Elmwood OKs new HVAC for elementary school

By JEFF LAMPE
For The Weekly Post

ELMWOOD – The Elmwood Elementary School is poised to have a new HVAC system installed after this school year.

The Elmwood School Board met on June 23 and among the action items for the night was approval of a $110,000 agreement with Keith Engineering of Brimfield to design, bid and ultimately award the HVAC project. Work is slated to be completed in the summer of 2022. Funding comes from the federal CARES program.

More good news on the financial front came from Superintendent Chad Wagner, whose end-of-year projections showed another year “in the black” for the district. Wagner said the district saw positive gains in all Operations Funds and he expects to present a final Fiscal Year 2021 report at the July board meeting.

The board also received good news regarding the district’s insurance policy for 2021-22. The premium with the Unland Companies decreased from the previous year by $20,127 to a cost of $90,109, which the board voted to approve.

Wagner reported that the board had received many thank-you cards after each staff member received a $750 gift card last month as a show of appreciation for their efforts during the pandemic.

Summer school wrapped up in the last full week of June and custodial staff will be busy cleaning the school buildings over the rest of the summer in preparation for next school year.

Parents of Elmwood students can expect to receive registration information after July 1 according to Elementary Principal Marcy Brugger. The first day of school for students is set for Aug. 17.

In personnel, the board approved:
• Hiring Amber Burnett and Rachel Whitney as part-time paraprofessionals for the 2021-22 school year for $13 per hour.
• Employing Steve Herridge as junior varsity softball coach.
• Hiring Bruce Bouchez as a first-shift custodian in the Elementary School for $12 per hour.