School district moving to replace portables

The Wahkiakum School District Board of Directors approved a budget extension at Tuesday’s meeting that will allow the school district to purchase two modular classrooms, a new sound system for the high school gym and stage, and air conditioners for the grade school library and boiler room.

“As a result of those things we had to go to budget revision,” Superintendent Bob Garrett said. “We did not have the capacity originally to make those expenditures. That is the one thing that the state really frowns on, you cannot over expend what you have budgeted, so we are doing a revision.”

The budget extension was approved in the amount of $96,170, increasing the original budget of $275,830 to a total budget of $372,000.

Garrett had bad news and good news about the modular classrooms. A school district in Federal Way decided to keep the used modular classrooms that the Wahkiakum School District had agreed to purchase from Modern Building Systems. MBS responded by offering to build two new modular classrooms for the used price.

“Is it too good to be true?” Garrett said. “If they turned around and said we don’t have any used for you, you are going to have to find new and you’ll have to pay the new price, we’d probably still would have to have done it. Worst case scenario, that’s probably what would have happened. Other than the fact that we might not have them at the beginning of the school year, in a way, this is almost better.”

Three portables at the grade school and one portable at the high school are scheduled for demolition soon, according to Garrett. Two bids came in for the project and the board approved the bid of $8,016.20 from Sam Longtain. The other bid from Burns Construction was for $13,000.

The board also approved $17,000 for a sound system at the high school and $10,000 to be used to purchase 30 new Chromebooks and a cart for the middle school.

“We’re moving toward basically getting enough Chromebooks down there that maybe kids won’t be able to take them home,” Garrett said, “but there will be one available for every student at the school.”

Garrett shared a list of wants and needs at the school district, including stage lighting, bleachers, and more cameras at the high school. Also listed were a commercial network storage server, resurfacing the high school track, a pole building to house the rest of the buses and an additional teacher at the middle school.

Some meal prices for the 2016-2017 year have increased. Milk and entree only remain the same, but breakfast and lunch will cost $0.25 and $0.10 more respectively.

The board approved a new bus driver, Jerry Lyski and accepted resignations from para-educator Paris Cothren and Kate Brenner, who had been the cheer coach.

Principal Stephanie Leitz reported that WHS was asked to take part in a WSU-Vancouver study of the Columbia River.

“Jeff Rooklidge and his environmental science kids will conduct research and attend a symposium event with the other schools involved in the study,” Leitz said.

During an executive session the board approved contracts for the two principals, Theresa Libby and Leitz, for the 2016-2017 school year. Each will receive $89,930, a raise of $4,163 for each. Garrett’s contract remains the same at $78,354 a year.

The school board will return next Tuesday, June 28 at 5:30 p.m. to continue their discussion about goal setting. The next regular school board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 19 at 5:30 p.m.