Stew-Stras to Move Ahead w/Restroom Renovation Project

Stewardson-Strasburg school board members Thursday voted to move ahead with a restroom renovation project in the main lobby of the high school building.

The project will cost $170,000 and will be completed by K. Wohltman Construction of Effingham. The District received $50,000 in matching grant funds from the State Board of Education and a $50,000 legislative member grant from St. Rep. Adam Brown to help pay for the project.

Superintendent Michele Lindenmeyer said they are also looking at work on the restroom in the elementary building, as well as replacing the HVAC system in the building and work on the sewage treatment plant at the school.

The Board also discussed technology needs for next school year including making the entire building WIFI accessible, and decided to vote in April to share a Speech teacher with the Neoga district next school year.

In other personnel moves, the Stew-Stras board approved a new three-year contract for Lindenmeyer, hired Jennifer Barker as a fulltime teacher for next year, hired Ashley Dunaway as a fulltime special education teacher for next year, hired Emily Boehm as a fulltime elementary teacher for next year, and hired Mariah Bolin, an elementary PE teacher at Windsor as the first-ever varsity girls basketball coach of the Stew-Stras/Windsor Hatchets next season. The Windsor board will hire the first-ever coach of the Windsor/Stew-Stras Hatchets boys team. Applications were being accepted through today. The Board also accepted a resignation from special education one-on-one aide Ryan Reiss as of the end of the school year.

The Board okayed handbooks and policies for next school year, heard from David Pistorious of First Midstate on alternate bonds as a funding option, purchased a tractor for $18,000 to replace a unit that died recently after 32 years' service, and delayed action on a junior high intergovernmental cooperation agreement with the Windsor district that would cover each of the next two years.

There was no action on next year's school calendar as the District is awaiting input from the teachers union.