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BUCKHANNON -- The courtyard behind Buckhannon-Upshur High School is getting a "facelift" that will allow it to serve as an outdoor eating area and classroom for students.
Upshur County Child Nutrition Director Cynthia Nesselroade wrote a grant to create the outdoor eating area and learned that teacher Cheryl Cain was working on a $100,000 grant for an outdoor classroom.
Although the outdoor classroom grant was not received, the outdoor eating area grant for a smaller amount of $50,000 from the West Virginia Department of Education Office of Child Nutrition was received.
Nesselroade has been working with Cain, the Local School Improvement Council, B-UHS principals, curriculum director Tim Derico and an architect to stretch the $50,000 grant to include as much as possible what an outdoor classroom would need.
"Some of the work can be done though the maintenance crew," she said. "There's already a little courtyard out there."
Grant funds will provide outdoor furniture and a covering for the outdoor eating space.
B-UHS principal Eddie Vincent suggested combining the outdoor eating area with the LSIC's long-term plan for an outdoor classroom.
"The new construction for the covered outdoor space in the courtyard will serve as a space students can enjoy the outdoors and be safely protected from the elements, offering [the] school the ability to further enhance our students' social and academic experiences at B-UHS," a press release stated.
Vincent said in the release," We have a very supportive LSIC and this year, they decided to focus on improving the environment at Buckhannon-Upshur High School. This is going to be a very positive addition to our school."
Superintendent, Dr. Sara Lewis-Stankus said, "We are excited to focus on creating healthier school environments. We know that regular time spent outdoors leads to better mental health and happiness. We want that for all of our students and our staff. This is going to be a great space at Buckhannon-Upshur High School."
Also during Tuesday night's board of education meeting, the board conducted regular business including hearing a report from director of finance George Carver.
Carver said he was concerned about the next fiscal year for the school system.
He said he had learned there could be a delay in first half property taxes being due and maybe a delay in taxpayers being able to pay their property taxes.
"There is the potential for some funding cuts net year and maybe even some delays in payment," Carver told the board via their conference call. "Next year might be a little bit interesting. We're better able to withstand that than we were in the past."
In other business, the board of education:
• approved on first reading Open Enrollment Protocols and Procedures. A state policy has meant there is a change in non-resident admission to counties, according to assistant superintendent Dr. Debra Harrison.
"The county to which the student is coming no longer has to agree to the student's release in order to come to a new county," Harrison said. "We've been mandated to have this policy in place to be effective 7-1-2020."
The change will not place any additional cost on the county school system who accepts the student as it cannot require the addition of more professional faculty, support personnel or service personnel.
"Students would be admitted based on the availability of space in the classroom," she said.
• heard the first reading of Policy 3004 for a Drug and Alcohol Free Workplace which includes minor changes and additions.
• heard the first reading of Policy 3005 Substance Abuse and Tobacco Control Policy which includes minor changes and additions and will now correlate with county policy Expected Behaviors in Safe and Supportive Schools.