Bids will be requested for a $300,000 remodeling project at the Lowther South Intermediate School, as a result of a 5-0 vote of approval from the Emporia board of education.
Board member Mike Crouch was absent from the meeting, held Wednesday night at Mary Herbert Education Center.
The board earlier in the meeting had voted to amend the agenda to change the status of an item on a remodeling project update at LSIS. The published agenda had listed the project as a report item. The vote changed the report to an action item.
The board tabled an update report on the Village School remodeling project until the November board meeting.
Assistant Superintendent for Finance Rob Scheib recommended that the board proceed with sending the project out for bids. It will include tearing off carpet on the walls and installing trim.
The work will be similar to a project completed at Lowther North, “where they put new trim in the hallways and just gave it a facelift,” Scheib said.
“This project was budgeted for and designed and ready to go to bid,” Superintendent John Heim said, providing some background on the project.
It had been tabled until enrollment and budget figures came in.
Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning George Abel presented the annual report on scores of Emporia students on Kansas assessment tests in reading, mathematics, history/government, and science.
Heim earlier this month had announced that the district had reached Adequate Yearly Progress in reading and mathematics, with 25.2 and 20.9, respectively, of the students achieving Exemplary levels.
Results on the other tests subsequently have been received and show that the “All Student” group, which spans the district, recorded an 82.2 score on the history/government tests. The district score was 14.2 points above the 68.0 target, but .3 below the state average.
In science, the district scored 86.0, compared to the 69.0 target. The state average also was 86.0.
“I had to go back and look at it four times to check the performance on the high school test, when you have 91 percent of the students scoring proficient or higher,” he said.
His accompanying charts showed a steady upward trend for all of the grades and subgroups.
Abel described the overall results as “beyond what I could have dreamed. ... I think the students have really demonstrated what their knowledge level is. They’re taking the tests seriously; they’re trying to show what their knowledge level is.”
He could not provide comparison charts for science and social studies proficiencies because the tests began only last year.
“It would have one data point,” Abel said.
In other action, the board:
F Accepted donation of a camera system, wiring and labor for a district building of the board’s choice. The donation, valued at an estimated total of $2,284, came from Kansas Security LLC of Lebo. The proposed cameras will be the same format as cameras currently in Emporia High, Emporia Middle, and William Allen White schools.
F Approved membership on the School Calendar Committee 2010-11. Membership includes certified, classified, administrative staff, parents and community members.
F Appointed Glen Strickland to represent Emporia of the Kansas Association of School Boards Delegate Assembly. Remaining members of the board were named as alternates.
F Held an executive session to discuss negotiations. The board took no action.
The Interest Based Bargaining Team will meet this afternoon to discuss the master contract.