The Manchester Community School Board approved a $ 3.3 million upgrade Tuesday that will improve environmental systems throughout the district. Emcor Construction Services was given the task of assessing and prioritizing the needs of each school and developing a plan. This plan includes upgrades to the cooling and heating systems at the schools, as well as fire sprinkler installations and lighting upgrades. Superintendant Dr. Bill Reichart mentioned that while the public will not be able to see most of the upgrades, “these upgrades are important in maintaining the infrastructure of the schools.” Brian Walker, a representative from Emcor, assured the board that they would be getting “high grade” equipment that was technologically up to date and that would provide a utility savings of up to $19,000 a year. On top of that the school district would save on maintenance and repairs as the old equipment was becoming quite costly to maintain. The School Board also heard from Wes Mullet, principal of Manchester Elementary, and Randy Self, principal of Manchester Intermediate, on the proposed plan of moving fourth grade from the elementary into the intermediate. Mullet told the board that due to a rise in enrollment at Manchester Elementary, more space was needed to keep class sizes small. Moving the 4th grade classes to a new building would allow Manchester Elementary to make additional classes for the other grades, allowing class sizes to stay small. Self showed the board how Manchester Intermediate had plenty of room for the additional grade, as well as areas in which his school would have to adjust. Both principles agreed that overall they believed it would be a positive experience for the school district, and one that would help everybody over the long run. After some brief discussion the board voted 6-0 to approve this move beginning next fall. In other business Tim McLaughlin was voted in as a new board member, filling an open seat. Deborah Kern, an art teacher at Manchester High School, reminded the board of the vital role the arts play in today’s school system. She also brought some of her students who showed their projects to the board. Lastly representatives from schools in Germany were on hand as part of ongoing discussions to begin an exchange program between the Manchester Community School District and various schools in Germany. The next Manchester Community School Board meeting will be April 2 at 5:30 p.m.
