HOLYROOD — The Central Plains USD 112 board of education gave consensus approval Monday to have Jim Frees, maintenance man at Central Plains Elementary School, start removing the panel lights from the former Central Plains Middle School building in Bushton and install them at CPES in Holyrood. The panel lighting at the elementary school would be installed back in the Bushton building.

The newer lights will give the elementary school students better lighting.

Discussion and a decision on whether to move the heating and air conditioning equipment from Bushton to Holyrood and vise versa was tabled until the end of the fiscal year, so the board has a better idea of what the district will have in the way of money.

In other business:

• Approval was given to the $44,369.75 purchase of the EnVision Math curriculum for kindergarten through eighth grade students at the Central Plains schools and for kindergarten through sixth grade students at Wilson School. Jane Oeser, CPES principal, said the cost of the EnVision curriculum is for six years.

• Approval was given to a $53,497 computer and other technology equipment for the district. The purchase includes Chrome Books and cases, iPads and cases, projectors, smart boards, renewal of the content filtering bundle and a replacement server for the district office.

• The board discussed the possibility of renegotiating the lease of the gym at the Claflin Community Building with the City of Claflin.

Clark said the district pays the city about $5,000 a year under the terms of the multi-year agreement.

Board member Chad Rogers said the agreement is something the board should look at for potential cost savings.

Clark said he would discuss the matter with John Sherman, board attorney, and report back.

• Consideration of paying an extra $2 per hour to the district cooks for their work during the COVID-19 crisis was tabled until Clark can gather more information.

• Clark said 185 parents in the district answered a survey on how things were going in the district’s schools. He said the majority of the survey responses indicated parents were satisfied.

• Clark will provide the board with drafts of his proposal to expand the three-year-old early childhood learning program at Wilson to involve children from the Central Plains end of the district.

• Lists of certified and classified positions were approved for the 2020- 21 school year.

• A list of supplemental positions for Wilson School was approved for the 2020-21 school year. A similar list for Central Plains schools will be considered at the June board meeting.

• Board members accepted the resignations of Randy Fox, Wilson School principal; Sandra Barton, language arts teacher at Central Plains Junior-Senior High School; and Desiree Bushell, third grade teacher at Wilson School.

• Approval was given to hire Melissa Highsmith as a para at Wilson School; Sheri Girard as a summer lunch program delivery person; and Ruth Billinger as a cook at Wilson School.

• Clark gave several thoughts on the 2020-21 school year. He emphasized none are set in stone. Clark said he prefers that schools will open normally, according to the district calendar. However, an option would be to open schools on Aug. 1. Another option would be to start the school year with students in the grade level they were last year for a couple of weeks as a refresher, then move them into the next grade.

Clark said the key is to be flexible.

“It could look different,” he said.

• No action was taken after an executive session to discuss non-elected personnel (staff vacancies).

The next meeting of the Central Plains USD 112 board of education will be remotely at 6 p.m. Monday, June 8, at Central Plains Elementary School in Holyrood.