Roof work will be coming for Emporia High School this summer following approval by the USD 253 Board of Education Wednesday.
The board unanimously approved a low bid for reconstruction work on sections of the roof over the auditorium, main gym and pool areas. The roof has been in need of repairs due to deteriorating conditions and was pushed up after the discovery of asbestos in the roof felt during an inspection last summer.
USD 253 Board President Art Guttierez says the repairs will be funded through the district’s capital outlay fund and are not connected to the $78 million Building for the Future facility improvement project.
Speaking of facility improvements, the board was given an update on the Building for the Future project following the Building for the Future committee’s monthly meeting last week. According to the update, steady progress is being made on the project’s first three buildings, Emporia High School, the new early learning facility and Walnut Elementary School.
Board member Mike Crouch says the Walnut project is actually advancing well ahead of others and he credits the staff and leadership at Walnut for their passion, enthusiasm and commitment to the project as a major factor for its progression. The Building for the Future Committee’s next meeting will take place in April.
In other business, the board approved administrator contracts through 2021 or 2022. The length of the extension was dependant on the administrator’s position within the district. Additionally, a long-time memorandum of understanding between the district, Flint Hills Special Education Cooperative and ECKAN Head Start saw renewal.
The district also held lengthy discussions on a cost comparison for RecXtra, the district’s after-school program organized and staffed by the Emporia Recreation Commission. Two executive sessions, one for student matters and one for negotiations, were held to conclude the meeting.
The USD 253 Board of Education will next convene on Wednesday, Mar. 25 inside the Mary Herbert Education Center.
