Facility Concerns #7

            The article below represents the last submission as a result of the Board of Education’s original “needs identification” activity to supply information to the public.  There may be other issues that arise that can be shared, but every article through the end of this one indicates the immediate needs of our district.  The content will focus on extracurricular spaces and facilities. 

            As shared previously, our current gym space is scheduled for a facelift this summer.  This activity will improve safety for spectators and playing surface for competitors, it does not address practice time and space or the ability to attract other people into the community for activities.  The Board feels a second, competition-sized gymnasium is warranted and needed with any updates/construction going forward.  The space could be used to alleviate P.E. scheduling conflicts between elementary and high school, practice scheduling conflicts, and gain the ability to host conference and district events in our community.  The use of our current gym begins shortly before 6:00 am with junior high practice and often ends after 8:00 pm with some youth activity.  This all assumes there is not a home activity that night.  The ability to host events may not seem to be important, but having outside people in our community and in our schools, is an added revenue source for the local economy and the school economy that can certainly assist us going forward.  Additionally, when weather requires recess to be held inside, there are no available spaces.  The construction of a second gym/commons area could alleviate this pressure, as well.

            The football “complex” is the other major extracurricular facility that will require significant investment.  The asphalt track that is used in the spring is due to be completely redone, from the base to the topcoat, because the base is crumbling because of age and natural heaving of the landscape.  Below the text, you will find pictures of the track taken this spring before any patching.  If the track were to be redone, it would make sense to also re-crown the football field.  There should be a natural elevation in the middle of the field to help with water management and maintaining an even playing surface, but ours as eroded over the past four decades.  This may not be an absolute necessity, but would certainly make sense if the track were to be torn up and the equipment on-site to address this, as well.  The stadium bleachers at the field are a safety concern.  With the foundational concrete for the bleachers and press box changing shape, the surface may not remain level.  Additionally, just as with the bleachers in the gym, those at the field are safety hazards and would not meet requirements they set for current construction.

            Finally, in conjunction with the football field, the current “field house” used by our players has served its purpose.  With the amount of renovation work that would need done to the building, it would make sense to have it a part of our football facility, at the north field to house our student-athletes.  This could also serve as a storage facility for football and track equipment, as well as concessions at the field, depending on the size of a proposed structure.  The current concessions’ building has several disjointed blocks and cracks throughout which would warrant a safer building.

            As a reminder, each of these articles, past and present, can be read online at http://suptcorner.blogspot.com or by visiting our webpage and clicking on “Superintendent’s Corner” in the top right corner.  Please feel free to comment or leave feedback on any of the submissions.  Thank you for your continued attention to the facility needs for the students in our district.

Facility Concerns #6

            I want to extend appreciation from the Board for those patrons that have reached out with questions or input as a result of the weekly articles.  The communication that results will be what allows the school district and community to thrive going forward.  Without the community participation in the district or the school participation in the community, the benefit for both will be far less than that produced by a cooperative effort.

            Continuing in our buildings, the locker rooms in our current gym are less than sufficient.  The use of the space, the condition of lockers and plumbing are deteriorating, and the electrical must be upgraded to have appropriate lighting within the space.  The plumbing has continued to be a nuisance over the past school year and while attempts are being made to make it functional, it is a battle we will continue to fight.  The gym area itself will receive a facelift over the summer, but the locker rooms will not be afforded the same opportunity.

            With the theme of lockers begun, our hallway lockers for the 7-12 students should be replaced.  The current arrangement is for two students sharing a locker, but when coats and bags (both school and athletic) are placed in those lockers, there is little room for any academic material.  Additionally, items may spill out or have to be placed in the hallway because of limited space, which results in a safety concern for hallway traffic and an eyesore for any visitors who may be visiting our building.  The lockers are built into the wall, meaning there would have to be investigation into how those could be replaced and additional space must be found for any other lockers if we were able to split students into one space.

            The final thought for this submission will be the parking and traffic flow around the school.  Students and staff currently park on the north, east, and south sides of the building.  The north parking is a concern with traffic flow, both vehicles and students crossing streets because of the elementary entrance.  The east side of the building also raises safety issues because of its connection to Highway 75.  On the south side of the building, there is little paved area for parking, resulting in mud and water tracking into the building.  Also, our students park across the street on the south side, in areas not owned by the school, which brings up administrative questions when it comes to safety and jurisdiction.  In addition to our students and staff, anytime we host activities in the school, people attending may park as far as two or three blocks away from the school before coming through our doors.  Ideally, a paved area for all of our students and staff to park would be great, but any type of maintained surface where vehicles could be collectively kept would be an improvement over the current situation. 

             Next week’s article will involve our athletic facilities which, while not primary in education, certainly are key component in the educational experience for our students.  If I have not already, I hope to see some of you in the building asking questions and observing first-hand some of the concerns expressed by our students, staff, and the Board of Education.  Additionally, feel free to review articles or provide input online at http://www.suptcorner.blogspot.com.

Facility Concerns #5

            According to the Plaindealer, there has been a number of positive responses to the articles submitted, so I hope that continues and you communicate with your Board members.  The classrooms we currently utilize for 7-12 science classes are lacking.  All of our classrooms have limited storage availability, but the science rooms have additional concerns.  With space at a premium, the lab areas used in all three rooms are neither sufficient nor safe for activities with students.  The lab spaces are cramped together in one classroom, on an outside wall in another (which does not allow for safe observation by the instructor), and non-existent in the third room.  Hands-on activities are an essential part of science instruction and have been shown to help students learn in all disciplines.  The additional ventilation and storage areas for science materials are necessary, but limited in our current configuration.

            The food services area, including preparation and seating spaces have limitations.  In our kitchen, we do not have the recommended space for preparation and/or storage of kitchen supplies.  While the staff has made it work, it does have the potential for an unsafe environment in the limited space available.  In the seating area (multipurpose room), there are a finite number of seats because of the built in cafeteria tables.  Also, the space for tables is limited which causes difficulty with scheduling lunches.  Currently, we run our lunches from 11:00-1:00 for all of our students, and there are times when they stand and wait with a tray because there is not a table to sit at until another class clears out of the room.  Our principals do well with scheduling, but this becomes problematic.

            Finally, the auditorium is in need of a freshened look.  While it is not anticipated to be a required expansive renovation, replacing the flooring of the stage and seating area, replacing seating and updating the look needs to be done, at a minimum.  As often as the space is in use, including public performances, meetings, and assemblies, this should be an area of pride for our students and the general public.

            Again, to build off of last week’s article, there are many great things also happening in our district.  Thanks to the concerted effort of our students, staff, and parents, that should be praised and will be in future installments.  The facility improvements discussed and completed will only help to enhance what our students are able to accomplish in their time at Tekamah-Herman Schools and help to emphasize the importance the entire community places on education.

Please feel free to visit my blog at http://suptcorner.blogspot.com or by visiting our webpage and clicking on “Superintendent’s Corner” in the top right corner.  Each previous article is archived here and you have the opportunity to provide feedback or suggestions.

A Little of the Good Stuff

            To this point, each article has consisted of a need or deficiency in our school district.  If you have read previous articles, you would notice all of those discussed are facility concerns in the district.  Despite these deficiencies, there are many positive things happening in our district that could only be enhanced by sufficient facilities.  This article is going to talk about a few of those positives.

            The first is our one-to-one program in the high school.  In the fall, each high school student was given a MacBook Air laptop for use during the school year.  The teachers have been using the learning management system (LMS) Canvas (article in Plaindealer, Feb 18^th) to deliver content and enhance communication.  This type of “anytime” learning allows students to continue the experience outside of the walls of the classroom or school.  The computers and LMS also give the teachers opportunities to communicate with students about academic content outside of their usual class period.

            We are one of the first districts to begin using Canvas for this purpose and we have two staff members that will be presenting this summer to many other teachers and administrators.  Jane Walford and Shara Johnson have been invited to present in late May at the Tech Institute in Norfolk because many other districts are anticipating making the conversion.

            In our elementary schools, we have made a significant shift in our reading curriculum.  Last spring, the staff researched several options and chose Reading Street to update our reading series.  As such, there was time spent in the summer, in-services, and during this school year for the teachers to be prepared and the students to get the most out of the series.  If you are a parent of a student, you have noticed a difference in the type of work coming home and the students have certainly recognized a more rigorous program.  We anticipate seeing increased student achievement in our assessment scores, which will be directly attributed to the extra work put in by the staff in adopting the new curriculum.

            In addition to new curriculum, we have elementary teachers that are tackling technology projects, as well.  As part of a grant received from Nebraska Educational Technology Association, Amanda Hansen will be presenting at the spring conference in Omaha on the use of Mimeo in the classroom.  The technology is used to improve instruction and learning opportunities for students. 

            Finally, our students have the opportunity to participate in several clubs and organizations that they would not in other similarly sized schools.  When we compared to North Bend Central, our club offerings were nearly double what they are able to offer, despite them having a slightly higher student enrollment.  These would include i-Help, sponsored by Juliet Jensen.  This is a community service organization that provides a multitude of volunteer hours both in and out of the school.  This group is directly responsible for the landscaping project that was completed last spring on the east side of the building in Tekamah.

            It is NOT all “doom and gloom” at Tekamah-Herman, but we do have facilities in dire need.  I will continue to cover those issues in subsequent articles, but felt it important to talk about at least a couple of exciting things we have going on.  We have student capable of greatness and wonderful teachers; the next step is to provide the facilities they need to continue to grow and be successful.  Each of these articles, past and present, can be read online at http://suptcorner.blogspot.com or by visiting our webpage and clicking on “Superintendent’s Corner” in the top right corner.  Please feel free to comment or leave feedback on any of the submissions.

Facility Concerns #4

            As a continuation from last week, spaces will continue to trend as the focus.  Our Trades & Industry building is probably the most dire in all the district.  We currently have 62 seats accounted for in our “shop” classes that include engines, metals, woods, and introductory work.  These career classes are driven on two fronts.  The first is the Nebraska Department of Education is developing plans and encouraging schools to offer these classes, as they are typically the first cut when finances become a concern.  Secondly, in our community and county, the careers associated with these classes are needed to serve our patrons and businesses.  This building is currently on Main Street just south of the Tekamah Police office.

            The kindergarten cottage is not a suitable, long-term educational space.  Currently, one section of our kindergarten students utilizes this space for their daily activities.  However, this also requires them to be housed outside the main building (safety concern) and move between buildings as many as four times each day, regardless of weather.  The distance is not much, but there are too many concerns to justify it as a suitable space.

            An adequate commons area, for students to gather, is a need for elementary and high school.  In the high school, our students currently congregate in the hallways near the lockers during the morning and lunch times.  This becomes a supervision problem with limited eyes on multiple hallways and floors.  Additionally, the hallways are not wide enough to support that number of students if teachers are moving through the halls, especially with supplies in tow.  In the elementary, on inclement weather days, the students need to be in the building.  However, supervision is again a concern when they are in multiple hallways and classrooms prior to the day beginning.  Many of these needs and concerns are intertwined and could be solved simultaneously.  For example, there are food services inadequacies that could be solved by also utilizing the space as a commons area.

            There are multiple points of concerns with our roofing systems.  They have been on a better schedule in the past five years for replacement and attention has been given to them, but in some cases, there continues to be leaking concerns.  Some may have to be completely torn off and replaced, though we cannot be certain until we have a plan for addressing these needs.  By roofing, this also includes any facia, drainage, and all other facets that involve sealing the elevated surface of the school building.   

            Some needs are being addressed by the Board in structures they feel will remain, regardless of future decisions.  The gymnasium will be addressed this summer with a reconditioned floor, new bleachers for safety, and potentially new lights being installed.  While further down on the list, other activity needs are also part of consideration by the Board of Education.  Please reach out to them or to me with any questions or concerns you may have.  I hope these articles are helpful in outlining current needs for our students to have an adequate educational environment.

Facility Concerns #3

            In the first two weeks of articles, much of the discussion focused on life safety code issues in our building.  As we continue, safety will be a common theme along with improved education for our students.  Security and safety is a regularly used topic among administrators, teachers, and parents within our buildings.  There are several issues to address, including bus pick-up/drop-off, traffic flow on the elementary side, and street crossings.  However, within our building, secure entries and cameras are a priority.  In current school construction and renovation, secure entries, whether by visual, office-only, or buzzer system are necessary to assist with the safety of our students.  Additionally, an upgraded camera system is a necessity to enhance these safety features.

            With the increased emphasis on technology in teaching, and the potential of improved safety features, technology infrastructure will be challenged.  Upgrades were made for our one-to-one introduction in the high school, but further improvements will be necessary.  This would include the electrical systems, the cabling associated with technology, and the general efficiency of our organization and spaces.  Additionally, with increased technology necessary for preparing our students, extra space to house technology will continue to come at a premium.  Currently, many of our “hubs” are scattered throughout the building in general classrooms.  If any work needs to be done, it would require interruption of the activities within those classrooms.

            The need for additional space is not limited to strictly technology.  We currently use, as best we can, every space in our building for our students and staff.  This includes having some teachers stationed in previous storage locations and moving storage into other areas, which isn’t adequate.  The preschool classes, currently in Herman, would require an addition to our building in Tekamah to be able to serve their needs.  The Board has discussed the inevitability of closing Herman, which would require those students to be in Tekamah.  Our special education rooms and spaces have become insufficient.  As education evolves, special education continues to become a greater emphasis and need.  Currently, nearly 19% of our students qualify for special education services, which is far greater than any time in the past.  With this additional space, room to conduct private meetings with parents (as required) and students or assist students individually would enhance the education.  Finally, flexible classroom space becomes necessary as practices change in education.  This could be tied in with special education, but spaces to work collaboratively in groups, to listen to speakers, or to work as a whole grade level also is a priority for the Board.

            This week’s submission includes needs for the safety of our students and additional spaces necessary to educate our students adequately.  While these are not absolute requirements, the Board has established these as needed to adequately educate our students.  I encourage you to come into the building to view the needs firsthand.  I am always willing to walk through the building and to this point, have given less than a half-dozen tours to patrons. 

Facility Concerns #2

            As the second installment of the series of articles, this will also focus on facilities needs within our district.  Last week, heating and cooling was addressed as a primary priority, but fresh air must be included within that topic.  In our current building, we have many vents that attempt to move air out of the building without much fresh intake.  This creates a “negative” air system in the building and is not allowed in any type of construction today.  This also leads to an unhealthy environment for our students to learn and work.

            Electrical systems are lacking in our current facilities.  With the increase in use of technology, which must be encouraged and provided to prepare our students, there comes a greater demand on our electrical system.  Those in place currently cannot handle the “load” we are trying to run across them.  In addition to the electrical wiring, there may have to be additional infrastructure put in place for current technology.  It seems expensive and all-consuming, but technology is how our students learn, how they will work, and how we must prepare them for graduation from Tekamah-Herman.  While there is a greater draw with technology use in the classroom, those expenses could be negated with updated electrical and lighting to more efficient, current practices utilized by districts around us.

            The next issue to address is plumbing/fire sprinkling of the building.  Our current building does not have any type of fire protection other than alarms.  With current building codes, if we are to make any upgrades to any of our systems, we have been advised that ALL “life safety codes” must be met, which include fire sprinkling.  In order to plumb the building for this, the rest of the plumbing must be investigated, at a minimum, to determine if other upgrades or changes are necessary. 

            Finally, a suitable storm shelter should be constructed/reinforced for the safety of our students.  Currently, our elementary moves from the west end of the building to the basement portion under the high school library (east end of the building) to be in the study hall and weight room for weather emergencies.  Our junior high and high school students traverse the tunnels of the storeroom and old boiler room below and behind the current auditorium stage.  Neither location is good for students in weather situations, but they are the best we have right now.  A properly suited storm shelter has increased construction cost, but is predicted to be required by new building codes coming out this year.

            In each of these first two weeks, the needs of the school are strictly “life safety code” requirements.  That is, if we begin renovating any part of the building, the changes must be carried throughout the entire building and brought up to current building code satisfaction.  With heating and cooling being the initial goal, everything listed in this week’s article would need to be done and satisfactory without much room to negotiate.  The Board continues to investigate potential solutions, costs associated, and recommendations to make the best decision possible for the education of our students.  As always, if there are questions or comments, please seek out a Board member or contact me at the school.