MOUNT GILEAD — Mount Gilead School Board voted unanimously at the April 19 meeting to approve the agreement with Byrne & Jones Construction in their bid for contracts for track and field replacements, natural turf replacement and BCU Electric, Inc. for an electric contract.
Board President Mike Sayers noted that it is about 20 years since the construction of the present track.
Before the vote was taken, Joe Johnson spoke for several concerned parents and students who were present. He recommended the construction be delayed for several weeks so track athletes can prepare for upcoming state events.
Johnson asked that track athletes should have some consideration since they need the home track for practice. The board has made provision for track athletes to be bused to another school district for practice. However, he believes pushing back the construction schedule should not be a problem.
Board member Brandi Salisbury said there were many factors for the board to consider. They tried to be fair and looked at every possibility so that sports would be inconvenienced as little as possible. She noted that fall sports will be affected a lot as well as the band.
Sayers responded that the schedule for construction is controlled by the weather and contractors.
Fall sports will also be affected since the track and field construction have pushed the home events back three to four weeks and some home football games will be scheduled away.
Sayers added that the number of construction companies that are available for this kind of work, which includes drainage for the track and field is very limited. The window when the construction can take place is very short and the weather this spring has already pushed back the working days.
The board also approved add-ons for the scoreboard for sponsorships and a monitor to allow communications.
In other actions, the board approved the contract with Metropolitan Educational Technology Association (META Solutions.) The technology information system provides support and software for fiscal and library services as well as other information technology for the district.
Several board members and the superintendent visited Big Walnut School to observe their new, resilient athletic flooring. They recommend it for the Park Avenue Elementary flooring in the gym/dining area.
The board approved the agreement with SHP services to provide bid documents for flooring for the demolition and installation of new, resilient athletic flooring for the gym/dining spaces at Park Avenue.
Middle School Principal Clay Grubesaid students are in the middle of testing this spring for math and language arts. As part of PBIS rewards, students will have a half day at the Lexington Infield and at Lex Lanes. The Washington, D.C. trip for 8th graders is scheduled for May 17-20.
The 2022 Mount Gilead High School graduation list was approved. Graduation will be June 4 at 5:30 p.m.
MGHS principal Deb Clauss congratulated Matt Gompf and Vo Ag students on a successful FFA Banquet with more than 260 attending.
Coordinator for gifted and talented Ally Schleichert presented gifted policies and identification status with other information about the gifted program in Mount Gilead. She said there are currently 5 percent of children in the district who have tested as gifted, however it has been many years since testing was done.
Schleichert is pleased with the support of teachers to give students more opportunities both in their classroom and outside of the classroom. 30 teachers are currently participating in the gifted program.
The next Mount Gilead Board meeting will be Tuesday, May 17 at the school board office.
