001Welcome everyone to the Caledonia Community Schools April regular board meeting. Please join me in honoring our country by saying the pledge today. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Ask the secretary to call the roll. >> Are we Garcia? >> Here. >> Randall? >> Here. >> Comins? >> Here. >> Collins? >> Here. >> Holmes? >> Here. >> Morris? >> Here. >> Nichols? >> Here. >> Right. Full house on the board side and full house on the community side. Thank you for being here. Um now we have our student representative at item four is >> Hi, I'm Gabby Linker, the student representative from the high school. Um so we are
002excited to have our fifth annual spring carnival um two weeks. Yeah, Friday, May 1st. Um that's from 5:00 to 9:00 in the CHS bus parking lot. And it'll have food trucks, games, live music, art showcases, um a spikeball tournament, and then a watermelon eating contest that has been pretty popular the last couple years. Um and that's just some of the things that we'll have at that. Um Um we're also having our first annual senior survivor this year. So seniors um have been going around to local businesses and getting money to donate to a charity of their choice And for the student assistance programs, and they'll be staying the night at the school this Wednesday and Thursday and competing in survivor-like activities to see who will outlast everyone and then be counted as first senior survivor
003at the end of the week. On April 29th, there is a committee of student council members that are going to host 25 Craft Meadow students and 25 Duncan Lake students for team building activities and lunch at the high school and just to kind of show them what the high school life is like. Our teacher appreciation committee is partnering with the PSTO to hold a memorable teacher appreciation week. They're doing a bunch of different things like making gift baskets, getting them coffee and donuts, and then making a staff breakfast for the entire staff on Friday, May 8th. So, they're doing stuff from the 4th to the 8th. And then finally, students of student council are we're partnering with an outside company to hold a distracted distracted driving assembly for the entire junior class. And we're working
004really closely with first responders and just making a live simulation with a presentation that will be Thursday, April 30th. And that is all for me. Thank you. >> Thank you for your report. Now, we'll move to public comment. Just a reminder to the community, we have two opportunities for public comment. The first the first section is for items pertaining to what we have on the board agenda tonight. And all of the comments that were turned in today are other, which we will read and give you the opportunity to speak to and express your feedback and your concern to the full board towards the end of the meeting. So, we'll move on to consent agenda. March 16, 2026 regular meeting minutes, April 15, 2026 committee of the Whole minutes. C. March 2026 payables. D. 20 April
0052026 personnel report. Word workshop. Monday, April 27th, 2026. >> I move that the board approve the consent agenda as presented. >> Second. >> Any discussion? Please call the roll. >> Barbara Garcia? Yes. Nichols? Yes. >> Collins? >> Yes. >> Comment? >> Yes. >> Cohen? Yes. Brannao? >> Yes. >> Morris? >> Yes. On to item seven, superintendent report. >> All right, a couple of items tonight from me. First of all, we had our um session with the community last week on Thursday discussing Scotland Yard and some of the changes that we've been talking about potentially with that project as originally envisioned to what now seems to make more sense from a both financial and programmatic standpoint. And so I thank those of you who were able to be there. I know it was a busy night
006for many people, but thanks for your time and I didn't know where we wanted to proceed from this point. We of course would like to have a direction here so that we can continue to have our our design team and all get things moving so that we can get that out to bid this fall. So, appreciate any feedback you have, any thoughts you have, anything else that you have questions about. >> I just wanted to say I got I got the presentation that you sent out about an hour hour and a half ago and I've shared that on social media so that more of the community can make sure that if they weren't in attendance on Thursday that um, community is well informed. I think we all agree. Sorry, you're only to speak up. Yeah,
007for the board. Keep forgetting that. Um, but I I think we can all agree that we want to make sure that what's best for the community is is what we decide on. And um, I know that I'm open to feedback um, on any of any of that. So, I just want to make sure you guys all knew that. And I did I was able to review the um, uh, Committee of the Whole meeting minutes and it was really helpful um, to get that information as well of where the bond money from 2020 um, have gone as well as what's planned for 2023. I think that helps set us up to make sure that when we're looking at this big master plan of what facilities we'll be building or the future growth of Caledonia um, entails
008that we're really looking at it futuristically and holistically. So, anyway, great job on uh, the Committee of the Whole meeting. So, I I I'm caught up. So, just wanted to say that. >> Anyone else have comments, direction for Dirk? I know there were four board members that were at at least both of the meetings, I think. Maybe three for the second one, but um, I I asked each of the community between both meetings. There were about 60 people and I asked them if they liked the idea or if they did not like the idea. And of the the 60, I think 54 were in support of going the direction with Scotland Gardens we presented. But, that's a small section, but it's good news that we're going in the right direction. Okay. So, just to reiterate,
009I mean, we and we do need to provide some direction uh, to the design folks. So, um, we're kind of at that inflection point here for it. So, kind of looking for, uh, am I Am I saying I'm we're proceeding in this, uh, direction or what are we doing? >> So, again, wasn't at the meeting specifically, but my understanding is we're going to have the another meeting for the bigger picture to make sure that it fits in with any future projects before we kind of say, yes. >> That wasn't my understanding. I thought we were looking at that to say that was going to be all right with stuff beyond that. Where are we going to >> Yeah. We we >> Again, I wasn't at the meeting, so I'm clarifying. >> me just jump in.
010We did promise the community that we would address issues at at Scotland Yard. And we we do need to uphold what we what we promised the community. I I'll be at there are modifications. We are getting more than we expected. But, nonetheless, I think we we need to proceed with the given the time frame that we have. That's That's just where I'm at. >> So, are you asking for, like like we're voting or something to to move forward >> think we need to. No, because we are we're not going to vote necessarily because the vote will come to you as we bring the projects and we put it out to bid and we get the bids back. You know, we can't prepare any of that until I know that this is a direction that you're
011comfortable with going. When we first talked about that, um, you know, as we alluded to at the meeting, you know, the initial presentation during the bond campaign itself was to, um, renovate and upgrade the existing Scotland Yard. But, as we talked about going through that, it actually would cost us more money to do that at the existing site than to build the second um competition space here. So, that we would then in essence also have two spaces for less than the price of one. So, um I we just have to kind of move forward on this at some point here. Um another thing that will be coming is uh part of that was we talked about uh putting new turf down on the existing field without all the other stuff. Um that's to bring that
012and restore that. And so, we will be needing to bring that to you like probably at the May board meeting as an item so that that can get on the calendar for this spring. And um that's as we talked about that a bit at the Committee of the Whole meeting and then that's something that uh we will need to kind of keep moving forward. So, um there are a lot of things coming here boom boom boom. >> Okay. And again, I wasn't at the meeting, but um so, we set another meeting for >> Yeah, so the idea behind that other meeting of like you can talk about it or I can talk about >> Yeah, the special meeting is is to look at how the remaining dollars are proposed to be spent versus the dollars
013that we have to see what we have left over for other projects that may need attention. >> Because uh the way things are currently laying out and because of the advantageous bond the advantageous bids that we've gotten through the course of all the bond projects and the fact that we've been able to uh as we manage them bring back some of the contingency moneys and not have to spend them, we anticipate that we're going to have additional funds left over even after this Scotland Yard work that we've been talking about. So, to begin the process of thinking about where we might want to direct some of those moneys, that's what we as what we will need to be talking about. So, that's what the purpose was for the 27th. >> Okay. >> As I understood.
014>> Okay. So, um to be clear this is the direction that we want to move in that Scotland Yard be moved more in the high school or toward in the high school campus. And there's not a bigger master plan of where it alternatively could go or or how we bring other softball fields and baseball fields and tennis and any of that kind of thing in the bigger picture at this other meeting. It's not to kind of review to make sure there's no other places. I'm I'm I again I'm just asking. I don't >> Yeah, that would that would be the idea I think for the meeting on the 27th is to start working on the next stuff and talk about where they could potentially go. I think as far as Scotland Yard itself goes, again
015the savings would be in utilizing the existing locker rooms, public restrooms, training room, etc. at South Campus. So, that's the that's the savings. That's where the savings lies. And so that's the spot that makes the most sense for that. >> Okay. >> And then we can continue to look at the other things like you're saying baseball, softball, and tennis isn't a big issue and how we continue to move forward on some of these other things. And there are other items that we'll be discussing as well next Monday that are potentially worthy of consideration. So, it's a good problem to have that we will have some funds left over and now we have to figure out how best to approach these things. >> Thank you. Just again one clarification, so. >> Yeah. >> And just for
016your sake, Dirk, I'm I feel comfortable moving forward with the Scotland Yard uh discussion and I'm looking forward to the next discussion just to figure out what to do, how to line it up, you know, next steps. So, I think that that's an important next step, but right now I'm comfortable moving things forward. Agreed. >> It sounds like the board is in a case of what >> That's the kind of I needed just a idea where I'm again taking any votes, but that's what we needed to know. Okay, uh other items. Uh just a few other things as uh was mentioned. We have a couple of appreciation days coming up here in the next couple of weeks. It's admin professionals uh appreciation this week. Staff appreciation is coming up down the road and uh we
017just really uh appreciate all the work that uh our folks do in support of students. And uh there going to be opportunities particularly uh coming up uh for uh the general public and uh for all of us to uh express those thanks to our staff. So, just uh highlighting that for you. Um we have uh a couple of things to celebrate tonight, too. Uh since the last time we got together, um first of all, Paris Ridge and Kettle Lake have been named uh national showcase schools by the Capturing Kids' Hearts program. So, uh it's a tremendous honor to be uh named to a national recognition like that. Uh also, just this past weekend, uh many of our vocal music students participated in solo and ensemble uh festival. And um as often is the case, uh
018they did an awesome awesome job. 26 out of the 31 um folks who were acts that participated there uh received a first division rating, which is the top that you can get. And in fact, uh two of our groups, our chamber singers and our senior Christian Male Ensemble uh received perfect scores, which is something extremely hard to do. So, uh just awesome uh work continuing to happen with our vocal music department. And then finally, uh what makes it all go is money. And so, we have to uh keep track of that, and the uh state budget process is going to continue. The House budget is expected to be out as early as tomorrow. The governor's budget came out back uh some months ago now. The Senate budget is expected next week and so then we
019will start to see as those all go together and uh the revenue conference where they estimate how much revenue the state has and that will be the final determinant in what that budget looks like. That's scheduled for the 15th of May. So, uh I'll update you on all this stuff as we move forward and as we enter into our own budget process which will culminate at our June meeting with the adoption of our 26 27 budget. And that's it for me. >> Any questions for our superintendent um anything to discuss? Okay. We'll move on to our action items. The first one is the K I A S B Board of Directors election. Is there a recommendation? >> I move that the board choose Ann Hemming, Kelly Carmody, Aaron Labots, and Bill Saxton to fill four
020of the six vacant seats on the K I A S B Board of Directors. >> Second. Any discussion? Yeah, I will say the the Kelly Carmody is only a one-year uh board member. I'm a little concerned about the experience that she has being able to be useful at that level. But I could be okay with supporting her. Is there any other discussion? >> I would just say it's also important that there's only four candidates, right? For the six vacancies. So, I understand what you're saying. It just we're a little hamstrung on our choices. >> You know what I mean? You can be critical Yeah. You can throw in. Okay, seeing no more discussion, let's call the roll. >> Collins? >> Yes. >> Comer? >> Yes. >> Ohm? Yes. Brando? >> Yes. >> Carver Garcia? >>
021Yes. >> Nichols? >> Yes. >> Morris? >> Yes. >> Okay, under item 8B, Chromebook purchases. >> It's a recommendation. >> I move that the board approve the purchase of 1,100 student Chromebooks and Google licenses from CWDG for $345,750. >> Second. >> Any discussion? We are in the process of updating Chromebooks every year. We over 5 years, we update at 1/5 of what we have to keep our technology sharp. And this is general fund dollars. We're not bonding. We're not paying interest on these things as they they go out of they become obsolete before the year is even over, so and we did speak to these at committee and had all of our questions answered. Any discussion? All right, please call the roll. >> Cone? Yes. Brando? >> Yes. >> Barbara Garcia? >> Yes. >> Nichols?
022>> Yes. >> Collins? >> Yes. >> Clement? >> Yes. >> Morris? >> Yes. Motion passes. Item C, boiler replacement at Paris Ridge. >> I move that the board contract with Mark of the Z for the replacement of the HVAC boiler system and control solutions Inc. for the associated HVAC controls at Paris Ridge Elementary School at a cost of $93,641. >> Second. >> Any discussion? This supplier was by far the lowest vendor uh lowest bid from vendors by $50,000. So, Matt, you're going to have to an eye on this. Make sure we're getting our money's worth. Any other discussion? Then secretary, please call the roll. >> Nichols? Yes. Guerra-Garcia? >> Yes. >> Clements? >> Yes. >> Collins? >> Yes. >> Randall? >> Yes. >> Cohn? Yes. Morris? >> Yes. >> We have a boiler on order
023now. Okay, on to 8D, pre-K furniture purchase. Any motion? >> I move that the board contract with Lakeshore Learning for the procurement, delivery, and installation of preschool furniture at a cost of $189,905.12. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Okay. Discussion? Again, we discussed this at length in committee on Wednesday. And I don't have any questions. Cohn, else? Please call the roll. >> I think I'll just say just a reminder that this is the outside number and we're still working with the KISD on furniture from existing classrooms as we end up taking them over. So, they may give us some of that and the number will come down. We'll report on that back to you later. >> So, this is just clearance to purchase up to that amount. >> Guerra-Garcia? >> Yes. >> Nichols?
024>> Yes. >> Collins? >> Yes. >> Clements? >> Yes. >> Cohn? Yes. Randall? >> Yes. >> Morris? >> Yes. >> Okay, under item nine, discussion items. We have uh the Euler policy. There's two policies that we're considering. One is We have a number that we'll be looking at. So, just gave a couple of them for you to begin a sort of preliminary look at and we'll talk about them at next month's committee meeting. This is just a preview that the first reading of them will come in May and the final adoption will come in June. So, just putting them on your radar. There will be a list of off the top of my head maybe 15 or so policies that will be coming. So, the overview. >> All right. Item 9B. Early childhood flooring map.
025>> First reading this evening on two early childhood center items associated with the expanded opportunities for preschool services in the district. The first is an update of the flooring. Make sure I got the right one in front of me. Of the flooring in the building which is at this point well past its life cycle. I think anybody that's been in there would agree the color, condition, etc. Definitely needs some updating. The district is going to recommend a contract with River City Flooring for the replacement of the carpeting, classroom flooring, restroom flooring, and a repair of storage area flooring using the supplier Tarkett Flooring and River City as the installer. Both of those represented by E&I cooperative bidding. Tarkett Flooring and River City are a pair that have been used throughout the district extensively. Not only
026this building, but all of the new construction, everything we've done, and much of the construction that's happened in the past 30 years throughout the district. So, the product is well tried and true and is known throughout the district for us. So, again, just a first reading. So, we'll bring that back next month. And the second item, next all very questions on the flooring. Let's start there. Sorry. >> Any questions on the flooring? It's a fairly big number at 280 grand, but there's a big need in that in that building. Have we I don't I can't remember if we've ever changed the carpeting? >> Not since it was went in when it originally um >> Now, we can you just speak a little bit to the timing of when that would happen? >> It would happen
027over the summer. Uh, we've already stepped Yep, we've already stepped into planning. Um, if everything goes through and everything gets accepted, um, how we would move the YMCA child care over to Calwell. Um, and they are prepared to receive them. We've already, um, instituted some new room inspections for the moving the preschool program into Calwell. So, we already have rooms that will be perfectly prepared for them. >> Okay. Now, you may move on. >> Well, we got to the second half of that. Again, uh, providing those expanded opportunities, um, the painting at the um, ECC. Um, also an item, um, if you've been in there, you notice that we do have variety of colors of white, um, variety of other colors going on in there, um, and not a whole lot of it matches. And
028again, much of it's been there for quite some time. Um, so, at this point in freshening up the carpeting, um, bringing that up to uh, up to quality at this point, we also like to bring the painting. Um, there is less painting than one would expect. Um, a lot of that area is, uh, done in tile, um, and some odd surfaces over the years. So, we're not going to paint that. Obviously, that's good, but we are going to have to bring up the classrooms and bring up, um, the upper part of most of the hallways. We're not painting the break, so that's good. That's a a good start. So, we'll, uh, make sure we don't do that. And uh we don't have a contractor identified on this. We still have some numbers outstanding. Uh but
029we will definitely present that before as as soon as we have numbers available. We'll attach it to this for the uh for the next meeting. Again, this is just first reading, so. >> And from our discussion earlier, you're hopeful that this will come in under budget. >> I'm hopeful. Yes, I'm hopeful that it'll it may come in under the uh bid threshold. So, we'll see what happens. >> Excellent. >> And both of these projects would be using public improvement funds, um not through the bond. >> And yes, you want to paint first and do the flooring afterward because that will save us a great deal of money in, you know, ground covering and covering up surfaces. So, definitely could make it easier. >> Questions? Madam? Thank you. Okay, we're on to item 10, board comments.
030Any comments from your fellow trustees tonight? Okay, well, I got a couple. Uh next month, we're going to be starting, guess what? Maybe a review of our superintendent. So, um that'll be done in committee in May. Um on your desk, you'll find uh invitation from um staff to participate in mock interviews uh coming up on May 5th. And we finished up our first adopt-a-road collection of garbage and many items along uh Craft between 100th and 92nd. So, thank you for the board for participating in that. Okay, we're going to get into item 11, public comments. The board recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing its community members to reflect their views in public. Please limit your statements to 3 minutes. With suspension, direct all comments to the board,
031not to staff or participants. No person may address or question board members individually. Board cannot accept public comment regarding personnel issues. Any personnel issues are to be referred to the superintendent for resolution. And I know we're not going to have any trouble with this, but be professional and respectful in your comments tonight. All right, we're going to start with Kathleen Matras. Is that right? Welcome. You might want to adjust that mic to the level. I know my mic's been cutting in and out. I want to make sure we get this. Yeah. >> Uh I was back. Uh I came in January to talk about the pool and the women's locker room and um the way the water sprayed and uh lack of hooks for hanging towels because if you hang them in the little uh
032shower area, they get wet because the water sprays the entire length of the shower and I um met I finally uh I um called Matt and he returned my call and he said that um he had the hooks in his office. He didn't have staff to get them done, but he hoped to do that soon. And I had a second follow-up question as to um whether there would be any way to have hooks in the swimming family pool so you didn't have to walk all the way down and back to hang clothes and put stuff. So, I those are my two concerns I'll update with swimming pool. Temperature of the water is the coldest of all the pools that I've tested around. What they say is 84 and um Spartan Nash keeps theirs at 86
033to 88 um I I No, that's Mary Freebed. Spartan Nash had theirs today at 87 and uh Visscheri keeps theirs about 86 to 90 and yours is at 84 and it's cold. >> Thank you very much. Next is Jennifer Laporte. >> Hi. I have a handout. >> Okay. >> My name is Jennifer Laporte. I have two children at Duncan. I am a tennis parent and a local business owner. I am following up concerns I first raised at the September board meeting to the unsafe conditions at Duncan Lake as well as the courts at the high school. At that time I was told repairs would be made. Those fixes have proven inadequate. You can see in the handout as of April 1st what the court looked like. This is unacceptable for student athletes to practice and
034compete on unsafe surfaces. Last season the middle school team was forced to compete at the high school while still practicing on these courts. That is not a responsible long-term solution. All school teams should have access to safe, appropriate facilities for both practice and competition. I understand there are budget concerns. The district has recently made significant investments in other other athletic projects. Unfortunately, including some that our middle school and high school teams don't even use. I know it's important to grow youth sports. I get it. But that should not come at as an expense to our school athletes. Ensuring safe, playable tennis courts is not an unreasonable ask. Tennis is an inclusive, lifelong sport. The middle school is the key to introducing that sport. Tennis teaches independence, respect, and endurance on the court and off. That's
035why investing in the school tennis program matters. Too often resources are directed towards the popular sports. Others are overlooked. Tennis provides opportunities for students who may not see themselves in traditional sports teams. Well, we invest When we invest in tennis at the middle school level, we are not supporting a sport. We are investing in confidence, character, and lifelong health. Every student deserves that opportunity, not just those who fit in the popular programs. I am requesting a clear, written plan and a timeline to address these concerns. We need to provide safe alternatives and have outline of what the plans are to build new courts appropriate for these students. THANK YOU. >> NEXT IS ZANE STANLEY. >> GOOD EVENING. UH, MY name is Zane Stanley. I'm also going to speak, um, to the tennis program holistically, which
036includes facilities, um, equipment, coaching. Um, through my four children, I've experienced a total 27 seasons of Caledonia high school sports across seven different teams. Popular sports like football, eight seasons there, seven of track, and the list goes on, including soon to be four of tennis. I share this because in my decades of experience, I I've never seen a program as consistently, um, on the decline as far as support as tennis. And that includes, uh, four seasons of swim where my son didn't even have a pool, but he still felt supported through the other resources that were available. Um, while neighbors like Byron Center, Jenison, TK, they've invested in top-tier facilities, and they see those results at the state level. Not saying we need to to do that, but Caledonia overall has allowed our pro- program
037to wither through the decline of facilities and the lack of upkeep and maintenance. And our courts are in such disrepair that this past fall, we had to host our own Caledonia Invitational at Byron Center. That should be embarrassing to the community that we can't even host our own own an invitational because you require enough, um, facilities, and and Duncan Lake is just not suitable for for that type of activity anymore. Um, beyond that, our athletes are wearing the same uniforms year after year. They're made of material that isn't even designed for tennis, in my opinion. Um, they can go entire matches without coaching because we lack an assistant coach now. We had a volunteer last year that we resourced through our own gift card contributions, um, but you can't count on a volunteer always making
038those long-distance trips. Um, invitationals are often at multiple sites. So, you know, your kids can go an entire match without coaching. I don't know of any other sport where parents aren't allowed to coach. So, you're you're you're watching these students struggle because there are no coaches available to help um get them through a troublesome set or you know, and then you see other schools where they're fully resourced. I'm not saying we need 10 assistants, but at least one assistant per site for competition would be suitable. Um budget constraints are real, but I think neglect can even be more expensive. I experienced this myself. Um in the fall of 2024, um my football son tore every ligament in his knee due to what I believed was unsafe condition on the sidelines with advertisement signs. I know
039that this was viewed as um unsafe because the following week all those signs were moved to the opposite end of the field. Um I I thought there was legal liability there. I didn't pursue it because I know that the resources are you know, tight. But, I don't know that others, if they were injured, would express the same restraint as our family chose to. Uh in conclusion, I I just think it's time to provide a minimum standard of dignity and safety for our student athletes uh in the tennis program. They deserve to feel like equals to their peers, not afterthoughts. Thank you. >> THANK YOU. LAURA SMITH >> I CAN REALLY MOVE THIS DOWN PROBABLY. Good evening. Uh Laura Smith, I am a parent of a middle school uh tennis player. Um I am not your
040typical sports parent. I kind of say I have kids that are in the other category. So, when my son took up tennis, it was something that was completely new to us and very exciting. Um Uh we you know, we care deeply about the opportunities available to our student athletes. Um for years our tennis courts have been outdated, poor condition. Um, I speak on behalf of some of the other parents also that aren't here that I've met with and we've discussed things. Um, my husband and I not having been super experienced in the sports world in Caledonia, we're honestly shocked at the condition of the courts when our son started 3 years ago. Um, cracks, uneven surfaces if you've as you've heard, uh, wear created an environment where students are at risk of injury every time
041they step on the court. Uh, it's not something that we should accept for any sport as you've heard. Both the Duncan Lake courts and the high school courts have become embarrassing and dangerous. We understand just difficult decisions have to be made when it comes to funding and priorities. However, it's been hard to watch continued investment of millions of dollars in other athletic facilities while tennis has been consistently overlooked. Um, it's not just another sport. It's a lifelong activity. It's something students can carry with them beyond high school. It promotes health, discipline, community cat connection for decades. It's one of the few sports that truly spans generations. Our students deserve safe, quality facilities that reflect the value we place on their experiences or well-being. Um, I also just want to take a minute to recognize the
042incredible dedication of our middle school and high school coaches. They continue to pour into our students building not only strong athletes, but strong, resilient young people despite the limitations of the facilities they are given. Their commitment deserves to be matched by the resources and support of the district. And at this point, this is no longer just about improvement. It's about necessity. We respectfully urge the board to prioritize the restoration of our tennis courts and take meaningful action and to ensure that our student athletes are no longer asked to complete keep compete in unsafe conditions. So, thank you for your time and for your commitment TO OUR STUDENTS. >> NEXT IS REBECCA FRANCIS. >> I got married. Um good evening and thank you so much for the opportunity to speak. My name is Rebecca Francis and
043I'm both a district employee and a parent of a student athlete in the tennis program. Makes it a little bit more challenging to speak, but it's something I'm passionate about. I want to begin by saying that I'm not here to disparage any other sport or program. There's enough for all of our student athletes to have safe, high-quality playing conditions. I also want to acknowledge and appreciate the work the district has done through recent bonds to improve many areas of our schools. These investments matter and they are valued. However, I am here tonight because the condition of our tennis facilities remains a serious and ongoing concern. Since the summer of 2025 and well before that as I have two children graduating from college this year that played varsity tennis for 4 years, um I've remained patient
044in hopes that these safety issues would be addressed. I've assumed positive intent, but over time it has become clear that these courts are not only an eyesore, but a a major safety risk. We're now at a point where we are unable to host all of our home matches. At least one of the upcoming girls tournaments has already been relocated due to unplayable court conditions creating inconvenience and added cost to our school district. At both the high school and middle school levels, the courts present real and preventable safety risks. I want to stress preventable. Cracked and uneven surfaces increase the likelihood of injury. These are not cosmetic concerns. These are conditions that directly impact our students' safety. At this point, I am deeply concerned that continuing to use these courts creates an unnecessary and highly avoidable
045risk for our student athletes. In addition, our facilities fall short of basic expectations. Windscreens have not been installed. Promised resources, such as a storage shed, have not been provided. At the middle school, there's still no permanent bathrooms or water facilities, only temporary solutions. Last season, our varsity tennis practices were cut short so that the middle school teams could access playable courts for matches. This is not sustainable for either program. I also want to address a separate but equally important concern is the lack of a high school assistant coach. Tennis matches and tournaments are often split across multiple sites, which means that our teams, half of our team is without a coach present. In those moments, students lack supervision, guidance, and an advocate. As parents, we are absolutely not permitted to step in, which makes the
046situation even more concerning. I personally witnessed an incident last season in which my son was intimidated by members of another team, and absolutely no coach was available to intervene. That team followed my child to the bathrooms in order to intimidate him, and I had to watch it happen. Our students deserve safe facilities, proper supervision, and the same level of support as other sports. This is no longer a future need. It is a current responsibility. I respectfully ask the board to prioritize necessary repairs to the tennis courts and address the need for adequate coaching support so that our students are no longer placed in preventable and unacceptable situations. THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> THANK YOU. NEXT IS QUINN COOK. >> UM HELLO. Good evening. I just want to first of all thank you all for letting
047me be able to voice my concerns. Uh, I'm going to be talking about, again, the problems with our tennis courts. So, I am a sophomore at CHS and I'm on the varsity tennis team. I really love playing and being around tennis and I am proud of the program that we have and the players that it produces, but the conditions of the court has made it harder and very unsafe for us to play. Last summer, I was playing on court eight, um, at the high school courts with my family and suddenly there was this weird dip in the court. I put a little bit of weight on it and then it gave out right under my foot. Luckily, I was I did not get injured, but I definitely easily could have and especially if I was,
048say, playing a real match, this would have been a huge issue. This experience really stuck with me and bothered me. It made me realize that every time we step out of the court, we take on a risk that shouldn't exist. And it's very preventable. As players, we just want a safe place to practice and compete. Like what has already been mentioned, last year the varsity boys team had to host our own invitational at Byron Center and then this Saturday the girls need to host their invitational at the Gainey Tennis Complex. Um, I think, personally, this is really embarrassing as, uh, for Caledonia Athletics and I don't think this should be a thing. We put a lot of time and effort into this sport. It would mean a lot to have facilities to reflect that. Thank
049you ALL FOR LISTENING. >> THANK YOU. QUINN, I'M SORRY. Zach Cupler. >> Hi. My name is Zach and I am a sixth grader on the Caledonia tennis team. I love playing tennis, but we really need better tennis courts. Our courts are literally falling apart. The nets are saggy, there are cracks everywhere, and I've even tripped and fallen in the cracks, and my shoes have gotten stuck in them. We could get hurt playing on these bad conditioned courts. The condition is seriously embarrassing. Thank you FOR HEARING ME. >> THANK YOU, ZACH. NEIL EWING. >> HELLO. My name is Neil Ewing. I've been playing tennis for 6 years, two of them at Duncan Lake Middle School. It's hard to feel confident when you're playing tennis, and every time you're on the court, you have a risk of
050being injured. These courts are in the worst condition I've ever played on, and it's humiliating when we have to host other people and teams, and we have to play at the high school because we cannot even play on our own courts. We deserve safer courts, and we need more attention. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. ANISA EWING. >> THAT WAS MY SON, NEIL, speaking about the tennis courts. I just want to share that tennis is um it really is a lifelong sport. My husband and I are rec tennis players, and we absolutely love it. And before Neil was in the tennis program a couple years ago, I had no idea what Caledonia had to offer from a tennis perspective. And I can tell you it has been really demoralizing, I would say is the word, especially
051as you travel around with your student to other schools and see what their facilities look like, especially the schools where you would not expect them to have such good tennis facilities. So, knowing that we live in an awesome community and Caledonia Athletics is awesome and we live in an affluent area, it is really shocking what the condition of the Duncan courts are in. Even the high school courts are needing repair. So, I would ask that we hear a plan for how to get this remedied. Thank you. >> THANK YOU. MARLOWE FERGINEAU? I'M SORRY. >> HELLO. My name is Marlowe. I'm a seventh grader at Duncan Lake Middle School and this is my second year playing tennis for Caledonia. For me, tennis isn't just a game. It's something I care about and I think everyone who
052plays tennis for Caledonia agrees. Every crack in our tennis courts is a reminder that we're being overlooked. It's unsafe and it's embarrassing when other teams see it. We want to feel proud when we represent our school and we shouldn't have to worry about injuries just to play sport we love. New courts would give us that pride and open doors to hosting tournaments. Tennis matters to us and we're asking you to see that. THANK YOU. >> THE LAST ONE TONIGHT IS BENJAMIN Vander I? Right? >> Uh Vander I. >> Thank you. >> So, my name is Ben and I've been playing tennis for around 5 years over summer tennis camps and playing on the middle school team. Every single Almost every single match that we've had to play, we have had to walk to the high
053school courts, which is just embarrassing when people ask why we play on the high school courts instead of the middle school courts and I have to say that our courts are not in good enough condition because of the cracks and the uneven courts and all that. Tennis is very important to me cuz I feel like it's one of the only sports where I don't have to like tackle someone or do all that. So, uh we're asking to fix our tennis courts. Thank you. >> OKAY, ON TO ITEM 12. Return the motion to adjourn. All in favor, say aye. >> Aye. >> We adjourn.