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NILES — The Brandywine school district is looking to apply for a $300,000 grant this year to add sidewalks to the 17th Street and Bell Road intersection near Brandywine Middle/High School.

      Superintendent Travis Walker and student body representative Alleyna Volman both spoke about the project at Monday’s Board of Education meeting. This was the first meeting for Volman who the board selected last month to be the student representative on the board.

      Walker said the district is looking to apply for a $300,000 Safe Routes to School grant in partnership with Niles Township and the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department. He said there are currently no sidewalks in the area of the 17th/Bell intersection and the goal is to have sidewalks on at least one side of the two roads to address pedestrian safety concerns.

      Volman said that a committee has been formed to work on the grant and that the issue has just recently been brought to students’ attention. She said that students are being surveyed on how they get to school-whether they walk, drive, ride a bike, take the bus or are dropped off.

      “More kids than you think walk to school,” she said. “Not everyone drives or takes the bus. It brings to light the fact that we really do need sidewalk because it’s really dangerous to be walking on the road in the snow and dark. I think sidewalks would really help.”

      The Safe Routes to School program is a state program supported by federal funding. School districts can apply for both mini grants of up to $15,000 per school or major grants of up to $300,000 per school for infrastructure improvements.

      Also Monday, board members approved the contract for one of the bond issue projects being done this summer. Brandywine voters approved a $22 million bond issue last May to fund a variety of projects over the next three years such as a new performing arts center and career technical education center at the middle/high school.

      The work approved Monday is for the construction of secure entrances at three district school buildings. The district had anticipated that it would cost $275,000 per building to put in the secure entrances and the winning bid came in at under $628,000.

      Walker said that there are a number of vendors involved in the secure entrances project including Midwest Glass & Mirror LLC, E&L Construction Group, Custer Inc., Vork Brothers Painting and Electrical Maintenance & Construction. The only other bond work to be done this summer will be resurfacing of the high school track.

      Todd Champion of Christman Construction reported on the project to the school board at Monday’s meeting. He said it has been extremely helpful to see the bids coming in under budget. He noted that renovations will start as soon as school is out this June with ceilings, light fixtures and flooring removed.

      “We will be removing part of the vestibule at the middle/high school and the elementary school with a little more work at Merritt Elementary,” he said. “We will be adding a sidewalk and replacing both vestibule doors there. The main goal is to create a secure entrance for visitors and screen who is allowed into the building.”

      Monday’s board meeting featured discussion on a number of topics including the possible addition of a personal finance course for high school seniors and making it a graduation requirement.

      Middle/High School Principal Evan Winkler spoke about the proposal and answered board members’ questions. Board members appeared to like the idea of adding the course but debated whether to make it a graduation requirement. The matter will be brought back for action at the May 12 meeting.

      Board members approved the second budget amendment of the 2024-25 year.

      Assistant Superintendent Ray Wilburn reported last month that general fund revenue is now expected to be between $17.4 million and $17.5 million, with expenditures around $17.6 million. That budget deficit is smaller than the first budget amendment last fall where expenditures exceeded revenue by $525,000.

He said if nothing changes by the end of the fiscal year in June, the district would have a fund balance of $3.8 million and a fund equity of $21.7 million. He said the district has enough funds on hand to cover three months of expenditures if no revenue was coming in.

The fund balance as a percentage of expenditures is at around 20 percent which Wilburn and Walker said is a healthy level.

NILES – The Brandywine school district is looking to apply for a $300,000 grant this year to add sidewalks to the 17th Street and Bell Road intersection near Brandywine Middle/High School.

      Superintendent Travis Walker and student body representative Alleyna Volman both spoke about the project at Monday’s Board of Education meeting. This was the first meeting for Volman who the board selected last month to be the student representative on the board.

      Walker said the district is looking to apply for a $300,000 Safe Routes to School grant in partnership with Niles Township and the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department. He said there are currently no sidewalks in the area of the 17th/Bell intersection and the goal is to have sidewalks on at least one side of the two roads to address pedestrian safety concerns.

      Volman said that a committee has been formed to work on the grant and that the issue has just recently been brought to students’ attention. She said that students are being surveyed on how they get to school-whether they walk, drive, ride a bike, take the bus or are dropped off.

      “More kids than you think walk to school,” she said. “Not everyone drives or takes the bus. It brings to light the fact that we really do need sidewalk because it’s really dangerous to be walking on the road in the snow and dark. I think sidewalks would really help.”

      The Safe Routes to School program is a state program supported by federal funding. School districts can apply for both mini grants of up to $15,000 per school or major grants of up to $300,000 per school for infrastructure improvements.

      Also Monday, board members approved the contract for one of the bond issue projects being done this summer. Brandywine voters approved a $22 million bond issue last May to fund a variety of projects over the next three years such as a new performing arts center and career technical education center at the middle/high school.

      The work approved Monday is for the construction of secure entrances at three district school buildings. The district had anticipated that it would cost $275,000 per building to put in the secure entrances and the winning bid came in at under $628,000.

      Walker said that there are a number of vendors involved in the secure entrances project including Midwest Glass & Mirror LLC, E&L Construction Group, Custer Inc., Vork Brothers Painting and Electrical Maintenance & Construction. The only other bond work to be done this summer will be resurfacing of the high school track.

      Todd Champion of Christman Construction reported on the project to the school board at Monday’s meeting. He said it has been extremely helpful to see the bids coming in under budget. He noted that renovations will start as soon as school is out this June with ceilings, light fixtures and flooring removed.

      “We will be removing part of the vestibule at the middle/high school and the elementary school with a little more work at Merritt Elementary,” he said. “We will be adding a sidewalk and replacing both vestibule doors there. The main goal is to create a secure entrance for visitors and screen who is allowed into the building.”

      Monday’s board meeting featured discussion on a number of topics including the possible addition of a personal finance course for high school seniors and making it a graduation requirement.

      Middle/High School Principal Evan Winkler spoke about the proposal and answered board members’ questions. Board members appeared to like the idea of adding the course but debated whether to make it a graduation requirement. The matter will be brought back for action at the May 12 meeting.

      Board members approved the second budget amendment of the 2024-25 year.

      Assistant Superintendent Ray Wilburn reported last month that general fund revenue is now expected to be between $17.4 million and $17.5 million, with expenditures around $17.6 million. That budget deficit is smaller than the first budget amendment last fall where expenditures exceeded revenue by $525,000.

He said if nothing changes by the end of the fiscal year in June, the district would have a fund balance of $3.8 million and a fund equity of $21.7 million. He said the district has enough funds on hand to cover three months of expenditures if no revenue was coming in.

The fund balance as a percentage of expenditures is at around 20 percent which Wilburn and Walker said is a healthy level.