ST. PARIS – The new Graham Local Schools transportation building project continues to progress, with administrators stating they should be in the new structure in the spring.
The school board received a report on the building’s progress at its Monday meeting from District Operations and Services Supervisor Don Burley.
The new building will be located on the former Faulkner Lumberyard property across from Graham Middle School. The school board approved purchase of the property at its March meeting. The school board also approved selling the former junior high/high school building at 370 E. Main St. to the village of St. Paris in August. The village council approved that property purchase at its Dec. 7 meeting.
Burley added the $15,000 sale of that building and all of the buildings on the site was an offer the village made; the school district did not approach the village with the offer. The property will not be sold until the school district has moved out of the former junior high/high school building.
The new transportation office building and property must still be annexed into the village of St. Paris; that process is ongoing.
The hope was to be in the new transportation building by the beginning of 2016, but getting the annexation and all of the building plans together, while trying to minimize the costs, slowed down the process, Burley said.
“I think the hardest part has been getting it all together,” he said. “I think the community will be pleased that we did our due diligence to try to be financially responsible with our planning and processes.”
Once the building plans are finalized, they will need to be approved by Champaign County building department officials, then Burley can start getting bids for the work to reconfigure the existing structure. Burley said he hopes to get the basics done so staff can move to the new site in the spring.
The school board also recognized retired and retiring board members Alan Mitchell, Pat Wagner and Duane Miller at its Monday meeting.
In other action, the board:
•Approved minutes and financial statements.
•Approved establishing a middle school cheerleading fund in the budget.
•Approved membership to the Ohio School Boards Association for calendar year 2016 not to exceed $4,355.
•Approved the purchase of two International 72-passenger school buses from Rush Transportation at $84,900 each, for a total of $169,800 for both, with added storage boxes under the bus for trips. The buses were part of the bus bids through the EPC.
•Accepted a donation of $1,149.60 from an anonymous donor to the Graham Athletic Department for cross country.
•Accepted the resignations of high school Spanish teacher Meredith Massey, effective Nov. 9, 2015; substitute teacher Lisabeth Wilson, effective Dec. 2, 2015; Junior Varsity baseball (.5) assistant coach Jacob Lawson, effective Dec. 10, 2015; School Nurse Jennifer Hawke, effective Dec. 31, 2015; EMIS coordinator Karen S. Coates, effective June 30, 2016 (for retirement); and Varsity Bowling Boys and Girls Head Coach Robert Carpenter, effective Dec. 11, 2015.
•Approved one-year limited teaching contracts for the 2015-16 school year.
•Approved one-year limited substitute teaching contracts for the 2015-16 school year.
•Approved one-year limited contracts for tutors for Individualized Services (home instruction/intervention tutors/Saturday School) for the 2015-16 school year.
•Approved one-year limited supplemental contracts for the 2015-16 school year.
•Approved Varsity Bowling Boys and Girls Substitute Head Coach Richard Clark, effective Dec. 12, 2015, at a rate of $35.92 per day, until a permanent coach is secured.
•Approved one-year limited contracts for the 2015-16 school year.
•Amended lunchroom worker Angela Yukon’s contract to an aide contract, effective Dec. 7, 2015.
•Approved volunteers for the 2015-16 school year.
