Having vacated the site in August 2017, the Rushford-Peterson School Board has sought a buyer for the former Rushford-Peterson Middle School building since last year. Two bids were previously approved, then fell short, but it appears the district now has a solid buyer for the site. He even came with check in tow to the Monday, July 15 board meeting.
The R-P Facilities Committee met prior to the board meeting and recommended the district go with the bid from Jon Helland, of Rushford. The details regarding Helland’s plans for the site are being kept closed to the public at this time. New district Superintendent Jon Thompson indicated that there were five bidders originally, but that two had dropped out last week.
The board approved awarding the bid to Helland unanimously. The sale includes the building and contents, but a few items remaining at the school were not included, such as a set of portable bleachers and memorabilia from the school’s time as Peterson High School, prior to the consolidation with Rushford. The details of the memorabilia will be worked out with the City of Peterson, the Peterson Museum, and the district.
The first board meeting for Thompson included his monthly report. “R-P, the school, the community; it’s been very welcoming. You have some good ones here; a good team. I’m flat out impressed,” said Thompson. “I’m pleased to be here.”
While he indicated there were no glaring changes he was looking to take a crack at, he did stress a desire to have strong communication with staff and the board. He’s taking time, one on one, with board members, asking, “What do you do well as a school district and what can we do better?” Thus far, he’s met with Board Directors Bonnie Prinsen and Jeff Michel and noted the productivity of both meetings.
“I think there are some things that could benefit the district and the kids will be the real winners,” he added.
In other news, the district is revamping portions of its 1:1 Initiative, aimed at getting technology in the hands of its students. The district is currently heading into year four of the initiative and Technology Director Corey Mattson indicated the program is in good standing.
This year, the district is making devices available to students in sixth and ninth grades. Currently, students in grades six through 12 utilize the program, but the shelf-life of the devices being three to six years, students receive their device in sixth and ninth grades. The initiative is in cooperation with Best Buy, who provides a $100 voucher to district students to use towards a Chromebook device. Three price-point levels of devices have been selected by the company and district, but with the voucher, the cost to families hovers around $99.
Students also previously had four options for a device: purchase through the initiative, bring their own, lease from the district for $40, or check one out through the library. This year, the district is eliminating the option to check out through the library, having had difficulties with students returning the devices in a timely manner. In addition, the cost to lease will increase to $50 this year, in an effort to counter the one-time damage repair provided by the district. Any secondary damage is the responsibility of the family.
“Some schools own all devices and lease to students. If it’s their device, they have more skin in the game. They can also bring their own. We ended with a hybrid,” noted High School Principal Jake Timm.
Mattson indicated that currently, the price of a device is at $299, but he’s working with Best Buy to keep to that $99 price point, if possible. An informational meeting for families has been scheduled for July 25, at 6:30 p.m., in the Forum Room.
Timm also noted that all R-P teachers, grades six through 12, have a Google classroom, which students can navigate to find assignments, upcoming items, and materials for e-Learning days. For those students without internet availability at home, an app is making it possible for them to sync the data when at school, then use offline editing at home. The device then syncs again once hooked up to a WiFi connection. The board approved the changes unanimously.
The next regularly scheduled board meeting is Monday, August 19, at 5:30 p.m., in the Forum Room. The public is encouraged to attend.
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