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Trisha Benton Randolph Times
RANDOLPH – The Randolph Public Schools board gathered to discuss patron feedback and how to move forward after the failed school bond issue.
Voters narrowly rejected a $9.75 million school bond issue on the November ballot which included nearly $4.9 million for upgrades at the elementary; $4.2 million for a new Career Technical Agriculture Education (CTE) building; and almost $650,000 for updates to the high school building.
The board is considering re-working its bond proposal and putting it up for a vote through a special election in May. Six from the public including administrators and the district’s building partners gathered for a bond work session last week in which all of the projects were discussed.
The new CTE building generated the most discussion. Board members relayed patron concerns that the proposal to nearly double the size of the two current ag buildings was too large.
Suggestions of remodeling the existing building or attaching the new CTE building onto the current high school have been studied previously and found to not be cost effective or feasible due to storm shelter and restroom requirements.
Doing the project in phases was also studied previously and found not be cost effective.
The board was agreeable to reducing the building’s square footage which would fit better on the current lot size and also allow for better drainage. However, any cost savings by reducing the size of the building may be offset by the cost of the architects and engineers to re-work existing plans.
“Don’t expect this magic number to be a million dollar savings. You still have that same work going into a 10,200 square foot building as a 13,000 square foot building,” said Scott Kralik of BD Construction, Kearney, the district’s construction manager. “You’re still trying to put all the same guts inside the same building.”
He said the project will also be impacted by inflation with a later start date than anticipated.
At the end of the meeting, the board’s building and grounds committee and administrators agreed to re-examine the proposed floor plan and make some recommendations about where space could be reduced.
Two from the school’s kitchen - Heather Reimers and Mary Kruse - relayed concerns about the bond issue’s construction of a 900-square-foot serving kitchen at the elementary building.
For the past 16 years, elementary students have been bussed to the high school for the noon meal. If a serving kitchen is created, meals will continue to be made at the high school and then the food - instead of the students would be transported to the elementary, reducing lost classroom time.
A conservative estimate would be the loss of 20 minutes per day, but may be higher in the winter when students have to take the time to bundle up with coats and winter gear to travel, said Superintendent Daryl Schrunk.
A conservative estimate would be the loss of four school days over the course of the year, he said.
“I think it’s a safety thing too as far as bussing the kids over. Knock on wood, we haven’t had a bus sliding through the intersection,” said Board Vice President Jim Scott.
One of the other selling points of the new kitchen space at the elementary, is being able to utilize it for table storage, Kralik said.
One of Reimers’ top concerns is the kitchen is already struggling with having enough staff.
“We can’t even find any subs,” she said. “It’s tough to find people to do this kind of work.”
The addition of a serving kitchen would require at least one additional certified employee, possibly two, she said.
Other concerns included keeping food at the right temperatures, transporting logistics, and keeping up with state food safety requirements and paperwork of an additional serving kitchen location.
“We can do the work but there’s a lot of behind the scenes that no one understands what we do,” Reimers said.
Superintendent Daryl Schrunk said he appreciated the input and said additional research may be required as to how other school districts accomplish serving multiple locations.
“I have never been at a school where you bus kids across town to feed them. This is new to me. The schools I’ve been at, it’s (food) been made at one main hub and then they transport it across town,” Schrunk said. “I know it’s common and it happens at a lot of school districts.”
The group also discussed roof repairs needed at the high school.
The board indicated they couldn’t wait for another potential vote due to the roof decking rusting through in areas and chimney condensation causing significant support issues.
“It sounds different. It sounds like we’ve got some trapped ice in there because it’s like walking across potato chips,” said Michael Fakler, the district’s architect, who re-inspected the roof last week. “This issue is still ongoing; it’s still trapping water.”
The board agreed to use the special building fund for the repairs, originally estimated to cost about $400,000. A formal bid process will come next with the potential to start the project in spring 2025.
The elementary upgrades on the original bond proposal will likely remain the same with plans for a new HVAC system, new lighting, additional outlets, new fire sprinklers and alarms, new windows, additional restrooms and a secure entrance.
Air conditioning in the high school gym will also most likely remain on a re-vote of a bond issue.
