Facilities report: roofing bid, new programs at county CTC, pool-to-classroom conversion and safety app pilot

District committee and staff reports on facilities and regional programs were a substantial part of the March 20 Greencastle-Antrim board meeting.

Franklin County Career & Tech Center: Board member Eileen reported the Career & Tech Center accepted a roofing bid. According to the report, 75% of the roofing cost is covered by "grama" (term used in the transcript) and 25% will be paid by participating school districts; Greencastle-Antrim's share was listed as $82,875. The CTC is also adding three new programs next spring: industrial paint, animal science and protective services.

Franklin Learning Center: Eileen said the Learning Center's executive director advised the board that a previously considered pool renovation will be converted into additional classroom space to increase capacity.

Local facilities work: Committee members noted recent and planned maintenance in district buildings, including a new elementary-school floor, new turf already installed at one site, and a planned turf replacement at Northfield this summer. A board member flagged the proliferation of residential storage sheds visible in town and said the board discussed possible future options for community storage solutions.

Raptor safety app pilot: The superintendent and staff described a pilot of the Raptor safety app with a small group of teachers, secretaries and administrators. Staff reported initial training went smoothly and that district-wide training for K'12 staff is scheduled for the April 17 Act 80 day; the district plans to run the app in drills in April and May, address any issues over the summer, and have the system ready for next school year.

Committee scheduling: The board discussed upcoming committee meetings, including a finance committee meeting set for March 25 at 5:30 p.m. and a facilities committee meeting to be scheduled. The personnel committee will meet March 24 to address budget-season items.

Board members thanked facilities staff and contractors for ongoing maintenance work and noted that several items discussed would be incorporated into upcoming budgets or brought back to committees for further planning.