The votes are in the for the Rushford-Peterson School Board election. Incumbents Valerie Howe, Julie Koop, and John Linder earned 1323, 1343 and 1401 votes respectively and will retain their seats. Newcomer Bonnie Prinsen won 1475 votes, the largest portion by any one candidate, and will replace Board Director Taylor Peterson.
There were a significant number of write-in votes totaling 1009, according to a polling place tally sheet provided by the district. It was noted the numbers do not include write-in votes from absentee ballots. According to the document, Dale Baker earned 350 write-in votes, while Stan Gudmundson received 286 and Taylor Peterson earned 268 (294 including those with name spelling error).
The current school board approved the results of the election at a November 14 board meeting. The new board will begin its work in January.
At the meeting, the district again discussed a proposed policy over naming rights at the new school. In October, Superintendent Chuck Ehler brought forth a draft policy recommended by the Foundation for Rushford-Peterson Schools. At that time, several concerns were brought forth by board members including the amount of donation, whether contribution for naming rights be monetary only, and whether those submitting donations be residents of the district. Ehler brought the concerns back to the foundation for clarification and presented an updated policy for approval.
Board Director Joyce Iverson brought forth new concerns for consideration, including whether or not the school board should have approval, rather than the superintendent. Additionally, Iverson questioned a portion of the policy that covers termination of naming rights, without monetary repayment, and discretion by the district if the party acts in a manner inappropriate or in contrast to district values. Board Director John Linder suggested that termination of the agreement could happen by either party, at any time, regardless of reason without repayment.
Board Director Jon Pettit then suggested, after stating he’d fielded numerous calls and conversations from district residents, that the entire policy was unacceptable. “We don’t need it. I don’t think the district wants it. As a public school, everybody has their name on every room,” he stated. “I don’t find it necessary to muddy it or put extra value on it, even for the monetary contribution. I don’t think it would be appropriate to have naming rights. A public school should remain that way.”
“It’s not a policy I want to see in our book,” he added. “Contributions can be handled in a different way.” Pettit went on to suggest that disagreements within the district over the school might make it difficult to go into a room with one person’s name on it or to see a big plaque in honor of them. “It’s not a comfortable thing. It’s nice and cushy when it happens, but…” he continued.
Board Chairman John Linder agreed that Pettit made good points. “I can’t disagree,” he said, before questioning what would happen should parties want to make large donations. Pettit suggested donations be made to the foundation for scholarships instead.
Board Director Dean Mierau, who also stated he’d fielded questions and concerns from residents, asked where donations for naming rights would go. Superintendent Ehler stated that donations are typically designated, but that they could go to other enhancements. For example, a $100,000 donation to the gymnasium might be utilized for other areas. “That’s what I thought,” responded Mierau.
Ehler, who also stated he’d received phone calls, clarified that he didn’t want to rule out a person wanting to make a large donation, such as to fund the necessities of an entire classroom. “We’re looking for some consistency.”
“Naming rights are tricky,” said Board Director Julie Koop. “I wish instead of naming rights we could do a donation wall. It’s the same kind of recognition and appreciation.”
Mierau agreed it was less intrusive and suggested the district seek more input from both sides rather than face potential pushback.
“Naming rights doesn’t sit well with me,” added Linder. “If the motivation is to get name recognition, that doesn’t seem right.”
Ehler suggested that some donors may be looking for a lasting legacy for a family member, rather than name recognition.
“That comes at a price,” responded Pettit. “I can live with a wall. The other is goods being sold. We’re putting a infinite price on something very finite.” Pettit motioned to decline the policy. His motion died for lack of second. Director Iverson motioned for the policy to be sent back to the foundation. It was seconded by Mierau and approved.
The progress on the new school continues. According to Tim Roberston, of ICS Consulting, representative for the district, the construction is moving along at a rapid pace. Mechanical roof-ins are nearly complete, stud framing on the first floor is in progress, and metal framing on the second floor is done, sheetrocked, floated, and sanded. Retaining walls on the northwest side of the property are done and site utilities are rolling into place as crews prepare for winter. Site grading and ponding are in place. Roofing of the entire project is projected to be done before the Thanksgiving holiday. Exterior sheathing on the main entrance is nearly complete and stone work is completed. Metal studs, catwalks, rigging, and ballasts are in the theatre. “We’re moving along at a fantastic clip,” enthused Robertson. “We’re over 54% now.”
Robertson presented the board with change order number seven, including 13 requests, in the amount of $29,476. “We’re getting a better end product,” he explained. The requests are for changes such as galvanized fencing to vinyl-coated, concrete instead of asphalt, and brickwork on the dock side next to the retaining wall. “It’s a lot of zero cost items,” added Robertson. There have been $63,150.19 in total changes to the project thus far. “It’s pretty stellar and makes the project more user friendly.”
In other news, the district approved Principal Jake Timm’s World’s Best Workforce Summary. Goals for the project in 2015 included having students ready for kindergarten, all students in third grade achieving grade level literacy, closing the achievement gap, and having students career and college ready by graduation. The target percentages for the four categories in 2015 were met in some areas and missed the mark in others.
Just 73.87% of students were ready for kindergarten as opposed to the 80% goal. The district will look to hit the 80% mark again for 2016. Third grade literacy was 89.3%, just topping the 88% goal. For 2016, the goal is to have 90% of third grade students proficient. The achievement gap was met by all district students in math, however, only the elementary students met the reading targets. As for career and college readiness, 60% of tenth grade students met the proficiency. The goal for 2016 is to have 68% of the now eleventh grade students score a 21 or higher on the ACT.
Principal Timm also presented to the board the new schedule proposal for the new facility. With early childhood education through grade 12 housed in one facility, district staff was looking for a way to best mesh the schedules for the middle school and high school grades. It was determined that a trimester setup was the most cohesive and would provide for more flexibility and more elective choice for students.
For the high school, this translates to 30 credits for graduation, with every class being weighted as .5 credits (7.5 credits per year). That equates to 39 required classes with 21 electives. Instructional time will be similar.
For the middle school, students will have a six-period day, with the first four being 65 minutes and the last two broken up into 42-minute periods. The last two will be electives. Students will have the option of a 42-minute study hall every other day. Extra reading or math will be built into the 65 minutes. The day for all students will begin at 8:25 a.m. and end at 3:10 p.m.
The next regularly scheduled school board meeting is Monday, December 19, at 5 p.m., in the high school biology room. Please note the time change. The public is encouraged to attend.
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