Superintendent: Polson construction to begin in May; 1,000 families have completed cell-phone survey

Superintendent Dr. Cook updated the Madison School District Board of Education on capital and operational matters, saying the district’s Capital Improvement Plan has passed the CIP committee and that major work at Polson — including auditorium and field-house HVAC and modernization — is scheduled to begin in May.

Dr. Cook said the facilities committee will receive a detailed Polson construction update on March 24 and that the district will publish progress and photos on the Polson project web page. He noted that construction has already affected local traffic patterns because of material deliveries and that families have been notified about disruption via Catherine Hart.

On districtwide surveys, Dr. Cook said a cell-phone survey of high-school students has also been sent to parents and that about 1,000 families have completed the parent survey so far (the superintendent said roughly 1,500 additional responses are needed to reach full coverage). Regarding the budget, Dr. Cook reported that hoped-for improvements in health-insurance numbers did not materialize and that the administration is proceeding with the current assumptions for planning.

Dr. Cook reiterated budgeting principles used by the district, including conservative positioning to avoid midyear special appropriations and maintaining some small built-in contingencies to cover unexpected costs such as snow removal or utilities.

Next steps: the district will present a detailed Polson update to the facilities committee on March 24 and continue outreach encouraging families to complete the cell-phone survey.