would see how the structure of the school is changing with it’s weathering; test the soil’s ability to hold the structure; supervise the demolition and recladding of the structure. Biological testing would test the air quality in the elementary school and the environmental impact of the renovation. Then in a work session, the board discussed the budget plan and projects for the Penny Sales Tax fund, which is traditionally designated as a buildings and grounds improvement fund. The fund pulls it’s money from sales tax revenue. Superintendent John Henriksen cautioned the board regarding the funding for the Penny Sales Tax numbers. This is due to the current economic crisis that COVID-19 has brought about and with the decrease in sales and business closings. The sales tax numbers are likely to follow in suit and decrease dramatically. This left the board struggling to figure out what projects are essential for the next fiscal year and to see what projects they should table for the next time around. Much of the money in the fund goes to bond or lease payments that the district still owes on. The total payment amount for the district is $1,262,000 in encumbered expenses for the 2021 fiscal year. The expenses include the Middle School Renovation at $752,000, Bus Leases at $180,000, Central Office Renovations at $45,000, and expenses labeled as other at $285,000. The other category is expenses that are unexpected and is calculated by expenses from other years. The projects that the board salvaged totaled up to about $183,100. The projects that remain include a restroom remodel at the middle school ($20,000), pea gravel on the Lincoln playground ($14,000), Van Allen exterior repair ($15,000; this just includes the expenses for the engineering firm), fountains in the Van Allen Gym ($1,300), fencing around the new parking lot at Van Allen Elementary ($4,000), gym doors at Salem elementary ($500), a sink in the gym at Salem elementary ($300), the front driveway at Salem elementary ($37,000), pea gravel on the playground at Salem elementary ($16,000), Pickleball courts at the Middle School ($15,000), and Elementary floor scrubbers ($15,000 per or $60,000 total). Mr. Henriksen explained that the district took safety as a priority when reexamining their project priorities. Projects that have been left for a later time include: For the High School: finishing the high school family and consumer sciences room ($60,000), finishing the high school driveway ($80,000), hand dryers at the high school ($3,200), a second entrance/exit at the high school ($200,000), and a new chiller at the high school ($300,000). For Lincoln Elementary School: a cutout area for busses/cars ($20,000). For Harlan Elementary School: a vestibule that would allow educators to prevent the overstimulation of kids who have additional needs under the district’s new trauma-informed care protocols ($15,000). For Van Allen Elementary School: a walking path($45,000), hallway doors ($8,000), parking on the east side ($30,000), pea gravel on the playground ($18,000), and Classroom Lockers ($9,000). For the Middle School: a parking area on North Lincoln St. ($65,000). For the district as a whole: Elementary roofs ($95,000 per building), Softball field dugouts ($20,000), additional storage at Mapleleaf ($15,000), Bus Barn doors and windows ($15,000), Bus Barn Asphalt ($18,000), and Elementary classroom lockers ($2,500 per room). Totaling about $1,408,700 approximately. Many programs, however, were cut out in talks months ago amongst the board committee members. Mr. Henriksen also took note of several additions and redactions to be made. Henriksen explained in the coming years more and more projects will be taken on. This is due to a decrease in the district’s encumbered costs. Next year the district will only have to pay about $400,000 on the Middle School renovation bond meaning. That would be the last bond payment on the Middle School renovation meaning that almost $700,000 in money would be freed up for use. In the coming years, the district expects to whittle down this list. He will present the Penny Sales Tax Fund budget for the 2021 fiscal year at the April School Board Meeting for Approval.
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November 2020
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