Mahomet-Seymour School Board approves kiln and scoreboard for Middletown Praire addition

The Mahomet-Seymour School Board unanimously approved the purchase of a kiln and scoreboards for Middletown Prairie Phase II Monday night.

The $2,823.88 kiln and the $7,459 scoreboard were within the original $13.8 million budget.

One question from board members was, “Do we have one at Sangamon now?”

Board Member Merle Giles asked, “Is the old one shot?”

Superintendent Lindsay Hall said, “I do not know the answer to that.”

Nezar Kassem, who is in his third year on the school board, noted that there are kilns at Mahomet-Seymour Junior High and at the high school.

“The kids that are doing the higher, I don’t want to say more important things, but they’re more difficult at the high school than they are at Middletown Prairie. Could we move the kiln from the high school to this place?” he asked.

Board President Max McComb replied, “I don’t think they move well. That’s what I was told.”

And Board Member Lance Raver added, “Is there a difference between a new kiln and an old one? I guess what I’m saying is would moving the high school one here and putting a new one at the high school even make a difference?”

But Hall pointed out, “I think the plan all along has been to put the new kiln here. Obviously, I don’t know the answer to your question.”

Board Member Lori Larson said that more children at Middletown Prairie will use the kiln because every child in grades K-2 takes art whereas in junior high and high school only students who select the elective take art.

Sangamon Principal Wendy Starwalt said that the kiln is being developed especially for Middletown Prairie.

“We can’t just flip one for the other. That’s just what Rick (Johnston) shared with me over the last couple weeks.”

Johnston, who is the former Superintendent of Mahomet-Seymour Schools and now the Middletown Prairie Phase II construction consultant, was not at the board meeting Monday night.

Hall said that the district anticipates that a business will sponsor the cost of the scoreboard.

“We’re going to go ahead and buy them now, get them ordered so that we can not have a delay in terms of getting them installed.”

With the finalization and payment of the sponsorship, the district will recoup the money it has spent.

The kiln will be purchased from Clay-King.com, Inc. in South Carolina and the scoreboard will come from Daktronics in South Dakota.