After Wednesday’s inaugural facilities task force meeting, Albert Lea High School Principal Mark Grossklaus said the discussion surrounding how to best implement changes at Hammer Complex is just beginning.

“Hammer has been well-utilized and we got a lot out of it for the past 50-some years,” Albert Lea Superintendent Mike Funk said. “What I think we are looking for from the community is support moving 50 to 100 years forward in what we can best fit — meet the needs of our community in our school district.”

Albert Lea High School Activities Director Afton Wacholz said the goal is to reconvene the task force after the first of the year to continue gathering community feedback.

“We’re not just looking at the high school,” Grossklaus said. “We’re looking at the community.”

The task force discussed the responses from the facilities thought exchange the district conducted in October and also saw architect’s renderings of potential solutions for Hammer Field. The facilities committee met Monday morning to discuss options.

Funk said another issue raised but not rendered by architects was a need for more gym space. Of the current facilities, he said Halverson Elementary would be the first facility to consider for gymnasium changes.

Without gym additions or updates considered, Deputy Superintendent Lori Volz said the estimated project costs for the complex would be $17 million to $18 million. With gym needs included, the estimated project cost goes up to $21 million. 

Funk said if it was voted on this year, the school board would ask the community to approve a bond for updates to Hammer Complex. He said the estimated tax impact on a $100,000 home would be $1 for a $17 million bond, and $5 for a $21 million bond.

“It’s very fortunate we could do this project with little tax impact,” Volz said.

According to Funk, if the bond goes to a vote and is approved, the school district would maintain its current level of debt as other payments taper off and other high school projects and updates to Hammer Complex take center stage.

School board member Neal Skaar asked if the group was also considering the possibility of alternative funding sources, which Funk said would become more clear as the task force continues to meet and discuss.

Athletic code violations

In addition to facilities, the school board discussed the way the high school athletic program deals with athletic code violations, specifically related to chemical substance use.

According to school board chair Ken Petersen, the district’s rules are stricter than those set by the Minnesota State High School League, a voluntary school association of which Albert Lea High School is a member. Wacholz said the Minnesota State High School League’s intent was to set minimal requirements and open it to member schools to base policies and handbook regulations on community needs.

Currently, the Minnesota State High School League policy says that after a student athlete’s first chemical violation, the student loses eligibility for two consecutive contests or two weeks — whichever is longer. The violations become increasingly more severe. Albert Lea High School’s current policy says that after the first violation, the student loses their right to participate in 50 percent of the scheduled events. A second substance violation means student athletes lose a full calendar year of participation, but can reduce that penalty back to 50 percent by completing community service hours. The third violation would cause the student to lose eligibility to be involved in the sport until the student enrols in a chemical dependency program, at which point they still must serve one calendar year off an athletic team.

Wacholz said part of the reason the school switched to percentages rather than week or contest counts was to account for the difference in competition amounts between activities. This would include fine arts activities that are not included in the curriculum, like a school play or show choir.

Skaar said he would like to see the school step closer to the regulations set by the Minnesota State High School League, because athletic participation provides teaching moments.

“These activities are an extension of the education process,” he said. “If they’re not an extension of that educational process, why are we doing them?

“I see this as a wonderful opportunity to work with that student … and enable them to discover that their habits are not in their best interest.”

School board member Jill Marin said she was in favor of a more lenient policy than the one currently in operation by Albert Lea High School because increased ability to participate can cause increased engagement.

“Engagement is key to student success, and that success doesn’t just happen in the classroom,” Marin said. “It happens on the athletic field in teambuilding and things like that, and the students have to remain engaged to be successful and productive.”

School board members Angie Hanson and Mark Ciota said they like the policy as is. Ciota wants to see students enter the workforce understanding that breaking contracts has consequences, he said. He said engagement and understanding consequences are not mutually exclusive.

Hanson said she is in favor of consistency, and regulations that might allow case by case evaluation of punishment for chemical abuse may not provide that.

“I don’t really want to see anything that has wiggle room,” Hanson said. 

Funk said the activities director, principal, coaches and others impacted will discuss what would work best for the school in dealing with athletic code violations and come back with a proposal for the board.

In other action:

• Funk announced that effective Jan. 1, Halverson Elementary School Principal Johanna Thomas will transition to fill a role administering the district pathways implementation plan and to develop community partnerships.

Current Area Learning Center Principal Tonya Franks will take over as Halverson’s principal, and the district will be interviewing an internal candidate to fill her position. Funk said there are no positions being added to the district, but that responsibilities are being shifted.

“I love this part of education, where you’re expanding opportunities for kids to look at their pathway,” Thomas said of her new role. She was previously Albert Lea High School’s assistant principal for seven years and worked on developing its apprenticeship program during her time there.

“The students, families and staff are incredible that I have worked with at Halverson,” Thomas said in a statement via email. “Tonya Franks and I are working closely as she meets the students and families during this transition.”

• The board approved the location of polling stations for elections relating to the school district that do not fall on the same day as a statewide election. Legislation now requires the school board to approve polling locations yearly, Volz said. She said the district currently has six, and the board approved an increase to nine polling locations within the city limits to mirror general election polling locations. Smaller community polling stations have been combined.

• The board tentatively approved high school teacher Jerry Bizjak’s proposal for a 2019 student spring break trip to France and London around the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The trip was approved, pending a paperwork review conducted by Funk.