CUMBERLAND – During the school board's October meeting, the Capital Improvements Advisory Committee submitted a proposed plan for capital improvements which was unanimously approved by the three board members present.

Six requests were included in the plan, three of which were designated as “required and urgent.” Half of the requests were concerning the elementary school building, which is 16 years old. Two were for the athletic complex which has not had any major work done to it in the past nine years, according to Chip Jones, assistant superintendent of finance and operations.

The three requests designated as “required and urgent” were:

-Replacement of the roof and gutters at the elementary school and transportation shop, the total estimated cost of which is $466,518.

-Replacement of the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system at the elementary school. According to Jones, the school had issues with the coils in two of the HVAC units during the past year. He also reported to The Herald that because the current units are older, the school usually has to contact the company to have a replacement part made. This means it takes longer to repair units because parts cannot be purchased and picked up locally. The estimated cost to replace individual units is $8,000. The estimated cost to replace the entire HVAC system for the elementary school is $1.5 million.

-New grandstands for the athletic complex, at a total cost of $130,400.

Replacement of the elementary school carpet with tile flooring was designated as “highly desirable” and had an estimated cost of $200,700.

Upkeep of the old pods and IT building was designated as “desirable” and was estimated to cost $56,000. The pods are currently used as storage. The primary work needed for the pods is a roof, according to Jones.

Finally, resurfacing of the athletic track was designated as “marginally beneficial” and estimated to cost $160,000 for prep work and $90,000-$350,000 for the surface itself. The surface cost is dependent on the type of surfacing chosen to finish the track.

Currently, students can only practice on the track. According to Jones, all track competitions are held “away” because of the condition of the track.

The schools had requested that the grandstands for the athletic complex and tile floors for the elementary school be replaced during last year's budget process. However, the funding was not approved in the 2012-2013 budget.

Now that the school board has approved the plan, it has been submitted to the Cumberland County CIP Committee, who will review previous projects, new requests and meet with departments and agencies before finalizing rankings. The County CIP Committee will then present the revised CIP to the Planning Commission and recommend it for public hearing. The goal is for the plan to reach the board of supervisors in April, when a final public hearing will also be held.

Budget Calendar

According to the budget calendar that was also approved by the school board during its October meeting, preliminary school and department budget requests will be submitted to the Board of Supervisors on November 1. Community meetings are planned for later that month, as well as time for input during the December School Board meeting. A draft will be created in January of 2013 before a presentation in February and time for a public hearing. The school board hopes to approve the budget in March. The budget should reach the Board of Supervisors in April in conjunction with a public hearing.

Education of Migratory Children

The board approved a certification that the school will comply with state guidelines, instructions and assurances as related to Title I, Part C funds designated for education of migratory children.

The 2012-2013 Title I, Part C, Education of Migratory Children funding will be used for a portion of the migrant liaison's salary as well as materials/supplies that are provided to migrant students. These funds are also used to provide a summer program for students at their homes if not participating in a summer school program.

Cumberland is part of the Nottoway Consortium, which coordinates work with the migrant children in several local counties.