PRESCOTT — Since the December approval, the Prescott School Board has discussed logistics of the district’s consolidation from four to three schools, and the March 11 meeting was no different, fielding another Intermediate School evaluation as the board explores a sale.

The district received a $2.5 million +/-$250,000 evaluation from Remax on the Intermediate School property, which was down from the $3 million evaluation from Telus in December. After going through Quarrels Consultation, the district was informed it can legally sell the building after the board voted in December that the building was not needed for an academic purpose any longer.

At the February meeting, the largest consolidation item was making a decision regarding the Intermediate School Gym. With an already below average amount of gym space compared to similar-sized schools, some of Prescott's activities leaders, including Activities Director Matt Smith, spoke in favor of retaining the gym regardless of whether the school building is sold.

A decision on the gym has not yet been made, but the district will be consulting with Quarrels to determine the legality of a sale not including the gym.

Superintendent Jim Reif said there was a significant base in favor of selling the building at a public gathering held by the district.

“We had about 25 people there, seven or eight people raised their hands and specifically said, ‘We’re ready to get rid of it, it’s time to move on. Get what you can for it and go,’” Reif said. “That’s by no means a scientific sample, but 25 people in a room is the most I’ve had so far to talk to me about the Intermediate School.”

Reif said he has frequently been asked if once the district sells the building, can they request it be used for a specific purpose. Reif said they cannot control the function of the building after selling.

“Where I think I’m at is not ready to suggest that we list it yet. A couple pros and cons to [listing sooner rather than later]. The pro, which I think is potentially valid, is if somebody were interested, it takes a long time to go through your entitlement process, zoning permits to even understand if a developer thinks it’s feasible, and that just takes time. So it allows somebody to take time which would be cash sooner for the district,” Clerk Pat Block said. “I do think we’re missing this formal public listening event that we said we were going to do. So, until we do that, I would hesitate putting it up for sale.”

Board Vice President Tanya Holub agreed with Block, looking to get more public opinion and having a more solid stance on the future of the gym and potential budget cuts before listing the building.

“I’d be curious, are things like this selling in the area and what are they being used for? How long are they on the market? All that kind of stuff,” Holub said.

Reif said some similar buildings are selling due to location, and that the Intermediate School has a leg up due to proximity to the Mississippi River and Twin Cities.

Reif presented a series of updates regarding the consolidation itself. Those updates, while subject to change, include:

• Fourth and fifth grade remaining in the elementary model on the lower level of the building, sixth and seventh grade holding the same curriculum/structure and likely retaining middle school STEM.
• An investigation into whether the middle school should move to trimesters.

Career planning

Director of Teaching and Learning and Intermediate School Principal Michael Kosmalski presented to the board on academic and career planning, which the state mandated for implementation starting in 2017. Kosmalski touched on some of the current “highlights” of the district in that area before speaking to the next steps of an updated plan that will come before the board in April.

Kosmalski said academic and career planning begins all the way at the elementary level, focusing on social and emotional development, goal setting and the exploration of learning styles and career clusters.

At the middle school, sixth graders go through a skills class to discover individual traits, seventh graders take a careers class to explore employment and university opportunities and eighth graders take a class to focus on financial literacy and markets.

In high school, Prescott holds individual planning conferences, senior transition activities, a required personal finance course, optional courses like R5 Manufacturing and Entrepreneurship and has career exploration built into other curriculum.

Next steps before returning with an updated plan in April include identifying overlaps and shortcomings of current offerings, expanding collaboration with local businesses and secondary education locations and analyzing the current labor market to prepare students for success.

“It’s just time for us to dust it off and make sure we’re hitting our target, and if not, what are our gaps and how do we address them,” Kosmalski said.

One recommendation from the board to Kosmalski was to look into what college-level courses students are taking and if they are benefiting those students down the road.

Other business

• Heard a presentation on staff compensation increase concept plans. The board is expected to hold a workshop in April to dive into the numbers and come to a decision at the April regular board meeting. The board is also looking into changes to the staff handbook including lumping all PTO into one bank and increasing money paid out for sick days.
• Approved Middle School STEM Teacher Mike Thomley’s retirement.
• Accepted a $6,000 asthma education grant that allows one-on-one and small group asthma education for students for the 2026-27 year.
• Announced the Bert Grover WASDA Business Support Award winner was Afton Apple. The award goes to the state’s most supportive business to a school district.
• Approved student supervision and abuse/neglect policies due to a change in law at the state level. The change applies guidelines for conduct with students and outlines a path for district administration in the instance of a violation.