District moves forward with new cafeteria for Templeton High School
TEMPLETON — On Thursday, May 26, Templeton Unified School District met for a regularly scheduled board meeting. District faculty acknowledged several employees who will be retiring at the end of this 2021-22 school year.
District employees recognized were Jackie Bobsin, Kirk Condell, Dessa Drake, Doug Heiner, Karen Marik-Saad, Alison Rendahl, and Janice Zahm.
Following a presentation from the Food Service Department, board members unanimously approved Resolution #R22-19, the guaranteed maximum price of the Templeton High School (THS) kitchen/multipurpose room (MPR) renovation project.
The board originally approved the project’s Request for Proposals (RFP) on Jan. 27. The Proposal Evaluation Committee selected Wysong Construction Company for the project.
The kitchen and MPR at THS, which were constructed in 1979, are in need of renovation and modifications. Since its construction, the number of meals served daily has increased to approximately 500. The original kitchen was built to support 175 to 200 students.
Renovations will increase the size of the current kitchen and add updated appliances. To accommodate for the expanded kitchen, the stage currently not used in the MPR will be removed. The interior of the MPR will also be updated for student dining seating and other uses.
The total cost for construction of the project is $1,999,753 plus four percent contingency which comes to $79,870.
Due to Measure H-12 funds no longer being available, the project will be funded through a combination of developer fees and state reimbursements from previous facility projects. Additionally, the District will apply for eventual reimbursement from the State.
Wysong Construction Company will begin construction following the last day of school on June 9.
Next, trustees unanimously approved the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) science curriculum for kindergarten through eighth-grade students. The curriculum will be implemented at the start of the 2022-23 school year.
The NGSS curriculum offers hands-on learning for students, which Board President Nelson Yamagata commented he appreciated about the program.
The new curriculum has been adopted on a six-year contract. The cost comes to $200,724.19 for the TK through fifth grade and $157,216.50 for sixth through eighth grade.
Lastly, the board completed its evaluation of Superintendent Aaron Asplund’s performance during the 2021-22 school year.
One parent called into the meeting, suggesting Asplund could be better at reaching out to families who have tried contacting him for more support for their children.
Trustee Matt Vierra said, “Aaron has done a great job, in my view.”
The other trustees echoed his opinion, adding he was impressive considering what the school system has gone through the past few years.
The board then unanimously deemed Superintendent Asplund’s evaluation satisfactory for the 2021-2022 school year, therefore, approving his annual salary of $183,960.
During public comment, a parent mentioned the recent Uvalde, Texas, school shooting and that having moments of silence was not enough, and the district needs to take action to prevent school shootings and violence within the district. She requested they “do better” in handling bullying within the schools.
The public comment came at the end of the meeting as she was unable to make her comment through Zoom at the start of the meeting. As a result, board trustees had no comment and adjourned to their closed session.
The next Templeton Unified School District meeting is scheduled for June 16 at 6:15 p.m.
