The Casey-Westfield School Board unanimously approved a $4.5 million bond issue for fire prevention, safety improvements, and building renovations during Monday’s meeting, with financing arranged through three local banks at favorable rates.

Kendall King of King’s Financial Consulting reported that First Neighbor Bank, Preferred Bank, and Casey State Bank agreed to participate in the bond issue through direct placement, eliminating many underwriting and administrative fees associated with public bond sales.

“The direct placement with local banks means the District will not pay many of the underwriting and administrative fees associated with a public sale,” King explained. The arrangement also ensures that “local taxpayer money will remain in the local economy.”

The bond package includes up to $4.5 million for altering and reconstructing school buildings and purchasing fire prevention, safety, energy conservation, and security equipment, plus up to $900,000 for refunding existing district bonds.

Due to minimal existing debt, the district structured repayment to maintain or decrease current tax rates for bond and interest payments over the term. The board expressed appreciation to all three local banks for their participation and the economic benefits of keeping funds local.

The board also approved purchasing a critical server replacement for the junior/senior high school at a cost of $19,976 from Quality Networking Solutions. Superintendent Mike Shackelford reported the current 9-year-old server has lost 16GB of memory, runs at 95% capacity, and generates multiple daily error codes.

“It could fail at any time,” Shackelford warned, emphasizing the urgency of the replacement to maintain school technology operations.

Administrative leadership was secured for 2025-2026 with the board approving contracts for all four principal positions: Jim Sullivan as junior/senior high principal, Dalton McFarland as junior/senior high assistant principal, Kacie Rhoads as Monroe Elementary principal, and Audra Taylor as Monroe Elementary assistant principal.

The board also approved rehiring all non-tenured certified staff for the upcoming school year, providing stability and continuity in educational programming.

Student activities continue thriving across grade levels. Monroe Elementary’s Read-A-Thon concluded successfully with students reading 41,272 minutes and raising $5,255 for the library. The Daddy/Daughter Dance attracted 150 girls, while the FFA Tractor Parade proved popular with students.

Academic preparation intensifies with junior high students preparing for state IAR testing March 19-21, while Monroe Elementary will test the week of March 24. The Digital Literacy class is launching a project on investigating digital footprints, connecting technology education to personal responsibility.

Community service initiatives include the high school Student Council hosting a community-wide blood drive April 30, and National Honor Society induction ceremonies scheduled for March 20 at 7:00 p.m.

Infrastructure improvements continue with GRP/Wegman confirming HVAC replacement in Monroe’s 1972 addition over Easter break, funded through the previously approved energy savings contract.

The school calendar received updates with the tentative last day of school projected as Thursday, May 22, followed by Teacher Institute on May 23, assuming no additional snow days.