BRISTOL — At their Tuesday evening meeting, members of the Mount Abraham Union High School board of directors edged toward this winter’s discussion of the 2010-2011 school year budget.
The board at its Oct. 20 meeting charged the high school’s administration with keeping educational spending at the same level as last year — $11,160,648 — as a target for the coming year.
This week, the board looked over a long-range facilities plan prepared by Facilities Manager Reg Wedge, as well as a draft plan of the school’s technology spending for the next two years.
The facilities plan calls for painting lockers, purchasing a new chlorinator for the school pool, replacing some furniture, repairing classroom and gym lighting fixtures, and replacing the roof on the bus garage during the 2010-2011 school year.
Other large projects slated for the next five years include sanding and refinishing the gym floor (an estimated $20,000 project), replacing the ventilators in the girls’ and boys’ locker room ($11,000 for each project), and replacing the motors in the heating circulators ($10,000).
While looking over the multi-year technology plan, school administrators also updated the board on new technology purchases this year. By buying refurbished computers for school labs, the school was able to purchase 80 computers this year to replace old models.
If the school were to purchase every item on its hardware “wish list,” Mount Abe would spend more than $88,000 on technology hardware next year, up from $61,730 this year. The list is a preliminary one, and merely a compilation of all of the technology requests from various departments.
Also on Tuesday, the board approved the purchase of a new vehicle for the drivers’ education program at the high school. The program is currently using a 1993 Dodge Intrepid with more than 100,000 miles. Last year student drivers encountered problems with the engine stalling at intersections.
The program has been budgeting over the past three years to save up for a new vehicle, and will be purchase a 2008 Impala LS sedan for $15,000.