Schools readying to open

New equipment and tidying up signal preparations for classes.

As the hottest days of summer slip by, children are unlikely to focus on what they need to do to be ready for school. But the men and women who keep area school buildings in shape are thinking a lot about what they need to do to be ready for the children.

Like renovating a science room at R.O. Hawkins Junior High School in Jackson. Students returning to school will see new tile and cabinets there, said Jeff Bollinger, director of operations for the Jackson School District.

The lab's computer will have a new "smart board," Bollinger said, a big, wide monitor that allows students to select programs by touching the screen rather than using a mouse or keyboard. "It is a real nice learning tool," he said.

Other repairs and work are more mundane, Bollinger said, but it is still essential so schools can open on time Aug. 22. There is painting that has been done or must be completed at almost every school, as well as new sidewalk at Orchard Elementary, new carpet and tile in parts of South Elementary and tuckpointing at the Millersville Attendance Center.

One big ticket item for Jackson schools is $10,000 being spent to replace slate chalkboards in one of the buildings at Jackson Senior High School. Chalk dust can aggravate asthma and the new white boards that use markers are cleaner, he said.

Another advantage of the new boards -- no more grating fingernails on the chalkboard, Bollinger said.

In the Cape Girardeau School District, the work being done is "just typical summer maintenance," said J.B. McClard, director of maintenance. Students return to the classrooms Aug. 15 in Cape Girardeau schools.

That means work such as flushing all the coils in the heating and air conditioning units at each school, a thorough cleaning of all the floors and items such as carpet in parts of Central Junior High School.

The junior high school received roof repairs in two sections and the roof at Alma Schrader Elementary School will get a section replaced soon, he said.

Both Jackson and Cape Girardeau schools do most of their maintenance with paid staff to save money on outside contractors.

The list of jobs for summer work doesn't include any big, expensive jobs, McClard said. "We were lucky this summer. There are not a whole lot of those requests."

The recent heat wave is slowing down some work, McClard noted, as is the need to mow more than normal because of repeated rains.

Almost all the work being done was anticipated and put on priority lists during the 2004-2005 school year, he said. "The only surprise to us was when the boiler tubes at Jefferson Elementary School began leaking this spring," he said.

That problem will be repaired by the time the weather turns cool this fall, he said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611 extension, 126