Charlo board mulls solution for underground pipe leak
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CHARLO—Educational and athletic staff were on hand to offer a progress report for their respective fields of focus on Tuesday, Jan. 18 for the Charlo School Board meeting. The school board meeting was rounded out with discussions focused on a maintenance issue and the loss of services’ effect on the student body.
Mindy Cox and Jim Petersen, both Middle School teachers, gave brief updates on the state of affairs at Charlo.
“All is well on the farm,” said Cox, who has taught at the school in various capacities for 22 years.
Cox was asked by the board what kind of changes she had seen through the years.
“We’re more connected, (we have) a curriculum to teach from. There wasn’t always a plan and now I feel like there is. We’re speaking the same language and we’re a much stronger school,” said Cox.
The board spent a considerable amount of time discussing a leak and how it has caused some confusion as to the ownership of the land that the school sits on, and how to mitigate future leaks. The Charlo School sits on a piece of Park Reserve land. A water pipe that does not belong to the school runs underneath the building. Currently, there is no shut off valve and the school would like to install one. Discussion delved into cost and strategy of reaching out to Lake County, the Tribes, and surrounding landowners to discuss how best to proceed.
Athletic Director Mike Krahn gave an update on the status of finances for tournaments.
“(We) came out ahead for tournaments. The gym was packed from folks from Arlee, Mission, and Ronan,” Krahn said. He gave an update on what portion of the budget was used from the Participation Fund. Currently, high school students are charged $35 per sport and junior high students are charged $25. A separate conversation in regards to a possible Participation Fee re-structuring emerged from high costs imposed on families that had multiple children in multiple sports.
The board also discussed how they would measure and evaluate the affects from cuts to Altacare, a mental health service for students. The last day of the service was Jan. 15. The school plans to evaluate the loss of the program by student attendance, school testing, and teacher feedback.
“We have a guidance counselor; she is not trained to deal with what these kids are dealing with,” Superintendent Steve Love said. The program is still available to students but not through the school.
The next Charlo School Board meeting will be Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. in the Administration Building.
