Haywood schools face repair work, shifting student enrollment
The AstroTurf at Pisgah Memorial Stadium is under repair and the $308,000 project is covered by insurance, with a $100,000 deductible. The stadium itself has been deemed structurally sound, with minor repairs necessary before it is safe for occupants. File photo
Following the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, Haywood County Schools reopened its doors to students and staff last week.
“I want to say thank you to all those schools for your hard work and dedication,” said School Board Chairman Chuck Francis. “It was like the first day of school … I think the kids really enjoyed it.”
In the meantime, administration are dealing with repair projects and questions over an influx of new students to the school system from more hard-hit areas of the region.
“We’ve received several kids here in Haywood County that are homeless,” said Associate Superintendent Jill Barker.
Students are considered homeless when they are in temporary housing, have doubled up with another family member or have in some other way been displaced from their permanent residence.
“We have enrolled several kids, we’ve enrolled some students that are staying in Airbnbs here because they still lack water and electricity,” said Barker. “It’s mostly from Buncombe where we’re seeing this.”
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Because students have only been back in school for a short time, administration does not have definitive numbers yet for the students who are enrolling from surrounding areas or the number of HCS students who are absent because they have had to relocate outside the county.
“We’ve probably lost some students too that are living with relatives somewhere and displaced and we’re worried about that,” said Barker. “We’re worried about where people are going to rebuild and how long that’s going to take.”
In addition to students having to relocate due to the storm’s impact, Barker noted that student athletes around the region are scrambling, looking for places to continue participating in their sport.
“It’s just really affected kids across the western region a lot,” said Barker. “We want to help them in any way we can.”
The school board is holding special meetings to conduct business that needs to get done in the wake of the flooding. At its Oct. 17 meeting the board briefly discussed revising or suspending its pupil assignment and reassignment policy in order to open its doors to as many displaced flood victims as possible. However, the board and administration noted that several Haywood schools have classes at capacity or are short on full-time teaching staff. Putnam also noted that any additional funds from the state for enrolling more students would be paid back in arrears, not up front, which could be used to hire more teacher to absorb the extra students.
In addition to student population fluctuations, the school is working to repair flood-damaged properties. This process involves first filing insurance claims, then seeking repair money from the state, and then finally filing with FEMA for anything not covered by insurance or the state.
Thanks to work done in the wake of flooding from Tropical Storm Fred, the school had less damage this time around. What’s more, school staff prepared by moving as much equipment as possible from flood-prone areas prior to the storm.
The AstroTurf at Pisgah Memorial Stadium is under repair and the $308,000 project is covered by insurance, with a $100,000 deductible. The stadium itself has been deemed structurally sound, with minor repairs necessary before it is safe for occupants.
Last week, the school board approved contracts with Civil Design Concepts for repair to Pisgah and Tuscola baseball and softball fields. The Tuscola fields will take longer to repair because they are missing engineering designs that had to be conducted for Pisgah fields following Tropical Storm Fred when Tuscola fields sustained less damage. These designs are required to get reimbursements from FEMA. The total cost for all ball fields is estimated at around $250,000.
The other major project the school board will have to consider is what to do with the Education Center in Clyde that is home to the boardroom where the school board hosts its meeting, as well as training spaces. Preliminary estimates place repairs at $1.2 million, with insurance covering up to $1.4 million. The school board will also have the option to take 70% cash value of what it would cost to repair the building, which comes out to about $736,000, or it can demolish the property which would be covered by insurance.
The board has not made a decision on the Education Center property.
On Oct. 17, the board approved the allocation of $900,000 out of the state sales tax fund for administration to begin paying for the repair projects. This will not cover repairs completely but will allow staff the funds needed to get started.
“All the repairs and work we do is pay first, and get reimbursed later,” said Superintendent Trevor Putnam.
The board also approved concessions last week made for Haywood County Schools in House Bill 149 that allow employees to be held harmless for time off caused by the natural disaster, emergency pay for employees in nutrition and transportation that worked throughout the disaster to help with emergency relief, and to waive instructional days that students missed so that they don’t have to made up or added onto the end of the year.
“That was really important to me,” said Putnam. “Our kids have suffered enough; they don’t need to suffer anymore. I really wanted calendar flexibility or waivers.”
