Tonkawa midhi and high school students will be virtually educated the final four days of the first semester, Superintendent Lori Simpson announced at Monday night’s school board meeting.
As of Monday, the midhi had a 45.29% absentee rate due to COVID contact tracing and the high school at 28%. “Those numbers are what we based our decision on Monday,” Simpson said.
All extra-curricular activities -- basketball, wrestling, band and vocal concerts -- have been suspended as well.
Friday was to be the final day of school before the holiday break.
Classes will resume Monday, Jan. 4.
The grade school, with a 3.36% rate will remain open as usual through Friday.
Board members Cara Beth Johnson, Mary Allan, Jerry Hook, Nancy Appleman and Casey McAninch were also given an update on the tonkawa Elementary classroom addition project. Brian Hembree and Reece Simpson of H&H Construction appeared before the board.
Simpson said the State Fire Marshall was requiring an update to the entire fire alarm system to a voice over before the addition can be used. He said it would be about a month until the addition is complete.
The new voice over fire system update is expected to cost somewhere between $10 -$30,000.
Cost of the addition now stands at $931,071, more than the original bond issue of $925,825. Simpson said a solution would be brought to the board in the future.
In other action, board members:
-- Approved expenditures of $58,146.84 with $25,506.79 from the general fund, $533.71 from fund 11 and $32,106.34 from bond fund 34.
-- Heard a report from Simpson on mid-term adjustments. She said Tonkawa had 816 students enrolled with a weighted student ration at 1216.23. She said the state said to expect a 2.3% deccrease per weighted student ($3,467 a year ago) or about $80 per student.
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