Purchase of furniture, equipment for Dover Hill proposed
Jun. 26—As work continues on the new Dover Hill Elementary School, Joplin administrators are taking the next step by buying the furniture, equipment and other fixtures that will be used in the building.
The purchase, coming in at a cost of $529,475 and provided by Freedom Interiors, will be reviewed by the Joplin Board of Education at its meeting on Tuesday. The cost will be paid through proceeds of the $25 million bond issue approved by voters in June 2020 for the construction project.
Dover Hill staff members have been involved over the past several months in the selection process of furniture products for the school, administrators said in documentation provided to the board.
"Several proposals were reviewed in order to meet the needs of each space in the school, and different products were reviewed in view of function, appearance, durability and cost," administrators said. "Different furniture manufacturers were selected as a part of the overall project to meet specific needs and allow for value in delivery and cost of installation."
Freedom Interiors had been chosen by the school board in November as the provider for furniture, fixtures and equipment packages for Dover Hill's classrooms, community spaces and library/media center. The company had provided most of the furniture packages for the Kelsey Norman Elementary School addition, assistant superintendent Kerry Sachetta said at the time.
The overall project budget for Dover Hill furniture, fixtures and equipment is $992,250.
Dover Hill is scheduled to be complete by the end of the calendar year.
School board members on Tuesday also will review new prices for school lunches, which are set to go up by 5 cents apiece next year.
Under the proposal, a lunch at the elementary schools will increase to $1.90 from $1.85, at the middle schools to $2.05 from $2.00 and at the high school to $2.25 from $2.20. Adult lunches will increase by 10 cents to $3.10 from $3.00.
District officials say in documentation provided to the board that the new prices are in compliance with guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees school food services.
The new prices would be paid by students whose families are not eligible for free or reduced-rate lunches.
In other business Tuesday, the board will consider:
—The preliminary budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year, which starts July 1.
—The $54,530 purchase of 70 Macbook Airs. Twenty would be given to school secretaries, and two would be earmarked for gifted education staff at Memorial Education Center. The remaining 48 devices would be distributed among the elementary and middle schools to replace aging and outdated computers, administrators said.
—The $16,798 purchase from Sign Designs for an electronic message center for the Roi S. Wood campus, which houses the district's alternative and virtual programs. The cost would be paid by donations received from local businesses, administrators said.
