The Geary School Board met Monday in regular session and following opening ceremonies, heard from James Kerr of Kerr 3 Architects. HE had worked with the district on the failed bond issue and was there to outline what the next steps for the schools might be.
His first suggestion was to find out why the voters who said no to the bond had voted that way. The way to do that, Kerr said, was to form a six person committee who would call people who had voted in the election. The committee members would be about four community members, perhaps suggested by the administrators at the schools and no more than two school board members.
They would then ask the voters why they had voted as they did. Was the bond too big? Was it the wrong project? Kerr said if the committee could talk to 25% of the voters, it would form a pretty good indicator of what the voters thought.
The next step would be to use the information the voters had given during the telephone interview to determine what they would support, asking the question in a follow- up telephone conversation. It would show what the district thought it needed and whether the voters agreed and would support those needs. If not, what would the citizens be willing to support? When those information gaps are filled, the district could then begin moving forward.
Joy Osborne, the elementary principal, spoke of exciting things going on in her building, including six new students, bringing the population back to near the prepandemic level. Students in the Bringing Up Grades – BUGS – group were in a drawing for a Kindle Fire and received books as well. They also set goals for themselves for the new calendar year.
Osborne said Chelsie Pankratz was named Teacher of the Year at the elementary. She also noted that discipline was not being overlooked at the schools and the state has steps to track discipline and behavior issues. Part of the solution is to develop relationships with the students and their families and holding the students accountable for their actions. The staff tries to guide the student to appropriate behaviors and build them into productive citizens.
Building was on the agenda in another form as well. The district closed last month on a property to serve as a home for a teacher or staff member as a way to attract and retain personnel. The home, on Nattie Way, is in need of renovation. Bids were sought, but two companies returned ‘no bids’ meaning they had no interest in taking on the project. However, the third bidder, Lopez Construction, has done extensive work for the district in the past, including the remodel of the space on the second story of the Stegall Fieldhouse, turning it into superintendent’s offices and board rooms.
“Because we have used them multiple times and they have proven to be reliable and reasonable, I don’t have a problem with it,” board member Afton James said of the single bid response. The bid was for $49,200 and included painting the entirety of the building, inside and out. Taylar Burns, however, thought the district could get a better price by hiring the painting done separately. Ultimately she was outnumbered proving the only nay vote on accepting the bid.
The board then entered executive session to discuss the superintendent’s contract and other new hires. The contract for Superintendent Sean Buchanan was extended for another year and Abigail Nolan was hired as a certified elementary teacher. Melissa McCoy was also hired as a paraprofessional at the high school.