BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer
JACKSON – Summertime construction and reconstruction projects are continuing throughout the Jackson School District.
In a report to the Board of Education at a recent meeting, Superintendent of Schools Thomas Gialanella said the projects are going along well.
At the Christa McAuliffe Middle School, workers are making improvements to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and the work is proceeding on schedule, according to the superintendent.
Work at Jackson Memorial High School is just about complete, Gialanella said. There is also some classroom and bathroom work being done that will continue throughout the school year.
Board member Marvin Krakower said he visited Jackson Memorial earlier in the day and noted improvements being made to chemistry labs, bathrooms and locker rooms.
Workers are putting the finishing touches on the new Jackson Liberty High School, North Hope Chapel Road. Gialanella said the district is scheduled to take possession of the building in early August. Jackson Liberty is expected to open to freshmen and sophomores on Sept. 6.
Deliveries of furniture and equipment have begun at the new school and employees are assembling the desks, furniture and equipment, according to the superintendent.
“All of our projects seem to be going very well,” Gialanella said. “So far it’s been a very productive summer.”
During the public portion of the meeting Donna Hopkins, Liberty Place, told the board she is concerned about a situation in which about 50 high school students wait at a bus stop near her home. She said there are no sidewalks at that location.
Hopkins said she would like to see more bus stops in the development for the high school students, rather than only one stop at the entrance-exit of the neighborhood.
“It really is an accident waiting to happen,” she said of the crowded bus stop.
Gialanella said he would discuss the matter with the transportation department and get back to Hopkins.
Resident Nicholas Antonoff, Murray Drive, asked for the answers to questions he had previously asked. The first question concerned the district’s use of a $3.9 million surplus.
Gialanella said, “We took the difference between what was in the budget and what was spent and that was applied to the fund balance for next year’s budget. All of it.”
Antonoff questioned school budget figures and was told by Gialanella that the comparative spending guide is always a year behind.
“They’re projecting or predicting,” the superintendent said. “What you’re quoting in June is the actual fact. It’s adjusted at the last minute in November for the actual audit. Their prediction is going to be different from what actually happened.”
Antonoff’s second question concerned the interest earned on the high school bond referendum, which was really the building referendum, Gialanella said.
“That interest does accrue and its intended use is for the project,” the superintendent said. “If it’s not used for the project, it goes to pay off the debt service on that project. It can only be used for those two things.”
Gialanella suggested that Antonoff should make an appointment with school district Business Administrator Gregory Brennan if he has any more questions about the budget.
During committee reports, board member John Morvay said the curriculum planning for the 2006-07 school year is well under way. The curriculum committee is reviewing the five-year plan and making recommendations, he said.
Board member Gus Acevedo reported that the school district received the first round draft from the ING Unsung Heroes Award. This award is for $2,000 and the district will be eligible for a second round award, which could be an additional $5,000, $10,000 or $25,000. The grant was designed around a series of projects that celebrate women, Acevedo said.
Krakower said he, Morvay and Gialanella will be visiting some of the district’s older schools in August to see what those buildings need in order to bring them up to the same standards as the newer buildings.
Board Vice President Martin Spielman said the personnel committee met with Gialanella and decided that Crawford-Rodriguez School Assistant Principal Michael Raymond shoudl become the principal at the Rosenauer School. Later in the meeting the board approved Raymond’s appointment as Rosenauer’s principal.