By Gretchen Wehmhoff
At their June 18 meeting, the school board approved funds to install a vape detector in school bathrooms, including the elementary wing. The detectors and cameras will run $16, 871.97.
The board also approved dedicating money from its teacher retention fund, which stands at $385,102, to participate in a Grow Your Own program meant to assist classified employees who have been with the school for at least one year in obtaining teacher certification.
The program is offered through the University of Alaska Southeast and the Alaska Dept. of Education and Early Development. The district will reimburse the cost of up to 15 credit hours per semester.
The board also approved the purchase of a second activities bus. The current bus is a 1999 Ford E350 XLT with 110,400 miles.
The new bus is a 24’ 2023 Ford E450 Starcraft Allstar. The bus will hold fifteen people The district will purchase the bus for approximately $112,900 from Carpenter Bus sales in Tennessee. The company will deliver it to Seattle for $5600, but Superintendent Josh Coughran believes the school could save money on that portion.
“I think it would be better to send a district representative down there to kick the tires,” he said.
Coughran thinks it would save about $2500 to have someone other than the company drive the car to Seattle where it will then be put on AML for shipment to Skagway.
