School board approves extension to Laser buyer

At its regular meeting Tuesday night, the Kalispell school board approved a 30-day contract extension to the church that has offered to buy the Laser School property.

The sale of Laser School was supposed to close July 2, but the buyer, Glacier Mountain Fellowship, requested an extension. The church, which is currently located on U.S. 93 south of Kalispell, hopes to sell property in Whitefish and use that money as part of its down payment on the school.

Trustees approved the extension but said the church would have to pay an additional $2,000 nonrefundable deposit.

Glacier Mountain Fellowship already has paid a $10,000 nonrefundable deposit; the total deposit will be released to the district July 17. The total $12,000 deposit is credited toward the $550,000 purchase price.

When the sale goes through, the money will go into the high-school building fund, which can be used for anything related to school facilities. The school board will set priorities as to how the money should be spent, District Clerk Todd Watkins said.

Some money may be used for improving the district's warehouse facilities, he said. Currently, the warehouse is in the basement of the central administration building, which also houses the Flathead County Library. The library is looking for a new facility; if it moves, the district probably would use the entire building.

Originally, the district considered purchasing the old Fun Beverage building on U.S. 2 west of Kalispell.

"But as we look at that, we don't really like that setup," Watkins said.

Building a bus barn might be another priority, he said.

Glacier Mountain Fellowship has until Aug. 6 to close the deal; if the church fails to do so, the property will be back on the market. Laser, one of the district's alternative high schools, has moved to the Linderman School building.

At the meeting, trustees also renewed Superintendent Darlene Schottle's contract. The board evaluated Schottle's performance in January, and at that time offered her a one-year extension to her current contract, which she accepted. Her contract expires June 30, 2010.

The board also approved a 4 percent salary increase, giving Schottle nearly $110,000 annually, as well as a 1 percent increase to her 401a retirement plan and an increased cell phone allowance.

The board awarded a three-year, $244,080 beverage vending contract to Park Bottling Co., a Pepsi-Cola distributor. The term begins Aug. 1 and includes supplying beverages for all school facilities and concessions.

Trustees approved a one-year contract renewal for non-union employees. The contract includes an average 4 percent salary increase, an additional personal day for 260-day employees and standardized holidays.

The board approved one-year transportation contracts for five bus contractors.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com