Officials:

Washington,

Jefferson, high school need

new heating,

ventilation

By KEVIN SWEENEY

Journal Editor

NEW ULM -- District 88 officials are recommending the district install new central heating and ventilation systems in Jefferson and Washington elementary schools, and New Ulm High School to prevent future mold and air quality problems.

The district has spend a lot of time and money on mold and air quality problems in its buildings in the past couple of years. The district has concluded the heating and ventilation systems in the buildings are not adequate, not moving enough air to keep mold from developing.

The staff recommended to the District 88 Board of Education Thursday that the district install central heating and ventilation systems that can do the job. The systems will also have energy recovery equipment that will add up to savings in operation costs over the years.

The board is expected to consider and act on the recommendation at its next meeting.

The estimated cost of installing the systems is more than $6 million -- $2,150,000 at Jefferson School, $1,675,000 at Washington School, and $2,340,000 at the high school.

While the initial cost of installing a system with energy recovery would be about the same as a centralized system, the annual utility costs maintenance costs would be less by about $37,000 a year, or $754,000 over a 20-year period.

The district would use Alternative Facility Bonding and levies to pay for the systems. The district timeline would be to get approval from the Minnesota Department of Education in 2004 and develop a bonding prospectus and system designs. In 2005 the project would undergo peer review, design correction and seek bids. The final designs would be done and installation take place in 2006.

The district has undertaken legal action to recover costs from contractors, suppliers and others involved in the design and installation of the current ventilation systems, but the district shouldn't wait to see if it will recover anything through the courts. Court action isn't expected until next November, said Superintendent Harold Remme.

In other business Thursday, the board approved a contract with its paraprofessional employees.

The agreement negotiated with the employees calls for a 20-cent per-hour increase for 2003-2004 and a 15-cent increase for 2004-2005. The district would also pick up an additional $245 in health insurance premiums, applicable to single or family coverage, and allow employees working 30 hours a week and nine months per year to be eligible for both single and family coverage.

The board approved a new policy covering field trips, and repealed one policy covering the notification of staff of violent actions by students.

The first policy defines different kinds of field trips and sets up standard forms and requirements for the whole district.

The notification of violent behavior policy that was repealed was one that was adopted last year to comply with state regulations. But the district has found that the policy it adopted goes beyond state legal requirements and sets up unnecessary administrative record keeping and notification requirements. The district will continue to comply with state laws requiring the district to notify teachers of past violent behavior by students coming into their classrooms.

The school board also authorized posting a vacancy for an elementary Spanish language teacher. The funding for the new position would come from the district's Cottonwood Integration Cooperative program funds, not from the district's general fund.

Under the program, each Kindergarten class at Jefferson would receive 25 minutes of Spanish instruction per week, and first- through third-graders would receive two 25-minute periods of instruction each week. The district anticipates the program would expand to Washington school in the second year.