After suspending the previous superintendent with pay in May, the Kootenai School Board unanimously accepted his and his wife’s resignations at their special meeting June 30.
Their resignations will not cost the district.
Chairman Richard Meyer said that as for the reasons behind the suspension of Mr. Pilloud and the couple’s resignations, he cannot say much other than that it was not due to misconduct on his part.
“There’s not a lot that I can say,” Mr. Meyer said. “I’m not allowed to share what was discussed in executive session, but he and I got along pretty well. I’m sure he is happy where he is now.”
Mr. Pilloud has accepted a principal position in Onalaska, Wash.
Mr. Meyer did offer Mr. Pilloud’s resignation letter for those who wish to further understand the reasoning behind the change, however, it was not made available by press time.
“Of course he will be missed,” Mr. Meyer said. “He had a lot of friends here. Some people are happy [with the change] and some aren’t. I’m happy, he’s happy and for the most part we are happy too. It worked out. These things do happen. I was on the board when Lynnette [the superintendent before Mr. Pilloud] was let go. I guess that it can take a while to get the right fit. School board members change and they have their opinion on what the ideal person is. When the board changes again it may change all over again.”
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Planning for facilities maintenance and updates was much of the focus of discussion at the board’s regular meeting July 11.
Projects that are currently in the works are sidewalk repairs, refinishing of the floors, installation of new playground equipment and planning for larger projects such as a boiler replacement and water/sewer system upgrades.
Maintenance Supervisor Bob Dionne presented a report on the condition of the 67-year-old boiler system at the middle school. The contractors give the system between 1-2 years before it will have to be replaced. There was some discussion about different replacement options. The board approved Dionne’s request to seek out vendor proposals for a solution. He expects to return to the board with those proposals in early fall.
Another large project the district is facing is upgrades to the sewer system. The upgrades are necessary due to new regulations and will require extensive work, including the digging of multiple new wells. The district’s project manager, with Welch Comer is working with DEQ to find a less expensive solution to monitoring its wastewater system as it pertains to the lagoon. The original idea was to install three deep-water wells to a depth of 100-150 feet for monitoring. That proposal would have cost several hundred-thousand dollars. The contractor has proposed a less expensive option using three shallow wells at depths of 15-20 feet to try and get results. An updated groundwater monitoring plan has been submitted to DEQ for review.
And finally, Dionne is in the process of putting together a crew for a workday to install the new playground equipment that was purchased with donations last year.
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The board approved a five-year contract with Pixellot. The company provides pay per view online viewing options of sporting events, and special public events in the high school gym and on the football field. Pixellot will install camera systems in both venue locations and will connect them to internet to provide these services. The school will receive a nominal fee for the content based on the number of users who access the video. With this system, the district can broadcast sporting events, its graduation ceremony, awards ceremonies and other special events.
The contract does not cost the district anything. The equipment and installation and filming service are free. The only cost is to the viewer who orders the showing.
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A high school career survey conducted by the district shows that incoming seniors are interested in taking several vocational education classes including wood shop, mechanics, graphic design and welding. Kootenai already offers a welding program, however, the district is planning to partner with other districts and businesses in the region to be able to offer the additional vocational training for interested students. Two of the biggest hurdles have been funding for additional teaching time and transportation.
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Interim Superintendent Scott Davis requested permission to have a school site security review conducted by the Kootenai County Sheriff’s department or another qualified entity.
He would like to assess and update security measures throughout the district. He had seen this done many times in other districts and believes it would be beneficial to Kootenai.
“We want to make sure our students and staff are as safe as we can practically make them, while keeping our school a community school that is welcoming and friendly,” he said.
Results of any such study, along with recommendations and system upgrades would be conducted in closed session to maintain confidentiality of the district’s security measures.
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Additionally the district approved the hiring of next year’s coaches and advisors and the new pre-school lead teacher.
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