Long List of Decisions Made During Board Meeting
With the school closure extension, another two weeks worth of work was doled out to parents of school aged kids on Monday. In the picture above, the school work awaits, in the entryway of the high school.
The Broadus School Board, loaded down with agenda items and pressing matters related to the school closure from coronavirus, met late last week.
With social distancing rules in place, the board moved to the auditorium, where they sat a distance apart. The school also broadcast the meeting online, where up to 20 people at any given time watched the meeting.
The board declared an unforeseen emergency, approving an education plan to address the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
The school will continue to teach via online/take home work, with work being provided through April 10. Parents were able to come in on Monday (March 30th) to pick up their children's work for the next two school weeks. If the school closure is extended, work will be provided through May 1.
At that time, teachers will make a determination as to whether a student is proficient in their work, and if they are the student will be moved on to the next grade or given credit for the course.
The Board next discussed the transportation committee's recommendation to not extend the contract for the Volborg Bus Route, contracted by Ty and Trish Robinson.
There was a considerable amount of discussion about the matter, and eventually a tied vote meant the recommendation did not pass, which sent the decision back to the transportation committee, to be discussed at a different time. Superintendent Hansen tells us that the school board operates with such a structure that a tie vote is possible, and has happened in the past.
The board then considered the bids for the high school re-roofing project. In a bit of good news, the bids came in under projections, with the board ultimately deciding to accept the bid of Centimark Roofing, from Billings, for a cost of roughly $698,000. The project will begin following an environmental review, and hopefully will start this spring.
The board then decided to cancel the elementary and high school levy, which was set to run in the coming month. The board cited the savings in cost on the roofing project, as well as the financial blow to the community felt from the coronavirus crisis as reasons for cancelling the levy.
Next on the agenda was hirings and resignations. The Board hired Dora Huckins as the Special Education teacher for next year, and accepted the resignation of JH Football Coach Brett Emmons, JH Volleyball Coach Melissa Billing, and HS Girls Basketball Coach Kacey Stanley.
They also hired the certified, classified, and the remainder of the coaching staff for the next school year, including spring sports.
Several other decisions were made on pay during the shutdown.
Classified staff, such as janitors, will be paid for the next two weeks of work. The majority will not work at the school due to the closure, but may be asked to perform other projects while keeping with social distancing guidelines, or work such as checking the boiler.
Bus drivers will be paid so long as the school is being reimbursed for mileage from the government.
A new bus contract was certified, which will be used by bus contractors bidding for routes, or re-bidding routes.
A decision was then made to cancel the April 13th School Board meeting, with the next meeting tentatively planned for May 4th. A decision on whether or not to hold graduation will be made at that time, unless an emergency meeting is called ahead of that date.
Reader Comments(0)