The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

With the recent passing of the security and technology capital project levy to be paid out over a period of four years, Superintendent Bob Garrett approached Wahkiakum County to ask for a loan at the request of the Wahkiakum School District Board of Directors.

According to Garrett, the county agreed and on Tuesday night, four members of the school board voted to accept the loan at their monthly meeting. Board Member Tim Hanigan was not in attendance.

“The benefit would be,” Board Member Tina Schubert said, “we could do all of the security items and the technology at one time versus piecemeal and having to decide what is important. I think it’s wonderful that the county thinks it is as important as we do.”

Garrett and the Maintenance Supervisor Mike Wright, along with the two principals, Stephanie Leitz and Theresa Libby, will meet with a representative from Construction Services Group on Thursday to scrutinize the list of recommended changes for school security prepared earlier this year.

The board also gave Garrett the go ahead to submit a USDA Grant application to offset the price of the digital radios that the district plans to buy for its bus drivers, who are frequently out of range and who, for safety reasons, need to stay in communication. If secured, the grant could save the school as much as $15,000. The price for the radios without a grant is $38,000.

Four German language students have been planning a trip to Germany in April during spring break with teacher Don Cox and another chaperone. This will be the fourth time that Cox has taken Wahkiakum students to Germany. The group needed the board’s approval to continue with their plans and it was granted.

Nancy Nelson, the new middle school science teacher, will resign at the end of the semester. Paul Johns resigned from his position as middle school track coach and Rob Garrett will be taking over as the high school softball coach in the spring.

The February school board meeting was rescheduled for Tuesday, February 24 at 5:30 p.m. due to district basketball games.

The school board’s next meeting is scheduled for January 21, 2015 at 5:30 p.m.