
By Brenda Erdahl
The combination of a mild winter and the desire to get a summer HVAC project underway as soon as possible has led to a few extra days of summer vacation for Maple Lake students.
The Maple Lake School Board unanimously approved early last week a calendar adjustment to end the school year on May 24th instead of May 30 as originally planned. Superintendent Mike Rowe told board members at their regular meeting, Monday, March 11, that the early end date will decrease some of the stress associated with the big construction project planned for this summer and is possible because the school district hasn’t had to use any of its forgiven emergency closure days.
If there is a weather-related emergency between now and May 24th and the school had to close, that day would be an E-learning day for students and staff, Rowe said.
The graduation ceremony for the class of 2024 will still take place on Thursday, May 30 at 8 p.m. and Senior Awards Night will remain on Tuesday, May 28, at 7:30 p.m. Ending the year early will give staff time to clean out the classrooms so construction crews can get into them as soon as possible.
Kidville will be open to currently enrolled children the last week of May and closed as planned on June 3-7. During the closure, staff will move Kidville to the 6th-grade wing in the elementary school where it will operate for the remainder of the summer.
In other news, school board members:
• Approved Wright Technical Center’s long-term facility maintenance program budget and authorized the inclusion of a proportionate share of those projects in the district’s application for long-term facility maintenance (LTFM) revenue. According to Rowe, Maple Lake’s share is about 4.63 % of the district’s LTFM revenue which is about $17,000. The funds will help Wright Tech address needed facility maintenance projects, namely some roof and HVAC needs this year. Rowe explained that Wright Tech does not receive state aid like school districts do so depends on member districts to help them pay for needed projects. The amount school districts contribute is based on enrollment. Maple Lake currently has about 62 students attending classes at Wright Tech. “We have lot kids that take advantage of the programs there, so it makes sense that we do our part.” Rowe said.