The Crookston School Board held a special meeting on Friday to discuss the request for proposals (RFPs) received regarding the possible sale of the Washington School property and to adopt resolutions for the canvassing and certification of the school board general election.
WASHINGTON SCHOOL RFP DISCUSSION
The board entered into a closed session to discuss three proposals received regarding the sale of the Washington Elementary School property. The RFP process began in July with assistance from LeBlanc Realty, and the RFP submission period ended in August. The board discussed the proposals for about an hour before returning to an open session.
Following the return to an open session, School Board member Mike Theis moved to direct Interim Superintendent Todd Selk to evaluate the possible demolition of the Washington School property, including asbestos abatement. Another motion was made to direct Selk to meet with the three parties that submitted RFPs to discuss the financial impacts of their proposals and confirm their interest in the property. Both motions were approved unanimously. A concern that School Board Chair Tim Dufault and the board had heard throughout the RFP process was the unknown costs of demolishing the current building and any potential asbestos abatement that might be needed. Dufault and the board decided that Selk should gather additional information on potential demolition and abatement costs to determine whether the current proposals would remain financially feasible for the interested parties. “We need to dig into them a little bit more as far as what they represent. Many of them, and some that didn’t submit a proposal, it was the demolition of the building and the possible cost there, so that’s why we want to get estimates on what the possible cost would be, whether there’s asbestos and how much the abatement of that would cost, to have a better idea for potential buyers of what it’s going to cost them.”
Selk was encouraged by the discussions with the board on Friday, and he will ensure that all necessary information is collected and presented to provide a clear picture of the costs involved, which will determine whether the current RFPs remain interested in the property. “All RFPs are still in play, and really the board, we just need more information. And so now that those people have been identified as officially submitting an RFP through that process, now it’s in our best interest to follow up on those. So really, the board has just said to me, go out and find out some more information, get as as clear a picture as we can about what they’re thinking, these different entities, and bring that information back to the board, and we’ll just continue that process until we feel comfortable in making a decision on what we will be doing with the future of Washington.”
ELECTION CAVASSING AND CERTIFICATES OF ELECTION
The board approved resolutions canvassing returns of votes from Tuesday’s school district general election nd authorizing issuance of certificates of election and directing the school district clerk to perform other election-related duties. Based on Tuesday’s election results, the board will welcome three new members starting in January 2027: Elizabeth Murphy, Nikk Caputo, and Alex Koepsell. Selk congratulated the three winners and everyone who ran for the school board in this election. He also expressed appreciation to the current school board members for bringing these election-related items to this special meeting agenda and get the canvassing and certification process completed in a timely manner. “The certification of the canvassing is just a required part and a required process that we have to go through. We were happy to be able to do that as soon after the election as we are today. I had the good fortune of reaching out to all three of the new candidates right away Wednesday morning with a phone call, and all three of them were able to answer their phone.”
During those conversations, Selk extended invitations to Murphy, Caputo, and Koepsell to attend the board’s upcoming meetings, including a working session scheduled for Wednesday, November 11, at 10:00 a.m., where the board will discuss superintendent goal setting, student representation, administrative staffing, athletic department realignment, and budget reductions. Selk hopes that the newly elected board members can attend as many of these meetings as possible to get some background information about the district and its policies before they take office in January. “I had conversations with them about what they’ve signed up for and what they got elected for, and I can tell you that all three of them were very sincerely interested in serving the district and working alongside myself and our staff to do what’s really in the best interests of the district moving forward for our students.”
The next regular Crookston School Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 23, at 5:00 p.m. in the choir/orchestra room at Crookston High School.
