School funding requests sail through committee

CENTERVILLE — Patterson, Berwick and Bayou Vista principals sat quietly as the school board committee breezed through maintenance and capital requests Tuesday during their budget workshop.

Committee Chairman Michael Taylor initiated decisions to add more items and money to Maintenance Supervisor Brad Wiese’s pre-selected priority list.

The committee members approved all requests.

The affected schools are in District 2: Bayou Vista Elementary, Berwick Elementary, Berwick Junior High, Berwick High, Patterson Junior High, Patterson High, and Hattie Watts Elementary.

Berwick High has the greatest expenditures for maintenance at $80,700. The largest amount is $20,000 to replace three roof top units. Next, there are two $18,000 line items.

One item is for fixing flooring located in the girls and boys locker rooms. The original estimated cost was $28,000. Of that amount, $10,000 was approved for fiscal year 2015-16.

Taylor suggested that $18,000 be added to the budget in order to complete the project, but it was with the assurance that $10,000 of that project could be completed by summer.

The locker room floor was not a pre-selected item on the 2016-17 priority list.

The second $18,000 line item amount covers electricity for a new track timing system and future 25-second clocks.

Berwick Junior High comes in second in maintenance expenses at $70,900. Repairing a concrete driveway is estimated to cost $20,000, which is the school’s largest cost. Replacing kitchen wall windows will cost close to $18,000.

The lecture room’s carpet will be replaced at $13,000.

Also approved is a capital expense of $35,000 to replace a 130-ton chiller. The total estimated cost for replacement is $135,000.

Patterson High will need to replace four rooftop air conditioning units at a cost of $26,000. To continue a cover for the outside student commons area, an amount of $18,500 is needed. And a new lawn mower for the school is $10,500.

Total estimated maintenance expenses for Patterson High will come to $63,000.

Patterson Junior High only has $2,500 listed for its maintenance request. It’s for camera system upgrades. But $200,000 was approved as a capital request for construction funds.

The capital request is for items not covered by bonds, which paid for the construction of the new school.

The total maintenance request amount approved for Watts was $60,700. Half of the total will be spent on replacing five classroom air handlers, which is $30,000.

Bayou Vista Elementary maintenance request totaled $46,900. More than half of the total will be used to replace geo-dome playing equipment for grades K-2, which is $30,000.

Berwick Elementary approved maintenance total is $33,700. The school’s highest line item amount is for upgrading the fire alarm system at $9,200. And $8,500 was approved to upgrade electrical panels.

Capital requests totaled $55,000 for office renovations at Bayou Vista Elementary. In order to replace one of the 90-ton chillers and waterproof a two-story building at Berwick Elementary, $85,000 was approved.

The overall general maintenance request approved for District 2 is $58,990. The district approved amounts of $3,060 for maintenance and $38,000 capital toward the Central Office Complex.

Its contribution toward St. Mary Alternative will be $1,900.

The district allocates 38-percent of its funding to the Central Office Complex and St. Mary Alternative. Each district pays according to student population.

The District 1 school board maintenance committee meets at 5 p.m. today at the Central Office Complex.