SHERBURN — A special Martin County West School Board meeting has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to decide the fate of the Welcome school.

The meeting will be held via teleconference. The link is on the school’s website.

Hearing officer Steve Rutzick is considering all testimony from June 8, June 12 and June 17. He also is considering information such as the Welcome school report. He will condense the facts and comments into a report of his findings, conclusions and recommendations. These will be sent to the board, which will determine the future of the school.

At its meeting this week, the school board received an explanation of the preliminary budget from Superintendent Alison Schmidt.

Revenue is expected to be $10.2 million, with expenditures of $10.8 million, so far.

Because of legislative changes, the district will not have to renew an operating levy.

Schmidt noted that the science wing will be paid off in 2022, affecting future debt service.

Ventilation upgrades for the three schools in 2015 pushed the debt to $800,000, which should be paid off in 2029 and 2035.

Schmidt also mentioned liability insurance of $55,000, which includes new cybersecurity; $100,000 for software licensing and technology; $100,000 for Southern Plains Education Cooperative; $3,000-plus for laptops and webcams used by teachers, and a printer for the office; $3,000-plus for sanitizing products; and $3,800 for the storage building behind the elementary school in Sherburn.

The district will obtain a new bus for $72,000; there will be repairs to water lines and classrooms, as well as parking lot repairs; gym walls and bleachers will undergo maintenance; $18,000 will be spent to replace two sinks in bathrooms; and there is money in the budget for a new water softener.

Repairs for the Welcome school are $80,000 for boiler repair, $70,000 for roof repair, $5,000 for asbestos abatement in locker rooms and $2,500 for new carpet. These amounts were added to the budget because a decision about whether to close the school has not been made.

The workers compensation payment decreased by $27,000.

In other business, the board:

o Approved tenure for Autumn Welcome, Alison Roberts, Brandon Greiner and Preston Preusse.

o Approved hiring Julie Clarey as the junior high school English teacher and Heather Leiding as the preschool teacher.

o Approved filing dates for school board seats: July 28 to Aug. 11. Four positions are up for election. They are currently held by Steve Olson, Kent Janssen, Michele Anderson and Laura Borchardt.

o Heard a report from Dean of Students Michelle Baker, who said there are seven students in summer school doing credit recovery for 15 days. They are using a hybrid model of some direct teaching and some distance learning.

o Learned Chad Brusky will be the athletic director for the district. Brusky said he wants to help extracurricular activities grow and especially include students who are not usually involved.

o Discussed reaching out to the community and working with those interested in being part of the process.