HOUGHTON — Houghton-Portage Township Schools would be subject to an upcoming federal mandate requiring employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4, 2022, or undergo weekly testing, Superintendent Doreen Kramer said at Tuesday’s Houghton-Portage Township School District board meeting.

“I have been in contact with our attorneys,” she said. “Their basic answer right now is just to stay tuned.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard applies to workplaces with 100 or more employees. It includes private businesses across the country. In states with OSHA-approved state plans, it also applies to state and municipal employees, according to an OSHA fact sheet on the mandates.

The federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily halted the regulations earlier this week.

Kramer said she had spoken with the district’s union president about the mandate. Treasurer Rob Fay suggested broader communication to staff.

“Coming from an industry that has a very similar mandate, the more we can communicate upfront, even if it’s a ‘We know this has the potential to impact us, be aware,’ it’s going to go a lot more than the ‘Oh, by the way, in two weeks we need to be done,'” he said.

The mandate would take effect Jan. 4.

Kramer said since Sept. 7, the district has had 24 positive cases confirmed by the health department and 11 probable cases among staff and students. There has been some school spread, but the majority is occurring in the household. In the high school, 70% of students have gotten vaccinated so far, Kramer said.

Seven companies in Houghton County had more than 100 employees, according to Houghton County’s most recent master plan. Michigan Technological University is requiring vaccinations starting in January under a separate mandate for institutions with federal contracts.

The district is also in a good financial position, according to an audit report presented at Tuesday’s board meeting.

Lynn Mott, an accountant from Anderson, Tackman & Co., presented the findings. There were no verbal recommendations, and the audit showed all internal controls were functioning, Mott said.

The district increased its fund balance by $1,261,683 overall and by $806,184 in the general fund. Almost $428,000 in general fund revenue came from federal COVID-19 relief. Because the money has to be spent, the bottom line is “pretty much a wash,” Mott said.

“So that $806,000 increase into your general fund is pretty much accurate, pretty true to what your district would have seen even if you hadn’t received the coronavirus relief funds,” she said.

Anderson, Tackman did the district’s audit for the first time this year after the death of longtime auditor Debbie Bradford of Rukkila, Negro & Associates. Because the new auditor was named after the new fiscal year, they weren’t present for the physical inventory of food products.

“It’s a large enough dollar amount that if it was not correct, it could make a major impact on your financial statements,” Mott said.

Because of the potential difference, Mott issued a qualified opinion, rather than the unmodified one the district has traditionally had. The qualified opinion shouldn’t affect federal compliance. Mott said she would notify the state of the situation and what they could not do because of the timing. Next year, there should be enough time to document the counts, she said.

“We do not expect this to have any negative impact to you at all,” she said. “And going forward, that should not be a problem.”

The board also heard from Elementary Principal Anders Hill that the school placed highest in the U.P. in U.S. News & World Report’s first ranking of elementary schools. The school ranked 86th among Michigan elementary schools, garnering an overall rating of 94.3.