Superintendent Putnam Tackles Staff Contracts And Food Insecurity

St. Cloud School Superintendent Laurie Putnam is working to reach contract agreements with all the district staff.  She says they have agreements with their LPNs, sign language interpreters, bus drivers and a tentative agreement with their custodians.  Putnam says they are continuing to work with the remaining bargaining groups with hopes of coming to an agreement with each of them early in 2026.  She says they had hoped to have agreements will all groups prior to the Winter break.

Apollo Construction Projects

A name has been chosen for the yet to be built Apollo Multipurpose Athletic complex.  Putnam says the building will be called the Apex Athletic Center.  She explains the name was chosen because of the height of the building and the goal of reaching the top level of athletic training.  Putnam indicates the committee assigned to identify the name recommended Apex because it ties to achievement, peak performance, and excellence.  The committee was led by Apollo Principal Justin Skaalerud and consisted of district staff, students and families.  Putnam says construction of the Ambulance bay at Apollo will begin in March with construction of the new Apex Athletic Center in the spring of 2026.

Snow Day Policy

A snowy and cold start to the winter has led to one early release and one 2-hour late start in St. Cloud School District 742.  Putnam says the first time they cancel a day due to wintry weather is a traditional snow day with the next 5 becoming e-learning days.  If they surpass 5 e-learning days they would go to the school board to determine if school days would need to be made up.

Food Insecurity

A challenge for St. Cloud School District 742 is the large amount of families that deal with food insecurity.  Putnam explains winter and spring breaks can create a hardship for these families as breakfast and lunch is provided free of charge for students during school days.  Putnam says just under 70% of the families in the school district have food insecurity challenges.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Laurie Putnam, click below.