Board members Heather Whalen and Joe Hurla voice support Thursday at the School Board meeting for new renovations to the track and field practice area." />
Board members Heather Whalen and Joe Hurla voice support Thursday at the School Board meeting for new renovations to the track and field practice area.
The track and field area will see $349,000 in further renovations after the School Board unanimously voted Thursday for the improvements to address crowd and safety concerns.
The board approved a new long jump/pole vault area, javelin runway and a renovation of the discus/shot area. The board already approved new lights for the complex for $184,000.
The money was leftover from a project to returf the football and soccer field.
Board members argued the track and field space, just west of the football field, is too cramped to safely accommodate all 200 students from both the middle and high schools during practices.
Board member Joe Hurla said though he was hesitant to spend the money at first, safety is a top priority for the board.
“I think what gave me pause originally is that it’s a significant expenditure, probably 10% of our capital overlay for the next five years,” Hurla said. “I have the peace of mind that this wasn’t just a project of convenience, but rather something that is absolutely necessary. It needed to be done one way or another in the next five years.”
Board member Heather Whalen said the renovation also could reap other benefits because there are lots of track and field scholarships available in colleges around the country.
“The better we do in track, the more amazing opportunities for our kids to get some huge college scholarships,” Whalen said. “This money isn’t just spending money to make us look good. This money is an investment in our kids’ futures.”
They plan to break ground before winter.
In other business, Superintendent Stu Moeckel said district enrollment has increased by about 16 students for a total of 1,715 students this year. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced meals has risen to 31%, he reported, while in previous years around 20-25% of students qualified for meals.
Moeckel invited any parents who need assistance paying for school meals to apply at any point in the school year.
The board also approved the 2022-23 budget unanimously after no one attending a special budget hearing, which was required under a recent Kansas law, objected to exceeding the amount of property tax revenue raised last year to run schools.
Although the school’s budget will increase a bit, the property tax rate that homeowners pay to fund schools will slightly decrease. Additional revenue for the district will be contributed by housing growth and higher property values, Moeckel said.
The board unanimously approved a 2022-23 budget of almost $11.6 million in general funds and $3.8 million in supplemental operating funds. Together, those funds were greater than last year’s spending by $59,096–or less than a 1% increase.
In other action, director of transportation Machaela Beshears said the district has avoided the bus driver shortage plaguing other schools across the country.
“We are truly blessed by the dedication of the staff we have here,” Beshears said.
Moeckel also reported a clinic for extended family therapy will open in October in the West Resource Center to provide additional counseling services for at-risk students and their families twice a week. Families can obtain a referral from a therapist at their school.
Reach reporter Jenna Barackman at [email protected]