There seems to be a great deal of concern about how much painting was done at the school this past spring and summer. So, let’s talk about paint.
In March, the Board of Education was faced with some very difficult and unprecedented decisions due to the Covid Pandemic and the order to shut down the school. One of those decisions involved the employment of our classified staff. Do we continue to pay these employees or place them on furlough? We chose to continue to pay these employees. The board hoped that by choosing to keep these employees on the payroll, they would be able to support the local district businesses, helping the local economy during this uncertain time.
Unlike some area school districts who paid these employees to stay home, we asked our classified staff to report to work. Because there were no students for the paraeducators to work with or the bus drivers to transport, these staff members were assigned to assist the food service staff, administration, or the maintenance and custodial staff. Those who worked with the maintenance and custodial staff got a head start on the summer maintenance projects which include deep cleaning and disinfection, repair and yes, painting.
10 classrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 locker room, and 3 offices were not only deep cleaned but painted as well. Yes, this is more than we would normally paint during the summer, but while we had the staff and time available, the decision was made to get as much painting done as possible. The cost of the paint and paint supplies was $2630 or 3.56% of the summer maintenance budget and 99.4% of these supplies were purchased at a local district business. We feel that this was a good and responsible use of district funds while keeping our employees on the payroll.
I am not one to make assumptions, but I am sure that any other option we would have chosen, whether it be to pay our employees to stay home or to place them on furlough and discontinue their pay, would have been met with just as much criticism, if not more.
Time will tell if we have to make this decision again and just what that decision may be.
Now, Let’s Talk Carpet
Maintenance of the school facilities also includes routine replacement of flooring which is a part of the school’s annual maintenance budget.
A timeline and replacement schedule has been in place for many years. As carpet and tile become worn, tattered, unsightly, or pose a safety concern, they are replaced. This year we also considered reassignment of classrooms when deciding which rooms were carpeted.
We are now using a commercial grade carpet that is cut in squares. The carpet cleans easily and holds up well to school traffic and use. It is more expensive than the rolled carpets that were placed in the past, but should last longer and instead of having to replace a whole room or large area of carpet, the carpet can be replaced a square at a time if it is damaged or shows extreme wear. Custodial staff have reported ease of cleaning and faculty are happy with how the carpet reduces noise in their classrooms. The school again chose to support a local district business and purchased the carpet placed in the classrooms from Kuszak’s.
The total cost of summer projects this year was $73,929.61 and 72.39% of that money was spent with local businesses and contractors.