Bay/Waveland School District

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www.bwsd.org

11/8 - Bay High Getting Grant Money
Coast will get $8M in grants
Money for school, accounting
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BILOXI - The Mississippi Gulf Coast is receiving an additional $8 million in federal money as part of the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort, FEMA announced Wednesday.
"Two of these grants will rebuild school buildings and the third will help the state improve its accounting for taxpayer dollars being expended in this recovery effort," said Nick Russo, federal coordinating officer for the Mississippi recovery.
FEMA said the total cost of the three projects is $8.9 million, 90 percent coming from the federal government.
State and local sources will split the nonfederal share on the two school projects. The state will pay the 10 percent of the third project.
More than $1.03 million in FEMA funds will go to repair the social studies building and almost $1.02 million to repair the math building at Bay High School in Bay St. Louis. Officials said the projects will restore the school to its pre-disaster design, capacity and function, including required code upgrades. The project costs take into account estimated insurance proceeds and salvaged items.
MEMA will receive $5.97 million as a federal share of the $6.64 million total cost for an accounting firm to help cities, counties and eligible private nonprofit corporations make sure recovery money is being spent properly.
"These accounting oversight and compliance services are essential in enabling Mississippi to manage and audit its reconstruction efforts in an open and effective manner," said Mike Womack, MEMA's interim director.
The grants come from FEMA's Public Assistance program, which provides financial assistance to state and local governments and certain nonprofit organizations for disaster cleanup and rebuilding efforts.
8/26
Esthers an outreach organization for single mothers, connected with Stacey Cato of The Giving Circle, Inc, volunteering with TGC applicants in Waveland who are single moms. After hearing that the Waveland/Bay St Louis area school children had uniforms prior to Katrina, Esthers offered to replace these. The Giving Circle has distributed hundreds of new Khaki pants and white shirts donated by Esthers for the students of the Waveland Bay St Louis area.

From the Superintendent,Dr. Kim Stasny
8/8
All buildings took on water from the storm surge or from extensive roof damage. The waters left behind thick mud that contaminated all areas of the buildings. High humidity and temperatures exceeding a heat index of 100 degrees lasted for days after the storm. Mold and mildew grew rapidly and spread to furniture, walls, ceilings, and A/C ductwork. Mechanical equipment on every campus was damaged by the salt water, rendering them dangerous and useless.
The infrastructure for both the wide area and local area networks was destroyed. Servers were damaged beyond repair, along with most computers and monitors throughout the district. Anything made of paper became contaminated with mold and mildew and had to be disposed. Legs of desks were pitted by the salt water and began rusting immediately, sometimes adhering to the floor. Ceiling tile sagged and floor tile buckled from humidity and water. Loss of buildings and contents has been estimated at $40M. Insurance, FEMA, and MEMA will cover some costs but not all.

Grade configurations will remain the same as before the storm until rebuilding is complete.
* North Bay and Waveland Elementary Community Schools (grades K-3)
* Second Street Elementary School (grades 4 + 5)
* Bay-Waveland Middle School (grades 6 - 8)
* Bay High School (grades 9 - 12)
* Bay-Waveland Alternative School (grades 4 - 12)

By May 2006, 62% of the pre-Katrina school population had returned. The district is planning for an 80% return rate during the '06-'07 school year.
Local revenue has decreased by at least 50%, creating strained budgets and overall belt tightening.
We hope you will consider a donation amount to aid in our recovery. Please send your check or money order to the following address:

Any donation amount will aid in our recovery.

Please send your check or money order to the following address:

Katrina Relief Fund
Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District
201 Carroll Avenue
Bay St. Louis, MS 39520

If you would like to speak to someone about our efforts, please call 228-467-4439.

Where we are:
As I reflect on the past eleven months, we've accomplished many goals. The following facts may give you a snapshot of our progress.
As of August 7, 2006, our school enrollment has reached 65.5% of pre-storm numbers. Out of 2,380 students, 1,560 have returned.
Most of our students (96%) now qualify to eat free. Prior to the storm, only 60% of our students qualified.
Estimates for recovery have exceeded $40M. This includes rebuilding two elementary schools and renovating others.
Our tax base revenue is expected to be 50 to 65% less than previous years. Until families rebuild and businesses reopen, local contribution will be insufficient.
Unemployment in Hancock County has increased from 4.9% to 20.6%.
We've been able to replace 120 computers out of the 800 we lost.
We only have two cafeterias in operation. Food is transported to two campuses and students from the high school walk to the middle school to eat.

Contact Information
Telephone
228-467-4459
Postal address
201 Carroll Ave. Bay St. Louis, MS 39520
Electronic mail
Webmaster: mailto:cpurl@bwsd.org
http://katrinanetworking.blogspot.com/2005/12/box-tops-for-education.html

8/8
School was back in session for the Bay-Waveland School District Monday. Superintendent Kim Stasny said enrollment is up nearly six percent for the district since the last day of school in May. Overall enrollment is 66 percent of the total at the beginning of school last year, she said. Echo staff photo by Dwayne Bremer.
Aug 7, 2006, 16:58