Board of Education approves RFQs for construction and engineering as students return after tornado

The Board of Education voted to advertise requests for qualifications for construction-management and architect/engineering services to help the district plan repairs and manage insurance and FEMA processes after a March 14 tornado damaged the campus.

Doctor Jones, who delivered the board's recovery update, said primary and career-center students missed four days, elementary students missed six, middle-school students missed eight and high-school students missed 11 because of building damage. "We are gonna have our students back on campus for instruction and we'll have that done by next week on Wednesday," the board president said in opening remarks.

Doctor Jones said the district has located temporary learning spaces across campus to get students through the remainder of the school year, and that areas to be used by students and staff have tested negative for asbestos. "All of the areas that's gonna be used by students and staff, those have been tested, and they are all negative for asbestos," Doctor Jones said. The administrator added that some high-school areas remain under testing and results are still pending.

On disaster-assistance and funding, Doctor Jones told the board the district "met the thresholds" with emergency management and that the governor signed off on the request to elevate it to the federal level; the request remained with the president's office at the time of the meeting. Insurance adjusters are conducting on-campus assessments and a structural engineer provided by the district's insurer was scheduled to inspect the campus the following day.

Board members expressed different views on timing. One board member urged caution about surveying the public before the district has fuller information from insurance and engineering assessments, saying it is difficult to form an opinion without data. Another board member and Doctor Jones argued the district should start the procurement and outreach process now to avoid delaying repairs: "If we do not set a goal, you won't achieve that goal," Doctor Jones said.

The board approved two separate motions by voice vote. A board member moved to issue an RFQ for construction-management services to oversee coordination with insurers, contractors and other parties; that motion passed unanimously by voice. Later the board approved a separate RFQ for architect and engineering services to assess structural damage and advise on repair options.

Staff presented a tentative schedule for public engagement and procurement: advertise the RFQs in the local paper (listed as March 28), begin community engagement March 31–April 7, hold interviews April 10–30 and present a community engagement report at the regular Board of Education meeting on May 14. Doctor Jones said the RFQ process would be qualification-based (an RFQ/RFQ approach) and that the district would not be obligated to hire a firm after interviews.

Doctor Jones said the district expects to operate temporarily in dispersed spaces for the remainder of the school year (about six to seven weeks) and is evaluating whether mobile classrooms will be needed longer term. The meeting concluded with the board president inviting more frequent written updates from administration once students and staff are settled.

The board adjourned with both procurement motions approved and with staff directed to begin outreach and the RFQ process as presented. Further decisions on hiring firms, scopes and fee negotiations will return to the board for subsequent votes.