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Woodside School plans new facilities

by Barbara Wood

A plan for making repairs to roofs and eroding creek banks and improving campus facilities will be presented to the board of the Woodside Elementary School District at its Tuesday, Dec. 5, meeting, at 3:30 pm in the Wildcats Room.

Woodside superintendent Beth Polito said as part of the new facilities master plan the board will receive a list of projects that the school needs to undertake, including items that must be done, such as re-roofing and creek bank repairs as well as items that can be put off such as solar or other energy improvements, security, telecommunications, and site improvements (mechanical, electrical and structural).

The facilities master plan will be brought back to the board at its Jan. 17 meeting for final approval. Once the plan is adopted, the district will look at ways to pay for the needed repairs and improvements, Ms. Polito said.

"Regardless of how we pay for it, we know we need to do these things," she said. "If we wait too long and don't do maintenance then it's going to be a bigger problem down the road."

Also on the agenda at the Dec. 5 meeting are:

• Introduction of new board members Kevin Johnson and Rudy Driscoll, and the board's selection of a new board president, vice president, and clerk for the coming year.

• A report on transitional kindergarten.

• Committee assignments for board members.

• Beginning discussions on a new strategic plan for the school with a report on proposals by consultants who will help with the plan.

The transitional kindergarten program is one mandated by a state law that is changing the age at which children can begin kindergarten. Over a three-year-period, the cut-off date will change from turning 5 by Dec. 2 to turning 5 by Sept. 1.

Each school must offer a transitional kindergarten year for students who turn 5 between Sept. 1 and Dec. 2. Ms. Polito said the program will also be available to students whose parents believe they would benefit from an extra year of kindergarten. The program will start at Woodside next fall.