BB School Board talks back-to-school guidelines
BROKEN BOW - Details of what back-toschool will look like for Broken Bow students was part of the discussion at Monday evening’s school board session. In addition to determining how to social distance students, Superintendent Darren Tobey talked about policies needed in the event that a student or staff member is either diagnosed or must be quarantined due to exposure.
Tobey hopes to have policies complete by Aug. 1. He asked school board members to think about how to handle sick days for quarantined but not diagnosed staff members as well as how to handle pay for coaches in the event that athletics must be canceled. Normally coach pay is distributed over 12 months, however, Tobey asked the board if they would want it spread over the season instead. In the event a season is canceled, pay could then be adjusted, if necessary.
Controlling distance between students will also be a challenge. There may be a possibility of making hallways “one way’ to help facilitate social distancing. At this time, Tobey said he doesn’t see a mandate for masks. He also said putting six feet between students in some of the classrooms would be a challenge. “We will spread out at lunch,” Tobey said. “We will have hand sanitizer in every classroom. We’ll try to do everything we can.”
While the details are still being worked out, one thing board members were in agreement on is making things as normal as possible.
“School is going to be as normal as it can be,” Tobey said.
Graduation
Graduation is Aug. 8. Tobey said at this time 37 students are planning on walking across the stage to receive their diploma. There will be no choir or band, however, there will be a slide show. Each student will be allowed a specific number of guests seated on the floor.
Pre-School addition
The council voted to continue corporation resolution for funding of the pre-school addition, should it be approved at the August school board meeting. The corporation was formed a year ago to facilitate receiving funds if the construction f the pre-school at North Park Elementary is approved.
Community meetings
Three meetings have been scheduled to give the public the opportunity to meet with the Superintendent and discuss the budget, back to school and any other concerns.
The meetings are currently scheduled for Tuesday Aug. 4 at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 12:30 p.m. They will be held in the high school media center. The discussion is informal and the public can asked questions. School board members are also expected to be present.
Budget
Superintendent Tobey said expenditures of $9.8 million dollars is realistic for the school year, keeping in mind that savings were realized by reduction in payroll when school was closed. The budget for the next school board is due at the state by Sept. 10.
The school board will meet at 6 p.m. Aug. 10 for a pre-facilities meeting then at 7:30 p.m. for a work session. The next regular board meeting is Aug. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
The meetings are open to the public.