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Board authorizes three replacement buses, approves Sheridan Hills roof project and passes several policies
Summary
The Richfield board authorized purchase agreements for three replacement buses, approved a partial roof replacement at Sheridan Hills ($836,000), and passed policy updates (701, 413, 979); the board also accepted community donations to the RHS Spartan Food Shelf.
At its March 16 meeting the Richfield Public Schools board approved multiple capital and policy items.
Passenger vehicles: Transportation supervisor Jeff Keller asked the board to authorize the business office to enter purchase agreements for three replacement buses—two 77‑passenger conventional buses and one 36‑passenger special‑education minibus—as part of the district’s fleet‑replacement cycle (approximately 10 years). The administration said typical purchases are two to three buses per year and that the district’s fleet is about 30 vehicles. Administration said the purchases will use state and cooperative purchasing contracts and that administration will decide closer to delivery whether to pay outright or use lease‑purchase financing.
The board moved and approved authorization to proceed with the passenger vehicle purchases by voice vote.
Sheridan Hills roof: Facilities manager Bob Olsen presented a request to proceed with a Sheridan Hills partial roof replacement project with TMCO and McPhillips Brothers Roofing for $836,000, to be paid from the long‑term facility maintenance (LTFM) fund. Administration said bids came back higher than expected due to additional site‑testing findings and that part of the scope will be value‑engineered and pushed to a later phase if not critical. The project is scheduled to begin in June 2026 with a completion date in September 2026. The board approved authorization to proceed.
Policies and consent items: The board approved Policy 701 (budget and fund reserves) on third read with a minor formatting amendment, Policy 413 (staff use of facilities) on third read, and Policy 979 (community use of facilities and grounds) on one read to align permitting language for secured tennis courts and stadiums; Policy 611 (provision of alternative instruction) received a second read and will return for further consideration. The consent agenda was approved earlier in the meeting.
Donations: The board read and accepted a list of community donations related to the Empty Bowls event and other contributors; cash donations listed in the packet totaled $4,110 and the Empty Bowls event raised about $12,000 for the Richfield High School Spartan Food Shelf.
Board members asked procurement and scheduling questions for buses and roofs, and administrators confirmed procurement followed cooperative and state purchasing procedures and that production and construction timelines informed the authorization timing.
