The Wrangell School Board met Monday night, Nov. 16, for a regularly scheduled meeting.
During the meeting, the board approved expenses to the City and Borough of Wrangell for new doors for Evergreen Elementary School. According to attachments to the meeting's agenda, the new doors and hardware procurement will cost $32,250. Additionally, there is another $10,125 for key scanning software. This money will come from an NRA School Shield grant, according to Board Member David Wilson. The motion was approved unanimously.
Maintenance Director Josh Blatchley told the school board that the doors should arrive within a week. Installation is some concern, however. There is an issue of security during the installation of the new doors, and the fact that it is the middle of winter and things will get cold in the elementary school without doors.
"There are two doors that can be installed fairly easily on the breezeway, with both the primary building and the intermediate building still being secure," Blatchley said. "Once those two doors on the breezeway are installed, then the door going into the primary building, nearest the primary office, can be removed and be secured because the breezeway doors are locked."
Blatchley said it might be a good idea to wait for some warmer weather before installation begins, but he is not sure where he could find storage for them. He also suggested they check with the city to see if they could assist with labor. For timing, he said be believes that it will take about three days per door to get them fully installed. There are several reasons for this, he said, such as the walls around each doorway being different sizes, removing the old doors, and the need to alter the door frames to fit the new doors.
The school board also discussed the search for a new superintendent during this meeting. Dr. Debbe Lancaster, the current superintendent, offered her resignation to the district back in October. The resignation will take effect at the end of her contract in June of next year.
The school board received a proposal from the Association of Alaska School Boards to assist them in the search for a new superintendent. This would incur a fee of $10,500, according to a letter from AASB Director of Membership Services Lon Garrison. AASB would help Wrangell develop an action plan and identify selection criteria, conduct background investigations, and assist in screening of semi-finalist candidates, among other items listed in the scope of services.
"Our Association has a long history of serving school boards," the letter reads. "We are proud of our track record in assisting many Alaska school boards in their selection process, as well as the selection of one Commissioner of Education. We know that only boards can make the decisions needed to complete a successful search, to create opportunity from change. Our goal is to help your board find the best possible candidate, the individual that matches the selection criteria you adopt for the search and who is committed to enhancing student achievement in your district."
After discussion among the school board, it was decided to defer any action until Nov. 30.
Other items covered in the meeting include the appointment of Laura Ballou to chair the budget/finance committee, Jade Balansag to chair and Katelyn Church to co-chair the curriculum committee, and Kim Powell to chair and Kristy Woodbury to co-chair the policy committee. They also adopted various grant applications and reviewed other policies and approved of a first reading of proposed revisions to the district's 2018-2023 strategic plan.
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