Screen Photo Minot Public School Board members Sabrina Herrmann, Mitch Kraft, President Mike Gessner, Superintendent Mark Vollmer, board members Jim Rostad, Bonnie Berryman and Assistant Superintendent Scott Faul listen as Assistant Elementary Superintendent Bryn Iverson, right, presents a proposal for an English Learner Magnet School program, which she said is a possible efficiency to address the districtwide budget issue.

During the regular Minot Public School board meeting on Thursday, the board approved amendments to the Renaissance Zone previously voted on by the Ward County Board of Commissioners which relocated several blocks to cover hotels located on North Hill.

The amendments were reviewed to relocate some Renaissance Zone blocks to cover the Economy Hotel and the Vegas Hotel on North Hill.

Board member Jim Rostad, who also serves as a Ward County Commissioner, made a motion to approve the amendments, supporting in particular an amendment that would require greater financial investment from property owners seeking to apply for the Renaissance Zone program. The board voted unanimously to approve the adoption of the amendments.

“We more or less ensure that they will invest at least that much money in their remodeling and projects – especially in the North Hill area. It’s such a first impression when you come into our city. I look over and see Hardee’s sitting there and we’ve all heard about the Vegas Hotel and its problems, and the Roll-N-Pin,” Rostad said. “With a lot of these buildings up there, it’s going to take a lot of investment in capital.”

The board also approved three policy updates to shore up and clarify existing policy related to the sale and proceeds of district real estate and the disposal of school equipment and supplies.

“As we move forward with the sale of things like portable classrooms or the disposal of equipment, we’re getting requests, ‘Can I keep that chair that I had at Bell for all those years?’ We have to have a process in place,” Superintendent Mark Vollmer said, “It doesn’t change how we do business, but it solidifies that process.”

The approved policy would require that surplus or obsolete equipment or supplies would be assessed to determine if they couldn’t be used elsewhere in the district. If reassignment isn’t possible, items with no resale value will be offered to charitable and civic organizations at no cost. Those with resale value will be sold to the highest bidder either through sealed bids at auction or a public sale.

Assistant Elementary Superintendent Bryn Iverson gave a presentation on a proposal for a magnet school for English Learner students in the district. Iverson said the concept had been identified as a potential efficiency opportunity to cut down on travel time and costs for EL teachers by placing them in the same building as their students.

Iverson said that initial conversations were ongoing with principals, parents, and EL teachers in the district, but that educators were largely positive about the increased access to their students that the arrangement would provide. No vote was required from the board at this time.