by Dave DeMars
news@thenewsleaders.com
Remodeling projects at the primary and middle schools in the Sartell-St. Stephen School District are right on target and going well, said construction manager Robbie Schultz of Winkelman Building Corp.
Schultz addressed the Sartell-St. Stephen School Board at its July 17 meeting.
He said he expects all of the remodeling and upkeep items, such as installation of new air-conditioning units, will be completed and working by Aug. 18. Things are also going well in the new high-school building project, he added.
“At the high-school site, they are moving 6,000 to 7,000 yards of dirt a day,” Schultz said.
By the end of August, the utility work should be completed, and after getting the review packages back from the state, the foundation work will be started by the first week of August. The third bid package, which will encompass 75 percent of the work on the high school, will be opened on Aug. 17.
“We’re looking forward to that and drumming up a ton of interest for our bid package,” Schultz said. “This is the main one – it’s roughly 75 percent of the project. We’re spending a lot of time with contractors right now.”
Superintendent Jeff Schwiebert complimented both the architect and the project manager on how smoothly and efficiently the project is being accomplished.
“The only problem we have had is barn swallows,” Schwiebert said. “They are back with a vengeance because we shut everything down (for the Fourth of July holiday). They have attached to virtually every level of the entrance area.”
Schwiebert said they have a plan to keep the birds from coming back once they leave, but because they are a protected species, they can’t be disturbed during the bird-nesting season. The birds are federally protected.
“That’s probably the only thing we hadn’t anticipated on this project,” Schwiebert said.
In a related building item, Schwiebert informed the board, the City of Sartell intends to put a trail on the east side of the road between 27th Street and 35th Street. Also Schwiebert informed the board the city intends to finish paving 27th Street yet this fall with a two-inch overlay.
Update
The board also heard an updated report on the Benton-Stearns Education District from its executive director, Alicia Jepsen, who told the board the Benton-Stearns Education District has a student population of 13,818 students from six member school districts. Presently they serve 2,120 students directly.
The BSED provides a broad array of special-education services for children with a variety of life issues, including physical, emotional and behavioral challenges. Among their services are hearing assistance and audiology, physical assistance, early-childhood assistance from birth to age 3, autism assistance, and psychology and counseling programs for students, among other programs. To find out more about programs offered, go to its website at https://www.bentonstearns.k12.mn.us/
Jepsen highlighted a few of the programs such as the “Help Me Grow Program” for infants to age 3, and the “Voyagers” program for students in the middle-school to high-school years. Jepsen also explained the funding mechanism for the BSED programs. Part of the funding is through local BSED membership fees, part federal and part state funding.
Jepsen explained the state has three methods or formulas for determining how much funding will be given. The state evaluates funding using three formulas and then chooses the formula or methods that will provide the lowest amount of funding, Jepsen noted.
“We don’t get the greater of those (money determined by formulas or methods), we get the lesser,” Jepsen said.
Jepsen said a school district is not billed if it has no students using a particular service the BSED provides. For example, if a district has no children in need of services for autism, it’s not billed for the service. That’s a change in billing practices since under the old system, districts shared billing for services whether they used the services or not.
Action items
The board took action on 12 items, including the following:
● Approved a personnel resolution dealing with hiring and resignations.
● Approved membership in the Minnesota School Boards Association at a cost of $9,210.
● Approved membership renewal in Schools for Equity in Education at a cost of $5,258.
● Approved membership renewal in Resource Training & Solutions at a cost of $8,574.
● Approved entering into negotiations with the City of Sartell for the leasing of Champion Field.
● Approved changes in academic handbooks for students at all schools in Sartell.
● Approved an agreement with the St. Cloud State University Off-Campus Community Service.
● Approved the Sartell-St. Stephen School District English Learner Plan of Service.
● Called for bids on the new Sartell-St. Stephen High School bid package number three.
● Approved investment resolution of bond funds.
● Approved changes in the 2017-2018 District Employee Handbook.
Next meeting
The next meeting of the board will be at 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21 in the District Service Center.
Robbie Schultz, project manager on the new Sartell-St. Stephen High School for Winkelman Builders shared good news with the Sartell School Board. Things are going well and most of the remodeling work in the three primary and middle schools will be complete by mid-August. Construction at the new high school is also going well.
Alicia Jepsen, executive director of the Stearns-Benton Education District, gave a presentation highlighting the program’s accomplishments and areas of service. New programs and expansion of established programs serve more students in many ways.
