By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Superintendent Kristi Medina informed the board that they have had several meetings with PSFA and others with the holdup being square footage calculations with or without the gym. There is also a new square footage calculator for a combined campus. PSFA did a site visit and deemed the gym as a sound structure with new doors being installed. The weight room has been cleaned and painted awaiting the new equipment which should arrive in August.
Many of the state and federal budget figures were late coming in. Myra Baird, Business Manager, noted that the district will no longer have the Cares funding. SB9 funding will come up for election in November 2026. SB 9 is a continuation of the current tax structure and is the funding that is used for building maintenance.
The capital improvements projects include the process of demolition of the unused buildings. The process includes removing the unused school buildings from the historical registry. The gym door replacement is beginning the second phase of work with security door locks being updated in phase two.
Board members heard about a request to McGraw Hill for K-12 Science instructional materials adoption. The total costs of the request is $158,767.57.
The Savvas request is for high school 9-12 Science instructional materials. The cost for these materials will be $66,107.04.
Board members tabled the approval of the FY26 travel reimbursement form for district travel. The changes are changes coming from the Department of Finance Administration. The concern voiced by board members is the cost of motel stays. DFA is setting the max at $350, and the board is suggesting the max be under $250 for a room per night requiring superintendent approval for anything over $250.
Board members discussed the policy statements, specifically policy 262 which covers administering prescription medication to a student. Board member Ryan Boone noted the policy includes medical cannabis and would like to see that struck from the policy. Many of these policies are handed down from the state and as noted by Board Member Ted Kamp are melded into our own policies and those are superseded by the union policy as well as state law. Medina noted it is a complicated process to meld all this together and get it out to all the staff as school begins. The board approved the final reads of the policies including striking cannabis from the medical policy.
The use of cell phones in school is still a controversial subject and this policy is in the first read. The district doesn’t have the funding to purchase pouches and the concern about losing the more expensive phones concerns the board.
The board will have another special meeting near the end of July to handle a couple more items and do a second read on the first read policies.
