By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com

Parents of students attending Buckeye Central may feel a little heavier in the wallet next school year as the Buckeye Central School District Board of Education approved waiving student fees Thursday night.

The waiving of student fees and class dues for the 2016-2017 school year doesn’t include fees for school based clubs. Students will be responsible for paying those fees along with any class dues and student fees that have been unpaid from previous years.

In Superintendent Mark Robinson’s update for the proposed auxiliary gymnasium, Buehere Group sent correspondence to the school withdrawing from the project as criteria architect.

“We are at the point where I am recommending we take a serious look at design-build moving forward,” Robinson said to the board. “The more I have looked into it, and the deeper we get into it the design-build option is the most flexible.”

Robinson reported that he had placed a request for quotation (RFQ) on the school district’s website for a criteria architect for the planned project. Robinson also explained that a second RFQ would be needed for the construction phase.

“We can still opt out of the project entirely after speaking with a design firm,” Robinson said. “When the construction bid is signed then we would have to move forward with the project.”

Also during his update to the board Robinson gave an update on the Pepsi contract.

“I think it looks good,” Robinson explained. “It is a seven year plan with $2,000 annual discretionary funding. We will be receiving savings of four to five dollars per case purchased which I estimate to be a savings of $2,700 annually. That would give us about $4,700 extra per year to be used for sports-related activities.”

Robinson also noted during his report that the school is still searching for a new middle school principal as well as an intervention specialist.

With Buckeye Central graduation a little under two weeks away, High School Principal Dr. Mike Martin went over the seating chart and entrances that will take place during graduation.

In Treasurer Nancy Ackerman’s report to the board she explained that the income tax estimate versus actual came in $68,000 lower than expected.

“The income tax grid has been spot on with two percent increases,” Ackerman said. “This came in well below. It could be from people paying their taxes at different times. I am hoping that we can make it up in July.”

The Buckeye Central Board of Education approved all items on the meeting’s agenda including retaining Greg Moore as the head coach of the school’s varsity girls’ basketball program.