Agenda highlights ¢ 7 p.m. today ¢ 110 McDonald Drive ¢ Sunflower Broadband Channel 26 ¢ Meeting documents online at www.usd497.org

Summer building projects scaled back

Bottom line

The board will hear reports about a reduction in capital improvement projects planned for the summer.

Background

In January, the board approved about $10 million in capital improvement projects for the next five years. However, since that time, there have been some legal concerns raised about the planned use of “performance contracts” in funding those projects, according to Randy Weseman, Lawrence’s superintendent.

Performance contracts are low-interest loans that can be used for projects that provide energy savings over the term of the loan.

The board approved $7 million in those contracts, at an interest rate of 4.45 percent over 19 years, as part of the maintenance and repair project list.

The rest of the funding was to come out of the board’s capital outlay budget, plus leftover funds from the 1998 and the 2005 bond issues.

“There are still loose ends legally on the performance contracts,” Weseman said.

Weseman said that while legal issues are being resolved, a short list of projects, amounting to about $1 million, has been developed so some can get under way in the summer.

“It’s a lot less than we had planned,” he said.

Other business

Special recognition

¢ Joe Snyder, Free State High School principal, will introduce the Free State Class 6A Four-Speaker Debate State Champions.

Consent agenda

Approve in one motion these routine items:

¢ Minutes from the Jan. 22 regular meeting.

¢ Monthly treasurer, financial and personnel reports and monthly vouchers.

¢ Disposing of excess assistive technology items.

¢ Several change orders in construction projects at the city’s four junior highs and two high schools.

¢ Minor changes in several board policies.

Reports

¢ Hear a report about school enrollment demographics from Rob Schwarz of RSP & Associates. Weseman said the report will help the district plan staffing for next year, particularly in its English as a Second Language program. He said the number of students needing to be in the ESL program has been growing and was expanded this year from Hillcrest Elementary School to Cordley Elementary School.

¢ Hear a report on the Prairie Park Reading First Summer School Intervention program.

¢ Hear a report on American Indian student services.

Executive session

¢ Go into closed session to discuss security issues throughout the district.