May 10—MITCHELL — The Mitchell Board of Education will hold its first review of the proposed 2023-24 district budget Thursday evening.

The review will take place during the board's regular board meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 11 in Room 110 at the Mitchell Career & Technical Education Academy. The meeting is open to the public.

The proposed budget shows a general fund of $23,373,071, a slight increase over the $21,622,771 from the 2022-23 school year budget. In the capital outlay fund, the district is proposing a budget of $4,966,942, which is also up from the $4,849,467 originally budgeted for the previous school year.

In the special education fund, the district is proposing a budget number of $6,162,180, an increase over the $5,282,364 from the previous year. The food service budget would see an increase to $2,294,998 from the $2,260,805 budgeted for the 2022-23 school year.

Those numbers total $36,797,191 for the proposed 2023-24 district budget, compared to $34,015,407 in 2022-23.

The board is also expected to hear an update on the construction of the new Mitchell High School building at the meeting.

Construction crews have been busy the past month working on the new structure just across Capital Street from the current high school building. The work is the culmination of years of planning by district officials to construct a facility.

"The construction crews have been hard at work, and their progress is evident," incoming district superintendent Joe Childs said in his agenda notes. "They have poured footings along the inside wall and have now moved on to the stem wall. This is a significant milestone, and it brings us just another step closer toward a recognizable structure."

Childs also noted that workers have also focused on the east practice field.

District voters will head to the polls June 11 to decide if proposed athletic facilities will also be included in the current construction project. Plans for the new high school originally included those athletic facilities to be included but construction cost increases forced district officials to move forward with the classrooms portion of the project with the financing they had already secured and seek a bond issue approval from the public to complete the project as originally envisioned.

Childs is expected to give further updates at the Thursday meeting.

The board is expected to review the following personnel moves:

* The new certified hire of Brooke Brummett, special education teacher at Mitchell High School, $48,100; Christian Fossum, 0.4 FTE math teacher at Mitchell High School, $20,721; Kamden Miller, social studies at Mitchell High School, $62,900 and Bobby Reindl, assistant principal at Mitchell High School, $85,000. All hires are effective for the 2023-24 school year.

* The classified hires of Becky Kurth, accounts receivable, $19.50, effective May 15, 2023 and Pat Larson, head football coach, $6,288, effective 2023-24 school year.

* The transfers of Bridget Huber, 4-5 multiage teacher at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary to third grade teacher at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary and Ashley Sand, 4-5 multiage teacher at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary to third grade teacher at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary. Both transfers are effective for the 2023-24 school year.

* The resignations of Sarah Timmer, third grade teacher at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary, effective end of 2023-24 school year; Sandy Sheets, paraeducator at Mitchell Middle School, effective end of the 2022-23 school year and Bobby Reindl, assistant principal at Mitchell Middle School, effective end of the 2022-23 school year.

Also at the meeting, the board is expected to:

* Consider approval of policy 222 revision upon second reading.

* Consider approval of sale of ADBC program student-built house #109.

* Hear public commentary.

* Hear board member reports.

* Here the superintendent report.

The meeting is open to the public. The Mitchell Republic will livestream the meeting on its website.