NEW BLOOMFIELD - The New Bloomfield R-III School Board approved an architectural contract with Porter, Berendzen & Associates, out of Columbia, at its regular meeting Thursday. The architecture firm will work with the district as it completes projects outlined in its recently approved bond issue.
New Bloomfield voters approved a $2 million no-tax increase bond issue for the city's school district, with more than 81 percent voting in favor during the April election. The bond issue will address facility repairs, among which the biggest projects are parking lot repairs and new heating and cooling systems in the district.
New Bloomfield Schools Superintendent David Tramel highlighted the contract's specifics for the board Thursday night. The architect will - for a maximum fee of seven percent of a project's cost, which includes engineer work - bid out facility repair packages, guide the board through the bidding process, oversee the project and handle billing and paperwork.
According to the approved contract, "The architect shall coordinate its services with those services provided by the owner and the owner's consultants. ... The architect shall assist the owner in establishing a list of prospective contractors."
Tramel also updated the board on a slew of other items related to the bond issue's outlined facility repairs. He said engineers were in the district this week conducting core samples of the parking lots. At first glance, Tramel said, the engineers thought the parking lot's base looked strong. The core samples will show how strong the base is and if an overlay can be done to the parking lot rather than a complete overhaul. An overlay would be less expensive for the district, which could allow it to complete more items on the facility wish list associated with the bond issue, Tramel told the board.
However, even if the base is strong, Tramel said the parking lot repairs still have to include a fix for the water drainage issues. Drainage issues could require the district to rip up the lot regardless of how strong the parking lot's base is, he said.
The board, with guidance from the project's architecture firm, will soon decide how to bid out the parking lot repairs: as an overlay or overhaul and using asphalt or concrete. The board can also advertise for bids that have a preference with a secondary option. For example, Tramel told the board, the bid advertisement can request bids for using asphalt with a secondary option of using concrete. That way, the board can get price estimates on both options and can then choose which route to take.
Also related to the bond issue, the district started advertising for the HVAC replacement project Thursday, Tramel told the board. The district, he added, recently had a couple more HVAC units quit.
Depending on when bids come in and what progress other items have, the board could have a special meeting in the next few weeks to approve items, moving the facility repair projects forward.
In other news, Assistant Middle and High School Principal Susan Dudley told the board the school will most likely change the math curriculum next year. In response to math test scores, Dudley said the school's math department started looking at the order in which its students take math classes.
Currently, students take algebra I, geometry then algebra II. She said other districts have been changing their course offerings to have students take algebra I, algebra II then geometry.
Ten students who just completed algebra I have agreed to take algebra II next year while the rest of their grade level take geometry. Those 10 students, and their parents, agreed to be a test class for the district before school-wide changes are made to the math program next year.
Dudley said the math department will further discuss the change next January after the class of 10 students have completed one semester of algebra II. After that discussion, they will begin informing students and parents and making the appropriate curriculum and schedule changes.
"It makes sense," Dudley told the board of the change. "I think it will be a good change."
Dudley said the district opted for having a class of 10 trial run the change before implementing it school-wide because they wanted to have more time to prepare students and parents before changing the courses for all students. Having one class make the switch to algebra II before geometry next year will help the district better prepare students for the school-wide change next school year, she said.
Additionally, Dudley said the school's literacy committee made some changes as well. Next year, the literacy program will include more writing in classes and will increase the required number of books students read during the year.