There will be new playground equipment awaiting students at Jordan School in Centralia when the next school year kicks off.
The Centralia City Schools Board of Education on Tuesday approved the purchase and installation of equipment from Serendipity at a price of $285,650. According to district officials, the project will be funded by capital improvement funds generated by the 1-percent sales tax.
According to Superintendent Craig Clark, work on the project is expected to begin after the current school year ends, and the playground should be installed by the time the 2024-2025 academic year starts in August.
“We’ve worked with this company in the past. Last summer we put a similar playground in at Schiller, and I don’t have any anxiety that they won’t get it completed this summer.”
In other action, the board approved the resignation of Erin Del Sasso as Centralia Junior High School assistant softball coach, Kathy Donnelly as part-time Home to School liaison and Abbey Holtkamp as girls’ basketball coach. The hiring of Katy Knox as Jordan special education teacher was approved, as was the hiring of Hazel Martin as an administrative assistant and purchasing agent and Cassie Glenn as district treasurer.
Board members also approved the purchase of the Learning A to Z online program, on a three-year contract at a cost not to exceed $82,046.25. The board approved the Category 2 E-Rate
winning bid for uninterrupted power supply units from CDWG and the Category 2 E-Rate winning bid for wireless access points and switches from Bytespeed.
The board also approved a motion authorizing Clark to prepare an amended 2023-2024 district budget, with a hearing for the amended budget to take place on June 11, if necessary. However, Clark tells the board that it does not currently look as though the amended budget will be needed.
