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North Putnam considers renovations
BAINBRIDGE -- The North Putnam School Board’s two-and-a-half hour meeting last Thursday evening saw school officials address a host of issues that will have both an immediate and long-term impact for the future.
However, the board will be taking a large long-term proposal into serious consideration as it assesses its needs with a comprehensive renovation project to do needed work across North Putnam schools.
School officials conducted a hearing on the proposal as the last order of business on the agenda, where financial counsel solicited by NPCSC presented information regarding the corporation’s tax rate and what it hoped to accomplish in the future.
The hearing began with North Putnam Superintendent Nicole Singer providing a synopsis of needed repairs at all of the schools. To some degree, all the buildings were recommended to update security and access measures, as well as renovate or replace locker spaces.
Each school also had their own special needs. The replacement of the gym roof at Roachdale Elementary is one major item that has had the board’s concern. North Putnam Middle School is slated to update its intercom system, and fencing as well as carpeting is being included in the project at Bainbridge Elementary.
North Putnam High School will demand the most attention during the renovations. Singer detailed how the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system has not been replaced or updated, and that the roof of the building will also need extensive repairs.
“Some of the classrooms have not been updated since the building was built in ‘69,” Singer said. She also provided how those rooms have become uncomfortable and have further affected learning and safety at the school.
Singer then invited Belvia Gray from Umbaugh and Associates, an independent municipal adviser that has supervised small government operations with similar projects, to present information regarding North Putnam’s budget, as well as the projected cost to taxpayers.
Speaking to Umbaugh’s analysis, Gray said that the maximum cost of the project would be set at $18 million with a total interest of just under $10.5 million. As such, Umbaugh estimated that the tax rate would increase by 25 cents from the current amount of 69 cents, totaling a 94-cent investment.
These points as to the financial impact to the corporation and the community were ones with which board member John Hays contended. The retiring Jackson Township representative challenged the reasoning and intent for setting the cost so high.
A theme of the hearing was that the maximum amount was a cost that school officials would be comfortable with while covering as much of the project’s scope as possible. Singer said every repair may not be addressed, and that the actual cost to cover the list in toto could exceed $19 million.
Because of this, the budget-conservative Hays felt that the maximum and what the board wanted to achieve had no sound financial direction.
“Why do we have to settle on that number if we have yet to determine what needs to be done?” he asked Singer. “How will we know if we will stick to the maximum? It’s an arbitrary number.”
Singer responded by providing that the project is not one which will be covered in a short amount of time, but that there are both long-term and short-term goals that will determine the monetary commitment needed.
“We really have to determine the scope of the project and narrow down our top 30 concerns and address those,” she said. “We and our administrators have to determine that. The maximum is not arbitrary, but it is a starting point so we can plan for the future.”
The focus then turned to the increased tax rate anticipated to cover the project, which Hays was still no less dubious about. At-large board member Mark Hoke chimed in to say that the tax rate paid into the corporation would still be the lowest of any school district in the county, showing that North Putnam would be able to finish the project and be fiscally responsible.
“Staying under one dollar would show the other corporations that we are responsible with our money, but yet we can get so much accomplished,” Hoke said. “If we stick to that principle, we should all be comfortable with the project in the long run.”
“The reason we’re so on it is because we’ve been burned before on something like this,” Clinton Township representative Travis Lambermont suggested to Singer to account for Hays’ skepticism. “We just want to do as much as we can in the right way.”
Despite these disagreements, it was pointed out that this was only one of two public hearings scheduled to consider the project, and that the board did not have to take any action. The board will hold the second hearing on Dec. 4, at which time they will decide on whether to go ahead with the renovations.
In another item on the agenda that inspired discussion, Singer asked the board to approve language changes made to the board’s policy. One was met with resistance by Hays concerning the increase of the procurement threshold to purchase needed equipment and services from $25,000 to $50,000.
Hays was concerned with allotting these funds as he didn’t feel comfortable giving administrators the power to pull that money from the budget without oversight.
Singer said that the $50,000 threshold was mandated by statute, and that it would give more freedom to make necessary purchases without having to wait for approval. The board approved the changes, while Hays opposed the motion.
The board also approved Graduation Pathways as a diploma track. The new program is designed to help students gain work experience as they learn, and so that those who have been unable to pass standardized testing can graduate. Graduation Pathways will be fully implemented with the Class of 2023, but current high schoolers may opt into the track if they wish.
In minor items on the agenda, the board ratified a collective bargaining agreement with the Classroom Teachers Association, as well as approved the 2019-20 school calendar.
The board also recognized two Teachers of the Month to account for absences during fall break. North Putnam Middle School was represented by Read 180 teacher Holly Richardson, and Roachdale Elementary selected fifth-grade teacher Heather Connor. Richardson could not attend the meeting, but Connor was present with a few of her students. Both were introduced respectively by North Putnam Middle School Principal Scott Miller and Roachdale Elementary Principal Beth Waterman.
The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. in the North Putnam Administration Office in Bainbridge.