The Mohonasen School District is beginning to identify areas where it could use the state’s EXCEL Aid program to update its facilities.
Pinewood principal Michael Johnson is heading the EXCEL facilities committee, which has been meeting since December. Committee members have met twice recently to tour all of the district’s facilities, including the bus garage, to find areas that need the most improvements. Johnson presented the committee’s recommendations at the school board’s meeting Monday, July 2.
Johnson said the first thing to do is identify areas that need improvements and decide whether those projects are eligible for EXCEL Aid.
A project is eligible for EXCEL Aid if it falls into one of five categories: education technology, health and safety, accessibility, physical capacity expansion or energy.
Johnson said all of the schools need updated window and doors to promote energy savings, and new carpets and tiles and updated security systems.
At Bradt Elementary School, Johnson said the building needs new, larger student storage areas and an instruction room for 300 people.
Johnson said the bus garage could use a training room because bus drivers need to go through periodic training sessions, and there is no place for them to do that. The garage also needs a bus lift.
Issues identified at Draper Middle School include a new canopy, new ventilation system in the school’s kitchen and better temperature control.
Johnson said many of the high school’s sports facilities need updating, including resurfacing the track and tennis courts and adding locker rooms.
The facilities committee is also recommending adding three fine arts classrooms and technology classrooms at the high school. Also, creating a larger area for custodians and athletic trainers is a priority.
Johnson said the Pinewood Intermediate School needs infrastructure improvements to the school’s library, music rooms and gym. Johnson said Pinewood’s gym floor has been resurfaced as many times as it can.
Johnson also recommended enlarging Pinewood’s cafeteria.
School board members commented that, when thinking about projects for EXCEL Aid, the officials need to think about the long-term goals for the district.
Board member Nancy del Prado said the district is working on long-term goals, which might include increasing programs such as pre-kindergarten and all day kindergarten and reconfiguring the district’s elementary education system.
Currently kindergarten through second grades are at Bradt and third through fifth grades are at Pinewood.
Del Prado said the district doesn’t want to do projects at any of the elementary schools that it would have to undo in a few years if the district decides to reconfigure elementary education.
Especially with the elementary configuration, we may want to build something new because no one wants to see that building (Pinewood) get any bigger than is already is, del Prado said.
School board reorganized
The school board elected a new president and vice-president at its annual reorganization meeting Monday, July 2.
The board unanimously elected Eileen French as president and voted 4-to-3 to elect Charles Macejka as vice-president.
French replaced Nancy del Prado as president and Macejka replaced Joe Salamone as vice-president.
French has served on the Mohonasen School Board for eight years and served at vice-president for two years.
`I promise I will carry out the duties as president to the best of my abilities,` French said.
The board also swore in new board member Dominic Cafarelli and Charles Macejka, who was elected to his second term.
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