Faulkton Area School District 24-4 Board of Education
Monday, November 13, 2017
6:00 p.m.
The regular meeting of the Faulkton Area Schools 24-4 Board of Education was called to order by Chairman Ryan Nelson at 6:00 p.m. in the Faulkton School Lunchroom.
Roll call of members present were Kelly Aesoph, BJ Kalkman, Scott McCloud, Ryan Nelson and Jerry Weyand. Also present were Superintendent Derek Barrios, Secondary Principal Craig Cassens, Business Official Lisa Hushka, staff members: Vanessa Bowman, Jeremy Demery, Kyle Erdahl, Melissa Geditz, Shayne Geditz, Kari Haberling, Alicia Hammond, Michele Latt, Nikki Melius, Janet Reed, Mary Schlechter, Chad Spicer, Randy Tisher, Cortney Warren, Val Ramsdell from the Faulk Co. Record, Tom Oster from Dakota Education Consulting, Kristi Wagner from Dakota Resources, Trevor Cramer and Dwight Hossle from the Faulkton Economic Development Corporation, and the following district patrons: Gloria Bode, Angie Borstad, Tim Bowar, Michelle Brand, Roger Deiter, Jean Deiter, Larry & Betty Drobny, Cindy Kopecky, Tracy & Reece Otter, Brad Paul, Tim Quinn, Dan Ramsdell, Dawn Redden, Slade & Kayla Roseland, Sean Roseland, Kevin & Korbin Stark, Tom Strasburg, Amber & Alex Toay, and Corrine Weyand. The pledge of allegiance was recited.
2017-18.70. Agenda Approval. Motion by Aesoph, second by McCloud, to approve the proposed agenda. Unanimous.
Acknowledgments. Mr. Barrios acknowledged all of our teachers, custodial staff, support staff, lunchroom employees, and the bus drivers for American Education Week. He thanked everyone who helps this district function on a daily basis. Mr. Barrios also acknowledged Mrs. Haberling and the 3rd grade class and turned the floor over to them. Mrs. Haberling introduced Sean Roseland, Korbin Start, and Alex Toay who presented what they enjoyed about “Class Flow”, and Reece Otter who explained “Readers Theatre” and what she liked about performing and listening to it. Mrs. Haberling explained that “Class Flow” is a program on the interactive boards in the classrooms that provides an interactive method of teaching and learning.
Conflict of Interest. No conflict of interest waivers were presented.
Open Forum Time. 1. Dawn Redden asked the following questions to the board: Why are there no other options being considered/discussed for a remodel besides HKG? If HKG has a history of going over budget and not finishing on schedule, what is your back-up plan for the education of students if not completed by the start of school? Are you being fiscally responsible? Isn’t $206,250 in the budget for the 2017-18 surplus? Where will the rest of these funds come from? What are your intentions for next year in getting the budget approved before the school year begins? What is your agenda and do you have a 1-5 and 10-year plan for the school? Why can’t there be a 1-5 and 10-year plan discussed before spending money on a remodel? How much will this remodel raise our taxes? Do the patrons of the district get to vote on this remodel, as was demanded by the patrons in the past? 2. Vanessa Bowman spoke to the board about the remodel project also. Bowman asked that before the board decides on any building option, that the building and grounds committee please set up a time to meet with the staff. Bowman stated the staff know the needs of the students, they know the day to day operations, they know how education is changing and evolving and feel the teachers are an important resource in the plan. 3. Gloria Bode stated she would really like to see a long term strategic plan before we jump into a remodel. Bode stated it was important to have a complete analysis from more than one company and also get the insight from the staff. Bode stated she does not want the board to jump into a cheap piece meal solution. 4. Randy Tisher told the board he was struggling to understand the HKG documents from the last meeting. Tisher wondered if the plans HKG had presented were for a 12,000 sq. foot building while the current facility is 25,000 square feet. He is wondering where those numbers came from. He hoped that would be explained more at this meeting.
2017-18.71. Minutes & Financial Approvals. Motion by Aesoph, second by Kalkman, to approve the following consensus agenda: minutes of the October 9, 2017 meeting and October 30, 2017 special meeting, October 2017 Financial Statement, October 2017 Imprest Report, and October 2017 Trust and Agency Fund Report; and payment of the presented bills for November 13, 2017. Unanimous.
October 2017 Imprest Fund: Fees/Reimbursements: White River School $90, Gettysburg School $100, NSU $52.
Supplies: Post Master $490, Embroidery For You $112.
Travel Reimbursements: Danica Mickelson $50.40, Shae Stephenson $36, Chad Spicer $36, Michele Latt $36, Dacotah Bank $613, Cecilia Woodring $54.40, Craig Cassens $61.92, Jeremy Demery $159.60.
Officials/Judges: Erin Schroeder $106, Mark Ulrich $104, Dan Nikalas $135, Cal Nygaard $170, Christina Bennett $110, Jasper Diegel $190, Bruce Kleinsasser $160, Amanda Stoeser $110, Todd Sandal $170, Leesa Webb $85, Terri Holmes $135.40.
November 13, 2017 Bill Payment: A&B Business $4.95 Supplies, A1 Locksmithing $6 Supplies, Aberdeen Awards $36 Supplies, Ace Refrigeration $448.80 Repairs, Apple, Inc. $3,289.50 Equipment, ASBSD $165 Fees, David Bartholomew $85 Services, Michael Bauer $75 Services, Randy Bauer $40 Services, Bauer’s Super Valu $239.55 Supplies, BerMac $8 Repairs, Cardmember Services $1,179.38 Supplies, CWD $2.92 Supplies, Century Business $136.14 Services, Trevor Cramer $85 Services, DustTex $255.60 Services, Faulk Co. Record $280.53 Publishing & Supplies, Faulkton School $3,366.72 Reimb. Imprest Fund, Jerry Fischer $75 Services, Duane Hadrick $10 Services, Holiday Inn Express $524.65 Travel, Homan Ace $294.27 Supplies, Repairs & Equipment, Dwight Hossle $120 Services, House of Glass $1,313.57 Repairs, K&D Busing $22,572.93 Bus Contract, Brent Koens $240.00 Services, Kohlman, Bierschbach & Anderson $8,370 Services, Michele Latt $67.20 Travel, McCrossan Boys Ranch $5,219.93 Tuition & Residential Services, NCFE $352.77 Gas, Northern Plains $3,011.09 Propane, Northwestern Energy $2,641.47 Electricity, Ramkota Inn $109.99 Travel, Mike Reed $15 Services, Reuer Sanitation $585.00 Services, School Specialty $157.82 Supplies, SDFFA Assn. $1,000 FFA Nationals fees, Seton ID Products $647.20 Supplies, Kevin Stark $60 Services, Swier Law Firm $62.24 Supplies, Thrive Nutrition $12,753.15 Food Service Contract, Time Management Systems $40.24 Services, Toennies Plumbing $100.97 Repairs, Mark Toennies $15 Services, Darin Vetch $20 Services, Wells Fargo $469.36 Lease, Ted Williams $4,685 Services, Health Insurance; October 2017 Payroll: General Fund: $175,646.74 w/ benefits, Special Ed. $25,260.87 w/ benefits, Food Service $2,521.54 w/ benefits, Pre-K & Driver’s Ed. $3,830.92 w/ benefits.
Strategic Planning Presentation. Tom Oster, Dakota Education Consulting, was in attendance to present the recommended strategic plan. Oster stated he was impressed and surprised at the very positive comments that came from the students in the surveys. Oster stated they first went through the surveys in order to come up with popular themes of concern. Then themed focus groups were formed and there was a lot of discussion that came from those. They also met with staff and faculty to get their opinions. Oster stated they wanted both internal and external feedback. From those meetings, goal areas were formed and defined. Those goal areas were: Communication (develop a comprehensive communication plan that includes staff, student, parents, and community members), Academic Program (develop a program that meets the academics needs of each student and make certain students and parents have all that information), Facilities (develop a formal written five-year facilities plan that will drive the remodeling and or replacement of existing facilities), School Board. A detailed report will be in the Superintendent’s office if anyone would like a copy. Oster stated after tonight, this report will be turned over to the board and is now in their control. Oster said the board has the power to change or add whatever they chose. Oster suggested waiting a month to approve in case there is feedback that was missed, they wanted to get more information, or wanted to add something to the plan. Oster stated a lot of community time and effort went into this plan.
Melius Center Lease Update. Trevor Cramer and Dwight Hossle, from the Faulkton Economic Development Corporation, as well as Cindy Kopecky (previous school district Business Manager), were in attendance to explain the reasoning behind the school leasing the Melius Center from the Development Corporation and present an update on the Melius Center loan payment. Kopecky began by stating about 13 years ago the school board knew they had to find a solution to the need of a second gym. This was due to girls and boys sporting activities going on at the same time. The school was in need of practice and game space and additional locker rooms. Kopecky said the school and Development Corporation came up with a plan. At that time the school was not able to spend Capital Outlay funds for General Fund expenditures and the school could not afford the operating expenses that would have been paid out of the general fund on a new facility. Kopecky stated by leasing the building from the Development Corporation, this expense (that included operating expenditures) could be paid out of Capital Outlay. Kopecky stated the advantage for the school district was being able to take $40,000-$45,000 in operating expenditures out of the Capital Outlay fund. Kopecky stated there really wasn’t any discussion at the time of what would happen when the lease ran out. Dwight Hossle reiterated what Kopecky said about the school not being able to afford the operating expenditures for the new gym if the school owned it. They came up with a plan for the Development Corporation to own the building and pay for the expenditures. The school would lease the building using Capital Outlay funds. Hossle stated the cost of the entire facility (including the community center) was $1,200,000 and the City received a grant for $200,000 (They own the community center and lease the expenditures for $15,000/year). Hossle said there was a Rural Electric Economic Development (REED) loan taken out for $500,000 and they set out to raise $500,000 also. Only $350,000 was raised and the lease payment had to be re-negotiated from $75,000/year to $100,000 until the remaining $150,000 was paid off. Hossle said after 10 years, the lease payment was amended to $85,000/year and there is about 5 years left on the loan. Hossle stated he believed the lease payment would be re-negotiated again after the loan is paid off. Kalkman questioned and Hossle stated that when the loan is paid off, the lease payment would most likely be set up to cover operating costs of the facility. Aesoph stated the facility is used every day for PE classes and practices and games. A handout of facility expenditures was presented and will be on hand if anyone wanted to look at them.
HKG Options/Financing Possibilities. Barrios stated this was added to the agenda so the board could have discussion on the options presented by HKG and to talk about financing possibilities. Weyand stated they wanted to bring in Toby Morris to talk to the board about financing to see if there is a possibility of obtaining a loan and how it would work with the Capital Outlay cap. Weyand wanted to invite HKG back to look more into the elementary remodel (previously $700,000 estimate from the 8/14/17 meeting) and have them meet with Jeremy Demery and building committee to talk about the costs of rewiring and the technology in that building. Chairman Nelson stated he thought we needed to slow down a little bit and get input from the staff on the needs of the building. McCloud stated he thought that if we get approved for this financing, then we could invite HKG back and they could talk to Demery and other staff. Nelson said he thought they needed to approve the strategic plan first and put some more thought into this. Aesoph asked what plan they were working to get a loan for and Weyand stated the elementary remodel with the estimate from the August meeting. McCloud said they just wanted to look into it further by having the financial guy come and see if it’s even possible, and if it is, then have HKG come and talk to them. Weyand stated how the roof needed to be replaced as well as making the elementary ADA compliant. McCloud said HKG said the elementary was a good building and he didn’t want to wait to repair the roof. Aesoph stated she would like the strategic plan to cover the entire facility and a long term plan that would dictate what steps to take and when. She said she doesn’t want the board to be backed into a corner in the future by not being able to add onto this roof. McCloud said whatever is done in the future would be able to be incorporated into this. Aesoph stated a plan for the high school would be needed right now in order to do that, and McCloud stated it would not and they need to take care of the elementary now. There was a lot of discussion between McCloud and Aesoph over a game plan for the facility. In summary, Aesoph voiced her concerns for wanting an entire plan before working on one aspect, and McCloud wanted to tackle one area at a time before developing any other plans. McCloud stated if the price got too high the board could stop it at any time. Kalkman stated he would like to get the financial guy in to see what the options were. Aesoph also asked the other board members why HKG was the only architect being considered for any planning or projects. McCloud and Weyand stated they have worked on several other schools, the hospital, and the bank and they have heard great things about them. Aesoph stated she has heard of issues during the hospital project. Weyand stated he has called hospital board members and they didn’t have issues with HKG. Weyand also said HKG was a subcontractor for the new jail. Aesoph was in favor of advertising for Architects to look at other companies as well. There was a lot of discussion over the same topics. Weyand reiterated the need to address the roof now. McCloud talked about the cost of building a new brick and mortar building would be $5-7 million when we have a brick and mortar building right now that could be remodeled for not very much. McCloud told Dawn Redden (who was sitting in the audience) that she had said we needed brick and mortar in order to keep the children safe. Redden stated it still couldn’t be used as a storm shelter and that other factors were needed. There was an outburst from the audience and Chairman Nelson informed the audience they would need to wait until open forum time for their opinions. Aesoph stated she didn’t believe the board as a whole knew the direction they wanted to go. Kalkman said that bringing in the financial guy should help with this. McCloud said he believed everyone here knew something needed to be done, we all just have a different idea of what that should be. Nelson said he just thought we were moving too fast and needed to slow down. There was more discussion over the HKG estimates and how much they were. Dawn Redden then approached the board table and disputed with the board over the cost estimates. Chairman Nelson requested that Redden leave the meeting and after some additional comments, Redden returned to her seat and Nelson directed Mr. Barrios to call law enforcement to come to the meeting. Weyand stated he felt like there was a lot of support for this plan and thought the payment for the elementary remodel could replace the HVAC payment but that is where the financial information would help. They talked about a special meeting to meet with him. Weyand stated HKG wanted to know by December in order to remodel in the Summer of 2018. Weyand wanted to have a meeting with them and the staff shortly so the board could discuss this in December. Weyand said once they advertised for bids, they would have a more concrete idea of costs. Aesoph stated we need to collaborate as an entire board when making these decisions and include our administrative in discussion. After much more building discussion back and forth, Mr. Barrios was directed to invite Toby Morris to come and talk to the board about financing. They would wait to contact HKG until after this meeting.
2017-18.72. December Board Meeting. Motion by Kalkman, seconded by Weyand, to have the next board meeting on December 13, 2017 at 6 p.m. Unanimous.
2017-18.73. ASBSD LAN Appointment. Motion by Aesoph, second by Kalkman, to appoint Jerry Weyand as the board’s Legislative Action Network (LAN) member to attend to legislative issues. Unanimous.
Superintendent’s Report. In-Service Update. Mr. Barrios stated a lot of state testing data was reviewed with the teaching staff at the October in-service. He stated the staff also started a book study over a book called “The Energy Bus” as a way for providing professional development, as well as looking for ways to improve what they are doing in the classroom. Barrios also explained that for the next January in-service our district has teamed up with Redfield and Ipswich Schools to bring in a keynote speaker in to talk about educational technology. Board Member Classroom Visits. Barrios first apologized because at the last meeting Weyand had stated something about being busy this time of year and he had thought he meant in the classrooms, not board members being in the fields. Barrios said Nelson was the only one able to get in to the classrooms for a visit but hoped once harvest was done more board members would be able to. Nelson said he visited the Kindergarten, 1st grade and 5th grade classrooms during his visit. He said he was very impressed by the staff and it was nice to see the smart boards being used in the classrooms. Nelson said it was good for him to see what was going on in the classrooms and put that into perspective. School District State Report Card. Barrios reviewed the District’s report card with everyone in attendance and explained what those ratings meant for all locations in our district.
Open Forum. 1. Gloria Bode stated again how she felt a 5-year plan was very important and should be the first thing done and then a building plan incorporated into it. 2. Corrine Weyand stated that it is never wrong to educate yourself as much as you can but everyone knows the roof in the elementary needs to be attended to.
2017-18.74. Adjournment. Motion by Aesoph, second by Kalkman, to adjourn at 8:07 p.m. All in favor, motion carried.
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Board Chairman, Ryan Nelson Business Official, Lisa Hushka