School board makes hires, hears report on high school needs

Robin Westphall was selected to join the board after an open interview and discussion at the Wahkiakum School District meeting on Tuesday.

Westphall and another candidate, Nicci Bergseng answered interview questions before the school board took an open vote. Shawn Merz, Paula Culbertson and Dan Wilson voted for Westphall; Sue O’Connor voted against. Westphall is a retired teacher and has been actively involved in the school garden since its inception.

The board approved the hiring of Melissa Garrett to a new temporary para-educator position. Michelle Wisner, currently a para-educator for the school district, was approved to move to another position as a food service worker.

After a quick discussion, the school board also agreed to allow eighth grade students to play high school baseball or join the golf team if the need arises. Practice for spring season sports begins on Monday, February 29.

The grade school library and the server room at the grade school, located next to the boiler room, are in need of air conditioning to protect the technology that the school district has been upgrading with the money from the security and technology levy which passed last year.

Two bids have come in, but the school board requested more information from Technology Director Paul Ireland and tabled the discussion.

J.A. Wendt Elementary School and John C. Thomas Middle School Principal Theresa Libby said that middle school students were having fun with a new popcorn machine that they had purchased recently with the PTO. The students had their first trial run selling popcorn at lunch and there are plans to sell popcorn at middle school events as a fundraiser for the ASB.

Libby also said that 25 middle school students had signed up for track.

Superintendent Bob Garrett updated the board on current school district debt and spoke about the need to address the more than 50 year old high school. Plumbing issues, which had been a problem at the grade school, are starting to pop up at the high school.

“On December 1, 2017 we will make the last payment on the bonds for the new middle school and the remodeled grade school,” Garrett said. “In a sense you will be debt free other than one payment of $125,000 to the county. That is a very desirable place to be, where you are debt free. Most school districts aren’t in that situation; however, most school districts probably don’t have schools that are almost 60 years old either. It will be a very interesting time for the school district to see what the community is willing to bear when it comes to doing something with the high school.”

Garrett shared that the district had tried five times to get a new grade school approved, but they settled for a remodel when the community wouldn’t do more.

“It will be an interesting discussion,” he said, “but somewhere in the next two years, it’s probably going to come time for you to try to get a committee established to look at the construction needs at the high school.”