Bigfork school garden finally approved
After over six months of analyzing possible locations and debating the pros and cons of each area, the Bigfork School District finally selected a spot for the school garden and has enough funding to begin the project.
The gears were set in motion for the school garden in May when the school board approved Sue McGregor’s request on behalf of the school’s wellness committee to pursue funding and find a location for the school garden. Last May, McGregor explained how the garden would function as a versatile educational tool by creating real-world implications for lessons in math and science while promoting physical activity and education.
Then on Dec. 19, during their regular meeting, the board of trustees approved the construction of a school garden near the lower parking lot on the football field’s hillside.
Since then she said eight students have expressed interest in starting a Gardening Club with the possibility of working alongside the school’s Biology Club in addition to regular in-class lesson use.
McGregor said the committee received grants from Friends of Bigfork Schools and Teletech to fund the garden and they are ready to begin construction, but are still seeking additional funds.
McGregor suggested the garden be constructed near the schools’ tennis courts down the street from the main campus, but others weighed in on the decision.
“My concern is vandalism,” board chair Maureen Averill said. “It’s far more likely to happen there than on school grounds. If it’s right here it is not forgotten, but down there is could be easily forgotten.”
Other possible locations the committee looked at included the triangle-shaped vacant area near the elementary school, below the football field on the hillside, and near the front parking area and bus stop.
District maintenance director Gordon Durham also recommended the tennis court area because of its access to water and power. Due to water installation, construction near the elementary school would cost an estimated $4,000 and $2,000 for the hillside.
This left just the tennis court area or the front lawn of the schools as the only other possible locations for the approximately 500 square-foot garden. In order to keep deer out, the garden has to be enclosed in a six-foot tall fence.
“You are going to trailer it up with a fence,” board member Paul Sandry said. “We just spent a lot of money on remodeling.”
As the discussion alternated from location to aesthetics, a solution was finally reached.
Board member Dave Carlson came up with a solution that also benefits cleaning up the football stands as well. He offered the use of his excavator to bring water from the well on one end of the field to the other so that a hose could be ran to the garden and to a possible future orchard for the hillside as well.
The garden’s construction will begin in 2013.
In other district news:
INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT
During their regular meeting on Nov. 14, the trustees approved a motion to petition the state superintendent of schools for permission to amend the district’s budget due to enrollment increases. The state approved the request and during last week’s meeting the district approved moving forward with the budget amendments.
The district has added 32 students since the budget was originally created, two in elementary, 12 in seventh- and eighth-grade, and 18 at the high school.
Because of this, the district needs to transfer funds from their reserves to pay for supplies, technology and maintenance so that more of their budget can be moved to the Interlocal Agreement Fund. The Interlocal Agreement Fund is a shared account between the elementary and high school that both schools contribute to and use. This will also allow the district to continue updates to the high school and elementary school heating systems.
The request included a budget increase of $30,000 for the elementary school and $26,000 for the high school. The new 2012-13 budgets are $3,170,057.45 for the elementary school and $2,145,929.84 for the high school.
CAMPUS SECURITY
Superintendent Cynthia Clary told the board of trustees that she spoke with elementary school principal Matt Jensen and high school principal Matt Porrovecchio about the status of the schools’ security in response to the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School earlier this month. The school had a security audit on Thursday and will have more information on it at the next board meeting.
Board member Mike Roessmann suggested bringing the board together and lobbying the county sheriff’s department for a resource officer.
“We have a good system in place, but there is always room for improvement and practicing,” Clary said. “The staff is wonderful, they work to keep the kids safe and do a tremendous job. We all need a break and are ready for the holidays.”
To read Clary’s letter regarding the district’s response to the shooting, go to page A4.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE WITH REICHNER
The board of trustees also spoke with Rep. Scott Reichner during their meeting for a question-and-answer session before the legislative sessions kick off next month. Reichner was the education chair of the last session, but will be working on health care reform, property taxes and campaign finance reform this time around.
Averill and district clerk Eda Taylor asked about improving school funding with grants or trust funds and used the Interlocal Agreement as an example of why the district needs assistance. Reichner said he would pass their concerns along and it would be worked on in the session.
“The republicans control by a margin, and the new governor is a democrat, so there is a nice tension there,” Reichner said. “I do expect, at this point anyway, that kindergarten through 12th-grade will be fully funded. We’ve got a long way to go, but I anticipate that is the spirit of the legislators going forward.”
Reichner encouraged the board to contact him with any concerns during the session.