Superintendent Search and Buck Park Transfer on the horizon

Orcas School Directors discussed the contractor bids for the OISD Capital Project to reconfigure and renovate district buildings at the monthly Orcas Island School District (OISD) Board meeting last Thursday, Feb. 27. Those bids came in at over a million dollars above the budgeted amount.

The bid opening for the 2012 Bond Project occurred the day before. Four contractors submitted bids. There was a range of bids from $9.150 million to $10.646 million. The OISD budget for the project is about $8.110 million. The pre-bid estimate was approximately $277 a sq. foot. The lowest bid came in at approximately $313 a sq. ft.

No decision was made, as the Board will seek out further details and analysis of the pricing. There will be a meeting Friday, March 7 at 10 a.m. to figure out next steps.

Business Report
Enrollment is up to 812 full-time enrollment (FTE) with just under 900 head count, OISD Business Manager Keith Whitaker reported.

This year, for the first time in three years, the school district is no longer receiving a “Financial Warning” on the state Department of Education website. The OISD rating is now moderate, and could improve if there was more cash on hand.

The Budget Advisory Committee has started work on the 2014-15 budget. School Superintendent Barbara Kline and Whitaker suggested a projected enrollment for budgeting of between 750-775. The Board agreed the budget should be built using a 750 enrollment number.

Superintendent Search
There were 16 completed applications for the Superintendent position. On March 13, Rich Parker of the executive search firm McPherson and Jacobson will return to discuss the 16 applicants. The agenda for that date calls for:

1) Selection of three finalists’ for interviews (to be completed in Executive Session);
2) Questions’ selection for interviews;
3) Determination of the process for the interview and candidate site visit.

Buck Park OISD/OIPRD transfer:
Board Directors Jim Bredouw and Bob Eagan for the Orcas Island Park and Recreation District (OIPRD) came to the Orcas School Board meeting in hopes of finalizing the transfer of Buck Park to the Park and Rec District. The Board authorized Superintendent Kline to send a letter to the state requesting that this transfer happen. OISD still needs to tweak both the Quit Claim and Interlocal agreement. Once that happens, and it is agreed upon by the Board – it will be sent to OIPRD for their approval, and possible changes.

Thanks to Janet Brownell

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