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District must return student‑wellness grant money after Calonia project delays; general fund will cover remaining invoice
Summary
Board was told state guidance requires returning about $221,235 in student‑wellness funds because the Calonia playground project was not completed within the grant period; the remaining final invoice (about $148,000) will be paid from the general fund and a resolution to appropriate that amount will follow.
Board members were told that delays on the Calonia playground project — including extended legal contract negotiations and supply‑chain or vendor delays — prevented the district from invoicing student wellness funds before the state’s deadline. As a result, state guidance requires return of the remaining student wellness funds for the relevant fiscal years; board materials and staff discussion cited an amount to be returned of approximately $221,235.
Staff explained the district had spent earlier years’ wellness funds (FY2020–FY2023) and that the only remaining project money for FY2024 was not allowable because the project was not complete before the expenditure deadline. The presenter said the district appealed to the state and explained the delays but the state’s guidance that in‑progress projects cannot be paid from those restricted student wellness funds stands.
The board was also told that the final vendor invoice is still outstanding and that the general fund will cover roughly $148,000 of remaining project costs once the final bill is received. Staff said a resolution to appropriate the general fund dollars will be prepared and placed on a future agenda once the final invoice arrives.
Board members pressed staff for clarification about who caused the delay; staff cited legal review timelines and supply‑chain issues as factors that lengthened the project timeline and ultimately caused the district to miss the state’s deadline for allowable spending. The board was informed that the district acted to push the work forward (weekly project team meetings and repeated requests for invoices) and that staff believes it took reasonable steps to complete the project, but the timing still fell outside the allowable period for student wellness funds.
What’s next: staff will return the restricted funds to the state per the guidance and will bring a resolution to appropriate general fund dollars to pay the outstanding vendor invoice when the final amount is known.
