The price of school meals will increase next year and a dual-language program will end in the district after decisions made Wednesday night by the Emporia board of education.
The decision to raise meal prices passed 5-1 with Mike Crouch dissenting. Board member Homer Garza was not present.
Before the vote, Crouch asked Food Service Director Jill M. Vincent why the costs of student meals was to be increased 20 to 25 cents each, while staff costs were raised only 10 cents per meal. Vincent said that the cost for staff meals had increased several times, while student meals had remained the same for the past four years.
Costs for staff will increase from $1.65 to $1.75 for breakfast and from $2.65 to $2.75 for lunch.
Student cost increases will be:
F All students, breakfast will raise from $1.25 to $1.50.
F Kindergarten through fourth grade, lunch increases from $1.80 to $2.
F Fifth and sixth grade, lunch increases from $1.90 to $2.10.
F Seventh through 12th grade, lunch increases from $2 to $2.20.
Also during the meeting, the board unanimously approved phasing out the dual language program, begun six years ago.
“We have struggled to keep staff in the program,” Heim told the board. “It’s a very difficult thing to teach ... You have to be bi-literate — able to instruct in two languages.”
He said that no suitable teachers were found by the April 1 hiring deadline.
“We really don’t have any choice but to phase it out,” Heim said.
Kindergarten students who were enrolled in dual language this year can continue until fifth grade, and lower-grade dual language classes will be phased out.
“If these teachers that we can’t find suddenly appear, is there an opportunity to bring it back?” board member Mary Helmer asked.
“I’d love to do that,” Heim responded.
Bid award
After lengthy discussion and some dissent, the board awarded Markowitz Builders a $571,600 contract for a renovation project at Logan Avenue School. The decision came after considerable discussion among board members, the architect for the project, the district’s attorney, and an affiliate of a Topeka construction company that submitted the low bid. Markowitz was the second-lowest bidder, $18,000 more than Universal Mechanical & Electrical of Topeka.
The motion to accept the Emporia company’s bid was approved 5-1, with Kevin Nelson dissenting.
Architect Steve Bowling with Anderson MacAdam Architects of Mission had recommended bypassing the lowest bidder — Universal Mechanical & Electric of Topeka — because of issues with a bonding company that was to have secured the project. Bowling said that he was comfortable with references regarding the work of the Topeka firm; however, he was not comfortable with the relationship between the bonding company and another contractor that was to have become involved as general contractor on behalf of Universal.
The situation was complicated by the introduction of yet another construction firm, Coal Creek Construction of Auburn, which had been hired as general contractor by Universal.
“That concerned me that Universal Mechanical and Electrical was not going to act as the general contractor,” Bowling said. “... While that’s not unheard-of, it is unusual in jobs of this size.”
Bowling contacted the board’s attorney, Tom Krueger, who initially had difficulties reaching the bonding company and, when he managed to contact a representative, he said that the representative did not follow through with documents promised.
The president of Coal Creek Construction, Mike Tindall, stood and spoke from the audience.
“I’m not sure why the bonding company has not got the information back to you, but they don’t have to,” Tindall said. “... I’m sorry about the paperwork, but we do have seven days after you vote to get a (bond) and get it back to you. We both have responsibilities, and that’s in the bidder’s instructions.”
Tindall said that his company has completed a number of projects as large or larger than the Logan Avenue job, and had recently completed a $900,000 project at Osawatomie. The company would have no trouble getting its bond, Tindall said.
Krueger responded, “The problem has been we made a good faith effort to get the bonding company to give us something in writing so that we’d have something to present tonight. ... The red flag was when Universal was going to go with someone else (not Coal Creek) and the bonding company said they’re not going to issue a bond” on that company.
Krueger said that he eventually had talked to the bonding company and to Universal’s attorney.
Tindall contended that the district was not at-risk if Coal Creek did the job.
“You have a bid bond in place, 5 percent,” Tindall said, mentioning that would amount to $25,000. “If Universal doesn’t (come through), you get to keep that 5 percent if they don’t fulfill the performance. You get to keep the bid bond.”
Tindall pointed out that only two companies, both from Emporia, had bid on a $373,900 project at Lowther South Intermediate School.
“You’re not getting a lot (of construction companies) to bid on your projects now,” Tindall said.
Bowling said that he was concerned about meeting deadlines to have Logan completed before the July 30 deadline.
Board member Kevin Nelson asked if it would be possible to accept the low bid and, if the company could not produce a bond, to go to the next bid.
“They may withdraw their bid at that point,” Bowling responded.
Bowling said that he had checked references and had no problem with either Universal or Coal Creek running the project.
Tindall said that he was hiring an Emporia heating and air conditioning business to do the work at Logan, and that he was in the process of becoming licensed as a contractor in Emporia.
“To me it’s a difficult decision to make for the board,” Krueger said. “... All of us have made a good faith effort. The real issue I see is a practical one. What’s the effect the delay going to be on this?”
Superintendent John Heim said that if the project were his own, he would have no hesitation going with the low bidder.
“But this isn’t my project, it’s the taxpayers’ project. ... I think we have to be extra-safe. It’s going to cost us a little more, but I think it’s the safest choice to make,” Heim said.
“The school district does have the right to waive an inconsistency or abnormality within the bids,” Bowling said. “... We can say with our concerns the ‘best bid’ is second low.”
“In your professional judgment, is the second low bidder the best bid?” Heim asked Bowling, who responded that in his opinion it was.
Heim asked the same question of Krueger, who recommended that the board reach a “finding” that determines which bid is the “best bid.”
The motion to award the bid to Markowitz passed 5-1, with Nelson opposing.
Krueger then asked the board to amend the motion to state that based on all of the facts and circumstances that had been heard, the “best bid” was from Markowitz Builders. The motion was re-stated and passed 5-1, with Nelson again dissenting.
In other action, the board approved:
• refinancing an existing $9,355,000 bond at a savings of more than $265,000.
• purchasing 500 Dell D630 laptop computers at a project cost of $1,409 each, with a total cost not to exceed $704,500.
• purchasing fitness equipment at a cost of $159,099.
• purchasing reading textbooks and materials at a cost of approximately $620,000, including shipping, and physical science materials at a cost of $63.99 per book, and additional unknown costs for technology and teacher materials.
• a bid of $373,900 from Emporia Construction and Remodeling for renovations at Lowther South Intermediate School.