During the Seward School District’s Board of Education work session Sept. 8, the board:
• discussed building a new storage shed to hold track equipment, including the pole vault pit, and other items near the football field.
Superintendent Dr. Josh Fields said the district recently sold its storage units and needs a nearby location to store the track equipment.
Board member Jerry Rumery wanted to know if a concession stand and restroom could potentially be added to a new storage shed. He said if so, plumbing would need to be in place.
The board wanted to know the cost of building the shed versus a multi-purpose building.
“It’d be nice to know because you’ll never be able to build it this cheap again,” Rumery said, because building costs generally increase over time.
The board continued discussion on this topic during its regular meeting and decided to table the matter, stating it needs further discussion.
• discussed the school’s bus garage on South Columbia Avenue. The district is trying to decide if it should build an addition to the garage or demolish the current building and construct something new.
During the board’s September meeting, Superintendent Dr. Josh Fields said school buses have gotten larger and no longer fit in the bus garage.
The district might also need to hire an architect for the improvements, Fields said, which is a requirement from the state fire marshal.
The board directed Fields to get input from Marty Telecky, the transportation director, and Tom Vajgrt, the maintenance director, before sending out requests for proposals.
During the district’s regular meeting Oct. 8, the board:
• heard a presentation from Curriculum and Staff Development Director Matt Dominy on the Northwest Evaluation Association assessments—known as NWEA—and ACT test data. Read more about this topic in a future edition of the Independent.
• decided to approve up to three applications for the district’s early separation incentive program. Long-term teachers can choose to retire though this program.
