The Twin Rivers R-X school district confirmed several projects for its $1.3 million ESSER III grant during its Thursday meeting.
The money, which must be spent by 2024, gives R-X a chance to beautify its campuses and benefit students.
“It’s probably a one-time opportunity and we’re positioned to take advantage of it,” said superintendent Ben Johnson. He added these efforts can set Twin Rivers apart for next three years.
The financial items approved by the board were three new buses, an updated HVAC estimate and new gym doors. Of the three, the buses were the most pressing.
“We had budgeted originally two … but we had another one break completely down,” Johnson explained.
The budget was submitted to an ESSER committee Aug. 31 and greenlit, but can be amended to account for new expenditures.
The buses have a 77-person capacity, which is necessary since each bus averages 50-60 students and COVID regulations require extra space.
Vice president Billy Watson inquired after the timeframe ESSER payments and Johnson explained the high school does not have to pay any money until the buses are in its possession, and will be reimbursed by ESSER within a month. There is no cost to taxpayers. Watson also asked about staggering the purchases to avoid withdrawing too much money from the school’s funds at once.
Board secretary Tonya Jones pointed out they may need to wait until next year to purchase the vehicles at all because of ESSER’s timeframe regulations.
“We can’t get too close to the end of the year because we have to get reimbursement back in the same year,” Jones said.
The board approved the purchase of the first bus at $117,000 and plans to purchase the other at a later day.
Johnson updated the board on R-X’s HVAC system work, which is still within its projected expense bracket due to a conservative $500,000 budget. The initial quote for the work was $315,500, but complications at Qulin raised the number to between $350,000-$375,000.
The board also learned the district’s insurance company wants a bar or ramp installed in the doors of the Qulin Middle School gym to prevent rainwater from seeping underneath it. They approved a bid from Brown Window, Inc. of Poplar Bluff, who has replaced other doors for them in the past.
A new convection oven for the high school is likely eligible for ESSER III money since ovens for the middle and elementary schools were covered by last year’s grant. Purchase of a new appliance from Sikeston Equipment for $3,300 was approved.
Overall, Johnson said he is pleased with the ESSER system and its benefits.
“The system, I can’t complain about it at all. It’s very fluid … the turnaround, the response and all that, it’s been very helpful,” Johnson said.
Something the grant cannot do is pay for needed safety features on the basketball goals in the high school gym, per a 2017 inspection the state performed on the space through the school’s insurance provider. They recommend each goal get safety chains and a gear box to ease raising and lowering them and prevent accidents.
“They (the chains) get mounted to the ceilings so if something happens to the hydraulics, they’re safe,” said Johnson.
The board agreed this was a necessary expenditure.
“We’re just gonna have to eat that expense” Watson noted.
Johnson also reported the school has over $5,000 of insurance money left to spend from a theft claim made last year, when a burglar stole multiple pieces of tools and equipment from the maintenance garage. The school may look into restitution via a civil suit.
Representatives of the Qulin and Fisk campuses gave positive reports on recent events including the Veteran’s Day program, Drop Everything Everybody Read Day and the district dance.
Special education process coordinator WaWanna Nehrkorn also praised students for their hard work competing in the AAA Buckle Up Phone Down High School Showdown. Schools across the state are creating large posters about distracted driving, which will be displayed in Jefferson City.
The three schools with the highest percentage of students taking the Buckle Up Phone Down pledge will receive $1,000-$2,000 prizes for safety programs at their school, and there is an additional $1,500 cash prize for the school with the greatest community participation in the pledge.
TRHS is competing against several larger schools, Nehrkorn explained, but it is currently holding strong in second place.
“We’re small, but we’re mighty,” she said.