The Heartland Community School board met this past Monday, November 11, for its regular meeting. Gary Braun, Jen Hiebner, Lacey Gloystein, Tyler Newton, Tammy Ott, Superintendent Jeremy Klein, High School Principal Tim Carr, and Elementary Principal Dana Reinke were present. Ryan Goertzen was absent.
Heartland Community School has negotiated with Kroeker Grain & Lumber to purchase Lots#6-10 just west of the school parking lot. At their November 11th meeting, they approved the property purchase agreement and are buying lots #6-10 with warehouses and bins for $250,000. The closing date for the purchase will be December 31, 2024.
According to Superintendent Jeremy Klein, the entire property is a little over two acres and will give Heartland room to expand its parking lot and any future projects. The board has invited bids for the demolition of the structures on the property with a completion deadline of February 15, 2025.
The board spent considerable time discussing their recent meetings with Hampton Public Schools about potential cooperative sports. Three board members and administrators from both schools attended the meetings. They reported that the discussions went well, and both schools are open to combining their sports programs in the future. The low participation numbers for football continue to be a problem, and the board believes they must be proactive about making changes that will enhance all sports programs for the future.
“What happened with our junior high football program this year is not right, and we should expect better for our school and kids,” said Klein. He went on to explain how it hurts the program overall when they aren’t able to provide any reserve or JV games, and he said, “It’s our duty to remedy the situation.” The board agreed to move forward with the discussions with Hampton. Click on this link for detailed information from the two meetings held with Hampton.
Klein gave a building update about a decision to change the bleacher design. He explained that the current gym seats in the plan will not line up correctly at the top of the bleachers, making access from the top deck a problem. The board decided to spend an additional $42,000 and change the type of seats so they would line up, allowing for access at the top.
The building project is on schedule, but the recent rains slowed down some of the work, according to Klein. “We still hope to have everything closed up before winter sets in.” It was also discovered that the recent rain caused water damage to a small portion of the gym floor, but Klein believes the problem can be easily remedied. They are working with the City of Henderson about how best to access and tie into a manhole on the other side of Front Street.
For more information from the Nov. 11 meeting agenda, click here.
