New band uniforms hit high note at School Bd. meeting
LAUREL — Fashion in the 1980s paired leg warmers and bright neon colors with acid wash jeans. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing that band uniforms aren’t too fashion forward.
The Laurel-Concord-Coleridge’s band students were last fitted with new uniforms in 1989 and after 32 years, the school board agreed it was time for a wardrobe tune-up at its meeting last week.
“They’ve been making due and it’s something that we’ve been looking at for the last five or six years,” said Superintendent Jeremy Christiansen. “It takes awhile to do the research on it and come to that point. It’s a big investment.”
The school board agreed to replace 50 uniforms to the tune of $32,000. The “yes” vote was music to the ears of Band Director Patti Beyeler and her marching band students.
The Band Boosters had offered to chip in $13,000 from its coffers to offset costs. While appreciative of the offer, the board wanted the Boosters to retain the money that was raised with the intention to send students on a band trip, Christiansen said.
“We really want that money to seed the next band trip,” he said.
Each year, the uniforms required mending and patching, Christiansen said, with some having to be discarded due to wear. Over time, the school found it was running out of certain sizes and additional alterations were required to fit each student with an appropriate uniform.
Not only are the current uniforms in poor condition but they also do not reflect the consolidated school district name.
School board members were able to see up close a sample of the new uniform at last week’s meeting.
The new style features self-adjustable lengths on pants and sleeves on jackets with hidden snaps.
“We don’t have to hem them now. Wow, what a concept,” Christiansen said. “It’s amazing what happens with design in 32 years.”
In other school board news, Christiansen reported the district was able to locate and purchase a used handicappedaccessible van to transport students using wheelchairs.
The dealership the school works with in Kearney was able to locate a vehicle in Georgia that fit the bill. The purchase comes after the hydraulic system failed on the wheelchair lift on the school’s van and replacement parts were unavailable.
The school board approved the transaction and also a transfer of $110,000 to the school’s depreciation fund. That money covers the purchase of the van with the remaining balance of $70,500 designated for future small vehicle or bus purchases.
