The Mabel-Canton School Board began its February 17 meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. Following the Pledge, meeting Chair Chris Miller recognized Darian Hershberger, the Student Representative to the board. Hershberger gave a report on behalf of the students which was focused on the success of M-C’s athletic teams.
Principal Michelle Weidemann gave the Principal’s Report. Midterms will be next week as they are already halfway through the third quarter. As part of FAA week, upperclassmen gave a presentation to elementary students on FAA and other farming related topics. Ag Olympics will be held at the high school on Friday, February 20.
The board then began a discussion of costs from the ongoing building project. The CTE (Career and Technical Education) addition is currently $116,321.99 over budget. While bids for some parts of the project came in less than expected, others were higher, and the project cost overall is higher than planned. The board has been working hard to find cost savings by revising or eliminating parts of the project. Fifty two proposed revisions to the project have been evaluated in consultation with the design firm. A representative of the firm was present by phone to answer questions.
The original plan called for the concrete structure of the CTE addition to be finished with the same brown stone aggregate used on the pre-existing building. Eliminating this aggregate and painting the concrete white would save $35,000, while simply leaving bare concrete would save $40,000. Photos of each option were presented. There was some uncertainty among board members how to proceed. Chair Miller asked Kuphal for his opinion. Kuphal stated that he will be leaving the district at the end of this school year, while the community will remain, so it should not be his decision. But, his personal opinion is that the expense of matching the addition to the rest of the building would ultimately be worth it. The $40,000 cost will be incurred once, while the building will remain for decades, and having a school that looks visually consistent and “finished” has value in terms of community pride. He asked what people would think sitting at a football game 10, 20 years from now, and looking at the school if one section was left as bare concrete.
Board member Traci Livingood acknowledged those sentiments but expressed that ultimately their job is to be responsible stewards of the taxpayer’s money. After a little more discussion, the item came to a vote. The board voted 5-2 to stick with the brown stone aggregate.
Following that vote, the board heard from a community member who requested to allow the Girl Scouts to sell cookies at athletic events. The community has not had a Girl Scouts group for several years, so there is a lot of excitement that they’re back. The troop received a grant from the Mabel Telephone Co-op to help get started. The board unanimously approved the request, so M-C sports fans will have the opportunity to pick up some cookies at future games.
Next, the board moved to discussion of the 2025-2026 revised budget. While there has been a 2% increase in state aid per student, total dollars from the state are down by $138,414 compared to last year because total enrollment is down. Federal dollars are down $19,208. Despite those challenges, the budget overall is still in a relatively good place, and better than what was anticipated earlier in the school year.
The last item of business was an update on the superintendent search. There is not a lot of news. Notices were posted to various education related professional groups. Kuphal stated that they still have some time before he leaves at the end of the school year.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:14 p.m.
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