Superintendent says district will give RMCA 60‑day notice for workforce housing site; paid maternity leave under study

Superintendent Doctor Bennett told the board the district will send a 60‑day notice to RMCA to reclaim a district facility for workforce housing and that staff are researching paid maternity leave for employees.

Bennett said the letter to RMCA will signal the district’s intent to repurpose the property for workforce housing development: “We're gonna be sending a letter to RMCA about the property. We're gonna give them a 60 day notice that we're gonna need to get that facility back to use for a housing, in for for building that workforce housing.” He noted RMCA did not have students enrolled this past year and that staff will work with RMCA if a need arises, offering available space at Moffattie Elementary as a contingency.

On employee benefits, Bennett said the district plans to move forward with a proposal to provide three paid weeks of maternity leave for employees and that staff member Gina is researching how to implement it fairly and affordably. “Gina's researching it to make sure it's something we can implement, and that we can handle and do it in a fair method,” Bennett said. He framed the proposal as a recruitment and retention tool for teachers and other district employees.

Bennett also tied workforce housing to broader staff recruitment: offering housing and childcare could attract staff and first responders to live closer to work, he said. The board did not record a formal motion or vote on the 60‑day notice or the maternity‑leave proposal during the meeting; both items were described as direction from the superintendent for staff follow‑up.