The Kingsland School Board held a regular meeting on July 20, via remote technology means, due to current social distancing guidelines. Board members were in attendance included Jackie Horsman, Tiffany Mundfrom, Noella Lund, Maranda Emig, and Kyle Rader. Natasha Howard was absent. Also participating were Superintendent Jim Hecimovich, Building & Grounds Director Jason Thompson, Community Education director Becky Bicknese, and Principal Scott Klavetter.
Regarding the ongoing COVID-19 challenges, the board discussed possible sanitizing processes that could be used if/when the school opens back up to in-person learning. Jason Thompson stated, “I’ve been doing a lot of research on sanitizing products,” and he explained that he’s looked for products that offer a short “dwell time” to allow for sanitizing a classroom between classes. He explained that the recommended dwell time for sanitizers can be as short as two minutes, which would feasibly allow for sanitizing between classes.
Thompson went on, “I also ordered some sanitation bombs, basically, so if we do have a positive in any classroom, we can set off one of those bombs and the classroom will be good to go for the next day.” When asked for more detail, Thompson responded, “It’s an aerosol and you can be in the room an hour after you set them off… it basically fogs the entire room, so everything gets sanitized, every inch, every crack, and every crevice.”
There was discussion about how Kingsland would handle a situation in which a student who tested positive for COVID-19 had siblings also attending Kingsland, since siblings would need to be considered as persons exposed to the virus. Thompson said that Kingsland hasn’t yet determined a protocol for how to handle that scenario, but he said the “bombs” may become cost prohibitive if used frequently.
Jackie Horsman added a disclaimer, stating, “The district doesn’t know yet if we’re going down that route to in-person learning, this is just a discussion… at this time that’s unknown.” She said Kingsland would likely settle on a plan around the end of July.
The board discussed the progress on County Road 1 safety concerns. Superintendent Hecimovich stated, “Ron Gregg got back to me. He wants me to provide him with a little more data.” Hecimovich and Horsman both stated they are frustrated that the process has taken this long, since Kingsland has been working on this matter for over a year.
The board discussed the plans for developing a Strategic Planning committee. Hecimovich said, “It’s going to be fast and furious, so the sooner we can get the committee pulled together, the better.” He said the recommendation is for the committee to have approximately 30 members, including around eight community members, around eight staff members, as well as students, administration members and board members. He encouraged the board to forward him the names of any community members willing to serve, so those persons can be contacted and/or considered for the committee.
Becky Bicknese gave an update on preschool enrollment, stating that overall enrollment numbers are “not that far off” the numbers from a year ago. As of now, there are 60 enrolled, compared to 67 a year ago. She said some families may be choosing to pass on preschool due to COVID concerns.
As discussed during the board’s work session earlier in the month, the board formally approved a number of annual fees and prices, including substitute pay, athletic/extra-curricular fees, school aged care fees, facility rental fees, student/adult meal prices, board member compensation, mileage rate, and miscellaneous fees. The board voted to move forward with Kingsland’s rebranding “logo contest.”
The board’s next meeting will be a work session meeting on August 3, at 6 p.m.