A lot of work needs to be done to several school buildings and other facilities in the Butler Area School District.
Instead of a regular school board meeting on Monday night, board members and district administrators took a three-hour tour of several district buildings to see first-hand the problems that need to be corrected.
Leaking roofs, asbestos and peeling paint are some of the issues some of the buildings are experiencing. Other changes the administration would like to see done are logistical.
To pay for these needed repairs and changes, the Butler School Board voted last year to borrow about $9.5 million through a bond issue.
One of the logistical changes the district is currently studying is closing the district’s central office at the Harriger Educational Services Center and moving the district’s administration to the Butler Intermediate School.
“We’re thinking there’s a real upside to vacating this building because I think there’s some other uses for it that are worth studying,” Superintendent Dr. Brian White said Monday.
Ideas are still being discussed but White said his best case scenario would be that work to accommodate the move would take place this summer and be ready for this fall.
“We think there’s a big benefit when looking at the age and population of the students at the Butler Intermediate to have 25 more adults on campus all the time,” White said. “We’ll be in the hallways just like anyone else and it just helps when things go on to have more adults around. Also, it keeps things more real with us. It’s pretty easy to have a great day in a building that’s an office building when no one else is around and you have no pulse of what’s really going on.”
Members of the administration, maintenance staff and a representative from the firm contracted by the district to assist with architectural services also pointed out needs for other district facilities on this tour. Those will be highlighted as part of an ongoing series each day this week about future plans for Butler Area School District facilities.
