The Washington Community School Board met in a special session before holding a public work session as part of the Board’s on-going discussion about the school system’s facility needs.
In the special meeting, the board approved a new contract with the system’s faculty members. According to the agreement, Washington teachers will receive a $2,000 increase in pay. The contract also addresses extra duty pay and sick leave. Full details are available on the Washington Community Schools website. The Board also approved salaries for non-certified staff and administrative staff members. In other business, the Board approved an overnight trip for the Lady Hatchets basketball team to participate in the Corydon Tournament this weekend.
The board then opened a public work session focused on project design and construction options. Since 2017, Indiana has allowed schools and government institutions to use the Design-Build construction system in place of the more familiar Design-Bid-Build system. Dan Rawlings, an architect and chairman of the Design Build Institute of America, presented the pros and cons of the various construction models available to Indiana schools for facility projects. Rawlings said the design-build model provides more value for the money by bringing the contractor into the design phase and eliminating the need for unexpected change orders. Board members and members of the public then had the opportunity to ask questions and add comments. The meeting and work session were both live streamed over the Washington Community Schools website.
At the end of the meeting, Washington Superintendent Kevin Frank said the school board would take the next step and hold two public determination hearings. The first hearing will take place at the regular November Board Meeting at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, 21. The second hearing is scheduled for the December meeting.
