Othello School Board talks tennis courts

OTHELLO — Portable classrooms, tennis courts and a survey where district patrons can give their opinions of the Othello School Board and the job its members are doing were the topics of discussion at the regular board meeting Monday.

The school board survey is on the district’s website and Facebook page. The survey includes 23 questions, asking what district patrons think of the board’s performance and its policies. Board member Tony Ashton said there had been a good response from teachers, but less interest from district patrons.

The survey asks whether district patrons think board members make the needs of students the priority, whether the board considers the possible good and bad effects of its decisions, whether they consult different groups in the community, especially when a decision is controversial. The survey will be posted on the website until May 4.

In other business, board members discussed a preliminary plan for new tennis courts at Othello High School. The board asked for two design options, four courts or six.

The design is complicated by the location of an underground gas tank and aboveground pump. Board member Rob Simmons asked why the gas tank is still there, since the district’s bus garage has been moved. Assistant superintendent Gina Bullis said district officials had researched the cost of removing the underground tanks, when the new transportation center was built, and found it to be prohibitive.

“What you need to do to vacate the pumps is pretty expensive,” Bullis said.

“I’d be interested to know what that cost would be,” Simmons said. Bullis said that information would be made available.

Board members discussed the location of two new portable classrooms at McFarland Middle School. The two will be close to the middle school softball field, if city officials approve the plan, Bullis said, and will be installed for the 2017-18 school year.

The existing middle school was short one classroom, Bullis said, and one class would’ve been forced to meet in the multipurpose room. The location, while it’s close to the softball field, met the approval of McFarland administrators.

District officials had looked at another location, but it was on land belonging to the Nazarene Church of Othello. While the church congregation was willing to let the school use the land, the location chosen uses district-owned land, Bullis said.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.