WEST ALEXANDRIA — According to Jeff Tully, Twin Valley Community Local Schools Director of Transportation and Maintenance, road construction and closures have been affecting bus routes and some routes have been delayed up to 10 minutes.
During the Twin Valley Community Local School Board of Education meeting held on Monday, Aug. 28, Tully spoke about the difficulties with the bus routes this year.
“It has been a challenge getting the timing just right because of all the detours we have on State Route 503. It is basically affecting five routes, so I’ve had to add a little route to do everything north of the bridge here. I’ve had a sub-driver drafting that little route there, but it is throwing other people’s time off by 10 minutes,” he said.
“They are working with us on Lexington Road. It is open for buses now and emergency vehicles, but not normal transportation. They just closed New Market Banta Road today, so that’s affecting two more routes,” he said.
Tully also presented his maintenance report on past and ongoing work. He said, “We did get the new scoreboards in the gym. An electrician is coming to put the outlet in on the side of the gym, that way we can get electric on that. We got all the small bulbs in the auditorium changed.
“They started work on the baseball field last week, which will continue this week,” he said. “The scoreboards for the baseball and softball field installation will start next week, that still needs finalized. Last week we had to put a new controller on the sprinkler system on the baseball field. The one we had wasn’t acting right.”
Director of Instructional Technology Derrick Myers informed the board he started selling some of the old technology on eBay with the help of Treasurer Tearalee Riddlebarger. He has been using those funds to purchase new equipment.
He also replaced several old computers used by teachers.
“I also supervised the installation of the new security cameras, which is almost completed,” he said. “We have 45 cameras up and finished, but none of them are recording yet, because there is a licensing issue with software. The vendor still has to work that out. We will have a total of 46 HD security cameras. They are all color. Our old ones were black and white and very large, so this is a nice change.”
According to Dan Lewis, Director of Pupil Services, since the last board meeting the state has put out “ulterior pathways” for seniors to graduate.
“We had planned a time to meet and identify all the at-risk students, but that meeting got pushed back. That is going to occur this week,” he said. “We will be sending communication out to students, parents, and all that. These pathways are very obtainable for our students. It gives them a lot of options, they have to complete two of a list of six or seven things. There are just a lot of things. For this year, at least, it shouldn’t be a stressful situation.”
K-6 Principal Patti Holly began her report with the news that all of the third graders passed their Third Grade Reading Guarante.
She said, “We had three of them that we had to hold back to third grade. One took the MAP test on the first day and passed. Yesterday, we had two of our students pass, so we didn’t hold anyone back. To me that is awesome news, because it is awful to hold someone back in the third grade.”
She added, there are 17 TVS students in the new Head Start program, which the staff is very excited about.
The following students were recognized during the meeting:
•SkillsUSA National Participant Justin Collins.
•Invention Convention State Fair Winner Jillian Overmeyer.
•Invention Convention State Qualifiers Jandon Ankrom, Lily Bailey, Joslynn Beneke, and Jace Thuma.
In other business:
•The board entered into a contract with Lyndsay Richey, MT-BC for the delivery of music therapy services for students deemed eligible through IEP services.
•The board approved the contract with the Butler County Educational Service Center for services provided by their Success Liaison for $20,000 to service students and families in need.
•The board approved a transfer of $1,500 from the general fund to award three $500 scholarships to members of the class of 2018.
•The board approved a fifth grade field trip to Flatrock YMCA in St. Paul, Indiana on May 2-4, 2018.
The next Twin Valley Community Local Schools Board of Education meeting will be held on Monday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m. in the District Media Center.
