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The ISD 197 School Board approved a change saving millions on an HVAC project, heard updates on equity, increased staff insurance premiums, and more.
Saving Millions
The board unanimously approved a change order for HVAC work at the two middle schools. Initially approved last year as a two-phase, $15 million project, the change order combines the work into a single phase and increases costs by roughly $400,000, but eliminating the second phase will save nearly $4 million. The change also means the district will have a 10-year warranty as opposed to a single year.
Superintendent Peter Olson-Skog noted that since the district bonded for the project, the money saved can’t just be applied to the general fund.
Strategic Framework Update: Equity
District staff gave an update on the districts progress on equity, one of the main target areas of their strategic framework. Some of the progress reported includes:
- Equity training for non-licensed staff, ensuring everyone understands what it means and how it impacts their roles.
- Opportunities for staff to learn a new language: 79 staff members signed up for a six-month subscription to the Babbel online learning app.
- Fully implementing the Amazeworks curriculum in prek4 classrooms.
- Regularly offering menu options religious dietary needs and increasing the diversity of meals.
- Increasing student participating in the Beyond Our Walls Equity Summit.
Other Items on the Agenda:
- Increasing insurance: The board unanimously approved raising health insurance premiums by 14% and dental insurance premiums by 5% to avoid a negative fund balance. COVID-19 and inflation costs have depleted the fund balance.
- Student recognition: Several student groups were recognized, including Two Rivers students earning bilingual/multilingual seals, elementary students who contributed writing to the Confluence publication, and the student representatives on the school board, Patrick Bohmbach and Nawal Hassan.
- Committee updates: Multiple committees gave updates about their work, including the Equity Committee, Early Learning Advisory Committee, and Special Education Advisory Committee.
Engage
- More: Agendas and minutes for ISD 197 School Board meetings are available online.
- Watch: You can watch this meeting online and watch the video recap from Board Members Morgan Steele and Jon Vaupel.
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