REGULAR SESSION
OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE
SOUTH TAMA COUNTY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Board of Directors of the South Tama County Community School District met in Regular Session on January 24, 2022 at the Elementary School, 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, Penny Tyynismaa, Clint Werner, Elizabeth Dolezal, Beth Wiese. Absent: None. Quorum Present. Also present were: Superintendent Jared Smith, Board Secretary Randy Denham, Curriculum Director Samantha Peska, Student Council Sponsor Emily Chyma, and several members of the community.
Dr. Smith informed the Board that an additional resignation had come in earlier in the day and asked to have it added to the Personnel section of the agenda. Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Werner to approve the revised agenda as presented. All Ayes.
Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Dolezal to approve the following consent agenda items: Minutes from the January 10, 2022 regular meeting; Bills for payment as presented; Financial Statements as presented; MOU with iJag for the 2022-2023 school year; NHS Valentine’s Flower Fundraiser, Student Council Trivia Night Fundraiser, Student Council Dance Ticket Fundraiser; Lauderdale Family donation for $100,983; Agreement with ICN for Internet Network Services; and a contract with Halverson Photography for the 2022-23 school year. All Ayes.
Public Comments – None.
Student Council Sponsor Emily Chyma gave an update to the Board on upcoming Student Council Activities. Ms. Chyma informed the Board of the following fundraisers: Trivia night fundraiser on February 25 to raise funds for overnight bags for foster students and a Sweatpants dance on February 26. Ms. Chyma also stated that the Student Council is looking to put on a multicultural fair this school year but no date has been set.
Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Wiese to approve the following personnel requests. All Ayes.
Hires: Kylee Hoskins – Behavior Intervention Specialist; Dale Peterson – Bus Driver; Jennifer Nunez – Elementary Preschool/Special Ed Para.
Resignations: Hannah Bjornsen – Food Service; Andrea Rutledge – MS Softball Coach; Cory Lang – TICU Teacher
Volunteers: Makayla Backen – HS Girls Soccer
Officials: Donald Anderson – Varsity Volleyball; Dan Rhine – Varsity Volleyball; Gregory Davies – Varsity Volleyball; Deidra Mohr – 9th Grade & Varsity Volleyball; David Mohr – Varsity Volleyball; Jordan Bliel – Varsity Wrestling; Justin Brand – Varsity Wrestling; Bob Yilek – Varsity Wrestling; Andrew May – Varsity Wrestling
Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Wiese to table the baseball and softball sharing agreement with Meskwaki CSD until numbers from Meskwaki could be obtained. All Ayes.
Dr. Smith provided the Board with information on an overnight trip to the UNI Festival of Bands for the Honor Band. Motion by Wiese, second by Tyynismaa to approve the Honor Band overnight trip to the UNI Festival of Bands. All Ayes.
Mrs. Peska reviewed a proposal to offer an additional Spanish class at the High School. Mrs. Peska explained that the new course will be more of a language arts class for students who already speak Spanish. Motion by Wiese, second by Werner to accept the new class proposal for the High School Spanish Department as presented. All Ayes.
Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Wiese to appoint Mandy Lekin to serve on the Tama County Conference Board as a representative for South Tama County Community School District for the 2021-2022 year. All Ayes.
Randy Denham presented a bid from School Bus Sales for the purchase of two gas buses for $114,600 each. Mr. Denham explained that bids had also been received from Hoglund Bus Company for two gas buses at $113,899 each. Mr. Denham explained the District had had been informed by Hoglund after the bid had been received that parts needed for the Hoglund Bus Bid would not be available for several more months. Due to the delay in getting the buses and the minimal difference in the bid costs, Mr. Denham recommended moving forward with purchasing two gas buses from School Bus Sales at $114,600 each. Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Dolezal to approve the purchase of two gas buses from School Bus Sales for $114,600 each. All Ayes.
Dr. Smith provided the most recent COVID dashboard numbers to the Board. Dr. Smith reviewed an email recently sent out to staff with frequently asked COVID questions. The Board and Dr. Smith discussed different scenarios and options if the District were to potentially have to close due to high COVID numbers or staff shortages.
Dr. Smith provided an update to the Board on the upcoming community forums for the Middle School Bond vote with the first meeting taking place on January 27 at 7:00 p.m. in the Middle School Library. The Board discussed trying to get as much community engagement in these meetings as possible and also discussed options to possibly record the meetings. The Board discussed the current agreements in place with Invision Architects for pre-referendum services. The Board stated that they would like to start a Request for Proposal process to look at selecting an architect for the Middle School project.
Vice President Tyynismaa left the meeting at 6:01 p.m.
Mr. Denham reviewed the upcoming 2022-2023 budget timeline with the Board and stated the budget will be discussed at the Board level over the next several meetings. Mr. Denham sought feedback from the Board regarding the budget.
Motion by Dolezal, second by Wiese to adjourn the meeting at 6:16 p.m. All Ayes.
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Mandy Lekin, Board President Randy Denham, Board Secretary