Orchard school boards meet for last time

Orchard school board members completed their final business for the school Monday, May 4.

Orchard advisory board members Candice Hoke, Nate Schwager, Kristi Schutt and DeAnna Clifton were joined by Unified District #1 representatives Terri Hergert and Terra Williby to wrap up district business remotely via Zoom.

Hoke and Schwager will continue to serve as board members on the new Summerland consolidated district’s board of education, while tenures of the other board members will end when the new board is seated in June.

The only official business conducted was approval of consent agenda items and authorization by advisory board members for payment of one bill, $137.50 reimbursement to the Unified District #1 for legal fees paid related to Orchard’s HVAC failure.

Principal Cathy Cooper informed board members virtual end-of-year awards ceremonies were planned for academics and fine arts. She had met with seniors and their parents about a graduation ceremony.

At the May 11 Unified meeting, Dale Martin said June 6 had been set for graduation, with a backup date of July 26.

“It’s not going to be our traditional (graduation ceremony) for sure,” Cooper said. “But we can certainly decide what we can do to best honor them.”

Checkout for seniors was underway. They were to check in Chrome Book devices and deposits would be returned, by mail, probably mailed during the summer.

Cooper said Chrome Books checked out to students in grades seven through 11, and some elementary students, will not be checked back in over the summer, which is a change to the original message when devices were checked out.

Board members heard superintendent Dale Martin was participating in weekly Zoom meetings with other ESU #8 school administrators.

School administrators were also keeping up with the governor’s daily updates and those coming from the commissioner of education. Cooper said she meets with staff once a week or every other week, when they discuss items for student packets and online learning. The final packets for the term where set to be handed out this week.

Cooper also reported she rode along with custodian Tony Tabbert to deliver packets the previous week.

“It was just great,” she said. “I got to hand packets to kids, and I got to kind of touch base a little bit. I feel like right now, academics are important, but sometimes that social connection is maybe more important.”

New compressors were set for installation by a TRANE technician, beginning May 18. The work was expected to take “upwards of a week,” according to Cooper.

She gave a brief staffing update for the 2020-2021 term, which she said had not changed since the previous meeting. She said parents of Orchard middle schoolers were content with the plan for departmental instruction. Meetings were being held to finalize and coordinate all three schedules.

“I guess I thought when we did the agreement, it was agreed to have a K through 12 school, I thought we weren’t going to switch kids around,” said Kristi Schutt.

Cooper said that was still in the agreement.

“This will be up to the Summerland board to decide, but it’s basically if parents might feel it might be best for their kids not to be in a combination classroom,” she said. “It’s not been decided yet.”

Cooper said she received a bid for demolition of the old building from Prouty Construction. A bid had previously been obtained from O’Neill Transportation & Equipment. She said the bids will be turned over to the Summerland board, due to the work taking place a year or more down the road.

“So, you are saying the money that we set aside, we can’t put that aside, that the Summerland board will tell us whether we can or can’t spend that money?” Schutt asked. “I thought we were told at that one meeting if we set it aside, ear mark it or whatever, that we could set that aside.”

Cooper replied it has been earmarked.

“Once the unification dissolves and we become consolidated, then all funds go together, but I think every town is going to want to take care of their facilities for the best interest of their communities,” she said.

“But that attorney did tell us that we could set that money aside before we joined,” Schutt countered.

Hoke said she recalled the attorney said the local board could make a motion. “But it would ultimately be up to the governing board at that time, whenever that time is, of the demolition.”

Cooper advised it would be up to Hoke and Schwager to take care of how Orchard board interests are followed.

“Is there any fear that the money won’t be available to us when we need it?” Hergert asked Hoke and Schwager. “Tobin (Buchanan) talked about needing all the CAB funds and all those extra funds to help reduce the tax asking, tax levy for this next year because it’s going to take a little bit more to keep three schools fully staffed and three schools open.”

Summerland officials have discussed that demolition needs to take place in all three communities, according to Schwager.

“So, I think all three of us are on board that we need to take care of our towns,” he said.