By Crystal Hayduk
The Chelsea School District (CSD) Board of Education heard a presentation from Lee Andrea and Gary Steller, project directors for Kingscott and Clark Construction, respectively, at their meeting on Oct. 10. The presentation detailed a proposal for assessment of the CSD facilities, to be completed over the next few months.
Because buildings wear out, student enrollment and needs for performance, safety, and security change, Andrea said that a facility assessment helps to “plan and budget for cyclic repair and replacement.” Through prioritization of projects and a baseline understanding of the current condition of buildings, district officials can plan future budgets and decide where to invest funds.
Superintendent Julie Helber believes that it is important to conduct a facility assessment now.
“We want to make sure to maintain our facilities properly, to make sure that the buildings are sound, and that we spend taxpayer dollars sensibly,” she said.
The board unanimously approved the hiring of Kingscott, who has worked with the district for many years, to prepare the facility assessment report.
Administrators updated the board on progress toward the district goal to “promote interaction between the school district and our communities.” Building principals shared methods of communicating with their stakeholders, including parent emails, Twitter, and school websites.
Highlights included the use of the interactive SeeSaw app at North and South, the new Bulldog Blog by Assistant Principal Matt Ceo at Beach Middle School, and new Instagram and athletic apps at the high school
Each school has a number of community connections who work with the different age groups. These are Chelsea District Library, local police and fire departments, SRSLY, 5 Healthy Towns, Chelsea Family Dentistry, Farm Bureau Insurance, Chelsea Senior Center, Silver Maples, and other community agencies such as Kiwanis, Rotary, and Faith in Action.
Scott Wooster highlighted the technology department’s support for the schools and families, through Powerschool, School Messenger, and Haiku Learning Management System. Remind is a system in which students and families can sign up to receive texts from teachers. The technology department is also working on bringing the district’s website into ADA compliance.
Lisa Nickel, who supervises both early childhood and special education, mentioned parent meetings and a separate webpage currently in development for mental health and wellness. Partnerships of note include grants from United Way and weekly classes by Chelsea Ballet for students in Independence Hall at CHS. Faith in Action has agreed to underwrite a trainer for suicide prevention that will be open to both Chelsea and Dexter.
Items identified by other district administrators are the wellness committee (mental and physical health) and the district crisis team. Nutrislice provides complete nutritional information about food served in the cafeterias, and can be accessed through the food services webpage.
Chelsea High School Principal Mike Kapolka introduced Patrick Bertoni, a junior, who will be representing the high school as a liaison to the school board. He joins senior Carly Critchfield, who is beginning her second year as board liaison. Bertoni replaces Nic Arons who graduated in June.
Bertoni is a Link Crew leader, member of the varsity football and basketball teams, student council, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to be on the board and hope to provide assistance for whatever is needed,” said Bertoni.
Helber introduced the district’s new transportation director, Rick Boham. She said that Boham is making an “easy transition,” has brought new ideas to the department, and is getting to know the staff. “He’s a very good addition to the district,” said Helber.
She said the district plans to begin the process of issuing the next series of bonds that had been approved by voters in 2009, and anticipates that they will be issued by the end of 2016. Along with sinking fund money, the district “…needs to be strategic about how the remaining $6.2 million is used,” she said.
Board member Laurel McDevitt said the bond sale is timely given the district’s needs for technology and building maintenance, yet cautioned staff to reexamine the original bond application categories to ascertain specifically what the funds could be used for. Teresa Zigman, executive director of business and operations, said that the district will likely pay off all current bonded debt (including the remaining series of the 2009 issue) in advance of 2025, the date originally promised to local taxpayers.
In other board news:
Board member Dana Durst toured Beach Middle School. “The kids said their favorite part of school is the teachers. They are doing amazing things there,” she said.
National School Bus Safety Week is Oct. 17 – 21. According to Boham’s board report, drivers and monitors will receive training on safety and preventing problem behavior during October. Additionally, students will practice evacuation and receive a review of safety rules.
Helber said that the district will look at how to maintain a 15 percent fund balance. The amount greater than 15 percent will be given back to the teachers. “This is a nice step forward for when staff took cuts over the years,” she said.
At their next meeting, the board is expected to approve a donation in excess of $1,000 from St. Barnabas Episcopal Church for the counseling department to support at-risk students.
Upcoming dates:
The next school board meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 24 in the board room at the Washington Street Education Center (WSEC).
There will be a School Board Candidate Forum hosted by the Chelsea Area Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. in the board room at WSEC.
