By Burton Cole
BUTLER — The new tennis courts behind Sharp Middle School won’t cost as much as originally expected.
Pendleton County School District Superintendent Joe Buerkley told the Board of Education at its Sept. 15 meeting that the elimination of V-ducts no longer needed decreased the price by $137,000.
The board approved a change order that put the project at $585,000.
The Pendleton County High School team has been using the city courts in Falmouth. In March, in what Falmouth City Council characterized as a miscommunication, the tennis team was booted from the athletic park mid-practice because the then-city attorney informed the district that its lease was up.
While the city and the school district cleared up that issue, Buerkley said that is one of the reasons, the district is building its own tennis facilities on school property.
The other, he said, is that the tennis court project already had been part of the district’s District Facility Plan, “the guiding document for public school facility improvements in Kentucky.”
Only one bid was submitted for the project, and the contract was awarded to Oheil Site Solutions in Dayton during a special board meeting the previous week.
“This project reflects the district’s commitment to maintaining and enhancing student athletic facilities,” Buerkley said.
Work already is under way.
• Also during the Sept. 15 meeting, the board
approved a working annual budget of $43.45 million, which includes $33.53 million in the general fund.
Buerkley noted that the district has a contingency fund of $3.6 million, which is more than is required but could be the saving grace for the district depending on how grants and other government funding shakes out.
He noted that the district already has had $97,763 less in noncompetitive grant funding cut.
“If you’re paying attention, you hear a lot about the federal budget,” he said. “The proposed federal budget, depending on who you read, has a $6.7 billion to $8.3 billion cut to the K-12 program.
“We have to build a budget that protects us,” he said. “At any moment, we can receive notice that we don’t have the money we think we have. So we have a contingency of 10% (while the government requirement is to keep only 2% in reserve).”
That means that if anticipated federal funding is wiped out, the district still will be able to finish out the school year without losing programs or course offerings.
He pointed out that the district had a five-year arts grant that it had been informed would no longer be funded for year five. Fortunately, he said, Pendleton County didn’t use the grant to employ staff, like some other districts did, so the district isn’t losing anyone.
But that is an example that “things can happen. I’m very happy that we’re doing things the way we’re doing them.”
Buerkley made note that he appreciated the work of Jennifer Pierce, director of finance and human resources, and her staff in working a solid budget.
• The board also recognized the high school FFA who competed last month at the Kentucky State Fair.
Students recognized for their achievements were:
Carson Crouch, reserve champion Hampshire market hog, reserve champion Chester breeding gilt, champion lightweight crossbred breed gilt and third overall breeding gilt.
Hunter Davidson, fourth place percentage all other breeds class.
Ryland Hart, third overall Simmental and first in Simmental class.
Bailey Kelly, third overall shorthorn heifer.
TJ Weinel, grand champion percentage all other breeds bull.
Blake White, fifth place crossbred market steer.
Parker White, fourth place in class Angus breeding heifer.
Klaber Wolfe, second in class, crossbred market steer and Kentucky Country Ham Producers Scholarship recipient.
Kaycee Voet, third place Southdown lightweight, third place blackface cross lightweight and first place Kentucky Proud blackface cross.