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Middle school to expand again
By Taylor Messick
Last Updated: March 21, 2019

The Valley Center school board gave the nod March 18 for construction on another classroom expansion at Valley Center Middle School.

The project includes two separate additions. Four classrooms will be added to the west side of the school directly south of the existing café. The classrooms will be carpeted but the halls will be tiled to match the earlier additions.

The other part of the project is a front office addition and renovation. The new space will house a conference room and three offices on the west side. The administrative assistant will now be in an office. The SRO's office will also be moved from its current location in a small hallway office to the front office. The renovations to the office area include new lighting, ceilings and carpeting. Most of the current furniture will remain in the office, but the classrooms will be furnished.

Representatives from Coonrod & Associates and Alloy Architecture helped solicit bids for the project. About $2.083 million was in the bond fund for the project and the district anticipated using capital outlay funds for the rest of the construction and furniture. However, construction costs came back at $1.462 million after bids were taken. That means the district will have about $600,000 to carry over for future projects.

School board president Brad Barbour noted that a new principal will be in place at VCMS for the 2019-20 school year and wants him to get off to a good start. He urged representatives from the contractors heading up the job to make sure construction — especially in the front office — would be complete by the beginning of the next school year. Contractors said they did not anticipate any obstacles.

The council also unanimously accepted a bid of $39,725.06 to furnish the new classrooms. John Marshall Co. obtained the bids through state contracts. Mike Bonner, assistant superintendent, said there will be some additional furniture needed later on that will cost less than $20,000.

The expansion comes on the heels of the completion of an addition on the southwest corner of the middle school building. That addition included a storm shelter.

In other business March 18, the board:

•Recognized Allison Schul as a National Merit Finalist.

•Recognized staff Superstars of the Year.

•Saw brief presentations from the Wheatland Learners about their science projects.

•Heard about the Valley Center Early Childhood Fair.

•Heard a legislative update regarding school funding from Cory Gibson.

•Heard a report about the mill levy estimate from Gibson.

•Heard about a possible redesign of the special education districts from Gibson.

•Unanimously accepted the board policy review.

•Unanimously appointed Dawn Stiglitz and Jason Reffner as board representatives of the negotiations committee with Rhonda Price as an alternate.

•Unanimously approved summer learning opportunities.

•Unanimously approved 2019-20 fees.

•Approved a supplemental resignation from Kenny Carter (middle school girls tennis head coach, May 24).

•Approved supplemental contracts for Samantha Aeschliman (middle school girls tennis head coach, $3,312, Aug. 12) and Anne Doane (middle school girls tennis assistant coach, $2,277, Aug. 12).

•Accepted resignations from Kevin Vargas (high school custodian, Feb. 27), Steven Driscoll (high school night lead custodian, Feb. 28), Jennifer Sutter (bus aide, March 8) and Asley Hett (middle school counselor, May 24).

•Approved hiring Anne Doane (STEM explorations teacher at the middle school, $47,764, Aug. 8), Dalenda Hoy (second-grade teacher at Wheatland, $49,217, Aug. 8), Laci Chavez (first-grade teacher at Wheatland, $51,080, Aug. 8), Pam Rivera (learning support specialist at West, $51,617, Aug. 8), Megan Thompson (math learning support specialist at the middle school, $44,414, Aug. 8), Rylie Thompson (fifth-grade English and social studies teacher at the intermediate school, $41,400, Aug. 8), Amy Manes (fifth-grade English and social studies teacher at the intermediate school, $46,126, Aug. 8), Chad Wilmott (learning support specialist at the high school, $50,337, Aug. 8), Sarina Kletecka (counselor at the middle school, $45,422, Aug. 1), Christopher Hutson (science teacher at the middle school, $44,075, Aug. 8), Kelly Knoblauch (second-grade teacher at Wheatland, $56,309, Aug. 8), Rachel McClaran (principal at Wheatland, $91,750, July 29) and Kyle Ray (third-grade teacher at Wheatland, $44,075, Aug. 8).

•Approved transfers for Jami Burbach (from second-grade teacher to learning support specialist at Wheatland, Aug. 12), Tia Massey (from fourth-grade teacher to learning support specialist at the intermediate school, Aug. 12) and Lindsey Hooper (from sixth-grade English to learning support specialist at the middle school, Aug. 12).

Roger Joyal was absent. There was no executive session.





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