The Cheney School Board covered a variety of topics at its March 13 meeting, recognizing the classified employee of the year and discussing the pressing need for additional school site property.
The board first recognized Windsor Elementary paraeducator Kathy Larson as the district’s classified employee of the year. Superintendent Rob Roettger called Larson “very, very deserving” and shared a note from her colleagues who said they “would fall apart without her.”
Teachers from Three Springs High School also shared a video with the board created entirely by students as part of their entrepreneurship and leadership class that will eventually be put on the school’s website.
The district’s director of finance, Jamie Weingart, appraised meeting attendees with a financial update detailing the possibility of purchasing future school sites. While district officials say additional construction is a long way off, Weingart said the district needs to start saving and planning for that possibility now.
Roettger said increasing land costs concerned him, particularly since the district has seen unprecedented growth this year. The district may need new school sites much sooner than predicted and has already outgrown its bus storage facility.
“I worry if we wait too long to pursue property it will be a mistake,” Roettger said. “We need to be proactive and be thinking about what this could look like in 15 years.”
Roettger announced the departure of Assistant Superintendent Sean Dotson, who will be leaving his current position to be superintendent of the Tumwater School District in July.
A capital projects update was also provided to the board, which was treated to photos of finished classrooms and nearly completed hallways at the high school. Construction officials announced that the greenhouse was turned over to high school employees last week.
The board unanimously approved a resolution recognizing education support professionals and declaring the week of March 11-15 “Education Support Professionals Week.”
Shannen Talbot can be reached at shannen@cheneyfreepress.com.
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