Fleming voters to see ballot question asking for BEST grant match

Voters within the Frenchman School District boundaries will see a ballot question in November regarding matching funds on a possible BEST grant to construct a new school building. The ballot measure, and the decision to move forward in the pursuit of a new school building, follows a recent survey.

According to information from Fleming Superintendent Steve McCracken, the District recently sent a survey through ALMA, the student information software.

The results of that survey, he said, were 70 percent in favor of a new building and 30 percent in favor to renovate the current building; the latter an effort the District applied for through the BEST grant process in the latest grant cycle but did not qualify.

In the most recent grant cycle, Fleming Schools applied for a BEST grant to do a significant remodel that would add additional classrooms and enclose the courtyard. However, Fleming's application was not approved.

Since then, the District sent out the survey and re-organized efforts to present a ballot question to voters in November and re-apply for a BEST grant, this time with hopes of securing funds for a whole new school.

In part the question reads, "Constructing and equipping a new school building to replace the existing facility that meets current health and safety standards, Americans with Disabilities Act Compliant, energy efficient and technologically up to date to meet the educational needs of the Fleming School District."

To see the ballot question in full, see the box below.

Voters will be tasked with passing the measure in November and then depending on the outcome, the BEST grant application is due early next year with final results released in the spring.

The vote to move forward with seeking a BEST grant for a new school and to put the information on the ballot in November came in a late July meeting of the local Board of Education in Fleming. Also during the meeting, board members approved amendments to the out-of-district application to include reviewing applications each semester, renewing applications annually and creating a re-instatement paragraph.

McCracken said that the Board typically reviews the out-of-district policy annually and the most recent changes were made to be more clear on when student academic performance for out of district students is evaluated.

"We will evaluate student performance at the end of each semester," he said. "We also added a re-entry statement to our application."

In other business the Board:

• Approved an invoice for BRS Garage for a bus inspection and new tires;

• Hired Deborah Herring as an Assistant Cook;

• Approved the purchase of a new Ag Program pickup from Transwest for $51,814, which came from the General Fund;

• Hired Cross Country Coach Becky Harms;

• Approved an invoice from Code Red for $12,471 for new cabling in the auditorium and gym. They will also install the live view station in the office and establish visitor monitoring and relate a camera.