Kimball plans school building updates

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KIMBALL — The Kimball School District will improve and update its school building throughout 2012.

Sheri Hardman, CEO and K-6 principal, said the district recently received $275,000 from the Qualified Zone Academy Bond program, which is like a no-interest loan.

“This money will helps us with the projects that we need to do for our school and for the education of our students,” Hardman said.

The federal government allocates funds from the bond to each state, through which school districts apply for the funds. The feds pay for the interest so each district that receives funding only repays the value of the bond, Hardman said.

The funds will allow the district to avoid spending capital outlay funds on the following projects:

• Technology updates — interactive SMART boards for high school classrooms, update one computer lab, update staff laptops, new mobile laptop cart for students.

• Bathroom update — elementary bathrooms are also used by the public during events and haven’t been updated since they were built in the 1960s.

• Bus update — the district needs a new bus in the next two years due to wear and tear from driving mostly on gravel roads.

• Track repairs — the track received a rubberized surface in 2005, but heavy use and the elements have led to cracking in some areas.

The $275,000 loan will be earmarked for these projects, Hardman said, and will be paid back over the next 15 years. The funds the district received were available from 2010, so the money must be used by Dec. 31, 2012.

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