Red Wing School Board briefs

Long-range facilities plan outlined

With a growing list of facility updates and possible space issues on the horizon, Red Wing School District may ask for approval of a facilities bond as soon as this November. To help determine exactly what the district’s facility needs are, the School Board enlisted the help of architecture, planning and engineering firm DLR Group last winter.

At Monday’s board workshop, Jennifer Anderson-Tuttle, a senior associate for DLR, outlined the firm’s progress. Anderson-Tuttle said she has met with board members and the administration team to discuss needs and has done preliminary walk-throughs of the district’s eight buildings.

The next step, she said, is conducting educational adequacy assessments, which look at how programs are functioning within the buildings, transitions between buildings and Department of Education standards.

Anderson-Tuttle has also tentatively scheduled three community workshops for next month to help gauge community support and to get input. She plans to give updates to the board at both meetings in May.

Because Monday’s discussion of health insurance took up the majority of the board workshop, planning for a future operating referendum, as listed on the agenda, was not discussed.

Some special education, other positions reduced

The board approved the reduction of several positions, most of them dealing with special education staff. Supt. Karsten Anderson said reductions like this are common at the end of the school year.

“Some could be reinstated next year,” he told board members. “We make reductions because we don’t know what students will be here next year.”

However, among the reductions were two full-time teachers on special assignment positions, which will more than likely not be reinstated.

Personnel changes

The board approved the following personnel changes:

New hires: Kelly Kolby, cook at high school, effective April 11; Alicia Hamilton, cook at Twin Bluff, effective March 14.

Medical leave: Dean Kinneman, custodian at high school, effective May 7 through July 30.

Resignations: Katie Olerich, special education assistant at Burnside, effective April 2; Ben Smith, Kid’s Junction assistant at Burnside, effective March 14.

Meeting watch

Monday’s board workshop lasted four hours. A previously scheduled closed session to discuss a lawsuit against the school was deleted from the agenda at the beginning of the meeting. Board member Mike Christensen was absent.

— Compiled by Sarah Gorvin, staff writer

Tags: red wing, school board, government