ENG 2025-26 Family Update No. 19

Dear Northfield Public Schools Families:

In alignment with our strategic commitment to communication, I have some discouraging news to share today regarding the bids we’ve received for the Reimagine Northfield High School construction project. Construction bids were significantly higher than expected with substantially fewer bids submitted than anticipated. We are looking deeper into why this is the case in an effort to understand what our next steps should be.

What happened?

• We did not have a competitive bid day for all aspects of the project. While many bid packages had significant competition, three major packages (masonry, precast concrete, and structural steel) only had one bid each, despite having multiple companies attend the prebid walkthrough.
  
• Some bids (specifically mechanical) were significantly higher than projected.
  
• In total, the bids were 20% higher than expected, or approximately $19 million more than budgeted.
  
• It is important to note that our architectural partner, Wold Architects and Engineers, and our construction management firm, Knutson Construction, both have extensive experience with this type of project. Each conducted multiple independent estimates throughout the design process to prioritize budget alignment. Those estimates did not project these significant differences.
  
• The markets are becoming increasingly difficult to predict. By way of example, a bid for a grant-funded renovation project at the Northfield Community Education Center came in 29% below projection in February. While this project was much smaller, estimated at $350,000, it illustrates the complex nature of the economy at the time.

Why did this happen?

The main reasons appear to be:

• Global instability, mainly due to the Middle East conflict, has affected petroleum products, which are integral to construction projects.
  
• There are continued concerns about tariffs and their impact on material costs.
  
• There are additional market pressures. One example is that the rapid construction of data centers has impacted the precast concrete and steel industry, both in production and scheduling.
  

What will we do next?

• Wold and Knutson are communicating with companies that chose not to bid to more fully understand their reasoning.
  
• The district is working with Wold and Knutson to rebid some packages, review and adjust design, and integrate existing funds, such as earned interest from the first bond sale and existing long-term facilities maintenance funding, to supplement the project. For clarity, the district will not use the unrestricted general fund to support the project.
  

While this news is not what we were expecting, we are committed to finding solutions that lead to student-centered, effective, and fiscally responsible decisions for the Reimagine Northfield High School project. Overall, we continue to look forward and are optimistic about what lies ahead. We appreciate your ongoing interest and support, helping Northfield Public Schools prepare every student for lifelong success.

We will continue to provide updates in future communications. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or feedback.

Sincerely,

Matt

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Matt Hillmann, Ed.D.

Superintendent

On Tuesday, March 17, Northfield High School partnered with the Northfield Chamber of Commerce and Workforce Development, Inc. of Southeast Minnesota to host a Workforce Readiness Fair for all grade levels.

Ninth graders learned job market tips and interview do's and don'ts. Tenth and eleventh graders chose from 20 sessions on careers, resume building, communication skills and managing a first paycheck. Twelfth graders connected directly with local employers at a mini job fair.

We are grateful to our community partners for providing this opportunity to our students!

One of our strategic plan benchmarks is that all parents report satisfaction with their children’s educational experience. As part of that commitment, we conduct an annual parent/caregiver survey.

Thank you to the 164 people who have responded so far. Our goal is to have 700 responses. The survey responses help us to identify areas of success and areas for improvement. We use the feedback you provide to improve our school district. The survey also allows for open-ended comments, as well as a space to recognize our educators’ great work through the “shoutout” question.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your feedback. We are grateful for your partnership.

The Northfield School District partners with KYMN radio to produce the “Doing Good Things for Kids” podcast. During the year, Superintendent Hillmann will interview members of our school community who demonstrate high performance.

• April 6: Special board meeting for interview training and discussing public input report, interview questions and procedures.
  
• April 7: Superintendent application deadline.
  
• April 9-16: Board members review applications.
  
• April 16: Special board meeting to determine finalists, interview questions and procedures.
  
• April 24 & 25: Superintendent first round interviews.
  
• April 29: Superintendent second round interviews.
  
• May 4: Special board meeting to approve superintendent employment contract.