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Crete Public Schools board hears facilities, staffing and professional-development updates; foundation donates $300,000 for scoreboard
Summary
District leaders briefed the board on staffing hires, nearly 4,000 technology devices in circulation, HVAC repairs across buildings, progress at the new athletic complex and a $300,000 donation from the Crete Public Schools Foundation for a scoreboard.
The Crete Public Schools Board of Education received updates on staffing, devices and facilities at its Sept. 10 meeting, and Superintendent Dr. McDowell announced a $300,000 one-time gift from the Crete Public Schools Foundation to pay for the new athletic-complex scoreboard.
Chief of Staff Jenny Beck reported staffing and grants activity: district maintenance and a grant-contingent paraprofessional position focused on reading interventions are in the final stages of hiring; additional part-time positions and after-school substitutes remain open. Beck said the district currently hosts its highest fall number of student teachers in recent years and that the district’s technology inventory comprises roughly 3,996 devices (student Chromebooks, staff Windows/Apple devices, tablets and projectors) that IT maintains and cycles.
Facilities updates included a summary of work by Grunewald Mechanical to address HVAC issues after late-summer heat. Beck said crews replaced valves on an elementary chiller, replaced belts and aligned blower motors on multiple units, and repaired a miswired blower motor at the middle school that was tripping breakers. The high school commons belt was also replaced, she said.
Dr. McDowell provided a construction update on the new athletic complex, saying bleachers, press boxes and lighting are installed but that the district is waiting on switchgear to supply permanent electrical power. He said the district has a backup plan to provide power for upcoming evening events if the switchgear is delayed.
On philanthropy, Dr. McDowell said the Crete Public Schools Foundation — a separate nonprofit with its own board and executive director — approved a one-time donation of $300,000 to cover the athletic-complex scoreboard. "They stepped up and made a donation, one time donation of $300,000, to cover the scoreboard," Dr. McDowell said. The district is completing contract steps with the scoreboard vendor, Digital Scoreboards.
Why this matters
The staffing and facilities work affects the start of the school year, building operations and maintenance budgets; the foundation gift reduces capital costs borne by taxpayers for the scoreboard and accelerates installation plans, the superintendent said.
What the board asked and next steps
Board members asked about device lifecycles and whether the district could extend useful life through different purchase choices and maintenance cycles; staff said IT is reviewing its replacement schedule. Grunewald Mechanical invoices and work were summarized in claims included on the consent agenda.
District staff will finalize hiring for maintenance and grant-funded positions, continue preventative maintenance, complete the switchgear installation if parts arrive, and execute the scoreboard contract with Digital Scoreboards once details are finalized.
Provenance: facilities and staffing update presented by Chief of Staff Jenny Beck (transcript start 2759.155); superintendent's announcement of foundation donation (transcript start 3367.1401).
