BELOIT – The West Branch school board has permanently closed Knox Elementary.
The board Thursday night unanimously approved a resolution for the “permanent suspension” of Knox Elementary. The school has been closed since the fall of 2020, when the board restructured the district due to a declining enrollment.
Schools Superintendent Micki Egli said after the meeting the action means the district is not using the building as a school and does not intend to do so in the near future. She said the school board is required to suspend the building from use before it can be sold, but that the action does not mean the district is “100% selling it, just taking the necessary steps if that is the outcome that is decided upon.”
The district is currently using the building for storage and it has climate control in all areas, Egli said.
During a community forum regarding district finances last month, school Treasurer Adam Fisher reported the district saved $47,238 last year with the closing of the building, including $4,780 in gas, $665 in trash, $37,245 in electric and $4,548 in septic. There are also savings in wages and benefits for an administrator, secretary, nurse, two custodians, a library aide, a cashier and three food service workers; six of which would have had full benefits, estimated at $20,000 for a single and $38,000 for a family.
The building was constructed for nearly $6.8 million, with 80 percent covered by the state, meaning the district paid just over $1.35 million. However, Egli noted she contacted a real estate agent who did not provide a full appraisal of the building, but said the district will never get the money that the building is worth because no one will need it in the same manner as a school.
In other business, the board approved the retirements of Denise Ginocchi as middle school science teacher effective June 6 and Walt DeShields as high school Warrior Academy teacher effective June 3 under the retire/rehire provision; accepted the resignations of Stacey DeHoff as assistant treasurer-budgetary effective Dec. 10 and Shawntel Six as middle school intervention specialist Dec. 3; and appointed John Ault as assistant treasurer-budgetary effective Dec. 27.
Also at the meeting, the board approved the increase of the substitute teacher rate to $115 per day effective Jan. 1 for the remainder of the 2021-2022 school year. The district retiree substitute rate will be increased to $130 per day.
Additionally, the board accepted donations of $7,500 from Mather Education Fund for the Mather Education Scholarship and $600 from the Alliance Area Retired Teachers Association for the AARTA Scholarship; created a trust and fund to record income and expenses of the AARTA Scholarship; appointed high school principal Brian Coffee as superintendent pro tempore when Egli is outside the district during the 2021-2022 school year; set the compensation for board members for 2022 at $100 per meeting, including the county board meeting, for up to 20 meetings.
The board will hold its organizational meeting at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 5 in the high school auditorium.
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WB school board 'permanently suspends' use of Knox - SalemNews.net
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