By Lisa Wilcox
Staff Writer
WOODLAND — The plan to purchase two new buses continued to move along at the Woodland School Board meeting held on Monday evening.
Interim Superintendent Roland Caron presented the board with specs for the two buses, one of which will be handicapped accessible. The price for the handicapped accessible bus is $88,074, and the cost of the non-handicapped accessible bus is $80,082. The board reviewed the specs and agreed that everything looked satisfactory. Caron advised that he was working out financing and the school plans on having the buses by the beginning of the next school year.
Discussion of new textbooks and a kitchen roof were also on the agenda. Principal Susie Schloeman provided the board with a list of textbooks currently being used by the school. Members were surprised to learn that some of the books date back to the mid-1980s. The board agreed that new books definitely need to be purchased and discussed different options for replacing them. They decided that a committee of staff members should be formed to come up with the best plan of action for replacing the books.
Next, the board reviewed an estimate they received from a local contractor to repair the school’s kitchen roof. After discussion, the members decided to put out a public request for bids so that they would have more options to consider.
At the suggestion of board member Wanda Anderson, the board voted to table approving staff hourly wages and benefits for 2013-14 until a final draft of the complete budget was available. Caron did present the board with two budget drafts, one in which community contributions would be lowered and one in which they would remain the same. The latter also allowed for funds to replace the kitchen roof and purchase new textbooks.
The board approved submitting the draft of the budget, which keeps community contributions at the same level to the town of Woodland. Caron is scheduled to present this budget to the selectmen at their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, May 21, at 4:30 p.m.
In conjunction with the budget, Caron also provided board members with a spreadsheet of figures obtained from the Maine Department of Education comparing the annual cost per student to attend various schools around Aroostook County. Woodland ranked just about in the middle with an average of $8,335 per student as compared to some more costly schools such as Easton at $12,572 and Madawaska at $11,438 per student.
Board members also approved a calendar for the next school year, corrections to the Professional Learning Community Support System Plan, and scheduled a training session for Friday, June 14, at the Lakeview Restaurant in St. Agatha. They also rejected an offer they received to purchase one of their junked buses for $500, deciding to go ahead with plans to put the bus out to bid eventually.
The next regularly scheduled Woodland School Board meeting will be Monday, June 17, at the school at 6:30 p.m.
