WEST LIBERTY – West Liberty-Salem Local Schools will be getting a newly resurfaced track this summer.
The school board also approved, on Tuesday, technology improvements, which include more iPads for the district’s 1-to-1 program, a new server, fast internet service and a new maintenance pole barn.
The school board approved replacing the current track with a polyurethane rubber track surface 4-1, with Vice President Chuck Buck voting against the measure. The board had two options to choose from – the polyeurethane surface or a latex surface. The current track has a latex surface. The polyeurethane surface is supposed to last 20 years, twice as long as latex, Athletic Director Jake Vitt and Superintendent Kraig Hissong said, though it costs more to complete the work.
The estimated cost of the repair is $246,100, compared to the latex surface charge of $171,000. The work will be completed by Levan’s Excavating. The cost will funded partly by the Permanent Improvement levy dollars and the general fund.
Buck opposed the repair because of the cost, preferring leftover building fund dollars be used.
Board members and administrators noted the previous track was resurfaced with donated money, with the expectation the district would continue to maintain it. And the estimated time it would last, despite the cost, led board members to choose the pricier polyeurethane option.
“We recognize the sacrifice and the input from the past that people have done to improve the facility when we didn’t have the resources,” Board member Stephen Lapp said. “The expectation was the school would carry forward with that investment.”
Hissong said the price includes a five-foot-wide walkway on the visitors side for handicap access, and checking the asphalt base in case it needs replacement.
The work is expected to be complete this summer.
The school board also approved the construction of a 30-foot by 40-foot pole building to store maintenance equipment. The work, estimated to cost $20,970.70, would be completed by REM Excavating LLC. This building could serve as a place for bus drivers to clock in and out.
Technology improvements on tap
The board approved the replacement of the main technology service, data storage and backup system. The current system is six years old, and it is only supposed to last five years. The new system is estimated to cost $75,522, and will be funded through a federal technology program.
The board also approved the contract with Western Ohio Computer Organization (WOCO) for internet service at 500 megabytes per second, from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2020, at a monthly charge of $2,168. The district will be reimbursed 60 percent of the cost from the federal government technology program.
The board also approved the lease to own program through Apple Education for 225 iPad Air 32 gigabyte iPads, to be used for fourth and fifth grades and the high school. One-hundred of the iPads will be for the 1-to-1 iPad instructional program to cover freshmen and will provide keyboard cases. Each machine and case will be owned by the district until the student is eligible to purchase the iPad or it is sold to a vendor. The rest of the iPads will be owned by the district and provided at no cost to the students. They will stay at the school and be checked out daily by students. The cost of the four-year lease program is $23,500 annually, or a total of $88,865. The total cost to the district reduces the cost of individual iPads from $393 to less than $200.
In other action, the board:
•Approved hiring custodial and technology student workers for summer 2017 to assist in the cleaning and preparation of the school and technology. The student workers will be paid $8.50 an hour, and hours will vary based on need.
•Approved Jenny Patton and Amanda Brown as Co-Title I Coordinators for the 2016-17 school year, and split the Title I coordinator stipend 50 percent each.
•Approved the resignation of Sally Engle for the 50 percent Elementary Student Council position for the 2016-17 school year, and approved Abbie Henry in that spot.
•Approved one teacher for every four students who need summer reading intervention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, at the rate of $23 per hour.
•Approved hiring Patricia Ziegler as a bus driver for the 2017-18 school year on a one-year contract at Step 0.
•Approved hiring Assistant High School Football Coach Collin Link, Middle School Fall Cheer Advisor Kim Long, 8th Grade Middle School Volleyball Coach Courtney Smith and Assistant High School Football Coach Riley Sims, all at Step 0; and 7th Grade Middle School Volleyball Coach Jennifer Gaver at Step 1; all for the 2017-18 sports season.
•Approved hiring Assistant Boys Soccer Coach Michael Yoder at Step 1 and Middle School Cross Country Coach Aaron Lauck at Step 3; for the 2017-18 sports season.
•Approved the resignation of Riley Sims from his MS Football position. He will be coach the high school football program for the 2017-18 school year.
•Approved the resignation of paraprofessional Shelby Sellars, effective at the end of the 2016-17 school year.
•Approved moving Joe Taylor to the Masters +15 column on the pay scale for the 2017-18 school year.
•Approved a $100 stipend for all elementary staff participating in the Literacy Collaborative training this summer on a non-contract day, June 6.
•Approved the bullying/harassment report for the second half of the 2016-17 school year. There were no incidents when investigated by administration that showed bullying or harassment.
•Approved the change to Angela Warye’s resignation to note it was for retirement, at the end of the 2016-17 school year.
•Accepted donations of $50 each from C&R Pharmacy and the Daulton family, $25 each from Delta Psychology and REM Excavating/Ray McCullough, $100 from Levan’s Excavating, and $20 from the Lauck family, all for Prom; $250 from Honda/Sara Ames for athletics; and $100 each from Jason and Gretchen Lapp, Levan’s Excavating, MKH Holdings LLC, West Liberty PTO and Wilcoxon Homes, all for the elementary.
•Approved Steve Godwin as school volunteer, effective July 1.
