Kingsland School Board held a regular meeting on September 20 with all members participating (Jackie Horsman, Natasha Howard, Gwen Howard, Maranda Emig, Pamela Freet, and Superintendent James Hecimovich). Business Manager Amber Herbrand, Kyle Rader, and Activity Director Mark Fitzpatrick participated via remote technology. No members of the general public attended to speak on any issues or concerns.
Superintendent Hecimovich informed the board that staffing shortages have been an issue, and in particular, the custodial staffing. He stated, “Our custodians are down to just, after Skyler leaves in two weeks, Jason, Tom and Terry. I will tell you that Jason reached out to Arnold’s to see if they would come in and give us a quote on additional custodial services until we can get people hired… because three people cannot maintain the building and grounds during football season, also all the trash in classrooms and lunchrooms and everything, evening supervision for cleaning for games and such…” Pam Freet asked what “full custodial staffing” would be. Hecimovich said Kingsland custodial staff will be about 3 ½ staff short, and that food service staff also will be “right on the cusp of 50% operations.”
Hecimovich informed the board that the school is down to only one water pump working. He explained, “One of the pumps has been bad for a long time.” He said the repair will probably cost around $8,000, but is necessary since the entire school would be without water if the one remaining pump were to give out. Horsman noted that Kingsland’s water usage has gone up significantly since April, so hopefully that will get fixed when the broken pump is repaired.
Hecimovich said preliminary talks are underway with LeRoy-Ostrander about possibly forming a cooperative for junior high football. He also said, “Steve Howser approached me to consider… about elevating sixth grade into junior high teams… Right now, girls basketball. So again, no decision has been made. It’s got to be researched thoroughly, and it has implications with other sports, and other issues that may come with this.”
Fitzpatrick shared that if Kingsland forms a cooperative with LeRoy-Ostrander for junior high football, it would likely be on a year-by-year basis, meaning that in a particular year, if each school had enough players, Kingsland and LeRoy-Ostrander could operate their own teams separately. No decision was made at this time.
Gwen Howard said she’s heard from community members asking if “Kingsland” could be painted on the city water tower. She said she’ll bring this question to the Spring Valley city council for their consideration.
The board discussed the possibility of “livestreaming” of Kingsland athletic contests. Hecimovich pointed out that, before Kingsland would make a decision, it would be wise to consider the impact of fewer spectators in the stands. He stated, “It’s a revenue stream to pay for our programming.” Board members said KABC (Kingsland Athletic Booster Club) should also be involved in discussions on this topic. No board action was taken at this time.
As usual, the board approved the proposed levy at the maximum rate, with the understanding that it can be lowered later. The Truth in Taxation hearing, in December, is when the final levy amount will be set. The board also approved a SACC write-off in the amount of $3443.33.
Two issues (the superintendent evaluation, and the review of student enrollment figures) were tabled until the October meeting. The Kingsland board’s next meeting will be a work session on Monday, October 4, at 6 p.m., in the KES Conference Room. Kingsland continues to offer the option for anyone to “attend” via Zoom technology.
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