Palmyra R-1 Board Reviews Summer Bond Projects, Possible State Funding Increase

The Palmyra R-1 Board of Education reviewed several bond and capital improvement projects during a special meeting Monday, April 27, including districtwide lighting
upgrades, elementary school improvements, middle school repairs, high school tennis court work and personnel changes.
The board met at 5 p.m. in the Palmyra R-1 boardroom. The meeting focused largely on summer construction and maintenance projects across the district.
Superintendent Jason Harper reported that bond and capital projects scheduled for this summer continue to move forward. One of the districtwide projects will be the installation of LED lighting throughout Palmyra R-1. The work will be paid for through
the district’s capital projects fund and is considered an energy savings project. District
officials estimate the lighting project will pay for itself in five to six years through energy
savings.
Several projects are planned at Palmyra Elementary School. Harper reported that playground equipment has been ordered and should arrive by late June. The first phase of playground improvements will include removing the old asphalt on the west side of the school and installing curbing to create the perimeter of the playground area.
The district also plans to replace the remaining flooring at the elementary school this summer. That work is expected to begin around June 1 and be finished before Aug. 1. Once completed, the project will finish the new flooring replacement throughout the
elementary building.
Additional classroom work also is planned at Palmyra Elementary. Bids for grid and
tile work in the 19 original classrooms from the school’s 1959 construction are due at 3 p.m. May 6. After a bid is approved, Marold Electric, which is completing the LED
lighting project, will coordinate with the gridwork contractor to complete the classroom
upgrades.
Palmyra Middle School also is scheduled for several exterior improvements. Tuckpointing is expected to begin around June 1 and will include work on the exterior of the building and sealing all exterior windows. The remaining windows on the south wall of the middle school gym will be filled in to help prevent moisture from entering the interior of the south wall.
The district also plans to remove the old football bleachers and press box this summer. According to the district, the bleachers are rapidly deteriorating.
At Palmyra High School, work continues on the tennis courts. Aggregate is being hauled in to provide the proper base for the courts. After that portion of the work is complete, crews will frame the courts and install rebar. Fence posts also will be installed before the
courts are poured.
The district also is addressing a roofing issue in the gym commons area. Maintenance Director Jeff Hamby has diagnosed the issue, and roofing specialists were expected to come to the district later in the week to address the problem.
The board also heard a budget update from Harper related to state education funding. The Missouri Senate approved a budget that added nearly $133 million for public education. That includes $118 million to replace gaming and lottery funds and another $15 million for transportation.
Those funds were not included in the Missouri House version of the state budget, so the budget will have to go to conference committee, where lawmakers will work through
differences between the two versions. If the additional funding remains in the final
budget, it would then go to the governor, who has the ability to remove individual items through line-item vetoes.
If the additional $133 million in state funding is included in the final budget and approved, Palmyra R-1 would receive approximately $160,000 in additional
state funding.
In personnel action, the board approved the retirement of seventh grade math teacher
Alysha Barnett. Barnett has worked 27 years in public education and recently was named
Educator of the Year by the Palmyra Chamber of Commerce. District officials thanked Barnett for her years of service to Palmyra R-1.
The board also approved the resignation of Tanner Adams as co-sponsor of the Palmyra High School Student Council.
In other personnel action, the board approved hiring Alex Loman as a third grade teacher at Palmyra Elementary School.