Arne Petryshen
On Nov. 10, the School District 5 board met for its regular meeting. There were a number of interesting items that were brought up in the meeting, including dress codes and a number of capital projects.
Board Chair Frank Lento spoke to some of the items from the meeting on Monday.
Lento said the dress code and sports attire was brought forward by a parent.
“We formed an ad hoc committee on that,” Lento said. “It was just a concern raised by a particular parent.”
Lento said, since they have 17 schools in the district, they were better off having a committee look at it than have the district itself discuss it at this point.
“So it’s not a district issue, it’s just a concern by a parent,” he said.
Lento said we’ll have to wait and see what happens with that. He wasn’t certain when the committee was meeting, or whether they had yet. There are some trustees and district staff on the committee.
Lento said the concern has to do with athletic uniforms, but couldn’t speak to it in more detail.
The board also passed a motion to discuss a cost sharing partnership with the City of Cranbrook to install a Muriel Baxter Elementary School plaque at the school site in honour of Muriel Baxter.
Lento said the plaque is in the works. It gives the history of the school and Muriel Baxter herself.
“We were just going to approach the city to see about cost sharing on it,” he said.
The board also approved a number of capital projects, including one for Laurie Middle School in the amount of $434,000, one for Mount Baker Secondary School in the amount of $368,000 and one for various elementary schools HVAC systems in the amount of $143,750.
“Annually we get what’s called a Annual Facilities Grant,” Lento explained. “Those were funds that we take out of that grant.”
In the agenda, Ryan Spillett, from the Capital Management Branch, wrote he was pleased to confirm the capital funding of up to $434,900 to replace the rooftop air handling unit and repair the roof on Laurie Middle School.
“These funds will contribute to extending the life of your facilities and school-based assets and help support healthy, efficient schools for students, teachers and staff,” Spillett wrote.
Spillett also wrote about the $368,000 that has been approved for the routine capital projects for Mount Baker. He wrote that the funds will be used in the acquisition of two heating water boilers and circulatory pumps for upgrading an aging system at Mount Baker Secondary.