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 September 5, 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, Megan Thiessen, Clint Werner, and Beth Wiese. Absent: Elizabeth Dolezal Quorum Present. Also present were: Superintendent John Cain, Amber Robson acting as Board Secretary, Mary Mixdorf, Dixie Forcht, Dr. Carlos Celis of The Strengthening Center, and members of the community through Google Hangouts.
Motion by Thiessen, second by Wiese, to approve the agenda. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Werner to approve the following consent agenda items: minutes from the August 8, 2023 work session; minutes from the August 22, 2023 regular session; bills for payment as presented; and early graduation requests from Daniel Gummert - January 2024, Hailee Kriegel - January 2024, and Cale Graff - May 2024. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Public Comments – None
Dr. Carlos Celis, co-owner of The Strengthening Center, reviewed details of the program with South Tama County Schools. His work began in October 2021 with 97 clients. At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, he had a total of 86 clients and ended the year with 53 clients. Consultation hours consist a lot in the elementary, as students are more available to connect with during transition periods. Also, he likes to consult with parents to give them feedback and address situations.
Maggie Hartzler with Tanager Place reviewed the details of their services to students at South Tama County Schools. Kim Schutterle is the therapist for STC. She mostly serves the high school students. Kim has also served 12 students at the middle school, five in the elementary, and two at TICU. Total with the high school students is 47 students that she saw this past year. Kim also had 75 referrals. Several of these referrals have turned into active clients. There were 757 therapeutic sessions held throughout the course of the year.
Motion by Thiessen, second by Wiese to approve the following personnel requests. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Hires: Andrew Walton - Fall/Winter Weight Room Supervisor and Alexis Munoz - Elementary Kitchen Staff
Volunteers: Gustavo Chavarria - HS Gamers Night, Nickolas Seitz - HS D&D Club and Esports, and Logan Arp - HS/MS Girls and Boys Wrestling
Motion by Wiese, second by Thiessen to approve the Esports position. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Thiessen, second by Werner to approve The Strengthening Center invoice, in the amount of $7,615.45, for services provided in July and August. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Thiessen to approve the Teachers Council, Inc. invoice, in the amount of $5,960.00, for the processing of a H-1B Visa for a teacher. Ayes: Lekin, Thiessen, and Wiese Nays: Werner The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Werner to approve the Imagine Learning quote, in the amount of $6,075.00, for 45 Imagine Language & Literacy Reusable Licenses. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Thiessen, second by Werner to approve the Garling pay application #5, in the amount of $25,331.98, for the middle school construction project. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Thiessen to approve the list of anticipated fundraisers for the 2023-2024 school year, as presented. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Werner to approve Lincoln Savings Bank, State Bank of Toledo, and WCF Financial as the District’s depositories for 2023-2024, with upper limits of $30,000,000, $15,000,000, and $5,000,000 respectively. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Thiessen to approve the Meskwaki Convention Center invoice, in the amount of $8,157.00, for the all staff beginning of year meeting. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Werner, second by Thiesen to approve the first reading of the following policies: 503.07 - Student Disclosure of Identity (New), 503.07E1 - Student Disclosure of Identity - Report of Student Disclosure of Identity (New), 503.07E2 - Student Disclosure of Identity - Request to Update Student Identity (New), 505.04 - Testing Program (formerly known as 607.03), and 505.05 - Graduation Requirements. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Thiessen to approve the second 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 Wiese, second by Thiessen to approve the certified, classified, and parent/student handbooks for the 2023-2024 school year. All Ayes. The motion carried.
As of August 31, 2023, there are 58 students open enrolled into STC and 102 open enrolled out of STC. A trend for the past year will be compiled and brought back to the Board for comparison.
The Board reviewed Personnel openings as of September 2023.
Superintendent Cain explained the Jester equipment maintenance insurance program and what it entails. He would like to meet with Jester’s representative and those from STC this program would affect.
Superintendent Cain provided an update on the middle school project. He will be getting a meeting set up with Garling and ISG in the near future.
Superintendent Cain stated he would like to prioritize some items on the list of feedback from Board members for his evaluation that are connected to the strategic plan. He asked for feedback on the South Tama County Visualization Plan. The AEA has been working with him on this plan and is waiting for the ISASP data to be uploaded later this fall, to access the data for this plan. The next book study date will be on September 18, 2023 at 4:30 pm, and it will be over chapter five of the book, Culturize.
Motion by Wiese, second by Thiessen to adjourn the regular meeting at 6:16 p.m.
Mandy Lekin, Board President Amber Robson, Acting Board Secretary