Royal Valley board approves bid for summer projects

Summer projects at two Royal Valley schools are moving forward after the board of education approved the low bid of $453,049 from Shirley Construction of Topeka during its Jan. 28 meeting.

Superintendent Aaric Davis said the project includes renovations to two middle school science classrooms, five elementary classrooms and a speech room at the elementary school.

Epoxy resinous flooring is also being added to the lower level of RVES. 

The two middle school science classrooms will receive new cabinetry, plumbing, sinks, exhaust vents, teacher demonstration areas, furniture and instructional displays.

At the elementary school, five classrooms will be updated with new cabinetry, sinks and cubbies for student belongings. Davis noted that these classrooms have not been renovated since 1991.

Renovations to the RVES speech room will include the addition of new walls to create three employee desk areas, a main group meeting space and a teletherapy area. The project will also separate the basement copier area from the speech room, reducing distractions during speech services, Davis said.

The epoxy resinous flooring planned for the lower hallway will match flooring installed on the main level of the elementary school last summer.

The other bids received for the projects were $539,999 from Icon Structures of Manhattan, $554,899 from Senne Company of Topeka, $519,400 from Kelley Construction of Topeka and $610,357 from BHS Construction of Manhattan. 

Also during the meeting, the board agreed to allow Davis and other school administrators to research options to better address younger students who become dysregulated and can’t manage strong emotions in the classroom.

“We have a small number of students in our school systems who struggle to remain regulated throughout the day,” Davis said. “This might look like a crying tantrum. It might be knocking things off people’s desks in the classroom and things like that. When that happens, it disrupts instructional time for that student and sometimes others.”

Davis said the district’s current response to dysregulated students is more reactive.

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