Superintendent: Afterschool grant comes in below request; energy audit shows savings

Superintendent Valerie Bruneau told the Scotland Board of Education on Nov. 4 that the district’s Afterschool Grant award was significantly lower than requested and will require adjustments to the application and budget.

Bruneau said most grant applications for the year were submitted but that the Afterschool Grant “came in half amount applied for,” meaning staff will need to edit grant paperwork and revise plans. She also discussed ongoing family engagement efforts such as an Open House (with a pizza truck) and pumpkin-carving events and shared a draft board newsletter that includes profiles of two forthcoming board members, Michael and Jordan.

Bruneau reported that the district completed an energy audit in partnership with Eversource that identified savings opportunities—upgrades to lighting, pipe wrapping and faucet-flow aeration—and that the district has already seen electricity savings and locked oil pricing at $2.49 per gallon. She invited Eversource to present detailed audit findings to the board in January.

On operations, Bruneau said a new day-shift custodian started that day and the district will advertise for a part-time night-shift custodian. She also referenced Parish Hill’s effort to repair bubbling in its gym floor and the district’s outreach to SES to schedule alternate gym use while repairs continue.

Bruneau recommended inviting Tina Dubay, the LGP Early Start Parent Ambassador, to a future meeting to discuss regional early-start coordination and noted that the Local Prevention Council (LPC) and SERAC could assist with prevention-focused programs.