Board roundup: gifts/grants accepted; construction and resurfacing bids approved; revised budget passed

The Mankato Public School District school board approved a package of routine and business items including gifts and grants, multiple construction and resurfacing contracts, and the district’s revised 2024–25 budget.

Gifts and grants accepted: the board approved several donations to district programs and events. Notable donations recorded in the meeting included Mankato Motor Company ($100), New Vision Coop ($500) and Crystal Valley ($1,000) to FFA; Prairie Ecology Bus Center ($500) for Rosa Parks kindergarten busing; Webb Construction ($1,000) for West High and Dakota Meadows VEX robotics; Mankato Ballet ($1,000 and $1,083) for second-grade busing to Sleeping Beauty; and the Edward H. Schultz family ($3,500) for East and West scholarships. The board approved acceptance of the gifts and grants as listed.

Hard-surface and site work: the board accepted a low sealed bid from WW Blocktopping for 2025 hard-surface improvements at Kennedy, Washington, Rosa Parks and Bridges (playground repaving, trail reclaim/paving, and a driveway overlay) in the amount of $196,592.50, funded from LTFM dollars.

Dakota Meadows tennis courts: trustees approved bids for electrical work, site clearing/earthwork and fencing at Dakota Meadows Middle School in support of building seven tennis courts this summer. The board approved a total of $921,490 for those specific work scopes; athletic-equipment scope for the courts was pulled for rebidding and is scheduled for a later board action after revised bid specifications. District staff said the courts are needed while West High School’s existing courts are used as a construction staging area during the West High project; once work at West is complete, West will retain sufficient courts and Dakota Meadows will add permanent courts for curriculum and community use. Staff noted the work came in under the original budget estimate by roughly $200,000.

Bond/construction oversight notes: the board’s facilities/bond oversight discussions reported the West High groundbreaking is complete, the district remains under budget on bond work overall, and work is ongoing to manage parking, signage and contingencies for construction staging. The district is also pursuing a summer feeding-site relocation (from West to Roosevelt) pending state approval so summer meal and YMCA camp sites remain served.

Revised budget: the board adopted the district’s revised 2024–25 budget. Finance staff reported total operating revenues of about $158.6 million and total expenditures of about $154.8 million across operating funds; the general fund unassigned balance was projected at about $17.4 million (roughly 14.06% of general fund expenditures, or about 51 days of operations) at fiscal year-end. The revised budget included updated revenue estimates (including REED Act allocations and other grants) and accounted for state proration of special-education aid.

Other business: the board approved the consent agenda (including minutes, personnel with an addendum and an agreement regarding discontinuation of employment) and later approved a resolution authorizing termination/nonrenewal of certain probationary teacher contracts as required by state statute (the annual nonrenewal action required by Minnesota licensing rules). See the Votes at a glance section below for motions, final tallies, and formal outcomes recorded during the meeting.

Votes at a glance (motions and recorded outcomes) - Approval of agenda with addendum: motion passed (roll-call recorded). (See meeting minutes.) - Approval of consent agenda (minutes of March 17, personnel with addendum, and agreement regarding discontinuation of employment): passed (roll call recorded). - Acceptance of gifts and grants (listed above): passed (roll call recorded). - Approval of 2025 hard-surface improvements (WW Blocktopping low bidder) — $196,592.50: passed (roll call recorded). - Approval of construction bids for Dakota Meadows Middle School tennis-court scopes (electrical, site clearing/earthwork, fencing) — $921,490: passed (roll call recorded); athletic equipment rebid scheduled for April 24. - Approval of second/final reading of multiple district policies (policies presented at second reading): passed (voice vote/roll-call recorded). - Approval of 2025–26 calendar adjustment (start Aug. 25, 2025; end May 21, 2026): passed (roll call recorded). - Resolution approving termination/nonrenewal of certain probationary teacher contracts (per state statute): passed (roll call recorded). - Approval of revised 2024–25 budget (final revised budget): passed (roll call recorded).

Board staff said detailed roll-call results for each vote are preserved in the official minutes and were read by the district clerk during the meeting. Several motions were seconded; no recorded defeats of motions were reported during the meeting.