A wind farm windfall likely will get USD 257 started on a revamped entrance to Iola High School.
Board members discussed how best to use the $50,000 given to each of the three school districts in the county as well as the Regional Rural Technical Center. The Prairie Queen Wind Farm paid the county $250,000 as a “payment in lieu of taxes” (PILOT). Commissioners kept $50,000 for the county.
Commissioners didn’t want to dictate how districts spend the money.
However, shortly after the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, commissioners expressed a desire to help schools improve security.
Superintendent Stacey Fager suggested the district could purchase an electronic sign for Iola Middle School, similar to one at IHS, to provide updates about building activities.
Board members, however, were more interested in changing the entrance at IHS, in order to improve security.
Modern schools typically require some sort of secured entrance, usually a locked vestibule near the office, where visitors are screened before they are allowed to enter.
The high school’s layout is a challenge because it’s office is smack in the middle of the school, prompting board members to brainstorm alternatives, including moving administrative offices.
Board members don’t know how much it might cost to improve the entrance, but they’re pretty sure it will be significantly more than $50,000. Still, that money could be used to get the ball rolling with architectural and engineering studies.
“It could be money well spent to help the safety of the school building,” Fager said. “I don’t think we could go wrong, going down that road.”
An improved entrance initially was part of the discussion for school bond improvements a couple of years ago, but the steering committee dropped those plans in order to keep costs as low as possible.
3-D fun
Board members took part in an interactive presentation about new virtual training simulations for students.
Through a grant, the district purchased seven special laptop systems called Z-Space that allow students to utilize 3-D technology with various lessons.
For example, an anatomy lesson allows students to examine a human heart. They can view the heart from different angles and even take it apart to see how the various parts work together.
Two students, Kaster Trabuc and Thomas Chapman, assisted teachers Lisa Wicoff and Taylor Winegarner with the program. Wicoff teaches math and Winegarner teaches physical and health education.
The students helped board members navigate through the computer system, and showed off some of the skills they had learned from using it this past year.
