Mitchell Board of Educations gets up close look at high school construction project

May 13—MITCHELL — Work on the new Mitchell High School building on Capital Street has been underway for about a year, and progress on the construction has been evident to anyone who has walked or driven by the work site.

Members of the Mitchell Board of Education got an even closer look at the construction work during their meeting Monday night when they were given a tour of the facilities after they had finished work on their other agenda items.

"I can see coming to fruition all of the planning that has occurred, all the input from staff and employees. I can see that really in force," Deb Olson, president of the Mitchell Board of Education, told the Mitchell Republic following the meeting. "From the road you can see a certain amount, but once you get on the real site you can see a lot more."

The new high school building has been a need for some time, officials have said. The board approved a $45 million base bid for the project, including classrooms and other standard features of a high school, in January of 2023 to be financed partially with capital outlay certificates that did not include certain athletic facilities as part of the project. Those portions of the project had to be removed after initial cost estimates came in high.

Mitchell School District voters then approved a $17 bond issue in June of 2024 that would allow the project to be completed with the athletic facilities included. Board members and a handful of school officials got a look at some of those athletic facilities Monday night.

There is still likely a year of construction ahead, but Olson said seeing firsthand the progress being made is exciting.

"It is exciting to see, especially the auxiliary gym, the main gym, the gymnastics and all-purpose room that people were so supportive of," Olson said.

Joe Childs, superintendent for the Mitchell School District, said it was refreshing to get a ground-level view of the work and to share a progress update with the board members. As someone who has been keeping an eye on construction daily, he said it can be easy for him to not notice the progress being made.

But walking among the new towering walls and being able to see what the general layout of the facility will be like is a reminder that the new building will be an asset to the Mitchell School District, its students as well as other patrons.

"Construction continues and everything continues to take shape. I think we saw on today's tour that it's pretty easy to envision all of our educational spaces, the food services areas and what the office suite will look like, and I think it's coming together nicely," Childs said. "It's a building that really is a visual indication of how we feel about academics and athletics, and what we feel about education."

Some early estimates had construction wrapping up over the Christmas break of next school year, but Childs said it is much more likely that teachers and staff will begin moving into the new building approximately a year from now when the 2024-25 school year wraps up.

There have been very few hiccups in the construction process, Childs said, with the exception of some minor damage caused by recent high winds. He said he's hoping for more favorable conditions to allow workers to keep up with their current pace.

"We're going to close out the 2023-24 school year in three days, so we'll be done with this school year and continue the construction season through the summer and through next year," Childs said. "And I think next summer we'll be moving into the building."

Also at the meeting, the board approved the following personnel moves:

* The new certified hires of Rhena Weiss, 4th grade teacher at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary, $53,100, effective 2024-25 school year; Grace Bauer, 7th grade ELA teacher at Mitchell Middle School, $53,750; Amanda Hargreaves, K-5 literacy coach, $60,000; Ashtyn Evans, early childhood special education teacher, $52,800; Nicolas Caberos, choral music at Mitchell HIgh School, show choir and vocal music events, $54,800 teaching compensation and $10,000 show choir and vocal events and Kelsey Van Loh, 6th ELA/math at Mitchell Middle School, $55,100. All hires are effective for the 2024-25 school year.

* The new classified hire of Jenny Egil, administrative assistant at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary, $18.75 her hour, 7.5 hours daily, effective Aug. 7.

* The transfers of Amanda Sonne, 6th grade ELA and math teacher to K-5 literacy coach and Megan McManus, 4th grade teacher at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary to K-5 literacy coach. Both transfers are effective for the 2024-25 school year.

* The resignations of Becky Kurth, accounts receivable, Mitchell School District business office, effective June 14; Laura Starr, paraeducator at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary, effective May 17 and Darby Deffenbaugh, 6th grade ELA/science teacher at Mitchell Middle School, assistant middle school track coach and sub varsity volleyball coach, effective end of the 2023-24 school year; Kayla Peterson, paraeducator at Longfellow Elementary, effective May 16; Jeremy Borgan, 8th grade assistant football coach and head wrestling coach, effective end of the 2023-24 school year; Rebecca Weber, early childhood special education teacher, effective end of the 2023-24 school year and Meghan Puetz, administrative assistant at Mitchell High School, effective May 17.

* The new Mitchell Technical College hires of Alison Day, PYSC 101 general psychology (3 credits) adjunct instructor, $2,700, effective May 13 and Mike Puetz, power line construction and maintenance instructor, $90,088, effective Aug. 1.

* The Mitchell Technical College resignation of Nicholas Bakhtiari, director of foundation relations, effective May 31.

Also at the meeting, the board:

* Approved a memorandum of understanding with the Mitchell School District food service employee group.

* Authorized membership in the South Dakota High School Activities Association.

* Approved of South Dakota High School Activities Association constitutional amendments.

* Approved of the South Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors.

* Heard board member reports.

* Heard the superintendent report.

* Heard public commentary.

The next meeting of the board is scheduled for May 28.