Now on view through May 31, 2020

To the editor:

      We did it!  We, as a community, have made it through the current virtual learning portion of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Amherst School Board would like to extend another round of kudos to the students, parents, teachers, and school administration for coming together to implement a learn-at-home system at practically a moment’s notice.  

      The past few months were not easy for anyone, for students adapting to a new learning environment without friends and face-to-face contact; for parents balancing a student’s learning with a full-time job; for teachers, many of whom are parents, putting together comprehensive lesson plans that could be conveyed without the usual personal touch; and for the administration, which began planning for this potential scenario in January when ‘COVID-19’ and ‘coronavirus’ were a continent away.

      Now the focus shifts to the 2020-21 academic school year, which features a variety of unknowns at this point.  Our administration is developing plans for all possible scenarios while state officials attack the issue from their end.  It’s likely a fully-fledged decision won’t be made immediately so we will do our best to keep you informed as the summer progresses.

      With the end of the school fiscal year coming at the end of the month, the board spent a good majority of its May meeting looking at our unreserved fund balance.  This is an allotment of money that was not spent during the 2019-20 school year.  Through proper planning and as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly $1.5 million was left in the ASD’s coffers.  At least $700,000 of that will be returned to taxpayers.  Another portion of it will be put to projects that the schools need, focusing on health and safety, building infrastructure, and non-emergency necessities.  The following is a list of approved projects and additional items on which we are awaiting more information (costs are estimates). We will be reviewing the unreserved fund balance again at our June meeting and will have a more accurate total that will be returned to taxpayers in our next letter.

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Approved

• Air duct cleaning in Clark, Wilkins and AMS - $22,000 total

• Four new cafeteria tables at Wilkins - $8,000

• New snowblower at Wilkins - $2,500

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Awaiting further information

• Roofing work at Clark, AMS

• Replacing main breaker switches at all three schools

• Dividing walls at AMS

• Hot water system flushing and servicing at all three schools

• School lockers at AMS

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Next Meeting

      Our next meeting is Thursday, June 4 at 6 p.m., and we will be making final decisions on utilizing the unreserved fund balance in a manner that maximizes the long-term value of the investment while fixing immediate needs.  We will also be discussing our board goals for FY21 and doing a first read on a new volunteer policy for Clark-Wilkins and AMS. 

      If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to us at ASB@sau39.org.

 

Thank you

Elizabeth Kuzsma, Chair

Tom Gauthier, Vice Chair

Ellen Grudzien, Secretary

Terri Behm

Josh Conklin