The Crete Public Schools Board of Education approved contracts and policies for the athletic complex, reviewed budgetary information for next school year and announced the opening of the parent portal at it’s meeting on March 10.
The board unanimously approved a contract for the supply, installation and construction of Phase One of the new athletic complex coming to Crete High School with Mammoth Sports Construction.
The first phase of the project, according to the contract, will include a new press box, 1,600 new bleacher seats, pavement for sidewalks and four new athletic lights.
Phase One will cost the district $1,614,769 and an additional $379,579 if the district chooses to install a new scoreboard and sound system.
Superintendent Josh McDowell said additional work will need to go into Phase One, including fixing some drainage issues and managing the amount of lighting and its impact on neighboring homes.
McDowell said himself, Jason Kuntz, CPS school board president, and representatives from Mammoth will be collaborating on further steps.
McDowell said if the project reaches the $2 million mark budgeted for Phase One, the facility will still meet the basic intended uses, even without a higher-end scoreboard.
The board also began the process for a capital campaign to raise money for the athletic complex from community partners and alumni. Phase One is funded by the district’s special building fund, but McDowell said he wants to expedite the process with help from the community.
CPS and the CPS Foundation will partner with Idea Bank for the campaign, costing the district between $16,500 and $25,000, depending on what marketing mediums are chosen.
McDowell said he did not put bids out with local marketing firms.
“Part of capital campaigns before, in my experience, if you just try and have a group of people solicit for gifts, that’s not very effective,” Kuntz said. “It’s not my first choice to spend money on something like this, but I think in the grand scheme of things, if we’re trying to raise money and help the school district out, I can live with it.”
The board also established a policy for naming facilities beyond just a generic name based on the facility’s location or usage that could be used to name the new athletic complex.
The policy provides a process for the board to approve the naming of a facility after specific people, families or organizations who make significant financial contributions or give time and service to the district.
McDowell said that the district will need to add a day to the school calendar for students and three days for teachers to make up for lost time due to snow days in February. McDowell proposed adding an extra day to the calendar or 15 minutes to the end of every day.
Online registration for kindergarten is now available in the CPS Parent Portal, and all kids, parents and new students can access the portal starting April 1.
Chief Financial Officer Megan Kershner reported the district will see a decrease in state funding by nearly $1.5 million for the next school year.
The district could spend $18 million next year, nearly $1.3 million more than this year, but would likely have to raise property taxes to gather that revenue and replace the loss in state aid, Kershner said.
The board will continue to work on the budget for the next following months.
“Every time we are talking about property tax revenue, that is not something to take lightly,” Kuntz said.
McDowell said he is still watching legislation that could make up for the loss in state aid.
The board also approved Kershner’s resignation and her replacement by Ryan Hines.
The next meeting of the CPS Board of Education will be Monday, April 14, at 6 p.m. at the Cardinal Welcome Center.
