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Luverne School Board members agreed to dip into savings to make the new school commons area more impressive.
At their Dec. 17 meeting, they voted to add $70,000 to the original base bid of $250,000 for the flooring.
Board members approved spending up to $70,000 from the fund set up in 1994 with the consolidation of the Magnolia and Luverne districts.
Prior to the floor upgrade purchase, the consolidation fund balance was at $800,000.
Six months ago, the Luverne School Board agreed to place terrazzo flooring in the new commons currently under construction.
The flooring is similar to the terrazzo in the hallways first installed when the school was built in 1956.
Originally the base floor bid would have matched the brown, yellow, orange and tan-colored aggregate.
The upgraded terrazzo will incorporate the school’s red and white colors.
Red glass and mother-of-pearl aggregate brightens the look and improves first impressions when walking into the new entrance to the middle-high school, said board member Katie Baustian, who serves on the building committee.
“Personally, the ‘wow’ factor is well worth the money,” she said. “That’s the first place people see.”
Board members (minus board chairman Jodi Bosch, who was not at the meeting) agreed to pay for the upgrade in aggregate from the consolidation fund.
Originally, the consolidation fund was earmarked for technology. However, due to the district’s need to upgrade technology on a regular basis, district business manager Marlene Mann suggested the floor upgrade would be a better use for the consolidation funds.
“It’s a good use for one-time purchases rather than just put it in the general fund — we’re not going to regenerate those funds again,” she said.
The district made purchases of $219,000 for new Chromebooks and smart boards this school year. The technology was paid using coronavirus relief dollars.