RANGELEY — The RSU 78 board of directors voted Tuesday to buy a two-classroom building to replace one in use since the 1990s.
Bill Roy said the Facilities Committee had discussed the option to lease, purchase or build and decided that the most feasible option was to purchase.
Superintendent Sue Pratt has researched a prospective building, a two-classroom unit built in 1999 that has been completely gutted and rebuilt, inside and out.
The board voted unanimously to start the process for a direct purchase.
The proposed site is a parking area at the rear of the Rangeley Lakes Regional School. It has been compacted and leveled. The new portable should be in place by the next school year.
The old portable classroom was deemed not salvageable and will be either demolished or put out to bid for scrap.
Board Chairwoman Jennifer Farmer and other members thanked Pratt for arranging the recent tour of Foster Technology Center at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington. The tour was deemed an instructive, exciting eye-opener.
This past week, Pratt inspected the heating and ventilation system, which has had some malfunctions. The system is controlled by a computer program that was installed with the new boilers six or seven years ago, and the software is in need of updating.
Principal Charles Brown reported that Pizza Hut and the Portland Sea Dogs have reading incentive programs for grades kindergarten to eight. If all of the students reach their goals for Sea Dogs tickets, Brown proposed a school trip to a game next spring.
Jonathan Atkins was named middle school ski coach. There is no interest for a ski team at the high school, though Brown said there is interest throughout the system in snowboarding teams.
The board unanimously approved Pratt’s recommendation for a gifted and talented grant that pays one-half of the instructor’s salary.
The school will receive a $10,000 grant in the first year of the three-year process to train a leadership team.
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