VIRGINIA- The inadequate wastewater treatment system at South Ridge School will get a million-dollar fix this summer after the ISD 2142 school board voted Tuesday to proceed with the work.
The school board recently considered three bids from potential contractors, the initial low bid from Septic Check of Milaca for $1.092 million. But after consulting on and agreeing to some cost-saving measures, the board approved a final contract with Septic Check for $1.003 million.
The state Legislature allocated $500,000 for the project in 2023. District finance director Kim Johnson was unavailable Wednesday to answer questions about how the district would cover the remaining balance.
A sampling of the cost of major subcomponents of the bid include about $353,000 for the necessary concrete tanks, $147,000 for the system control panel, and $140,000 for the electrical work.
It’s one major project among many that are the sad legacy of construction deficiencies at both South Ridge and North Woods schools by Johnson Controls Inc., Kraus-Anderson and Architectural Resources, Inc.— the three companies that designed or oversaw work on the projects. The combined cost for the schools was around $60 million, and problems began surfacing within a few years of their completion. When the district threatened legal action in 2019, KA and ARI quickly responded and indicated that they wanted to work toward some resolution, but little has happened since to hold the companies accountable.
A similar wastewater treatment system fix at North Woods will go out for bid next year, according to Superintendent Reggie Engebritson, and it should be less extensive and therefore less costly than at South Ridge.
In other business, the board:
• Approved continuation of the Q Comp professional development and alternative pay program for 2024-25, eliminating one peer coaching observation for a savings of $15,000 and cutting teacher stipends from $1,000 to $800, saving about $39,000. Cuts were made to make the program budget conform with the available Q Comp funding.
• Received an extensive summary report on achievements and integration related to the state’s World’s Best Workforce initiative.
• Approved the 2023-24 Indian Education policies and procedures.
• Approved an application to the Minnesota State High School League for a combined speech program for Northeast Range and North Woods.
• Adopted the standard annual resolution directing district administrators to make recommendations for the reduction/discontinuance of programs and positions.
• Adopted a resolution releasing the district from individually recording write-in votes for board elections unless a candidate receives write-in votes equal to or greater than the fewest votes for a ballot candidate.
• Heard a grievance from Cherry language arts teacher Kristen Kenjalo regarding graduate credit hours she obtained prior to entering and completing a master’s degree program. She requested that the graduate credits be added on to her current master’s equivalent status, which would change her placement on the district’s salary matrix. Engebritson denied the request under the rationale that the graduate credits had already been used to move Kenjalo on the scale prior to her obtaining the master’s degree, and that re-applying them now would be inappropriate. The board voted to uphold Engebritson’s decision, and per the teaching contract the matter will go to arbitration.
• Hired Kelly Nuthak as a full-time long-term substitute social studies teacher at North Woods.
• Hired Timothy Kulik as a full-time long-term substitute elementary teacher at Northeast Range.
• Hired Kelsey Cook as a part-time paraprofessional at Tower-Soudan.
• Hired Sheri Israel as a part-time paraprofessional at Northeast Range.
• Accepted the resignations from Dan Squires as NW assistant track coach; Sheila Moravitz as NER paraprofessional; Lizbeth Getman as part-time music teacher at NER; and Angela Schultz as assistant girls basketball coach at NW.