[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6575818,"mediaKeyId","5704379-a5e8e60295509eb8a9366ad026767b16","parentId",5704379,"title","Houston Public School District board approves multiple facilities projects, insurance renewal and co-op sports agreements; nonrenewal resolution passes","audioSeconds",330,"startMs",3660000,"endMs",3990000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5704379-a5e8e60295509eb8a9366ad026767b16&start=3660&end=3990","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5704379-a5e8e60295509eb8a9366ad026767b16/thumbnail_3660000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6575818/Minnesota/Houston-Public-School-District-board-approves-multiple-facilities-projects-insurance-renewal-and-co-op-sports-agreements-nonrenewal-resolution-passes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575818-ce07fc8bf2ee807b51e77d009a3b12e9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770971501&Signature=RbZp13GwTWgvX5px4x8WLtKBE2x-tvGOPxESx1IeKRxTGBNjH~jet32VHw-n8kAVhyaANIlBpyS8a41onbd~95jb~TuNYiGddbexn0TNO9VInkL7UQaLrGASbGJBAxMqgiFOqboI~bAxGTSWCnPEfio9xX-3MT~eaYDvZwlpBPMv8cYUO73qDPNxj3h-SVj5qqGd7Or74jZ7TQ2GQDMGZXnXuTR17AjKqKFCdXi0YfDmhdVfXjtEr8sVayIlEd~F09Owr4Nt30~7T4u11ksn2iou~krnQ4f1L0AJ9NiB17Ayg6b87f3S8Bmrq3sGWq7cbD9nlDsk2j2cTxSynsXgZA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","HPS 294","date","2025-05-02T12:39:09Z","article","At its regular meeting, the Houston Public School District board approved a series of facilities projects funded through long-term facilities maintenance, accepted an insurance renewal quote, renewed athletic cooperative agreements, accepted donations and passed a resolution nonrenewing one probationary teacher contract, among other routine business.

Facilities: The board approved multiple facilities items recommended by the facilities committee and funded from long-term facilities maintenance. Items approved included a concrete quote (contractor referred to in packet as \"Miter concrete\"), completion of laundry-room flooring work, a high-school secure entry project that repurposes part of the current space for a secure vestibule, paving work at the bus barn, and an overhaul of the bus garage. On the baseball/softball fields, the facilities committee recommended and the board approved keeping a limestone infield surface for maintenance and multi-use reasons. Board members said the projects were in the facilities packet and that the district’s available long-term facilities maintenance funds would cover the work; board members directed staff to proceed with the individual contracts.

Insurance and procurement: The board accepted an insurance renewal proposal from EMC with higher premiums compared with the prior year. Administration reported increases in property coverage (about $16,000 increase for property), an increase in auto coverage figures and a roughly $20,000 overall increase across lines, while noting the district continues to maintain a flat $25,000 deductible for wind and hail rather than a percentage deductible. The board voted to accept the quote as presented.

Food service and bids: The district opened sealed food-service bids per procurement schedule; one vendor submitted a bid by the deadline. The board will review the sealed bid and take final action at the June 4 meeting.

Athletics co-op agreements: The board voted to continue cooperative athletic agreements with neighboring districts (listed in meeting materials) for the 2025–26 school year and asked administrators to relay parent feedback and suggestions — including communication, team identity and inclusion items — to the co-op partners for follow-up.

Personnel and donations: The board approved a resolution nonrenewing 1.0 FTE of a probationary teaching contract for Dane P. Wiscow effective May 30, 2025; the board conducted a roll-call vote on that resolution and recorded the motion as carried. The board also accepted several donations listed in the packet, including amounts from the Houston Lions Club, the Houston American Legion and a named donor for the courage retreat and musical club.

Process notes: Several motions were approved by voice vote and without roll-call counts recorded in the public audio. Where motions involved budget impacts, administrators said the expenses are covered by either the long-term facilities maintenance fund or the district general fund; staff noted the on-site budget would not have included any retroactive settlement for the grievance discussed earlier unless the board chose to fund one.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025-05-01 Regular Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The Houston Public School District board approved multiple long‑term facilities maintenance projects, accepted an insurance renewal, continued athletic co‑op arrangements and passed a resolution to nonrenew one probationary teaching contract during its regular meeting.","taxTitle","HOUSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, School Boards, Minnesota","taxId",57483,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6575823,"Teacher union brings level 3 grievance alleging unfair labor practices; board votes to deny and refer to arbitration",2889,763000,3652000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5704379-a5e8e60295509eb8a9366ad026767b16&start=763&end=3652","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5704379-a5e8e60295509eb8a9366ad026767b16/thumbnail_763000.jpg","/articles/6575823/Minnesota/Teacher-union-brings-level-3-grievance-alleging-unfair-labor-practices-board-votes-to-deny-and-refer-to-arbitration","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575823-b57072f983cb8e1c8d50627e4ae3c494/orig.mp4?Expires=1770971501&Signature=mVHFEJTAOW3GTz4e8puYaD3ZlPQ~ShefWfRyjrOG1h~YEJHF~xheYBo8dEoLDWvFYRJnu4IsL~G72siZLZg4QxfcbD6nTiMg3q4RQMS6v1Euhzz9TpotclywAVwxHgSSXVz2YPzm-iGS5Rn8ZI43wMbdLBCoeH92SzDa9oWTkNG9TGROAox~fPtWRaakd3vW0CkRJcXE4qZQMp4sxEWSW3U8FYrW1KNptcdacJCwww8E9dPC0CWetTXtUGzqyhLt9ttZFPN3~jsL~UOJFkTwup5zIKi9I5Eg8qro41TKUU4syEcnH5woWnRvdJ4KyPyUvrmdKrYu5B2RPtTqEqJkCA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kyle Taylor, a high-school teacher and president of the teachers’ union, presented a level 3 grievance to the Houston Public School District board, saying the district had not followed the district’s master agreement when issuing extended (0.25) contracts and other overload compensation. Taylor said administrators gave extended-contract pay to some returning teachers rather than adjusting those teachers’ full-time-equivalent (FTE) level based on student workload, and that practice amounted to an unfair labor practice. \"Those 25 students should be counting toward their total student numbers not issued a separate 0.25 extended contract,\" Taylor said.

Taylor walked the board through multiple examples he said illustrated inconsistent placement on the salary schedule, uneven use of 0.25 extended contracts, and differing treatment of online and on-site workloads. He told the board he reviewed student-count data and the district’s contract language and concluded the discrepancy was costing the district. \"When I adjusted those levels based on the numbers that the school gave me, this cost of not following our contract is $1,600,000,\" Taylor said. He proposed a non-precedent, one-time equity payment to make compensation between groups more comparable and described a formula he had placed in a spreadsheet for administrators to review.

Patty Herman, joining the meeting online, acknowledged the historical and COVID-era practices that contributed to the situation and said she looked forward to negotiating language tailored to online staff. Mary (last name not specified) confirmed she had the spreadsheet Taylor referenced and could share underlying student data for verification.

Board members discussed options. Administrators and board members noted parts of the issue affected different programs (for example ALP and credit recovery) and that some workload definitions relevant to special education and multilingual learners were not explicit in the current contract. Mary told the board the on-site budget impact of any retroactive payment would be roughly $43,000–$44,000 and that the district had already approved the extended contracts at issue.

After discussion, a board member moved to deny the level 3 grievance and refer the matter to arbitration under the terms of the master agreement. The motion passed by voice vote; the board indicated the denial and referral would be recorded on the grievance form and the district and union would proceed to arbitration.

The board took no immediate payment action; Taylor asked that the board consider a non-precedent settlement for the current year to address perceived inequities, and he gave the board seven working days to respond in writing per the grievance process. Administrators agreed to review the spreadsheet and underlying student data during that period.

The presentation and the board’s decision establish that the dispute will proceed to level 4 arbitration. Any final remedy or payment will depend on the arbitration outcome or a negotiated settlement between the district and the union.","At a Houston Public School District board meeting, high-school teacher and union president Kyle Taylor presented a level 3 grievance alleging the district violated the master agreement in assigning extended contracts and compensating overload work. The board voted to deny the grievance and send it to arbitration.","actionData","errors"]

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Houston Public School District board approves multiple facilities projects, insurance renewal and co-op sports agreements; nonrenewal resolution passes

Teacher union brings level 3 grievance alleging unfair labor practices; board votes to deny and refer to arbitration