Steve Frey
Contributing writer
The Radford City School Board needs help from the city council. They are about to zero out their capital improvement/repair/renovation budget and have approximately $28 million in additional needs after that.
The board reviewed proposals to address those needs during a work session on Tuesday.
Right now the school board has approximately $797,000 in carryover funds for capital projects, but $402,800 will soon be spent on 51-year-old stadium lights that are a safety hazard and need immediate replacement.
Another $400,000 will be spent on creating Active Learning Classrooms at John Dalton Intermediate School. Superintendent Rob Graham emphasized that these classrooms must be updated to help improve instruction and retain tuition students.
Those students might otherwise be lured back to home school divisions because of improvements such as the 54 million being spent on a new middle school in Pulaski, the potential 10 million STEM center in Floyd, or the more than 100 million going toward improvements in Montgomery County.
Graham complimented Chief Finance Officer and Clerk of the Board Kerri Long, who has been able to save some money in carryover funds that have helped with almost three million dollars in needed improvements and repairs since 2014.
These include items such as $25,000 for water heaters at the high school, $50,000 for a boiler replacement at Belle Heth, $11,695 for an air compressor at McHarg, and $127,410 for boiler and water heater replacement at the school board office. Of course, a significant expense was $1,858,732 for a roof replacement at the high school.
The school division also spends about $400,000 on debt service each year.
In addition to the stadium lighting and active learning classrooms, needs include renovation and additions to McHarg; renovating the gym and locker rooms at the high school; improvements to labs and a facelift at the high school; and needed improvements to the high school football/soccer stadium, concessions/restrooms, and the multi-purpose field.
The final project is the proposed Innovation Center for approximately six million dollars. This cost is for a facility only and does not include funds for equipment and furniture.
There was also a short discussion about the need to plan projects to provide preventative maintenance and proactively replace outdated or poorly functioning equipment/facilities such as lighting systems, boilers, air conditioning units, plumbing, asphalt parking lots, etc., in a systematic way before they become a safety hazard or break down as with the stadium lights.
Jack Murphy, who is with Thompson and Litton, pointed out that the cost of projects has gone up three to five percent per year since initially proposed several years ago.
One creative suggestion by Councilman Joe Hester was the possibility of using the present library for the Innovation Center (with appropriate expansions) since it is right near the high school campus. The city could then expand the library into a building such as the former Central Lumber building on Main Street.
Graham said, “We’re 109 out of 132 school divisions in cost per pupil expenditures.”
“Most all schools in the New River Valley have renovated [except Radford],” said Graham. “We need help.”
The school board and city council will be touring facilities on November 29 in preparation for a joint meeting to discuss these capital improvements.
Later on Tuesday, the school board conducted their regular monthly meeting with a variety of agenda items related to different instructional and student activity topics.
The high school yearbook staff won First Place in the Virginia High School League yearbook competition. Yearbook staff monitor Kimberly Reese introduced sophomore Beth Long; senior Farrah Frank, who is this year’s editor; and 2018 graduate, Hailey Hobbs, for recognition. The VHSL critiques the yearbook and gives its pros and cons in a 15-page report. This is the high school’s third award for the yearbook.
Graham recognized the Shelor Motor Mile Employees of the Month for September, Anne Rehack, who teaches fifth grade, and Bethany Worrell, a library media/STEM teacher, both from Belle Heth Elementary School.
Staff members nominated this month in the Radford Employee Recognition program included Kimberly Reese, an art teacher at the high school, whose parent nomination stated, “Mrs. Reese has gone above and beyond with my daughter by not only being the first to ask how she is doing but showing she really cares about her.
My daughter has told me Mrs. Reese really cares because she talks to her and wants to know when things are bothering her.
They can talk about different issues she is having and help her feel good about herself. She is a special teacher to my daughter and has made a difference in how comfortable she is at school and in class.”
Kimberly Coulson, a second-grade teacher at McHarg, had this statement in her nomination: “Mrs. Coulson routinely goes out of her way to work with my son and make sure he is thriving in the classroom. She is a wonderful communicator!”
Kay Ellerman, a kindergarten teacher at McHarg, was nominated by a parent for “Working with my child and all of the children.”
Belle Heth S.C.A. students Lydia Pratt, Angela Thompson, Mia Leahy, Jocelyn Burzek, and Ajike Olokounto were introduced to the board by fifth-grade teacher Robin Hoosier to present a report on recent activities at their school.
Some of the events the students mentioned included House sorting, the wheelchair basketball game, a bake sale, seeing the Goodyear Blimp, and selling raffle tickets for the 4th grade Jamestown trip.
Events they would like to do at the school include having a new hydration station, a Ninja course (exercise stations on the playground), a student vs. teacher basketball game, a Veterans Day luncheon, and the student exhibition.
The students described how all students and staff were divided into four Houses—Grit, Visionary, Compassion, and Tenacious—to promote community within their school. Every Friday, students are encouraged to wear their House colors. Students and teachers were given t-shirts with their House name and color on them.
A drone took a picture of all students and staff in the shape of a house. They are planning friendly competitions among the houses, and the community service project for this month is to create thank you cards for local community members like firefighters and police officers.
The school has been working very hard to raise money for the Ninja course and the new water hydration station through fundraisers and a bake sale.
Additionally, Mr. Joe Pugliese, a parent and owner of Sal’s Italian Restaurant, donated two regulation size soccer goals to the school.
The school has a raffle going on, and the lucky winner will receive half of what is raised. Sal’s has also helped the school raise money.
This week, the school had an Exhibition Night on Thursday. The sixth grade made wind turbines; fifth graders performed science experiments, talked about Native Americans and more; the fourth grade presented the products of industries around Virginia, and third grade demonstrated how pollution affects the environment.
These were interest-based projects that students researched, and the students hoped that people learned many new things on Exhibition Night.
Radford Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lisa Davis, and Mark Foran, owner of Ballpark Signs, presented the Higher Education Campaign to the board. They would like to place university banners in high schools as “another way for the schools to promote higher education within their schools.”
Students would see the college banners and might be motivated to move on to college. The campaign was developed in Radford, and Davis stated that she would like to see Radford High School become the first one involved. Schools will receive $150 per banner per year for each banner displayed (there are indoor and outdoor banners), and the universities involved will sponsor the program to pay for the signs.
There would be a five-year contract with no cost to the schools. School Board President Lynn Burris said the board would take the concept under consideration.
There will be a school board budget hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 11 open for public input. Schools will be closed for Thanksgiving Break from Nov. 21-23.
Winter Break will be Dec. 24-Jan. 3. Because of repairs to the school board office, all twelve-month employees will be given time off without the need to use vacation time.
Since the school division will be closed, there may be some financial savings. January 4 will be a teacher workday, and schools will reopen on Jan. 7. All school board members were invited to participate in the Holiday Parade on Dec. 1 at 11:00 a.m.
Shannon Kessler, gifted education teacher, described a trip that is being planned through Education First to visit WWII and the Western Front European sites for about 40 students during July 2020. Students will visit Normandy beaches, a concentration camp, London, Nuremberg, etc. Students would pay monthly payments over about 18 months.
An 11-day trip will be about $220 per month, and a 14-day trip will be approximately $250 per month. Kessler said she would love to see fundraisers to help defray some of the cost of the trip for the students.
There would be one chaperone for every six students and chaperones would travel free. If more than 30 students go, one may go free. This spot might be reserved for a student in need. This coming summer, a student group will be going to Barcelona and France.
McHarg Principal Michael Brown made a presentation to review a conference on trauma in schools that several division staff members attended.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Allison Jackson of Integrated Solutions. “It was one of the best professional developments I’ve been to,” said Brown.
Jackson discussed resilience and grit and why some students succeed or not. She emphasized the importance of relationships. Brown shared the impact trauma has on student academic performance.
These traumatic events have a significant bearing on students’ well being in many ways. A high score on a trauma impact scale called ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) can indicate a very high percentage chance to develop alcoholism, drug use and many other difficulties. Jackson said that resilience can be built through positive relationships and communication.
Brown said that the problem is a K-12 issue nationally and McHarg will be following up with trauma discussions and professional development.
Brown also said he would like to invite Jackson to the division for a presentation, and Board Member Liz Altieri mentioned that Radford University would also like to bring her in and said that perhaps the university and school division could work together on that.
Altieri also mentioned a program called “Handle with Care” that could be explored, where the police and social services don’t give details, but notify the school that students need to be “handled with care” that day because of an issue outside of school. That way the students can be better monitored and helped, but confidentiality is maintained.
Reese; Jennifer Eller, who is a robotics, computer programming and cybersecurity teacher; Tim McPeake, a precision machining teacher and senior Ronan Stewart presented the board with an update on a collaborative learning project that includes nine teachers from different disciplines and 100 students. Teachers and students have been working on the project after school. They are developing a sign that will be automatically initiated when someone comes close to it and will share informational content. An original wooden sign-post concept with directions to different cities for a Spanish class has become a touch screen automated monitor with videos and interaction through the hard work of students and staff.
Stewart said that “there is a sense of accomplishment for doing something new,” indicating that he had not done programming before but now has learned to create a motion detector. The apparatus will eventually be portable so that it can be taken to different schools. The IPG team shared a video about the process with the board, which emphasized how students will be using critical thinking skills and creativity in each discipline to add to the project.
Graham said that with the Superintendent’s Challenge, over 160 students had perfect attendance during the first quarter. All schools are above 95.5 percent for attendance. Division-wide, 45 percent of the students are on free or reduced lunch.
Graham invited the board to TechCon 2018 on Wednesday in the school division. There were 21 different presentations planned.
Altieri commended the Parent Resource Center for activities during Inclusion Month related to disability awareness.
Hester mentioned a concern with Radford, a Class 2 school, having to play Carroll County, which is a 4A school and is much larger, in volleyball in a district tournament. He felt that for the district tournament championship, perhaps both schools should be called co-champions in fairness to the smaller schools.
Board President Lynn Burris mentioned seeing the “best band in the land (Radford)” in competition, but, at the same time noticed the difference between the buses and truck levels on I-81 and felt the school board should continue to look at seatbelts for buses traveling on the interstate.
In personnel items, Annie A. Sullivan was hired as a paraprofessional, and Linda Whitlock was appointed as a food service worker, both at Belle Heth.
In action items, the board approved budget amendments that included additional teaching periods because of large class numbers; the Superintendent’s Challenge program; an App to help with truancy, bullying, etc.; overtime for transportation workers; a security grant and several other program/budget adjustments.
The board also approved the extra days off for renovations during the winter break and a list of equipment items to try to be sold as surplus.
After a closed session, a student was admitted back to the district with certain required criteria.
The next school board meeting is Dec. 11. The school board-city council tour of facilities will be Nov. 29 beginning at 11:15.