Serving the community since 1970

School building on track

The skyline at the corner of Griffith Avenue and Margalo Street is changing and taking shape as construction continues on James A. Forrest Elementary School.

"The construction of the WUESD's new elementary school and renovation of the classrooms and office at Palm Avenue Elementary School is progressing as expected," Superintendent Kelly Richers reported at the recent board meeting. "Additionally, the renovation of the classrooms and office at Palm Avenue will occur after the Maintenance, Operations and Transportation building is relocated."

This progress is the fulfillment of plans years in the making. When the project is complete, the Wasco Unified Elementary School District will have a new elementary school on the north side of town and a new middle school as the current Palm Avenue Elementary campus is converted to serve sixth, seventh and eighth grades.

At the same meeting, Finance Director Karen Evans of the WUESD reported on the summary of the 2018-2019 Adopted Budget and the Projected Budget. Both had the same beginning fund balance of $9 million, with construction monies remaining for the Palm Avenue renovations and MOT relocation project.

Also reporting for the district was Vice Principal David Bowling, who updated everyone on the school dashboard, which indicates how the school district is doing on absenteeism and truancy. Students who miss 10 percent or more of the instructional days they are enrolled are considered chronically absent. As a district, the WUESD recorded 7 percent of students chronically absent, 2 points below the 2018 state average. This information, as well as information on academic performance, is accessible through the California School Dashboard website, caschooldashboard.org.

Before the meeting adjourned, the WUESD selected Danny Rueda as the new board president and Richard Reding as the new clerk. The board also designated the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Wasco Union Elementary School District Board Room as the time and place for the regular board meetings.

 

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