Letter to the Editor; Taking care of a legacy
I wanted to write a quick note as we roll into summer as to what’s been happening here at Superior Schools…
• A parent led committee has met with staff and administration to begin the important work of reviewing the illegal drug problem in Mineral County and specifically how it is impacting our schools. Policy discussion and revision by our school trustees will be taking place over the next two months and will result in new student handbooks for the upcoming school year. The commitment demonstrated by these folks in partnering with the school to keep our kids safe is appreciated. It is my hope that this work will be shared to benefit the rest of the county as well.
• We just received word from the Office of Public Instruction in Helena that we were recently awarded a $107,086 21st Century Community Learning Center grant written by Dawn Bauer. This grant will benefit both Superior and Alberton and will run for the next five years to provide learning opportunities for kids after the school day ends and throughout the summer. Based on our grant submission, we have also been asked to present at the 2014 21st Century Community Learning Center Conference in Missoula this summer.
• Our school backpack program was recently awarded a $4000 in-kind award to provide weekend meals for students in need.
• We also were recently informed that Superior Schools qualified to take part in the Community Eligibility Program which allows schools that serve children in economically challenged areas to offer free, nutritious school meals to all students through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. This is a tremendous boon to parents of students in our schools as it costs $669 to feed one child per school year in the school breakfast and lunch program.
• The school lunch program will be offering free lunch to children ages 1-18 at Eva Horning Park throughout the summer provided by a grant from the National School Lunch Program. The program starts June 23 from 11:30 am -12:30 pm Monday through Friday.
• We have an upcoming facilities bond levy taking place on June 3rd alongside the state primary election. To recap, we are asking for $3.99 million dollars to replace our failing 54 year-old junior high building ($2,052,000.00) as well as to implement an energy efficiency program ($1,938,000.00) engineered to save the District over $47,000 a year to heat all three buildings. The cost to homeowners based on county assessed value is approximately:
$50,000 Home $41.69 /year – $3.47/month
$100,000 Home $83.39/year – $6.95/month
$150,000 Home $125.08/year - $10.42/month
$200,000 Home $166.77/year - $13.89/month
$250,000 Home $208.47/year - $17.37/month
As the District currently spends just under $100,000 yearly on electricity, fuel oil and propane, the savings over the life the bonds adjusted 3% yearly for inflation will save over $1.8 million. Further, through the Guaranteed Tax Base Advanced Reimbursement Program, the State will contribute over $854,000 in funding for this project over the life of the bonds as well. We are currently in the running for State and Federal grants in excess of $11 million for “green” school improvement projects.
Superior has a legacy of always taking care of her children. Please get out and vote on June 3rd. We appreciate your continued support of our schools and the children and families we serve.
Scott R. Kinney
Superintendent
Superior Public Schools