The good news is that repeat air testing in the High School, after implementation of preliminary mitigation steps, show a significant reduction in the PCE and TCE vapors to levels well below the EPA "Action levels".  The district will continue the mitigation (primarily increasing the air flow through the HVAC system) until more permanent solutions are in place.  Plans are proceeding to install a "depressurization" system to lower the concentration of vapors beneath the slab to prevent them from entering the building.

The Board did spend more than an hour last night with representatives from Klinke Cleaners, the DNR, the testing company, and experts hired to guide the remediation.  I was surprised to learn that soil contamination was first detected on the Klinke site in 2008, and removal of contaminated soil was done in 2010.  Klinke Cleaners has been funding the testing and cleanup efforts at the high school. The Wisconsin dry cleaner's association does have a fund to help with the costs of environment remediation.
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In other business:

Technology update:  the board heard a detailed report from IT Director Bill Herman on the state of our technology infrastructure.  In brief: not good and falling behind, without outdated and inadequate equipment and support.  Bill presented an "adequate funding" proposal that included a nearly $200K increase in funding to support our educational goals.  You can find Bill's presentation here.

The one bright spot in: a federal stimulus funded program will bring us desperately needed high bandwidth internet access by the beginning of next year.

Buy a Bus seat:  The board also considered a "Buy a seat" program where students within our new 2 mile walk zones would have the option to receive school bus transportation for a fee of $150 on a space available basis.  It's unfortunate that we have to go this direction.

Nuestro Mundo Dual Language Immersion:  The board considered the application process for the Nuestro Mundo program to be operated with the Madison School district in Maywood next year.  Applicants have until June 29th this year to apply to enter the Kindergarten class.  Monona Grove has up to 5 spots reserved, if more than 5 applications are received there will be a random draw for the positions.

A Klunker...

Families of MG High School students have received an Email from Superintendent Gerlach related to the issue of chemical vapors in the High School that developed last week.  You can read the Email here, the Cap Times story about the situation here, and additional information can be found on the Klinke Cleaners website here.

In brief, the district was notified last week by the DNR that vapors from solvents that used to be used in the dry cleaning process have been detected in soil samples and may have been seeping into the high school from underground.  As you may know Klinke Cleaners has operated a dry cleaning facility on the property adjacent to the high school for many years.

Air sampling was performed in the High School starting Wednesday, and the results reviewed on Saturday.  Very low levels of chemical vapors were detected, with the highest levels found in the Auditorium.  The highest levels detected, 10.7ppbv (parts per billion by volume) of PCE (tetracholorethylene) is about twice the DNR's recommended "Action limit" for indoor air.  Lower levels were found in other locations, all below the action limits.

Much higher levels were found in the air samples taken from below the building's concrete slab.

In response, the Administration has taken steps to lower the levels of these solvent vapors, including caulking around the building and sealing drain vents, and increasing air exchange through the HVAC system.  The district is also working with Klinke cleaners to install a system to "Depressurize" the area under the building foundation to prevent vapors from entering through the foundation.

I've looked at the literature related to PCE, and while not an expert, I am personally not concerned about  health risks at the levels detected (although we definitely need to reduce or eliminate the exposure in the building).   PCE is classified as a potential or probable (depending on which agency is doing the evaluation) human carcinogen, primarily due to experiments in rats and mice at higher levels of exposure.  Occupational exposure limits are set at 100ppm (parts per million) by OSHA and 20 ppm by the European agency for 40 hours/week.  The OSHA limit is 10,000 times higher than what was detected in the high school.

The chicken hatches...

The chicken that we've been counting for months has finally hatched as the Madison School Board at long last approved the lease & operating agreement to house the Nuestro Mundo school at Maywood.
As reported in the WSJ. 

This will have a positive impact on the district finances and provide a unique opportunity for students in our district.