During the regular meeting of the Rochester CUSD #3a Board of Education held on February 28, 2022, the Board approved several action items. During his report, Superintendent Dan Cox reported that the lowering of mandates placed upon schools and a return to more local control is a welcome relief. He further thanked and recognized the board of education, administrators, teachers, and support staff for stepping up and leading in what has been the most difficult and challenging time education has ever seen. Citing that there are sure to be some more challenging times ahead, Superintendent Cox encouraged “everyone to smile, breathe a sigh of relief, and celebrate that we can all focus on our most important goal again: educating our children!”
The Board approved the amended 2021-2022 School Calendar reflecting the five emergency days utilized this school year. The last day of student attendance for the 2021-2022 school year is a school improvement day on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
Additionally, the 2022-2023 School Calendar was approved with the first day of student attendance scheduled for Wednesday, August 17, 2022. Winter Break is scheduled for December 23 through January 4. Spring Break is March 20 through March 24. The last day of school is tentatively May 22, 2023; however, individuals should plan for the use of emergency days. If all emergency days are utilized the last day of school is May 30, 2023.
The Finance and Building Committees shared information from their respective meetings. The Finance Committee reviewed the current debt issued by the District including the remaining debt map. Until recently, the District has only had the ability to issue bonds (debt) to be repaid via property tax dollars. With the passage of the County Schools Facilities Sales Tax (CSFST), the District now has the ability to issue debt through alternate revenue bonds for capital projects to be repaid by the CSFST thereby not raising property taxes. During the meeting, the Board was provided preliminary information about potential bonding options for larger capital projects in the future.
The Building committee discussed future capital projects including potential large-scale projects based on prioritization and need. The greatest priority is to complete a remodel of the RHS J-wing including the science labs, classrooms, office areas, and secure entrances. The second area of priority is outdoor athletic facility improvements.
Additional action includes the hire of several new employees who will be welcomed to the District next school year, the approval of a new AP Physics I Course, and GPS Fleet Tracking for school buses that will provide families live time updates on the status of school buses.
To learn more about these and other items please see the full summary of minutes here.