Lantern Road Elementary School is about to received a $14 million makeover.  The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board was briefed Wednesday night on the timeline, which includes hiring an architect and a construction manager.  Then, in September of this year, administrators will have a recommendation on a construction bid that will allow the project to move forward.

There were a number of other issues before the board at the most recent meeting:

–The board will vote in early February on an award for a 2-year 16.5 acres farmland lease that will produce rental income for the school district.

–The board voted to join many other school corporations in a lawsuit against Juul to “recover costs and expenses that HSE and other school districts have incurred to mitigate the detrimental impacts of vaping by students.”  Attorney fees will be paid only if there is a judgment or settlement in the case.

–The board voted to move forward with a $1.5 million renovation of Durbin Elementary, allowing the FOCUS program to move into that building from its current home at Fall Creek Junior High.  FOCUS provides the same academic program as other students at HSE Schools, but also works to deal with obstacles those students must face.

–Approval was provided to replace the Riverside tennis courts.

–The board voted to move ahead with temporary loans needed to keep the school district funded as it awaits money distributions from the state.

–Chief Financial Officer Katie Dowling provided a year-end financial report to the board with no major financial challenges on the horizon.