**Land bid awarded; property sale yields no response**
At the Dell Rapids School Board’s most recent meeting, Aug. 27, the group heard bids on two different advertised sales.

A sale of surplus property, which included each of the temporary white buildings used for extra classroom space at the old elementary building, received no bids. The bids were to include moving of the buildings themselves at the expense of the buyer.

The buildings were put to the bidding process, as each were appraised at more than $500, according to school business manager Barb Littel.

“I figured there’d be more interest in them than that,” board president Tom Morris said, surprised that parties who’d expressed interest in the buildings previously did not bid.

Littel suggested the board consider trying to bid out the buildings again in the spring, when schools are growing and possibly in need of more space.

The other bids that recently came due were for a tract of land near the new elementary building, for which Mark Crisp was the sole bidder. His bid for $10,000 included a check for $1,000 sent in earnest to the district up front.

The board awarded the land bid.

**Start time transition smooth, principals say**
New elementary principal Jay Nelson reported at the school board’s meeting last week on the beginning of the school year, as well as potential testing coming up for grade-schoolers.

He cited near-100 percent attendance for the open house held recently and that students, teachers and parents alike are acquainting themselves to the new 8:30 a.m. start time.

“Everybody is making adjustments to the new schedule,” he said.

Additionally, Nelson told the board that the elementary would be implementing baseline testing in reading and math to gauge where students are at in those areas.

“It’s something that has been done before,” he said. “My plan is to get some progress logged throughout the year and get a good idea of where students are academically.”

Middle school principal Fran Ruesink also brought first-week goings-on to the board’s attention, saying that the early start time yielding no tardies on the first day and a total of six for the entirety of week one.

“It’s gone pretty smoothly,” he said. “It’s kind of a shock when it’s 3:30, and it’s vacant and quiet.”

**Board considers short-term parking at high school**
Dell Rapids superintendent Summer Schultz commented at the school board’s most recent meeting that the lack of short-term parking at the middle and high schools was troublesome.

“There is no quick parking,” she said, citing parents or community members’ inability to stop at the building during the school day without having to conduct a lengthy search for available spaces.

“I think we need two to three spots right out here,” she said, gesturing to the area in the front area of the building. “I think it would be more of a courteous thing to the community and to parents to just be able to run in.”

Morris suggested the school implement a 15-minute parking area effective during the school day. Board member Steve Stofferahn questioned the district’s ability to patrol the 15-minute rule, though Schultz suggested administrators could keep an eye out throughout the day for student vehicles potentially parked in the spaces.

The board made no clear plan to assign spaces for short-term parking at the meeting.