(Clarinda) -- Clarinda's School Board is the latest to tackle classroom space issues.
By a 4-to-1 vote Wednesday evening, the board approved a three-year lease for a two-classroom portable building from Willscot Mobile Space Solutions for $135,404.04. Plans call for placing the structure at Clarinda's 7-12 campus to alleviate space issues in that building. Lance Ridgely is the district's interim special education director and superintendent designee. Ridgely says the district's facilities committee recommended the portable unit over other options, including constructing additional walls to the district's CTE building, serving students off site at Iowa Western Community College's Clarinda campus, or using the former Clarinda Academy's activities center.
"We were really thinking the CTE building," said Ridgely. "Cutting it up and putting classrooms there was the best option. But then, the conversation about the importance of CTE for the district and such really tipped some of us to look back in this direction."
Board member Paul Boysen cast the lone dissenting vote. Boysen says the district created the space issue by moving middle school students to the high school complex two years ago. He also questioned the portable classroom's expense, saying the district was trying to address a "bubble" of large enrollment numbers in grades 8 through 10. Boysen says enrollment numbers will drop once that bubble moves through.
"We're talking about spending between $100,000 and almost a quarter-million dollars to solve a temporary problem," said Boysen. "I think there are probably cheaper ways if we look at them. The problem is, we have a hair-on-fire moment right now, because we're 2 1/2 months from school starting, and we're just starting down this process. I don't think there's any way in God's green earth that you're going to have a building out there before school starts."
Boysen called for the board to delay a decision, and hold a special meeting June 1 to address questions regarding the portable.
"I think we just need to slow down," he said. "We had two years to deal with this--now, we're dealing with it. Let's look at the space we have. Let's look at the alternatives, because it will be just like the Shopko building--we'll do something, then it will blow up in our faces."
But, no action was taken on Boysen's motion. Board member Scott Honeyman is a facilities committee member. Honeyman says the committee looked at several factors before recommending the portable unit--including security and transportation issues with the other options.
"Keeping our kids safe is a high priority of ours," said Honeyman. "Eliminating movement on and off of campus multiple times a day--staff, students. You're going to put money into something you don't know. You get dictated by the state. You get dictated by the community college when you can use it, when you can't use it. It really limits our availability, and the ability to use the space we're investing for our students.
While saying he didn't disagree with Boysen's concerns regarding the expense, board member Gregg Jones says he felt the board should follow the committee's recommendation. Board member Trish Bergren agreed, saying the desire was to keep students in one location. Originally, the board considered a six-year lease for the building for more than $211,000.
In other business Wednesday night, the board...
---approved the hiring of Jake Lord as the district's new activities director. Currently employed in the Stanton School District, Lord succeeds H.T. Adams, who resigned after one year with the district.
---approved an amendment to the district's fiscal 2022 budget because of the continuation of Clarinda's summer food service program.
---approved the bid of Egan Supply Company of Omaha for $21,570 for resurfacing the 7-12 building's gym floor.
---approved a classroom agreement with Rising Hope for the remainder of the year.
---approved the grant application to the Gold Standard Challenge for up to $10,000.
---approved the purchase of new elementary classroom furniture from School Specialty for $24,413.04.
---approved the purchase of a sousaphone, a four-valve tuba and baritone saxaphone from Schmitt Music for $15,794.30.
---approved the list of Clarinda High School graduates for 2022.
