Salem Community High School Superintendent Dr. Brad Detering told the school board Monday night a busy summer of improvements got underway Monday.
He reports the first unexpected problem also developed. Asbestos was found in the ceiling tile being removed from the girls varsity locker room. As a result, asbestos mitigation will be needed at a cost of about $50,000.
However, Detering says the school district will not see any increased cost because of their performance management contract that caps the total cost of the work.
Detering provided a run through of all the planned projects.
“Renovation project, the band and choir rooms as well as the girls varsity locker room. And we also have the football, track lighting project and the resurfacing of the track. All which will be going on from June and July. The track may be unavailable for a period of time. The renovation projects inside the school building began this morning [Tuesday].”
Detering says work on the lighting at the football stadium is currently set to begin on June 14th. The resurfacing of the track that is expected to take three weeks is scheduled to begin July 6th.
Principal John Boles said the district is ending the year with 653 students, down from 678 at the start of the school year. Some of the loss is from 11 students who graduated early.
The board has agreed to further study if early graduates should still be allowed to apply for scholarships for SCHS graduates after they leave school.
Several board members questioned why the school wouldn’t want to help the early graduates pursue a college education.
The board accepted the resignation of Carole Chalkus as kitchen helper at the end of the current school year. Incoming Assistant Principal Clint Wolfe resigned as an assistant football coach. Special Education Teacher Cris Rector has given her letter of intent to retire after the 2024-2025 school
year.
The board thanked retiring Assistant Principal Kelly Conklin for her 12 years of service as Assistant Principal and a total of 23 years at the school.
