That project just got a big boost last week with an anonymous donation of $40,000 toward the project. The school board is very grateful for such a gift toward a project that will be valued by the entire community when it all comes to fruition.
(There are no plans or timelines at this point, only fundraising efforts in support of the proposed project. And the more private money set aside for the project, the less district money may be called for once a project is started, should that be decided.)
This news was presented at the Feb. 8 regular meeting of the Eden Valley-Watkins School Board.
The district office has hired a new accounting/administrative assistant in the district office.
The district polled staff to see if they have a preference over two school calendars for the 2023-24 school year. With 53.8% of the staff vote, the more traditional school calendar was approved by the board. (The other calendar would have provided longer breaks and a longer school year.)
Holly Hansen has been named to be the new Activities Director at EV-W, replacing Dave Schneider who will be the secondary principal after the retirement of Bruce Kiehn. This means that the ADSIS position currently held by Hansen will need to be filled. With 21.1 of the EV-W student population enrolled as special education, this position is very important in the district.
Superintendent Mark Messman discussed the Minnesota legislature and possible increased budget for special education in schools. The district currently contracts for much of its special education support not available within the district. These services have diminished over the years, especially with staffing shortages, while the costs jump 10-12% each year. Special education is a large part of the district’s deficit-spending last year, providing state-mandated services that are not reimbursed to the district for several years (and sometimes not at all).
The next regular meeting of the Eden Valley-Watkins School Board will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 15. An open forum begins at 6 p.m. to talk with board members and/or the superintendent (but no decisions can be made at that time). Meetings are always open to the public.