DBPS projects nearly done

The Dutton/Brady school board discussed the progress on all of the school’s summer projects on July 24. Superintendent Jeremy Locke said 95% of planned projects have been completed. At the meeting, he discussed the recent work on painting the cafeteria with school colors and completely renovating the high school science room. The floor that was added to the science room was also added to the Family and Consumer Sciences room.

Locke said the finishing touches are taking place for the updating and reorganizing of the locker rooms and weight room. The administration plans on having new floors installed in the weight room on the week of July 31-Aug. 4. Locke said almost all the painting in the school is finished and mirrors will be placed in the locker rooms. The board and administration are still troubleshooting what will be a better situation for next year. Locke said throwing ideas out there and seeing if it works is not the path the school wants to take.

Montana Metal Works finished the structural improvements to the gymnasium floor. The school plans on sanding the floor the last three weeks of October. The next three weeks will include scrubbing, waxing, window cleaning, and putting together a final plan for the school year.

At the June 19 meeting the board amended the decision to form and pour a four-inch concrete pad in the north side of the bus barn. The original plan was for the pad to be four inches thick but board members argued that a pad that thin would crack and break easily. Board members approved making the slab at least six inches thick and tightening the middle of the slab by one foot. The slab will also be reinforced with a number-four fiberglass bar tied at two feet. There will be saw-cut expansion joints in the new concrete. A water basin for drainage will be installed that can be pumped out by hand if water accumulates. The estimated cost was $20,576.

On July 24, Locke presented the board with offers from R.C. Scott Enterprises and D.G.I. Construction for the amended bus barn plan. R.C. Scott’s plan was around $24,000 and D.G.I. Construction’s was around $31,000. Locke presented the plan as two feet on-center when the board proposed one foot on-center. The plan was amended with the slab being one foot on-center. Locke and the board also approved pouring a strip of concrete around the outside of the bus barn to keep pests away and keep the building insulated.

The administration made changes to the staff and student handbooks for the 2023-24 school year. The staff updates include some changes to staff organization, trustee leadership, spacing and formatting.

The board approved multiple changes made to the student handbook. Student spending limits were raised for extracurricular events. The amount the school contributes are $10 for breakfast, $12 for lunch and $18 for dinner. The previous handbook read, “If less than three meals are taken during the day, the total will not exceed $20. At the meeting, the school board discussed the rising food prices how the coaches and students had trouble keeping it under the limit last year. The administration thought that limit was not reasonable. The school also made slight changes to the eligibility policy for extracurricular activities that is determined on a weekly basis.

Board members approved hiring Randall Reeve as the athletic director for the year. Locke said Reeve is a great candidate because of how involved he already is in the school. The board also approved the hiring of Linda Michel as the assistant athletic director. Locke said dividing the responsibilities between the two will make the job easier for both.

In other action, the board:

• Discussed the progress of the installation of the new football scoreboard. The scoreboard is installed and Bryan Jones connected the power lines.

• Approved the remaining funds from the Class of 2022 go toward new weight room equipment. The class had about $2,000 left in the account that the students wanted to go toward workout equipment. The administration found a versatile machine that is durable and multifunctional in Helena. Some of the old equipment in the room are decades old and the multifunctional equipment replaces a lot of those. The final amount is $5,282.

• Approved the purchasing of a new Office 360 Solutions copy machine. The board decided on Office 360 over Fisher for around the same price of $9,500. The school also had the choice of leasing the copy machine for 60 or 63 months. Locke did not recommend leasing because by the end of the lease, the school will have paid around $2,000 more than if they bought it. The approved plan is to put the Office 360 copy machine in the high school office, put the current high school machine in the elementary school and put the old elementary machine at Pondera Colony. Locke said the colony has a really old printer and Pondera needs the upgrade.

• Discussed the expanded Little Diamondbacks Daycare to the adjacent room. The school is anticipating an influx of children at the daycare and applied for various grants. The daycare received a grant from the Phyllis and Dennis Washington Foundation and one from the Office of Public Instruction. The school will receive $120,000 over the course of two years to help fund the daycare.

At the Dutton/Brady school board meeting on June 19, the board approved increasing pre-kindergarten to four days a week.

Montana House Bill 352 changed the laws regarding pre-k enrollment that go into effect after this coming school year. Adding additional days to the school’s pre-k program will provide more funding and time to prepare students to reach reading proficiency. Funding in subsequent years will be increased to 1.25 Average Number Belonging (ANB) per student through second grade.

Locke said this is a great opportunity for the school to get additional funding and provide more education for students to reach reading proficiency by the end of third grade.

The board also approved raising the rent on school properties. Earlier in the school year, the board discussed district properties and even the potential to sell one of the houses. In the long term, Locke said the best option for the district is to increase the rent, which has not been adjusted since 2010. The prices since 2010 were $187.50 a month for smaller houses and $262.50 for larger houses, an increase of 20% on smaller houses and 14% on larger houses.

The administration also wanted to update the rental agreement to help better manage the properties. The typical house rent in the area is $900 a month. The increase is still significantly less than rentals in the area. As part of recruitment and retention, the administration wants to increase the discount percentage for staff to offset the rental increase. Rent is cut by 50% for school staff to $225 for smaller houses and $300 for larger houses.

Jordan Skulsky was approved as a new elementary school teacher. The board agreed she would be a good fit for the 2023-24 school year. Skulsky has a wide range of teaching experience with an emphasis on teaching mathematics. Locke said he and Lisette Hofer would provide various professional development opportunities and one-on-one assistance to help Skulsky develop her craft.

The school board declared some computers, televisions, electronic equipment, old curriculum and other unsuitable or obsolete equipment no longer of use to the district. Locke said there are old television sets, projectors, textbooks and other equipment sitting in storage around the school, taking up space. Staff members plan on going through the school’s inventory this summer to identify equipment that is no longer of use to the district. Property declared surplus can be sold or disposed of.

In other action, the board:

• Discussed the two summer sports camps in June. The volleyball camp took place June 5-9 and had 40 athletes participating. Basketball open gyms are Tuesdays at 7 p.m. for eighth grade and older. The Basketball Camp of Champions was June 27-29. All sports camps were well-received and successful.

• Gave updates on the summer maintenance projects. The gymnasium walls are scrubbed and repainted and the cafeteria is painted and reorganized.

• Talked about the school carpet installation being finished on June 19 in five elementary school rooms. All elementary rooms are painted, lights changed, walls scrubbed, windows cleaned and superfluous equipment removed.

• Discussed the upkeep and mowing of the school grounds. The school plans to continue some tree trimming around the school grounds, specifically around the football fields, to remove dead limbs. The staff discussed painting the lines on the football field in August and having Scott Stevenson paint the Titan logo on the field.

• Proposed that the school is working with Montana State University-Great Falls to develop more options for dual-credit classes. Locke said he wrote a letter of support for a $2.2 million grant to support teachers getting licensed to teach dual-credit courses in small rural schools by taking an additional nine credits in master-level classes for certification. The grant would allow many opportunities for students to gain skills and experience exploring careers in postsecondary education.

• Reviewed the bus route information from last year and compared it to this year’s enrollment information to update routes and individual transportation contracts in preparation for July’s County Transportation Committee meeting. The routes have been approved by the board.

• Approved hiring Hofer for part-time 2023 summer help. Locke said Hofer has been gracious enough to offer her assistance over the summer to clean up the building and reorganize the spaces. With many jobs than demand Locke’s time over the summer, he said having Hofer’s help getting things ready for the new teachers and their rooms is a great advantage to finishing all the summer projects.

• Viewed the classified staff members who have each worked for the district in the past year and have done an excellent job. Locke recommended them for rehire and the board approved the rehiring.