The Centralia High School Board of Education approved a 2025-26 budget at its September meeting Monday night. Superintendent Chuck Lane said the budget currently shows a roughly $100,000 deficit based on conservative estimates. That number is up from a $35,000 deficit in the August tentative budget. Lane says the district’s overall fund balance is healthy enough to absorb the deficit.
The board approved an intergovernmental agreement with the city of Centralia to acquire a vacant lot at 611 South Pine. Similar to the property the school currently has on Melrose Street, this lot will be the location of a new residence built by CHS building trades students. The finishing touches are being put on a house those students have built on Melrose Street, which the school will list for sale. Proceeds from the sale of the home on Melrose will go towards materials for the new home on Pine.
Board members discussed but did not act on possible changes to the current academic watch list policy. This discussion revisited a topic brought up by band director Stephanie Aarons-Dennison at the previous board meeting, that the academic watch list now prevents students from participating in co-curricular band performances for a grade, requiring those students to complete an alternative assignment instead.
Aarons-Dennison recommended that the school adopt a social suspension policy that allows students to participate in graded performances, but does not allow them to participate in related social activities, such as spectating other bands and award ceremonies at competitions. The board asked the band director to bring a full written version of this policy to the next meeting for consideration.
Letters of resignation were accepted from Ethan Mahle as custodian and Heidi Livesey as girls’ assistant basketball coach.
The board hired Emily Abrams as full-time annex aide, Wyatt Geist as technology specialist, Matthew Allen as Bass fishing coach, Chad Courson as assistant boys’ track coach, and Javon Williams Jr. as assistant boys’ track coach.
