Members of the Audubon School District’s Board of Education met Wednesday evening and, following a Public Hearing, approved the Fiscal Year 2020-21 School Calendar. Superintendent Eric Trager said the calendar is a little different than the current school year calendar. He says school will begin on the FY21 Calendar August 24, 2020. He said barring any snow days, the 2020-21 school year will conclude May 18, 2021.

In other business, the Audubon School Board approved a canvass of the March 3^rd School Bond Vote for facilities improvements. Trager said they’re moving forward with the projects, including having recently met with Piper-Sandler [formerly Piper-Jaffrey] to discuss when the bonds would be sold. They’ve also held discussions with the Construction Manager with regard to HVAC work on the north end of the building, and getting the engineering and bid documents ready to go.

The Audubon School Board approved a Sanitation Services bid from Carroll Refuse for garbage collection, and set April 6^th at 7-p.m., as the date and time for a Budget Hearing. The Board also approved a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Audubon Education Association. The District and Teachersa settled on a 3.25% total package increase. Trager said increased enrollment, a little better SSA [Student Supplemental Aid] from the State, made for a “Good time to put a little money on the salary schedule.”

Trager said the Audubon School Board approved contracts for Teacher Leadership (TLC) positions: Molly Lange was hired as a new Secondary Instructional Coach. She will take over for Sue Hawkins, who is retiring at the end of the year. And, 5^th Grade teacher Megan Kjergaard is taking a new, half-time Interventionist position. She will also serve as a half-time Title 1 teacher.

Trager said looking ahead, there are two things the District is looking forward to: Spring Break, which begins April 10^th, and a slowing-down of the COVID-19 so the district can “get back to some sort of normal.” The State, he says, continues to recommend school students and staff maintain good hygiene and take preventative measures aimed at keeping the virus at bay.