CRESWELL – It was just a small line item in the Creswell School District Board Meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 10, listing the recent installation of 250 air filters for schools across the district. It’s something that happens every year.
Except this year, the timing was especially important.
Joel Higdon, the district’s director of Technology Services and Facility Operations, said clean air flow is more important than ever during a pandemic, even in small groups.
Another indicator of good air flow? School buses transport students with the fans on and windows down, even in the winter.
School districts are continuing to adjust and update their “Operational Blueprint for School Re-entry 2020-21” to the state of Oregon and health officials. These blueprints will be available for review on the district website when complete.
In other news, Creslane is planning an exterior paint job, natural lighting for the cafeteria, a new floor, and new district office entrance. The construction is scheduled to take place between June and September 2022. The total budget is $1,724,600.
“COVID-19 has been a huge burden,” Higdon said. “We decided to put the construction off until next summer because it’s more time to sharpen our pencils and do it correctly.”
Transportation supervisor Sarah Hanson reported that the transportation department delivered 204 lunches to CSD students daily.
Higdon said by the time 5th-grades are ready to return to school, buses should be on their regular routes. Over the summer, the district purchased a new routing software to assist with modified routes. The software also contains cohort tracking for transportation, something Higdon said provides value for the district.
Creslane has also hired three additional educational assistants, and have spots open for more applicants to fill more roles.
