Act, and transportation used a portion of those funds to pay for cleaning, including the purchase of electrostatic sprayers and cleaning solutions. Brooks, who is also the director of purchasing, added
that Minot staff was trained on administering the rapid COVID-19 tests for school employees and students. While the test itself doesn’t cost the district anything, storing the bio-hazard bags and materials and paying for pick-up services were funded through the CARES Act. CARES Act money also paid for masks as well as infra-
red thermometers to check student temperatures over the summer, when the district transported children of first responders to childcare centers. Once school start- ed, temperature checking was no longer required on the school bus, only in schools. Now, well into the second semester, temperature checking is done on a random, as-needed basis. “There might be money available, but make sure you
know what you need first, not what someone tells you need. A good example is misting machines,” he added. “You can get a misting machine that plugs in and one that is electrostatic, that uses a battery. The battery one might be more convenient [for the school bus] as it doesn’t need an extension cord to an outlet.” He added that prices are also continuously dropping.
Facemasks that cost 50 cents to $1 each last spring and summer now cost him 11 cents. “Don’t go crazy because everybody’s knocking at your door saying, oh you got CARES Act money. Get what you need, not because you have the money,” Brooks advised. Brooks noted that if more federal funding is made
available to the district, he is interested in purchasing air filtration systems. However, he added that district-wide student
enrollment is down by 91 students in the second semester because of jobs lost due to COVID-19 and the closure of the Dakota Access Pipeline. While the number doesn’t seem like a lot, he said, it will impact the district and ultimately his budget. “And when enrollment goes down, then you get less funding,” he said. “I was told there was probably going to be a lot of no’s in terms of purchasing.” Despite the decreased funding, he is continuously seeking additional grants to help offset costs, espe- cially since he is eyeing new school bus purchases. He noted that while Minot is the fourth largest district statewide and is not considered rural, athletic events at the nearest district are almost 100 miles away. The miles traveled really puts strain on the buses, he explained.
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