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A short-handed North Branch School Board was asked to make some major decisions last week.  Board member Sarah Grovender  was excused. Mindy Michaud’s seat was empty and her name plaque had already been pulled, as school officials announced she moved and relinquished her Board seat.  The net result is four of the six-member Board will be up for election.  The Michaud seat will be filled in November along with three Board seats normally expiring.

School Board Filing starts July 31 and runs to August 14.  You file with the school district clerk.   

The North Branch School Board directors handled a heavy agenda last week.  

Architect sketch plans were reviewed for the space addition at the District Learning Center.  Architect  Dan Moll, showed potential west side,  northwest side and southeast corner add-ons.  Going out towards Grand Avenue (west) will be cramped considering road right-of-way.  The northwest side has mechanicals to avoid and the southeast corner addition is more of a separate-looking structure and the Board was hoping to achieve a more modernized look for the building itself (old Primary School.)  

The Board directed Moll to develop  early details for an addition along the east side of the building, following the same design elements of what was shown as an add-on to the west.
The district has $4 million for enhancing the education center site.

Moll estimates an addition of 11,000 square feet is adequate.

The plan calls for adding (10) kindergarten classroom spaces and improving space used by the Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) program.  

District administrative offices will remain at the education center location,  but need to be redesigned as part of the overall project.

Board member Cathie Pascavage said her concern, whatever the final design ends up being, is that there’s an improvement in security for those who use the building.

In other business:  a few student fees were increased for the next school year and meals increased by five cents all around.

~Robotics at the high school level will be $100,  up from $35.

~ DECA, ProStart, FCCLA students will pay $150, up from $95

~ Middle School Fine Arts students fees went to $95 from $65  This is for jazz band, knowledge bowl, speech, show choir and math league.

~ Breakfast goes to $1.80 up a nickel and $2.40 for adults. Milk is staying at 60 cents.  Lunch is going to $4 for adults, $2.80 for secondary and $2.60 for elementary.

District Finance Director Jon Ellerbusch said the hikes were necessary partly because state and federal nutrition program funding is decreasing. For 2018 the district got $569, 925 from the U.S. government and for 2019 this will be $491,018.

Costs to provide certain student option activities are growing and events have been added, and some fees had not been adjusted in a long time, Ellerbusch noted.

The Board also approved the recommended bidder for $6,385,000 million in Facilities Maintenance Bonds.  Bond sales advisor Stacy Childers, Ehlers & Associates, said the low bid was Baird & Company, representing a syndicate of investors, at 2.8 percent interest rate.  There were three close bids submitted.
 
4.0 busing agreement
The district’s transportation system was officially awarded to 4.0 School Services on a 4-0 vote by the Board.

Ellerbusch told the School Board the bus driver union was good to work with and negotiations to dissolve the union went “very well.” Owners of 4.0 Mike and Rhonda Hennek, were at the Board meeting, but there was no discussion.  Details of the contract were provided to the Press after the Board meeting.  

One item is that escalation of costs throughout the total possible six year 4.0 contract are known for budgeting. The agreement is effective for four years with a two-year renewal clause.
The contract allows for a 2.75 percent inflation for 2019-2020 and future years’ inflation is spelled out as well.

The company will get fuel tax-exempt through the school district.  Fuel has been co-bid with the City of North Branch for years for quantity savings.  The company is being compensated for “live time” transportation hours.  The basic cost is estimated at $271 per day for “D” buses which are larger and $265 for smaller “A,B,C” bus models.

The 4.0 management can not make decisions about ridership or suspend any rider.  A company supervisor will be named and will work on-site.  The staff, including mechanics and drivers,  are 4.0 company employees.

The company is responsible for the transportation facility and vehicles, the district provides the two-way radios, the bus video systems and GPS.
 
4.0 provides student transportation to many districts: Chisago Lakes, Bloomington/Richfield, Glencoe Silver lake, Minneota, Pine City, Rockford, St Peter, Tracy, Wabasso, Westonka, Norwood Young America and Lester Prairie.

Ellerbusch presented a summary and recommendations for the 2018-2019 budget, the new fiscal year starts in Minnesota in July.  He advised that North Branch spent $400,000 more on transportation in the just-finished school year than budgeted, which is obviously not sustainable.  Overages were due to needing to hire outside personnel and cover routes that lacked drivers.  The district had decided to request proposals from transit companies and 4.0 was selected to takeover for 2018-2019.

The School Board also acted in March making $1.5 million in adjustments for the budget.

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