School board approves bid for high school renovations

Havre Public Schools Board of Trustees approved a proposed bid for renovations to Havre High School bathrooms Tuesday night at the board’s monthly meeting at Havre Middle School’s Auditorium.

Havre Public Schools Superintendent Andy Carlson said the bid, $536,000, was submitted by Wadsworth Builders Company Inc., a construction company from Great Falls. He added that, if approved, renovations would start in May.

The renovations would be to the bathrooms on the west side of the gym, Carlson said.

Board member Tim Scheele and Carlson wanted to emphasize that funding for this project would not raise taxes in any way.

“We are not doing a levy, we’re not using building reserve, we’re not running a bond. We’re not raising taxes to do this,” Carlson said.

Carlson said previously that the bid was low enough that money in the budget would cover the cost.

Carlson added that under Montana statute 20-9-204, Havre High School must accept the lowest bid.

The board voted unanimously to accept the bid from Wadsworth Builders Company Inc., and allow construction to commence.

Havre High School Principal Ed Norman discussed the state of the campus following the suspension of class for one day and lockdown following an apparent threat of a school shooting.

Norman said the school is slowly coming back to its normal mood, but that during the lockdown, a culture of closeness between students and faculty developed.

He added that when students entered the school during the lockdown, they saw about four or five teachers before they got to class.

“In the end, teachers are having kids say hi to them that they’ve never had in class,” Norman said. “That’s one thing that I’m going to take away from this. As a principal, I’m always trying to improve the culture in my building … . There’s a closeness that wasn’t there before.”

The school is taking steps to monitor student activity outside the classroom, such as having sign-out sheets for students who go to the bathroom during class, Norman said.

“With somebody having the ability to go the bathroom and write something on a stall or on a wall in the bathroom, made us look at how many kids were leaving classrooms to go to the bathroom.”

He added that during the lockdown, students couldn’t leave the classroom or, if they did, had to be escorted by an adult.

Norman said the teachers have reported that fewer students are leaving the classroom to go to the bathroom now.

At the start of the meeting, the board recognized Havre High student Natalie Verploegen for her excellence in cinematography. Carlson said she was nominated by Norman and that she also won the Triangle Communications Best in the West contest.

Norman and the board also recognized Havre High student and wrestler Austin Ratliff, who was representing students at the board, for coming in second place in his weight class at the state wrestling championship last weekend.