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 December 19, 2022 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, Penny Tyynismaa, and Clint Werner. Beth Wiese was absent. Quorum Present. Also present were: Superintendent John Cain, Board Secretary Katie Mathern, Marilyn Rippy, Ben Adams, Joe Miller, Jeff Niedermann, Morgan McFate, STEAM students, and members of the community in person and through Google Hangouts.
Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Werner, to approve the agenda. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Public Hearing - 2022-2023 Calendar Changes: President Lekin opened the Public Hearing for 2022-2023 School Calendar Changes at 5:01 p.m. President Lekin asked for public comments. Marilyn Rippy represented the STCEA and requested a two-hour early dismissal once a month.
The 2022-2023 Calendar Changes Public Hearing closed at 5:07 p.m.
Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Dolezal to approve the 2022-2023 Calendar Change from early dismissal on Wednesdays from 2:10 or 2:15 p.m. to 1:55 or 2:00 p.m. This will be revisited at the second Board meeting in February 2023. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Dolezal, second by Werner to approve the following consent agenda items: minutes from the December 5, 2022 regular session, minutes from the December 9, 2022 special session, bills for payment, and early graduation requests for Aldo Valles and Kadence Engler. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Public Comments – None.
Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Dolezal to approve the following personnel requests. All Ayes. The motion carried.
New Hires: Tyler Fulks - High School Social Studies and Kennedy Adams - Elementary Special Education Paraeducator
Transfers: Tracy Glockl from High School Education Paraeducator to Elementary Special Education Paraeducator
Officials: Dave Litterer - Middle School Wrestling
Motion by Dolezal, second by Tyynismaa to approve the Tama County Hazard Mitigation Plan Adoption. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Dolezal to approve the first reading of the Post-Issuance Compliance Policy 804.36.R1 with the removal of section 8. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Dolezal to approve the first reading of the Disclosure Policy 804.36R2. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Dolezal to approve the Piper Sandler invoice for financial advisory services in regards to the bonds, in the amount of $47,500.00. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Dolezal, second by Werner to approve the invoice from Standard and Poor’s Financial Services for analytical services in regards to the bond rating, in the amount of $19,500.00. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Werner to approve the new middle school assistant girls wrestling coach position. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Dolezal, second by Tyynismaa to approve the amendment to the City of Toledo Agreement for Use of Property as presented. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Werner to approve the resolution appointing UMB Bank, N.A. of West Des Moines, Iowa to serve as paying agent, bond registrar, and transfer agent, approving the paying agent, bond registrar and transfer agent agreement and authorizing the execution of same, with a cap of $5,000 cost. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Dolezal to approve the form of Tax Exemption Certificate be placed on file and approved. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Dolezal, second by Werner to approve the form of Continuing Disclosure Certificate be placed on file and approved. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Dolezal, second by Werner to approve the resolution amending the resolution authorizing the issuance of general obligation school bonds, series 2022, of the South Tama County Community School District, State of Iowa, in the amount of $10,000,000, and levying a tax for the payment thereof adopted April 4, 2022. All Ayes. The Motion carried.
Morgan McFate and students presented the STEAM projects they have been working on . The students demonstrated and showed the Board members what an application creator looks like behind the scenes and what they do towards the creation of the applications.
Middle School principal Ben Adams, Joe Miller, and Jeff Niedermann presented their application, “Safe Trak.” They explained in depth how the application works. It is currently being developed and they are hoping to present more at the Safety Committee meeting on January 12, 2023.
Middle School principal Ben Adams gave a middle school update to the Board. There are currently 420 students at the middle school at South Tama. He feels the behaviors are heading in the right direction and the referral data backs this idea. The number of those students participating in activities is on the rise. There will be more educational data to analyze once the MAP and FAST testing are completed.
Middle School principal Ben Adams presented a request for a 7th/8th grade writing position for the 2023-2024 school year to the Board.
The Board recognized Charlotte Upah and her major roles on the Middle School Task Force and the STC Foundation. The Board sends their thoughts to the family.
Superintendent Cain reported there will be a work session on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, with ISG and Travis Squires with Piper Sandler to ensure the district is meeting the needs of the community with the Middle School project, while remaining fiscally responsible . Tomorrow the district will be going through a vulnerability assessment; which in return, the state will provide money to use in relation to safety for the school. Mr. Cain is holding individual meetings with all Board members each month. February 6th will be the first SIAC meeting, following the Board meeting.
Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Dolezal to go into closed session at 6:54 p.m. pursuant to Iowa Code 21.5(1)(i) to evaluate the professional competency of an individual whose appointment, hiring, performance, or discharge is being considered when necessary to prevent needless and irreparable injury to that individual’s reputation and that individual requests a closed session. Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Dolezal to come out of closed session at 7:14 p.m.
Motion by Tyynismaa, second by Dolezal to adjourn the meeting at 7:15 p.m. All Ayes.
Mandy Lekin, Board President Katie Mathern, Board Secretary