Oakland Academy recognized by state; board awards $800,000 for roof work

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Lafayette School Corporation approved two resolutions aimed at addressing two issues that could become significant.

The first: Replacing some roofing at Murdock Elementary School and Jefferson High School. The second is about the need for nurses throughout the district.

Fixing the roofs

Last year, Murdock Elementary School experienced a major roof leak after the city was hit by a snowstorm.

As temperatures warmed, the excess snow on the roof began to melt, which led to a number of classrooms and hallways becoming soaked and damp.

Although initially providing a temporary fix to the issue, the school eventually approved an emergency project to replace the roofing on the affected side of the school.

March’s resolutions aimed at addressing an area in the school that needed to be re-roofed.

Prior to the repair in 2022, a majority of the roof was replaced in 2014 except for one classroom that sits adjacent to the 2022 repairs. This is the area that the school board aims to address.

At Jefferson High School, the school board noticed that the roof over the school’s kitchen, cafeteria and radio station was beginning to showcase signs of leakage.

To get ahead of this issue, the school board awarded a bid to replace the roof at Jeff.

The school board awarded a contract to address both issues to Smither Roofing, a company based out of Indianapolis.

Smither Roofing offered a bid of $889,900 which was the lowest bid from a “reliable” contractor, Lafayette School Corporation Superintendent Les Huddle said.

The board unanimously approved the resolution.

Need for nurses

The district has been experiencing a growing need to have nurses available at each school, so the school board approved a memorandum of understanding with the Tippecanoe County Health Department.

The county agreed that whenever the school district finds itself in need of a nurse, the health department will provide a substitute to the school. It can be temporary if a nurse calls in sick for a day, or long-term if a nurse resigns.

“While were also fortunate to have nurses in all of our school buildings, sometimes they’re ill, sometimes they resign for whatever reason and it’s very difficult to find nurses right now,” Huddle said.

The board unanimously approved the resolution.

During the staff and student recognition portion of the meeting, it was announced that Oakland Academy was officially approved by the Indiana Department of Education as an alternative education program.

Oakland Academy has been operating as an extension of Jeff for several years now. The goal of the academy was to provide some students with an alternative method of completing their high school education.

The recognition means the state will begin to provide additional funding. The school will receive an extra $500 per student and will be able to apply for alternative education grants from the state.

“The unity and family connection at Oakland Academy are apparent through testimonials from students, teachers, families and community members. Ensuring students get what they need from being placed somewhere that is the right fit for them is clearly the goal here. The partnerships and focus on individualized services are outstanding. This is an opportunity that should be valued by the entire community,” read the approval letter from the state.

Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter at 1NoePadilla.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: LSC: Oakland HS recognized by state; Board awards $800,000 roofing bid