Board adopts goals to drive a 10-year infrastructure plan and greenlights grant-funded elementary robotics

The Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools board approved a set of board goals intended to guide a forthcoming 10-year infrastructure plan and district strategic plan.

Board members moved and seconded approval of the goals; the motion passed. The approved goals will be converted into concrete action steps and time frames, shared with staff, and used to produce a mockup of the full strategic plan by late November or before year-end. As board members explained, the long-range planning committee will collect condition data on district facilities (e.g., roofs, tracks, boilers), survey staff to identify localized needs, prioritize projects by urgency and available funding, and produce a prioritized spreadsheet to guide multi-year capital decisions.

Separately, the board discussed and endorsed plans for a grant-funded elementary robotics curriculum. Board members described the robotics rollout as 100% grant funded, starting with fifth graders and offering exposure opportunities for third and fourth graders; Mrs. Hammond and the STEAM program were cited as central to implementation. Board members and administrators discussed curriculum delivery options — classroom credit, after-school programming or regional CTC pathways — and noted certification, staffing and scheduling as potential constraints for making robotics a high-school class.

The board also discussed co-curricular funding options to move ad hoc program requests toward more programmatic, predictable allocations. Board members signaled they will continue work on funding structures and solicit input from coaches and program leaders. The board set a next regular meeting for Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. and left a Nov. 25 workshop date tentative.