Superintendent reports safety upgrades, kindergarten enrollment and audit progress

Superintendent Hanson and district staff briefed the board on several operational items, including assessment timing, kindergarten enrollment, a new student-support platform and progress on levy-funded safety projects and the state audit.

Hanson said district high school state assessments were moved from March to April to provide extra instruction time. Staff reported 565 kindergarten applicants since enrollment opened April 7, about halfway to the current kindergarten cohort of 1,173. The board heard that the district plans to roll out School Pulse, an online student- and parent-support platform recommended by the prevention and intervention safety group and funded from the recently passed levy; School Pulse will provide student success resources, parent play-by plans and live support options.

Director of Business Services updated the board that the state audit is in its later stages and an audit exit interview is expected in mid‑May, with findings to be posted when finalized. On capital work, Hanson explained the district will issue an RFQ for an owner representative and seek approval to use the design‑build delivery model to complete safety enhancements across roughly 30 sites; the district anticipates selecting a firm by mid‑summer and then proceeding to design and procurement. Board members asked about local contractor access and the presenter said the model preserves competitive opportunities for local firms under the design‑build approach.

Board members asked administration to provide more detail on implementation, procurement and timelines as the district moves from planning to work on the safety projects.