Keota School Board Discusses Having Facility Assessment

KEOTA – During the Feb. 13 meeting of the Keota School Board, the board met with representatives from Insight and Denovo about having a facility assessment done, which would give the board a comprehensive overview of the quality of things like brickwork, windows, HVAC, electrical systems, fire alarms, and plumbing, which would help them put together a five-year plan for repairs and projects. Board member Billie Kindred stated it was important to find out how things were and decide priorities. Board member Jim Tinnes stated that having a second set of eyes would help point out things they wouldn’t notice, and that it was better to prevent damage than need to do repairs. Kindred requested the assessment also look over the costs and feasibility of converting part of the building into a daycare.

Superintendent Lisa Brenneman stated the current goal was to have the daycare, which will use rooms currently used for preschool, open by Aug. 1 of this year. She noted that the rooms already meet code and that they won’t have to worry about construction much. Tinnes asked about installing doors to separate the daycare from the rest of the school. Brenneman stated that she thinks they will be installed by then and that the daycare could open without them.

Brenneman noted that schools will likely receive an increase of 2-2.25% in State Supplemental Aid this year, based on proposals by the legislature. She stated this wasn’t much of a raise. She noted that a proposal by the governor could lead to Keota getting $13-$16 more per student.