We are awaiting final approval from MDE for us to proceed with the purchase of the 40 acres adjacent to the future high school site.  Once approval is received, we intend to close within days of that confirmation.
We will be asking the board to approve a resolution at the 8/26 meeting to allow the reimbursement of the general fund dollars that will be used for the purchase of the property with the proceeds of the bond sale that will be authorized by the same resolution.  Administration recommends that we move forward with the sale of bonds with a 10 year term.

The student handbooks for our students are ready for review.  There have been minimal changes in the handbooks as we start this school year.  I will point some of the adjustments as we review them, but in essence, they are in the same format and content as in the past.

It has been nine years since our pay for substitute teachers has been adjusted.  We have had good luck keeping a quality group of substitutes, but it began to get tougher last year.  We are seeing that neighboring districts are paying between $110 and $120 while our current rate is $100/day.  I am proposing that we raise our daily substitute rate to $110/day in order to be more competitive with neighboring districts.
I am also proposing that we use a daily rate of $150/day for our long term subs.  We have previously paid them at the $100/day rate for the first 20 days and then increased that to $115/day for any days after.
For our paraprofessional subs, I am proposing that we pay the Step 1 hourly rate for the position according to the current contract.  We currently pay several different set rates depending upon the position being filled.  Using the Step 1 on the current contract will make our sub pay more competitive and will clarify for office staff the correct rate to use.

The 2013 Legislature approved several significant pieces of legislation that affect local school districts and their capacity to generate more revenue.  The Location Equity Index significantly impacts the Belle Plaine Distict with an additional $424 per pupil unit authorized for the district.  In addition the school board may authorize up to $300 per pupil unit as board approved levy.  Both of these provisions have a good amount of equalization revenue as part of the total package. 
We will need to take some action at our August Board meeting if we wish to access some of these options.  I have attached a document for your review regarding the two legislative pieces and we will discuss their impact on Belle Plaine at the work session.

With the merger of the two cooperatives into the SW Metro cooperative, there is a need to revise the former MRVSEC joint powers agreement related to the cooperative building in Jordan.  The revision will be reviewed and hopefully approved by the SW Metro Board on 8/20 and then individual districts will be asked to give their approval as well.

We will review the following policy revisions that have been recommended by MSBA.  The five policies to be reviewed are:  423 - Employee-Student Relationships; 425 - Staff Development; 503 - Student Attendance; 504 - Student Dress Appearance; and 505 - Distribution of Nonschool-Sponsored Materials on School Premises by Students and Employees.

Delegate Assembly Nominations - Are any board members interested in being nominated for the Delegate Assembly that will meet this fall and prepare the MSBA legislative platform?

Wednesday, August 14 -  7:00  BPEA Negotiations
Monday, August 26 –       6:30  Finance Committee Mtg.
                                         7:00  Regular Board Mtg.
Monday, September 9  -   6:00 School Board Work Session
Monday, September 23 -  5:30 Finance Committee Mtg.
                                         6:00 Regular Board Mtg.