Download 071315Work Session.pages - Moorhead Area Public Schools

SPECIAL MEETING
BOARD OF EDUCATION
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT #152
PROBSTFIELD CENTER FOR EDUCATION
JULY 13, 2015
PAGE 1
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MEMBERS PRESENT: Mark Altenburg, Lisa Erickson, Cindy Fagerlie, Scott Steffes, Bill
Tomhave, Matt Valan and Dr. Lynne A. Kovash.
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MEMBER ABSENT: Laurie Johnson.
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CALL TO ORDER: Chair Fagerlie called the meeting to order at 3:05 p.m. and led everyone in
attendance with the Pledge of Allegiance.
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APPOINTMENT OF CLERK: Chair Fagerlie appointed Matt Valan to serve as clerk for the
meeting.
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PREVIEW OF AGENDA: Superintendent Kovash recommended approval of the agenda to
proceed with no changes.
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APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Erickson moved, seconded by Tomhave, to approve the agenda
with revisions. Motion carried 6-0.
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SCHOOL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES: Greg Crowe, Ehlers and Associates, reviewed the
Moorhead Area Public Schools Boundary Study Report.
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The Moorhead and Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton school districts have been in communication
regarding detachment of portions of each school district. In cooperation with Dilworth-GlyndonFelton Public Schools, Moorhead Area Public Schools contracted with Ehlers to conduct an
analysis of the financial impact of the proposed detachment on the districts. Ehlers advised the
district that the affected parcels would have two primary financial effects: changes in district
revenue and changes in property taxes paid by property owners in the realigned district.
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Ehlers recommended that all analysis be based on revenue for the 2015-16 fiscal year and on
property taxes payable in 2015. Numerous factors will affect the impact of the proposed
detachment in future years, but those are mostly unknown at this point as payable 2016 taxes are
not completed. Restricting the analysis to a year in which reliable estimates of revenue are
known, and in which property taxes have already been calculated, creates a valid baseline of data
to assess the approximate financial impact in future years.
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The financial impact of a re-alignment would result in Moorhead School District residents
paying 2 percent higher property taxes because of the reduction to the district’s tax base. More
discussion will be need to be held in the future regarding any potential boundary change to
assure it is a win-win for both Moorhead and Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton districts.
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SPECIAL MEETING
BOARD OF EDUCATION
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT #152
PROBSTFIELD CENTER FOR EDUCATION
JULY 13, 2015
PAGE 2
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FINANCIAL INFORMATION RELATED TO THE FACILITIES MASTER PLAN:
Brandon Lunak, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations, reported on an option to
amend the Review and Comment document to include an additional $2 million to purchase a
building. The building, which was not identified, would be used to house programs that are
currently in leased space. By purchasing a building using bond referendum funds, the district
would be able to move Red River Area Learning Center, Adult Basic Education and Outreach
from leased spaces into a district-owned facility, which has been a district priority. This would
eliminate lease levy payments of approximately $177,000 a year over the course of the 20-year
bond, saving district taxpayers more than $1.5 million during that time without factoring in
inflation. The estimated tax impact of a $78.2 million bond on a $175,000 home is $128 a year,
while an $80.2 million bond has an estimated tax impact of $132 a year on a $175,000 home.
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REVIEW AND COMMENT PRESENTATION: Brian Berg and Tim Zerr, Zerr-Berg
Architects, and Michael Burns, Michael J. Burns Architects, presented the Review and Comment
document. The Review and Comment document, pursuant to Minn. Statutes, Section 123B.7,
must be submitted to the Commissioner of Minnesota Department of Education by August 5,
2015. The Commissioner has, by statutes, 60 days to rule on whether to give the school facility
project a positive, negative or unfavorable review and comment.
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The Review and Comment document requires addressing the following areas: geographic area
and population served; list of existing school facilities; list of specific deficiencies of the facility;
description of the project; specification of the source of the project financing; and documentation
obligating the school district and contractors to comply with governing municipal contracts,
sustainable design, school facility commissioning, ANSI acoustical performance criteria,
building codes, and consultation with other government entities.
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The $78.2 million in proposed construction projects are designed to improve security and safety
at school entrances, reintegrate kindergarten back into the elementary school sites with additional
kindergarten classrooms to accommodate all-day kindergarten, restore flexible learning spaces
that have been lost the past few years, and add needed space to address the district’s growing
elementary and middle school student population.
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The proposal includes:
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• Remodel existing district buildings to improve the safety and security, remodel existing
elementary schools to restore flexible learning environments, and renovate S.G. Reinertsen
Elementary School to create equitable-sized elementary schools in the district. The renovation
projects will cost $7.7 million, which covers the secure entrances at Probstfield and Moorhead
High and the three current elementary schools. At the elementary schools, it also includes the
remodel of the kindergarten classrooms and restoration of the flexible learning spaces.
SPECIAL MEETING
BOARD OF EDUCATION
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT #152
PROBSTFIELD CENTER FOR EDUCATION
JULY 13, 2015
PAGE 3
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• Construction of a K-4 elementary school with a capacity of 750 students. The elementary
school would be built on 17 acres of land to be purchased in the Horizon Shores area. The K-4
building would include 106,086 square feet at a cost of $25.6 million.
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• Construction of a grades 5-6 addition to Horizon Middle School to create a middle school
campus, including a performing arts center and a secure entrance. The addition to Horizon
Middle School includes eight team areas with six classrooms in each (four houses at each grade
level). The addition would include 191,380 square feet to serve 1,200 students at an estimated
cost of $44.7 million.
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The move to a K-4, 5-8, 9-12 grade configuration will allow Probstfield Center for Education to
return to an early childhood center.
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ADJOURNMENT: Hearing no objections, the Chair adjourned the meeting at 5:26 p.m.
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Matt Valan, Acting, Clerk