The Bluford Board of Education held its regular February meeting on Thursday, February 16, 2023.
Information from administration was shared with the Board that included:
Scholar Bowl teams for both the grade school and high school are having great seasons. The HS team won conference for the fourth year in a row and the GS team is off to a 5-1 start.
Savanna Hulbert and Aidan Reed were nominated for the IHSA All-State Academic team.
Information was shared about possibly doing away with the boiler at the grade school in favor of mini-split units in each classroom. With the estimated costs to make necessary repairs to the boiler and the cost of natural gas, the project would pay for itself in under two years.
The Board acted on the following personnel related items. Resignations were accepted from elementary teachers Ariana Schreiber and Samantha Monroe. Additionally, Scott Ewing was not renewed for the 2023-2024 school year. The Board took action to employ Ashley Raney as the grade school administrative assistant. Ms. Ashley joins Bluford after serving almost five years in a similar position with the Farrington School District. Mark Hicks was hired as an assistant high school baseball coach.
In other action, the school calendar for the 2023-2024 school year was approved. It can be found at this link. The Board approved awarding a scholarship to a graduating senior who is pursuing education as a career. The fiscal year 2022 audit was approved. Lastly, the Board acted to reject all bids for a new school bus. Prices have inflated by 70% since 2019 and 27% since last year. The district intends to hold off making a purchase until the inflated bus market returns to normal.