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MIFFLINTOWN -- Like many school districts, the Juniata County School District has seen its state funding shrink in recent years. That has led administrators to seek other alternatives to cover expenses.
As a result, the school district has applied for and received numerous grants to help defray these costs. In early September, the district learned that it was one of 109 school districts to receive $187,774 in funding from the state's Department of Education's Public School Environmental Repairs Grant program.
The grant was written by Juniata County School District Assistant Superintendent of Schools Ben Fausey.
Juniata County School District Superintendent of Schools Christie Holderman said the funds are already earmarked for a special asbestos abatement and flooring replacement project at Tuscarora Junior High School in Mifflintown.
"This has been a three-year process," Holderman said at a school board workshop meeting held on March 13. "Instead of doing the entire floor replacement in one shot, we've done one wing at a time."
The contracts for the project were approved by the Juniata County School District Board of Directors on March 21. Penoco Inc., of Pleasant Gap, Centre County, completed the asbestos removal and abatement for $55,387.
Fike Brothers Carpet One, of Yeagertown, installed luxury vinyl tile and other materials in the junior high school's sixth-grade wing, library, corridors, rear wing and rear entrance stairs for $128,110.
Low-pile carpet was also installed at the doorways.
Recognizing that students cannot learn, grow and thrive without access to safe and healthy school facilities, the Environmental Repairs Grant program enables school districts, career and technical education centers and charter schools to help schools to make environmental repairs and improvements.
"Preparing and nurturing the next generation of successful Pennsylvanians starts with making sure all students have a safe, healthy environment to learn in," said Secretary Dr. Khalid N. Mumin of the $75 million allocated for the program. "These grants help school districts make necessary upgrades and repairs to their buildings and learning spaces to ensure that our students and school staff have safe air to breathe, water to drink, and classrooms to learn in."
Eliminating lead and asbestos along with other environmental contaminants in schools lowers cumulative exposure across childhood, leads to better cognitive and overall health outcomes for children, and increases the likelihood of academic and career success.
The grant program focuses on remediating and abating environmental hazards in schools to create the safe, healthy learning environments for students and staff.
The district is also waiting to hear about funding for another state grant from the Department of Community and Economic Development's Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program it applied for in May. That grant has earmarked $100 million for eligible schools to make heating and air conditioning upgrades, window replacements, lead and asbestos abatement and other improvement projects.
The school board approved the application for a $5 million grant for continued improvements at the junior high school, including the construction of a security vestibule - similar to the one at the high school, HVAC geothermal upgrades, fire alarm system, electricity distribution panelboard upgrades and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible lift.