Tea Area School District board approves construction timeline, modest meal-price increases and multiple annual items

The Tea Area School District 41-5 board on Monday approved a series of routine annual items and heard a detailed construction and operations update for the new high school and other district projects.

Board members voted to approve contractor bids and surplus items, authorized administrative signatures and routine designations for the coming year, and accepted recommended adjustments to student meal prices, substitute pay and student fees.

The construction and operations report given to the board described steady progress at the high school and expected temporary-occupancy dates. Most areas of the building are targeted for temporary occupancy by Aug. 1, with the performing arts “pack” area following by Aug. 11, the board was told. Facilities staff said furniture may be moved into spaces before full occupancy is granted, but normal operations (classes, phone-based operations, onboarding in those spaces) must wait until an occupancy certificate is issued.

The district also took delivery of two new 77-passenger propane buses and reported that site, roofing and mechanical work continues across campuses. Administrators told the board the south-end ice system still awaits final work on storage tanks; chillers are running but ice-making was not yet operating.

On finance and purchasing: the board approved a motion allowing the business manager to make inter-fund transfers and to post unbudgeted revenue as needed so accounts show valid balances in the accounting system. The board also approved an authorization for the business manager to pay invoices between regular board meetings when necessary.

The board approved two surplus actions: a Perkins-funded lab plasma table deemed beyond repair and a 2012 bus (the administration…