CALCUTTA — The Beaver Local school board Monday received an update on the new building project.

Schools Superintendent Eric Lowe told board members during their meeting that the administration met earlier that day for the building project, and they received approval on the actual structure. The project is now back in the hands of the architects and going through the engineers.

Lowe said additional movement on the project should be seen within the next month as far as footers being put in rebar being released as they work to produce the steel building.

There might be some trial and error regarding parking for the football games, but Lowe said they would probably be able to get about 150 parking spaces there, with other options being discussed.

Lowe also noted maintenance items were progressing, with work started on Monday on the parking lots, carpets are in place and other maintenance items are being handled.

Reminders will be sent out within the next couple of days about immunizations, iPad distribution, the back-to-school bash, cafeteria reminders for signing up for free/reduced lunch and other reminders.

The kindergarten through eighth grade open house will be held Aug. 21 from 3 to 6 p.m., and the back-to-school bash will be held that same evening.

There was discussion among the board members regarding the possibility of having a therapy dog as part of the school’s programming for students. Board member Brian McKenzie said he has seen from past experiences the benefits of having a therapy dog in the district for students and that the dog would be used for everyday things, not just if a tragic event occurred.

“I do know that we saw a little bit more normal things with students this year,” Lowe said. “For the first time since COVID, I think we saw a school year looking a little more like it did before that, but we still have a lot of kids I feel could benefit from that,” referring to the therapy dog.

Lowe noted the dog would not be there daily but probably a couple days a week to start out and see how it works.

If it works, Lowe suggested the possibility of a memorandum of understanding for a year for the handler and therapy dog on a one-year basis.

McKenzie said he believes having a therapy dog in the district would be a win-win situation.

Lowe noted the district has been able to get a book vending machine to go along with the claw machine at the elementary school to reward students for good behavior. The machine retails for about $15,000, but the district could obtain one at no cost due to the amount of points the school earned through book fairs.

Lowe told board members that the state report card information looks very encouraging from early returns on it.

During the new business portion of the meeting, the board approved the student handbooks for the 2024-2025 school year. Lowe noted that there were very little changes to the handbooks from last year. One notable change is the handbook spells out no cell phones during academic times.

Also approved were the district’s lunch prices at $3.10 for grades five through 12 and $2.95 for grades kindergarten through four. The prices for this year remain the same as last year.

Approval was granted for the Red Pride Marching Band to go on an overnight field trip to Orlando, Florida from Feb. 12-17, 2025.

Additional new business items approved included the contract with Liberty Mutual Insurance for the 2024-2025 school year at a cost of $40,148; a three-year contract with JAMF, which allows the district to manage iPad distribution, applications and district programs, at a cost of $73,575 and membership for CORAS (Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools) for the 2024-2025 school year at a cost of $400.

Under personnel matters, the board approved the Management Team Handbook for the 2024-2025 school year; volunteers Morgan Ault, middle school cheerleading, and Anson Wiegand, boys golf; a supplemental contract for Emily Miller, faculty manager, and the resignation of Samanatha Smith, special education teacher, effective at the end of the 2023-2024 contract.

For fiscal matters, the board approved the financial reports for June as presented to them by the treasurer and membership for the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding for the 2024-2025 school year at a cost of $3,382.

The Beaver Local Schools Board of Education meets the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Eighth Grade Pod. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Aug. 12.