By Sterling McGinn
The Tahquamenon Area Schools (TAS) Board of Education discussed at their March 17 meeting the upcoming front entrance project, another piece of their ongoing bond construction work.
The meeting took place at 6 p.m. in the board of education room. All members of the board were present, and five members of the public attended.
The project will start when summer break begins and will focus on the area between the village sidewalk to the front of the school. The driveway will be repaved, and angled parking will be created in the grassy median next to the road.
“There will be approximately 31 parking spots that we will gain,” said District Superintendent Stacy Price. “We are also redoing the ADA compliant ramp and there will be a new ramp constructed going into the main entrance.”
The middle driveway, currently blocked by construction gates, will be filled in. Busses will continue to load and unload in the front of the school.
“It will be nice to get the cars out of the way of the busses during dismissal and arrival,” Price said.
The new public entrance to the library and Consolidated Community Schools offices was completed last summer.
The entrance project is expected to be finished by the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year.
“After the estimated costs of this last project, we are looking at about $214,000 left in the bond money to spend,” Price said. Price also told the board that bond funds earned $346,793.68 in interest during the slow time at the beginning of the project.
In other news, the board excepted the resignation of pupil account/data manager Kayla Hoder, who left the district on March 11.
“We wish the best to Kayla,” said Price. “I am contracting with her, though, as she was also doing the pupil accounting piece, as that is very significant to us.”
The pupil accountant ensures accurate accounting of student data and attendance which is how the school receives the Full Time Equivalent funding from the state.
“She was gracious enough to help us with that as well as with PowerSchool as we are getting ready for the 2025-2026 school year,” Price said.
Also accepted was the retirement of Stacy Price as the district transportation director. Her retirement is in conjunction with her retirement as superintendent on June 30 of this year. Price said that the position will likely be filled internally at first and will eventually be offered externally.
