Robbinsville – Bidding for the new wing of Robbinsville Middle School could begin this fall.
At Tuesday’s Graham County Board of Education meeting, Accountability and Facilities Director Kevin White presented the panel with preliminary designs for the sixth-grade wing, which will require some re-configuration of the area surrounding the far left corner of the joint campus.
The addition will move the front entrance to behind the building, where a loop for parent drop-off will also be constructed. The existing walking trail behind the school will be rerouted, and an existing material storage shed will be removed.
The new wing will feature an annex for connectivity, five classrooms, two science labs, restrooms a multipurpose room and a restructured principal’s office, reception area, conference room and multi-purpose domain.
“This is an ever-evolving thing,” White said, later adding that the designs presented could be modified as necessary.
White also indicated that early soil testing has went smoothly.
Budgets, grants
Entities county-wide are hunkering down and preparing 2020-21 budgets.
The Graham County School System is no exception.
Finance officer Lester Greene presented the board with a litany of budget amendments at Tuesday’s meeting, with all but two receiving additional funding.
Of note, the transportation fund received $12,000, which will be used for school bus cameras; $334,453 from the CARES Act; and $41,693 in COVID-19 supplemental funds; with the majority going to properly reward cafeteria employees for the hard work put in when schools were closed and a food distribution system was implemented.
Greene also explained that county manager Becky Garland had confirmed that the school system will receive $128,462.93 – which is an $88,000 increase from last year – in the local current expense fund. The money comes from U.S. Forest Service timber receipts.
Later in the meeting, Federal Programs Director Kristy Cable presented a list of federal grants the system will be receiving, including:
* $22,500 for Preschool Handicapped, which funds 60 percent of one teacher assistant at A Kid’s Place
* $373,588 for Title I. The number is partially base on the Free and Reduced Lunch Count at Robbinsville Elementary School, which will be 67.55 percent for the 2020-21 school year. The grant will go toward employing eight full-time teachers, 25 percent of the behavior liaison, 15 percent of the director’s salary, 50 percent of an administrative assistant’s salary and an after-school tutor for Robbinsville Elementary.
* $49,263 for Title II, which will be applied to 25 percent of a teacher’s benefits, as well as 40 percent of a teacher’s salary and benefits.
* $30,569 for Title IV, to be used for student support and academic enrichment.
Other news and notes
The board unanimously approved the renewal of the CTE Program, with Superintendent Angie Knight boasting about the success it generates.
“It is ran well,” Knight said. “Our kids that complete the CTE programs have high test scores and they graduate with certification that allows them to continue on into careers that they’ve been trained well for in high school.”
Cable also asked the board to renew its Vocational Rehabilitation Agreement with Cherokee and Clay counties. Of the $31,441 total between all three counties, Graham contributes $7,860.
The motion for renewal was unanimous.