Hurley school prepares for first day

By LARRY HOLCOMBE

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Hurley — The first day of school in Hurley is Sept. 1 and the Hurley School Board was busy with details for the coming school year at its meeting Monday evening.

Elementary Principal Steve Lombardo said they are running the New to School program for incoming pre-kindergarten students this week. The program runs from 8 a.m. to noon. He said they had 18 of the 28 pre-K students registered for this year attend on Monday.

“We’re continuing it the rest of the week. Not everyone can make it every day, some won’t be able to come at all,” he said. “It’s a way of getting them in the building and used to things without everyone else around. We want them to have a successful start.”

Middle and High School Principal Melissa Oja told the board about plans to continue the district’s trauma team program. She said that while they will meet when needed, they met regularly last school year and felt that was beneficial, adding they attended training with representatives from 10 other CESA districts.

“The program has been a really good addition to our school,” said Oja.

The board approved a new schedule of breakfast and lunch prices. District administrator Kevin Genisot said the prices were recommended by the state’s Department of Public Instruction and came out of a DPI formula taking in several local factors including the price of food. After some discussion, the board approved the recommended changes.

Breakfast for PreK-6th grade will cost $1.75, up from $1.51; 7th-12th grades, $2.00, up from $1.71; and the adult price remains at $2.56.

For lunch, the PreK-6th grade cost is $2.75, up from $2.66; 7th-12th grades, $3.00, up from $2.91; and the adult price remains at $4.56.

Milk increased from 40 cents to 45 cents.

The board and administrators discussed how assistance is available for free or reduced prices, and that forms for this assistance have been sent out. Genisot said a little more than 50% of the students have qualified for the program in the recent past.

Lombardo and Oja talked briefly about a new snack time that has been added to the morning for grades 4-12.

The board approved an agreement, receiving a gift or $160,000 from Jean Tarro Ninefeldt, class of 1965, in memory of her brother, James Lewis Tarro, class of 1960, and “his favorite educator” former school librarian Marial Bino; with the funds to be used to renovate the school library. A plaque will placed in the library reflecting the contribution. The board also directed Genisot to begin the process of gathering design ideas and bids for the work. He said that process might take the better part of the school year, with renovation probably beginning in June.

After a bit of discussion, the board also agreed the library will not be named for Tarro, as the school has a policy against naming anything, including the building itself. Other examples given included the gym and the new science lab.

The board also heard an update from Iron County Health Department Director Melissa Geach on COVID. She said the state Department of Health Services has decided to mirror the CDC’s recommendations for quarantining and other issues, adding the health department continues to offer free antigen and PCR testing, as well as vaccinations. Genisot said the school continues to offer free antigen testing.

Head of Maintenance Rich Huotari introduced recently hired custodian Jeff Levra, adding that he brought many good skills.

The board approved a request by Huotari for the purchase of a new Delco floor scrubber for $15,900. He said they come with a 15-year life expectancy and they got 19 years out of the last one.

Genisot presented a table of enrollment numbers by grade level and pointed out that the totals for grades 7-12 range from 42 to 57, while enrollments for PreK through 6th grade range from 25 to 34.

“It’s very clear, that when the 7th grade graduates, we’re going to be looking at an enrollment of around 420,” he said. “The good news is that we have a chance to plan accordingly.”