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 18, 2023 for a Regular Session at the Middle School, Toledo, 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: Elizabeth Dolezal, Beth Wiese, Jackie Ellenbecker, Rick Hopper, and Megan Thiessen. Absent: None. Quorum Present. Also present were: Superintendent John Cain, Board Secretary Katie Mathern, Mary Mixdorf, Steve McAdoo, Sam Peska, Ben Adams, Pylar Eaton of ISG, Amy Karg, Scott Bolen, Kathy Wilkerson, Ashley Steven, Michelle Kalinay, Brad Schweppe, Caleb Walter of Iowa Schools Joint Investment Trust, Kelly Smith of Webster City Financial Bank, Jared Schirmer of Lincoln Savings Bank, and members of the community through Google Hangouts.
Motion by Wiese, second by Hopper to approve the agenda. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Ellenbecker to approve the following consent agenda items: minutes from the December 4, 2023 regular meeting, minutes from the December 6, 2023 special session, minutes from the December 7, 2023 special session, bills for payment and financials as presented, Street Smart Drivers Education Contract, early graduation request from Logan Kurth - January 2024, and early graduation request from Dayton Dunkel - January 2024. All Ayes, except for Thiessen, who abstained. The motion carried.
Public Comment - None
Ashley Steven and Ben Adams presented to the Board on middle school math: courses, curriculum, and MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports).
Several leaders of the different SIAC (School Improvement Advisory Committee) groups reported on the progress and intentions for the current school year.
Pylar Eaton, the Senior Project Manager from ISG, reported on the progress of the middle school project.
Caleb Walter of ISJIT, Kelly Smith of WCF, and Jared Schirmer of LSB presented on investing opportunities for the revenue sale bonds.
Motion by Thiessen, second by Wiese to approve the following personnel requests. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Hires: Ellen Moran - special olympics sponsor and April VanDee - Gear Up 3.0 Assistant Coach
Transfers: Seth Koch from middle school football coach to assistant varsity football coach and Maria Aguilera from four days a week special education paraeducator to five days a week special education paraeducator
Resignations: Yessina Cervantes as elementary ELL Paraeducator and Jawanda Love as high school custodian
Officials: High school wrestling - Curt Hilmer and Joseph Raines and high school basketball - Chad Elbert, Todd Donels, and John Jaspers
Motion by Thiessen, second by Hopper to approve the Eastern Iowa Tire quote, in the amount of $12,138.18, for bus tires, mounting, balancing, and labor. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Thiessen, second by Ellenbecker to approve the Garling Construction pay application 03, in the amount of $784,738.47, for construction services. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Thiessen to approve the ISG invoice, in the amount of $128,251.25, for construction administration/close-out and bid package one - tuckpointing and roof replacement. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Ellenbecker to approve the Terracon invoice, in the amount of $7,623.26, for observation and testing. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Thiessen, second by Hopper to approve the UCS quote, in the amount of $5,344.00, for a UCS indoor shot put platform. STC Activity Booster Club will pay for the entire purchase. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Ellenbecker to approve the Garling change order request 0017, in the amount of $17,350.20, for masonry work at the new middle school project. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese , second by Thiessen to approve the Resilite quote, in the amount of $104,883.58, for new wrestling mats. Payment for the wrestling mats has been approved by the Department of Education to be paid out of ESSER funds. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Thiessen, second by Wiese to approve the Vision Quest quote, in the amount of $8,450.00, for the wrestling mats installation. This will be paid out of ESSER funds. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Thiessen, second by Hopper to approve the creation of a Wellness account created as an agency fund. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Ellenbecker, second by Wiese to approve $10 million of the revenue bond proceeds to be invested with WCF and the remainder to be invested with ISJIT. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Thiessen to approve to adjust the bank limits in Board policy to $10 million with WCF and $10 million with ISJIT. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Wiese, second by Thiessen to approve the first reading of the following policies: 404-R1 - Employee Conduct and Appearance - Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics Regulation (New); 404-R2 - Employee Conduct and Appearance - Code of Rights and Responsibilities Regulation (New); 405.01 - Licensed Employee Defined; 405.02 - Licensed Employee Qualifications, Recruitment, Selection; 405.08 - Licensed Employee Evaluation, 407.05 - Licensed Employee Reduction in Force; 413.05 - Classified Employee Reduction in Force, 501.03 - Compulsory Attendance; 503.08 R1 - Discipline of Students Who Make Threats of Violence or Cause Incidents of Violence - Student Threats of Violence and Incidents of Violence; 505.08 - Parent and Family Engagement District - Wide Policy (Formerly Parental Involvement); 505.08 R1 - Parent and Family Engagement District-Wide Policy (Formerly Parental Involvement) - Building-Level Regulation; 704.07 - Sale of Bonds (Formerly Known As 804.05); 705.01-R1 - Purchasing-Bidding-Suspension and Debarment of Vendors and Contracts Procedure (New); 705.04-R1 - Expenditures for a Public Purpose - Use of Public Fund Regulation (New); 707.04 - Audit (Formerly Known As 804.04); and 707.05-R1 - Internal Controls - Procedures (New). All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Dolezal, second by Wiese to approve the second reading of the following policies: 204 - Code of Ethics (formerly known as 200.01), 303.05 - Administrator Duties (new), 305 - Administrator Code of Ethics (New), 401.02 - Employee Conflict of Interest (formerly known as 402.09), 404 - Employee Conduct and Appearance (formerly known as 402.01), 701.01 - Depository Funds (New), 704.02 - Debt Management (New), 704.05 - Student Activities Fund (formerly known as 802.03), 705.01 - Purchasing - Bidding (New), and 705.04 - Expenditures for a Public Purpose (formerly known as 804.07). All Ayes. The motion carried.
Motion by Ellenbecker, second by Hopper to approve the third reading of the policy 503.08: Discipline Policy. All Ayes. The motion carried.
Superintendent Cain and Steve McAdoo gave an overview of the 5-year PPEL/SAVE plan.
Katie Mathern provided the Board with a Certified Budget Timeline.
Mr. Cain has begun to update his superintendent goals and will review these, along with the school culture goals, during his evaluation on January 3rd. He provided the Board with some resources to better understand Voted PPEL and the district’s facilities, technology, and transportation needs. The administrative team is working on a student discipline overview to communicate to others.
Motion by Wiese, second by Thiessen to adjourn the meeting at 7:56 p.m.
Elizabeth Dolezal, Board President Katie Mathern, Board Secretary