Hiawatha school board hears master-plan progress, reviews ELA curriculum recommendations and approves several facilities and personnel actions

The Hiawatha School Board on an evening meeting received a progress report on the district’s facilities master plan, reviewed a recommendation to adopt new English language arts instructional materials for K–12, and approved a set of facility and personnel actions, including a sewer repair contract and new security cameras for the district annex.

The master-plan presentation outlined a summer schedule for detailed building surveys and mechanical evaluations intended to be complete by mid‑August. Board members were told that architects and engineers will scan existing plans, meet with building teams and a steering committee made up of district leaders, board members and principals, and return in August with more detailed findings and next steps.

Why it matters: the master plan will guide multi‑year facilities work and influence larger capital decisions discussed later this year. Several immediate maintenance items discussed at the meeting — including sewer repair, concrete patching and parking‑lot work — are separate from the master‑plan timeline but may be influenced by its longer‑range recommendations.

Master plan and facilities details District staff and the contracted architects said the summer work will include detailed mechanical, plumbing and electrical assessments at the elementary, middle and high schools. The team reported difficulty locating a full set of high‑school plans but said plans for other buildings were found and will be digitized.

Separately, the board approved a $11,400 bid from Dawn’s Plumbing & Electrical for a sewer repair at the elementary school (HES), saying the repair was necessary and time‑sensitive. The board also approved smaller bids for annex flooring and cameras/intercom, and asked staff to return with more competitive options before proceeding on larger concrete projects.

Curriculum: English language arts recommendation District curriculum staff…