Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home District School Board Monday approved the artificial turf project for Husky Field after learning that nearly all of the funds needed had been raised, and football Coach Dustin Nichol plans to break ground on June 8 if everything works out.
The project committee has some $357,000 in donations with another $22,000 pledged and nearly reaching the project goal of $380,000, said Supt. Keith Winslow Monday during a special School Board meeting.
That won’t be all of the funds needed. The committee would like to raise another $30,000 as a contingency for unanticipated expenditures.
The figures do not include equipment the district may possibly need to purchase, he said.
Specifically, the board approved a purchase order to FieldTurf for synthetic turf, with a two-layer infill system consisting of silica sand and rubber for $343,588.
The board voted 5-0. Present were Jason Van Eck, Chanz Keeney, Chairman Mike Reynolds, Leena Ellis and Nick Augsburger.
Absent were Kevin Burger, David VanDerlip, Jenny Daniels and Jason Redick.
Some contributors have been waiting, Nichol said, and he expects more to get behind it as the project moves forward.
He will probably begin preliminary work, such as removing goal posts, next week, Nichol said.
In other business, the board hired three new employees, Elizabeth Lytle, language arts at Sweet Home High School; Heidi Vokes, speech-language pathologist for the district; and Monica Turkisher, half-time kindergarten at Foster Elementary.
Earlier in the evening, the Budget Committee approved the proposed 2015-16 budget with an increase in General Fund expenditures of $11,300 to reflect a raise for the superintendent and associated payroll costs next school year.
The budget, which adds 2.75 full-time equivalent teachers and two kindergarten assistants for full-day kindergarten, one teacher at Hawthorne to reduce class sizes, half of the cost of a school resource officer, curriculum secretary time, savings to cover retirement liabilities and savings for long-term maintenance and technology.
The General Fund is budgeted at $22 million, and all funds are $34 million.
The budget moves to the School Board for adoption following a public hearing on June 8, the board’s regular meeting. The budget takes effect on July 1 and ends on June 30, 2016.
Present and voting for the budget were Keeney, Van Eck, Ellis, Augsburger, Reynolds, Jocelyn Gordon, Kevin Pettner, Kyle Sullens Jessica Garrett, Miriam Hooley and Dennis Hurowitz.
Absent were Daniels, Burger, VanDerlip, Redick, Gerritt Schaffer, Celeste Van Cleave and Diane Gerson.
Sullens asked about class sizes, noting that the district is hiring administrators while his daughter is attending a class of 31.
“We keep a very close eye on class size,” said Supt. Keith Winslow. The budget adds a teacher to Hawthorne to help alleviate the problem. Overall though, the district has been fortunate with class sizes compared to other districts in recent years.
“I’ve been there,” Winslow said. “I’ve been a teacher and a principal, and that’s important to me as well.”
At the same time, stable research is showing that decreasing class sizes isn’t helping improve academic performance, Winslow said. What appears more important is the person in front of the students.
“From what I’ve seen, it was nice to see we have increased spending and we area able to add back some things that got cut,” Keeney said. “I feel confident in our staff.”
The district is putting more funds away for a rainy day, and it’s still able to move forward, Keeney said.