WELLMAN

Mid-Prairie district residents feeling crushed by the weight of property taxes got a little good news Monday night: thanks to state approval of SSA at 2%, Mid-Prairie’s overall filed tax rate is $13.08586 for FY25-26, seven cents lower than the $13.15 per $1,000 valuation proposed in March. The FY25-26 rate is also lower than last year’s actual rate of $13.10.

The school board set a public hearing for the 2025-2026 Certified Budget for Monday, April 28 at 6:40 p.m.

The Mid-Prairie board also approved a 4% total package increase for teachers and 5% for support staff for the upcoming fiscal year. The package was approved by MPEA and MPESSA associations last week.

Auditorium

A new auditorium has long been a want and need for the district; at the April 14 meeting, the board took a step forward toward future construction when it approved a planning design and pricing agreement with OPN Architects and a professional services agreement with Axiom Consultants. The preliminary planning and cost determination to be provided by OPN at a cost of $47,460, and the due diligence provided by Axiom for $2,500, will be paid for with SAVE funds as an auditorium is not a part of any existing bond.

It is expected that donations would fund a significant part of the auditorium, and this preliminary design and pricing work is needed before launching fundraising efforts.

Wrestling Center

Thanks to voters’ approval of a bond in November 2023, a new wrestling center is officially in the works for Mid-Prairie. On Monday night the board held a public hearing for construction specifications for the wresting/activity center at which no comments were made; presentations from Rob Rich, a Facilities Committee member, and Tad Morrow, engineer for Carl A. Nelson & Co., provided details for the center’s design and costs.

Bids from seven contractors were considered, which the board approved. The project’s total costs are $5,592,457, which is $247,205 under projected budget.

The board also approved an agreement with Terracon Consultants, Inc. in the amount of $22,387 for observation and materials testing services to be conducted during the wresting center’s construction. Groundbreaking is expected to occur after the last school day this spring; completion is anticipated by March 2026.

Classroom additions at West Elementary are also items funded by the 2024 GO bond; to this end, the board approved contracts with OPN and Axiom Consultants for project planning, design, and construction services.

Additional Board Action

The board approved a first reading of board policy 503.9 Student Use of Personal Electronic Devices, which prohibits the use of cell phones during the school day.

The board approved the funding of a K-12 literacy curriculum for $117,632; the curriculum will be used for seven years.

The board approved consolidating two part time positions, ALC teacher and Virtual Principal, into one full time position, Credit Recovery Teacher.

The board approved increasing the part-time library secretary position at the Home School to full time, 40 hours per week. The change is necessitated by the growth of the Home School Assistance Program.

The board approved the continuance of its Long Range Needs policy without making any changes.

The board approved the FY2023-2024 audit.

The board set a public hearing to amend the 2024-2025 Certified Budget for Monday, April 28 at 6:20 p.m. Instructional expenses will be increased by $775,000.

The Mid-Prairie school board will next meet on Monday, April 28 at 6:15 p.m. at the Central Office Community Room where business will be conducted followed by a work session.