OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE
SOUTH TAMA COUNTY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Board of Directors of the Community School District of South Tama County met on August 22, 2023 for a Regular Session at the Partnership Center, Tama, Iowa at 5:00 p.m. with members of the community attending electronically through Google Hangouts.
On call of the roll the following were present: Mandy Lekin, Elizabeth Dolezal, Megan Thiessen, Clint Werner, and Beth Wiese. Quorum Present. Also present were: Superintendent John Cain, Board Secretary Katie Mathern, Mary Mixdorf, Brad Schweppe, Ben Adams, Kris Collins, Steve McAdoo, Michelle Wiegand, Danny Mayo, Vern Jefferson, Sam Peska, Rob Boley, Chelsea Ahrens, Robert Tyynismaa, Tommy Tyynismaa, James Brant, Braxten Rohrs, Cade Rosenberger, Trey Etzen, Cody Blocker, Jeremy Dolash, Holden Schirmer, and members of the community through Google Hangouts.
Motion by Thiessen, second by Wiese, to approve the agenda with the addition of agenda item (reports) 6.E. Esports. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Dolezal, second by Wiese to approve the following consent agenda items: minutes from the August 7, 2023 regular Board meeting, bills for payment as presented, financials, Iowa Valley Summer College Credit Contract, AIA Agreement, and CEC PLR Change Order. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Public Comments – Danny Mayo spoke to the Board about the high school academic eligibility criteria.
Each building administrator gave updates on positions currently unfilled and the plan on coverage for those positions, if needed.
Sam Peska updated the Board with the professional development plan for the year.
Vern Jefferson was introduced as the new School Resource Officer for the District.
Chelsea Ahrens spoke to the Board about an ESports Sponsor paid position. This is the 3rd year of offering ESports as a school sponsored club at STC. After two years of starting the program from the ground up, having some success, and continuing to grow the program, it is felt this position should receive a stipend for the amount of time they spend with the kids and the length of each season. This position would be considered a level III coaching position with a full year contract.
Motion by Wiese, second by Werner to approve the following personnel requests. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Hires: Jeff DeBondt - Assistant 8th Grade Football Coach, Tyler Fulks - Fall Musical Costumer, Tyler Fulks - Spring Play Costumer, George Kuhter - Assistant 7th Grade Football Coach, and Craig Harrison - Varsity Boys Basketball
Resignations: Victoria Hamilton - High School Webmaster and Debbie Price - Paraeducator
Officials: Middle School Volleyball - Glen Taylor, Tiffany Thiessen, Amy Dolash, Tessa Matherly, and Eugene Ubben and MS Football - Dave Nitz
Volunteers: Mary Fasse-Shaw - Fall Musical, Speech, Spring Plays, Jeff Shaw - Fall Musical, Speech, Spring Plays, Collen Probasco - Fall Musical, Speech, Spring Plays, Dalton Rosenburg - MS/HS Wrestling, Travis Smith - MS/HS Wrestling, Baron Davis - MS/HS Wrestling, Mike Wedmore - HS Basketball, Larry Fletcher - HS Basketball, and Mike Carnahan - HS ESports
2023-2024 Lead Teachers: Nate Doran - Art and Teresa Smith - Music
Motion by Dolezal, second by Wiese to approve the ISG invoice, in the amount of $89,777.68, for bidding and construction admin/close-out. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Dolezal, second by Thiessen to approve Pay Application #4, from Garling, in the amount of $44,180.37, for construction services. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Thiessen to approve the IXL Learning renewal quote, in the amount of $6,413.00, for a site license (grades 5-8; 450 students) subjects: Math and Science. Learning loss funds will be used for this purchase. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Thiessen, second by Dolezal to approve the Mindfulness & Social Emotional Wellness Consulting quote, in the amount of $5,985.00, for resources for Brainpower Wellness. Stronger Connections Grant funds will be utilized to cover this expense. Ayes: Lekin, Dolezal, Thiessen, and Wiese Nays: Werner The motion carried.
The Board recognized the State Track Qualifiers and their accomplishments. In the 1600-meter run, Tommy Tyynismaa placed 2nd and James Brant placed 7th. Tyynismaa placed 2nd in the 800-meter run. The 4x800 relay team of James Brant, Tommy Tyynismaa, Braxten Rohrs, and Cade Rosenberger finished 12th. The Distance Medley team of Tommy Tyynismaa, Trey Etzen, Cody Blocker, and James Brant earned a 6th place finish. The athletes shared what they enjoyed about the season with the Board.
Motion by Thiessen, second by Dolezal to approve the Thomas Company bid, in the amount of $9,311.00, for a new furnace/AC in the District Administration Building. ESSER funds will be used for this purchase. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Thiessen to approve the H-1B Visa for a teacher transitioning from the Philippines to work at South Tama. Legal counsel has approved this process. Ayes: Lekin, Dolezal, Thiessen, and Wiese Nays: Werner The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Dolezal to approve the Riverside Technologies, Inc. quote, in the amount of $11,809.71, for the router that serves the school buildings, bus barn, and District Administration Building. ESSER funds will be used for this purchase. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Thiessen to approve the Cleaver Brooks quotes, in the amounts of $6,800.00 and $7,200.00, for annual boiler inspections (Tama and Toledo). All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Werner, second by Wiese to table the reading of the following policies: 402.02 - Required Professional Development for Employees, 402.05 (new) - Child Abuse Reporting, 408.01 (formerly known as 401.04) - Licensed Employee Professional Development, and 601.01 - School Calendar. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Thiessen, second by Dolezal to approve Ahlers and Cooney as the District’s legal counsel. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Werner, second by Wiese to table the handbook updates. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Werner to approve the final 28E agreement for the School Resource Officer position. All Ayes. The motion carried.
The Board followed-up on the Board Administrative Work Session. The Board is looking to continue the work in this area and take a deeper dive. They reviewed options of how they might be able to accomplish this.
The administrative team outlined a format for Board meeting presentations. The Board discussed what data they hope to have reported from each building and reviewed the presentation dates.
The Board reviewed Personnel openings as of August 23, 2023.
Superintendent Cain presented a spreadsheet with legislative updates and the requirements/mandates each need. The goal is to provide the Board with updates on the District’s progress towards the recent legislation and lay out a timeline for the work that lies ahead.
Superintendent Cain provided an update on the middle school project. The groundbreaking ceremony was held prior to the meeting. Bid Package One’s punch list has 80 items that will be addressed.
Superintendent Cain reported it was a great first week back with staff. Looking forward to the start of school with students, it will be hot and Mr. Cain communicated the procedures to families that there might be a need for early dismissal on Wednesday and Thursday. The LTRS training is looking promising. Mr. Cain stated one of his goals this year is for staff to have the mental strength not only for students, but enough in each staff member’s tank to take home to their families. The 78th IASB Annual Convention and Trade Show is November 15 - 17, 2023. School Board elections are this year and papers can be filed at the District Administration Building from August 28th - September 21st.
Motion by Wiese, second by Dolezal to adjourn the regular meeting at 7:29 p.m.
Mandy Lekin, Board President Katie Mathern, Board Secretary