Athens K-12 faces $1 million in facility repairs
By Casey Krautkramer
Athens School Board members were told Monday that well over $1 million in building repairs needs to be done in the next one to two years.
The district contracted with CESA 10 in February to conduct a facilities assessment of repairs needed at its school buildings so it knows the amount of money it needs to request from taxpayers in a future capital referendum.
CESA 10 representative Lindsey Schreiner, facilities management advisor and John Berger, project manager, gave the school board a presentation on the facility assessment at Monday’s meeting.
“I really think electrical supply upgrades need to be done in short order,” Berger said. “Restroom updates need to be done, especially at Athens Elementary School and Maple Grove Charter School. The school kitchens need to be upgraded. The kitchens are in compliance with the state because they were grandfathered in, but they should be brought up to code and improvements made to the efficiency and layout and delivery of food. The HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) needs to be upgraded. The HVAC equipment has aged and you’ve gotten life out of what you do have and you’ve done some control upgrades but there is a lot of work that still needs to be done. Your roofing replacement schedule has been good, but the bad thing is, roofs are big and expensive, so planning for this expense is very significant. New playground equipment is needed at Athens Elementary School, the plumbing needs to be upgraded and a lot of cabinetry and furniture upgrades are needed to make things more comfortable for the teachers.”
Board member Tucker Diethelm asked Berger if there are any immediate safety concerns for students and staff in the school buildings.
“There is nothing that I need to write a letter and say they gotta be taken care of right away, but those one to two year items should be looked at and marked for scheduling to fix,” Berger said. “It’s a lengthy list, and your financial resources are probably your biggest constraint right now and that’s not uncommon. It’s nothing that you did wrong. There are a lot of school districts just like you. It’s very much in front of you as a board, and I think everyone working in these school buildings is very much aware of the conditions and what today’s needs are. Everyone seems to know what is needed but now you need to plan and get the funding for it.”
Superintendent Andrea Sheridan outlined the next steps for the district doing its research for a future capital referendum.
Consultants from Baird will give a school finance presentation at the school board meeting on Monday, June 16.
See ATHENS SB/ page 9
SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES- Athens School District residents Kara Diers, left, and Kat Becker interviewed during Monday’s school board meeting for the open spot on the board. The six school board members voted 5-1 for Becker to join them on the board.
STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER Athens SB
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Next, CESA 10 will give a spending forecast for deferred maintenance at the board meeting on Monday, July 21.
Board members will discuss the roles and responsibilities of the district facilities and operations advisory committee and the superintendent student advisory at the school board meeting on Monday, Aug. 18.
A fall community survey will be discussed at the board meeting on Monday, Sept. 22.
All board meetings are held at 5 p.m. in the middle/high school library.
Other business
â– Board members voted 5-1 after an extensive interview process to appoint Kat Becker over challenger Kara Diers to fill the vacant school board spot until the term ends in April of 2026. The seat became open when Katelyn Felzkowski Haugstad moved out of the school district.
■The board accepted the resignation of school district counselor Mike Baer at the end of this school year. Current district employees Alexis Medford and Karissa Denton will share Baer’s duties next school year. The board amended their contracts so that Medford will serve as a full-time middle and high school social worker and district assessment coordinator and Denton will be a .8 full-time equivalent counselor at Athens Elementary and Maple Grove Charter School.
■The board elected member Angie Servi as the new school board president, Steve Janke as vice president, Jessica Frahm as clerk and Tom “Chummo” Ellenbecker as treasurer. Rebecca Bliven is deputy clerk.
Tucker Diethelm will be the school board’s CESA 9 representative. Servi is the school board’s WASB delegate and Janke is WASB alternate. Ellenbecker will represent the school board on the Tax Incremental District Joint Review board for the village of Athens.
â– Athens Elementary School will adopt a new English & Language Arts curriculum for the 2025-26 school year, as approved by the board.
