May 30, 2014 at 4:00 PM - Superintendent's Weekly Update to the Board of Education

Description: 
Please take a look at Brad Senden's first draft of a community survey.  I also included my comments in a second document.  They are incomplete comments and just triggers to remind me of important ideas/suggestions to share with Brad for the second draft.

It is important for you to review Brad's first draft and send me comments or call me prior to next Wednesday.  Remember we have our timeline working backward from January 6, 2015.

Description: 
Please review the attached first draft of an RFP for CM.  I have also asked for feedback from Tom Ollman (Sr. Project Manager on our facilities planning committee) and Paul Youngquist, Architect for ARY.  I want everyone's feedback ASAP so that a final draft can be sent to interested parties.

Description: 
Springsted ran calculations for us using $26,981,000 available for new construction over a 20 year loan period.  

You will see in the first attached document the state will pay approximately 1/3 of the projected total levy payments of $42,997,618.  The projected equalization aid is $13,758,960.  This leaves us locally paying the remaining $29,238,658.  In essence, the state will pick up the interest payments for us while we pay the principal.

Also, in the first attached document you will see the current annual impact of existing debt on a $140,000 home (average for our school district) and the annual tax impact increase using the above figures.  Currently, average home value owners pay $327/annually in Royalton School District taxes.  An approved $26,981,000 project would increase the average home value owners taxes $219/annually.  

In the second attached document you will see the annual increases on a variety of priced homestead residential, commercial/industrial, apartments, seasonal/recreational, agriculture homestead, and agriculture non-homestead.       

Description: 
It's going to take a lot of time and effort for me to schedule all of the negotiations meetings.  Please send me the dates and times in June when you CANNOT meet.  I will take all six board members' personal schedules and then contact all of the groups.  Remember some of you are on several individual and group negotiations.

Description: 
Please find attached Mr. Kunkel and REMs disappointing response to the board's final offers.  It's not disappointing to me they want to go to mediation.  It's disappointing they use a tactic against the best interest of our students and their opportunities for a high quality education.  Someone in REM needs to grow a pair and stand up and tell self absorbed individuals like Steve Kunkel the building levy is about kids....PERIOD. 

Description: 
Please find attached the secretaries official notice of their desire to negotiate.  Liz, Jim, and Dale please let me know of dates in June when you're available to meet with the secretaries.  I will organize a meeting with them.

Description: 
Mr. Bratsch gave Mr. Swenson and I a tour of the outdoor classroom in memory of Mrs. Kunkel.  You'll see from the attached pics it's not completed.  Marty and our students are making progress on it in the last few weeks.  Our 9th grade female students worked on making the benches!

Description: 
Dr. Gurbada has submitted a request to attend the National Elementary Principals Conference this summer.  I'm going to add his request to the board meeting in June for your approval.  Please contact me in advance to sending out the agenda if you have any questions or concerns.  The total cost is minimal for traveling to a national conference.  Also, we have several tens of thousands of dollars available in the staff development budget for this kind of request.

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Please find attached a confidential employee item for your information.

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Please find attached the weekly bills for your approval.