Seneca School Board decides beverage contract

The Seneca R-7 School Board wrapped up its open session Thursday evening with a classic question: Coke or Pepsi?

The school’s beverage contract expires with the start of the school year and high school principal Tosha Fox presented the two options.

Bids came in lower for Pepsi products, on their bid Fox calculated $5,278 savings on their cost last year. Pepsi further sweetened the deal with rebates she figures will save the high school $46,500 over the next five years. Coke’s offer gave them $9,000 in savings in the next five years. Because they would be changing providers, the district would receive all new vending machines.

“I don’t see how we – at least I can’t – can go any other way than switching over to Pepsi,” Fox said after presenting the financial considerations.

Variety, Fox said, is another key issue for students.

During the school day, sugar free drinks will be available to students, but in concessions, Fox said  Pepsi offers the wider range of choices. She’s excited about a protein drink called Muscle Milk, Starbucks coffee in the mornings, Gatorade, energy drinks popular with her students, Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper. Concession sales raise money for the junior class and for events like prom.

The board approved the decision and machines with bottled products will be installed in time for school.

School hiring
Maintenance and custodial supervisor Lonnie Steele requested three custodians to replace one the district lost and to help with the new square footage.

“This is not a perfect plan,” he said. “But at least with the other two, I think, I’ll be able to keep the buildings presentable.”

The quality of the work, Steele warned, is not going to be where it was and sanitation is important to keeping kids and teachers in school.

“Cleaning is not just for looks – it’s function, too,” he said.

Daytime employees, he said, get pulled off their jobs a lot to run errands and unlock doors and he was concerned that even with his recommendation of three custodians their square-footage to clean may be overwhelming. He offered options of no hires with rooms and restrooms cleaned every other night, one hire where the elementary school would be cleaned nightly and other schools every other night or filling the opening and hiring two more night custodians. The board asked Steele if part-time people could be added to help with events, and during closed session they approved the posting of two custodial positions. The board also approved the resignation of drama teacher Gretchen Hughes.

Construction update
Construction workers are racing against time to get the high school addition and intermediate school finished before school starts on Aug. 19.

Architect Kyle Denham said contractors at the intermediate school are laying corridor floor, painting the gymnasium and the air conditioning is on – an important prerequisite to installing the wooden playing surface in the gym.

“It’s all coming together pretty quickly,” Denham said.

Lockers are in place at the intermediate school, but an epoxy floor in kitchens and bathrooms at both projects is delaying fixture set dates. The product is ready, but the crews to pour and polish it have not made it to the site yet.

At the high school, the roof is getting flashing now, but the building is not air conditioned yet – stalling the installation of the gymnasium floor. The building and the flooring both have to be climatized so it does not crack and buckle when it gets in.

“That’s probably the one area that won’t be complete for school,” Denham said.  

The board reviewed change orders for the project and added another, approving Dalton-Killinger’s $17,584 bid for an 8-inch concrete bus lane at the intermediate school. Board members discussed concrete and the current annual sealing costs on asphalt used around the school. They determined concrete would pay off in the long run by eliminating the annual expense. Overall change orders in this cycle have netted the school $78,141.

The board discussed paint or brick for the council house. The new high school entrance faces the council house and its light color looks strange against the new brickwork. They asked Superintendent Rick Cook to get an estimate on costs for both. They were close to a vote on replacing the gravel bus lane at the high school with concrete lane, but bids had been requested only for 6-inch concrete and they asked Cook to solicit sealed eight-inch concrete bids for the project.

The board amended a capital expenditure plan, pulling a proposed eight lane track out of the plan. The track will become a separate vote if there is enough money in the bond once construction is finished.

A grant would pay for grading for the project and using local contractors Cook believes the track could be installed for $430,000.

“We may need to look and see if there are other more pressing needs,” said board member Britt Burr.

A tax hearing will be held at 5:45 p.m. just prior to the board’s next meeting on Aug. 19.