The Summerland Advocate-Messenger - Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community

Six members of the Orchard original and advisory boards of education, meeting jointly at the high school last Tuesday evening, heard that five compressors in the Trane HVAC system had failed the previous month.

A timeline for replacement was not available. Principal Cathy Cooper said the compressors will be covered under warranty and administration is hopeful an estimated $12,900 in labor and the cost to rent electric heaters will be covered by the school’s insurance company.

A Trane company representative was also asked to estimate the cost of moving the units, if demolition of the old building is contracted.

Leigh Alexander, a certified asbestos management planner and inspector with CDS Inspections and Beyond of Plainview, was scheduled to inspect the old building and send samples for asbestos testing.

A local contractor who had been asked to bid on the potential demolition requires testing to confirm amount of asbestos in the structure, as required by Nebraska state law.

Cooper continues to seek additional contractors to bid on the demolition project and asked anyone with a suggested company to contact her.

Board member Kristi Schutt asked if Alexander would test tile in the newer portion of the building, including the lobby. She was told previous testing confirmed asbestos in the lobby and some hallways.

“Why don’t we tear them up and replace them for the community center?” Schutt asked.

“If we were to take out that many tiles, it would be a process,” said advisory board president, Candice Hoke. “As long as you don’t mess with it, it’s fine.”

A question was raised by Schutt, if $2,600 in the wrestling mat fund would remain with the Orchard building. She said the funds were raised locally.

“Where Orchard raised the money for those mats, can we use that money towards the weight room?” she asked. “I just think it would be nice if we get an elliptical or something.”

In answer to a board member question, Cooper said the decision will eventually be up to the Summerland board, with input or recommendation from the Orchard board members.

Cooper presented the treasurer’s report, including local school accounts, Summerland interlocal accounts and Bobcat Athletic account. In addition to cash balances in the various accounts reviewed by board members, she said there is $525,000 in CAB Fund certificates of deposit, $25,000 in Hot Lunch Fund CDs and $100,000 in Building Fund CDs. There were no bills to approve.

Unified district teacher contracts are due March 16, although teachers can request an extension. Original board member Teri Hergert said she assumed they would be addressed at the Unified board meeting that evening. Hergert also indicated the board would consider purchase of a van for the Verdigre school.

Cooper reported on Summerland staffing for the 20-21 term, including several teacher resignations at the three Summerland schools. She said Clearwater elementary teachers Lila Wondercheck and Jamie Turpin have accepted other positions and Matt Maxwell and krista holliday have resigned at Ewing. Tami Doerr, Orchard special education teacher, had announced her retirement and submitted her resignation.

“We know that other people are actively looking and talking and trying to decide what they’re going to do,” Cooper said. “This probably isn’t definitive and the end of it.”

Potential hiring to fill the vacancies was discussed as well as sharing teachers through use of distance learning technology. Elementary positions will be advertised. Cooper said staffing was to be discussed at an administrators’ meeting the following day.

“The one thing we need to most take care of is make sure we take care of the education next year,” Cooper said. “That we are doing the best we can to educate our kids prior to the move to the new building.”

The principal said recent parent-teacher conference participation was 75% in the elementary, 70% for grades seven and eight and 54% for grades nine through 12.

Approximately a dozen elementary teachers and an administrator from Boyd County recently visited the elementary classrooms to view the Wonders core and intervention reading program in use at Orchard, as well as meeting with Orchard teachers and administration. Cooper said she heard a lot of positive feedback about the Orchard program.

Board member DeAnna Clifton asked if the program will be used at Summerland. Curriculum decisions are still being addressed, according to Cooper. She said discussion will begin with Title teachers.

In addition, Cooper and Kristen Johnston had traveled to Elkhorn Valley at Tilden to explain the program.

“It was good both ways,” Cooper said, explaining the Tilden school is comparable in size to what Summerland will be, with two sections in every class. “We gained insight into what that size would look like…and we gave them some suggestions.”

Board members directed Cooper to do the annual inspection to determine potential summer projects that will be needed to keep the facility in safe operating condition for the remaining year.

An agenda item to consider a mowing bid submitted by custodian Tony Tabbert and his family was tabled. At the suggestion of Schutt, Cooper was directed to advertise for mowing bids before a decision is made.

Advisory board members, Hoke, Schutt, Clifton and Nate Schwager, voted to approve the proposed recommendation for the Summerland 2020-2021 calendar. Cooper noted the current attendance reward practice related to semester tests will be discontinued. She said the three schools have different practices.

“It’s not that we’re not doing them (semester tests),” she said. “It’s just that we’re not going to have a day attached to semester tests.”

As the meeting concluded, two board members brought up rumors circulating that Summerland construction is over budget and hallways had “shrunk.”

“If it is, it concerns me that I hear it downtown and not from one of you,” Hergert said to Summerland Committee members Hoke and Schwager. “We’re still board members until June…I need to know that kind of stuff... I don’t want to sit there and look at those people who are telling me and tell them ‘that’s not true,’ when it might be true.”

Hoke, Schwager and Cooper all indicated the rumors were not true. They said there are contingencies including lower-priority projects within the budget that can be adjusted if necessary.

“They put those in, then if we aren’t to budget, we take them out…Like the turf,” Hoke said. “We’re probably not doing turf football field, it’s in there as a contingency. They’re supposed to be getting us a list of those (contingencies)…Then that’s the first place where things get pulled and it doesn’t affect the design...We don’t even look at numbers that way.”

“We’re kind of out of the loop too,” Schwager said.

He explained the process for dealing with budget line items as bids are received and said the number changed after faculty became involved.

The local board members were advised to call or text Hoke or Schwager when questions come up. The next joint Orchard board meeting is set at 6:30 p.m., April 6.