[5:23] I lo in. Go ahead and call the meeting
[5:26] to order.
[5:28] And
[5:30] our first item is approval of the
[5:33] agenda. So moved. I guess technically
[5:36] our second.
[5:39] All right. Moved by Deard, seconded by
[5:41] Shields Cook. All in favor say I. I.
[5:43] >> I. Oppose. Nay.
[5:46] Passes. What are we at? 6 today.
[5:49] >> Um, and then next we have our statement
[5:50] on public forum. Residents of the
[5:53] district, students attending the
[5:54] district, parents or guardians of
[5:55] students attending the district, and
[5:57] district staff members may address the
[5:58] board about any topic relevant to the
[6:00] district, whether on the current agenda
[6:02] or not. Those who wish to speak must
[6:04] sign up at the beginning of the meeting.
[6:05] Speaker participation is limited to
[6:07] three minutes once per item. The views
[6:09] and opinions of citizens addressing the
[6:11] board do not necessarily reflect those
[6:12] of the board. District administration or
[6:14] staff. Speakers are to remember that
[6:16] Iowa law prohibits the board from
[6:18] discussing specific employees students
[6:20] for their performance. Student speakers
[6:21] will state their name and school. Others
[6:23] will state their name and address. And
[6:25] we do not have anyone signed up for
[6:28] public forum. So, we'll go ahead and
[6:29] close that
[6:33] and move to our consent agenda.
[6:37] I move the board approve the consent
[6:38] agenda as presented.
[6:42] » Second.
[6:44] >> All right. Moved by Ward, seconded by
[6:46] Bombgartner. All in favor say I.
[6:48] >> I.
[6:49] >> Oppose. Nay.
[6:51] >> Passes 6. And then we'll move to our
[6:54] reports and start with our associate
[6:57] superintendent, Dr. Hawkins on the
[6:59] comprehensive assessment plan.
[7:01] >> Good evening. Uh thanks for the
[7:03] opportunity to talk about our plan to
[7:05] organize our assessments of students um
[7:08] over the course of the next year. Um
[7:11] largely this plan is uh pretty typical
[7:14] for what you've seen as a board for the
[7:16] last several years. I think okay with
[7:18] you. I'm just going to address some of
[7:19] the changes that you uh that see in this
[7:22] plan from what we've done previously. Um
[7:25] the first of those changes is um we'll
[7:28] be uh delivering the the KOAT, one of
[7:31] the tests that we use to help identify
[7:33] students for our talented and gifted uh
[7:35] or extended learning programs. We're
[7:37] only doing that at the second grade
[7:38] level this year. Uh we've done that at
[7:41] multiple grade levels in the past and by
[7:43] doing it at the second grade level, we
[7:44] will have second through fifth grade
[7:46] students at the elementary that have
[7:48] taken that assessment uh for that
[7:50] identification purpose.
[7:52] As you well know, we've adopted a new
[7:55] literacy curriculum uh this last year.
[7:57] And so, we will be using the uh the
[8:01] assessment that comes with that literacy
[8:03] curriculum for our uh literacy screener
[8:07] um at the kindergarten through uh sixth
[8:09] grade levels. Uh I'm sorry, kindergarten
[8:12] through fifth grade levels. Um and we're
[8:15] actually using that screener. It comes
[8:18] from Curriculum Associates, the company.
[8:19] It's called the I Ready Inform. will be
[8:21] using it for both math and literacy um
[8:24] in the upcoming year. As you may
[8:26] remember from some of the reports I've
[8:28] given, we've been using it for math for
[8:30] the last several years and seeing really good growth uh from students from
[8:35] that screening assessment. Uh but again,
[8:37] we'll be using it for literacy as well.
[8:39] Our teachers are going to be getting
[8:40] trained on how to do that uh coming up
[8:42] in August.
[8:44] Um, for the secondary, however, grades 6
[8:47] through 11, uh, we're also, um,
[8:49] investing in,
[8:51] uh, you'll see the reference to a STAR
[8:54] assessment screener there. Um, it's one
[8:57] of the state approved screeners. Um, and
[9:00] the the middle school and high school
[9:03] did a pretty considerable amount of work
[9:05] this last year, really thinking through
[9:06] what did they want to get out of the
[9:08] screening process. As you may know, past
[9:10] sixth grade were not actually required
[9:12] to screen students, but those uh those
[9:15] buildings wanted to screen students so
[9:17] that they could help identify them, run
[9:19] interventions, and help improve outcomes
[9:21] for students. And so they were
[9:23] interested in a screening tool that
[9:25] provided them a little bit more data
[9:27] around how students might be grouped,
[9:29] where interventions might be most
[9:31] effective, and actually gave them
[9:32] examples of interventions to use. and
[9:35] STAR does all that for for those uh
[9:38] those buildings and for those students.
[9:39] And so we've gone with that. We're
[9:41] actually working with that company right
[9:43] now to arrange uh training for a core
[9:45] group of teachers on how to administer
[9:46] it and how to use it. Well, so that's
[9:48] what's going on there. And then lastly,
[9:51] as you might remember from two
[9:53] legislative sessions ago, um this year
[9:55] is the first year that will be put in
[9:57] place the required civics test that
[9:59] students must pass in order to graduate.
[10:01] Um, I will say that when the uh test was
[10:05] released last year, there was some some
[10:07] initial piloting that we chose not to
[10:09] participate in. And then uh once they
[10:11] got that test set, they released it for
[10:14] uh schools if they wanted to start
[10:16] practice giving it. How was it going for
[10:18] students? Uh there were a few uh courses
[10:20] at the high school that did give that
[10:21] and it went relatively well for our
[10:23] students. And so um the the the high
[10:26] school is approaching this with a lot of
[10:27] optimism that students will be
[10:29] successful with that. Uh but you'll see
[10:31] that uh civics assessment worked into
[10:33] the cap. Those are the major differences
[10:35] that you'll see this year in our
[10:37] approach to assessment.
[10:39] Do you guys have any questions about our
[10:41] approach to assessment?
[10:43] >> I'm going to ask you a quick question.
[10:45] So I the required civics test is it they
[10:49] just had do they just have to take it
[10:50] once and pass?
[10:51] >> They have to pass it once.
[10:53] >> Okay. So it's listed four times. So
[10:55] basically they can have a few runs at it
[10:57] to
[10:57] >> correct if there were students that it
[10:59] could be taken as many times as desired.
[11:01] So it's not as if if you didn't pass it
[11:03] your freshman year, we have to wait till
[11:04] your sophomore year. We could give it
[11:06] multiple times during the freshman year,
[11:07] but we listed it in every grade level
[11:09] because our graduating seniors will have
[11:12] to take it and pass it this year.
[11:15] >> And so I I believe the intention is to
[11:18] have it taken by if I if I recall
[11:20] correctly, give me a little bit of grace
[11:21] here. It's either freshman or
[11:22] sophomores, but I think it's our
[11:24] sophomore students is where they're
[11:25] planning on giving it. But this next
[11:27] year, of course, we're gonna have to
[11:28] give it in every grade level because the
[11:30] no one's grandfathered in. Everybody has
[11:32] to to pass it to graduate.
[11:34] >> Okay.
[11:35] >> Thank you.
[11:36] >> Yep.
[11:38] >> Any other questions, comments?
[11:42] >> All right. I guess you got off easy.
[11:44] >> All right. Thank you.
[11:45] >> Um, next is our superintendence report.
[11:48] And obviously, Superintendent Grimes
[11:50] couldn't be with us tonight. Uh attached
[11:52] to the agenda is the enrollment and
[11:55] staffing reports. Um there's not really
[11:58] much change there. The staffing, you
[12:00] said 31 new certified staff um for this
[12:04] school year and we'll see. Um I imagine
[12:08] things are pretty much falling into
[12:09] place as we get closer. Obviously
[12:12] beginning of August, we'll be pretty
[12:14] much sure, right?
[12:16] I think we look good. Um, so we'll go
[12:18] ahead and I'll pass it over to Sherry,
[12:21] our CFO.
[12:25] » Okay. So, I'm going to go over um our
[12:27] facilities report. We did hold a
[12:30] facilities committee last week. Time
[12:34] sure flies. Um, and so I'll just
[12:36] highlight kind of over what we went
[12:37] over. Um, the minutes to the facilities
[12:42] meeting are attached to the agenda as
[12:44] well, but um, Dr. or Director Addie
[12:48] talked about the northwestern and 13th
[12:51] Street um location. The soil boring at
[12:54] the property is underway. Um and later
[12:57] in the agenda, there is um a
[13:00] professional services agreement with
[13:02] Tenfold um to formalize their proposal
[13:05] and to schedule for design and project
[13:07] management.
[13:09] So that'll take place later in the
[13:10] evening or in the agenda. Um for project
[13:13] updates, the middle school painting has
[13:15] begun and um they started in the
[13:18] hallways and then are going to move to
[13:20] more the cafeteria area. Um he did um
[13:24] let the facilities committee be aware
[13:26] that the cafeteria
[13:29] furniture is being delayed and he kind
[13:31] of talked about um that he and um
[13:34] principal Miller do have a plan on how
[13:37] the they can get the furniture all put
[13:39] together um in September when it comes
[13:42] in. So without having to, you know, shut
[13:44] that cafeteria down and so on. Um the he
[13:48] reported that the new scoreboards boards
[13:50] are scheduled um to be shipped the end
[13:52] of July and I know that I have seen some
[13:55] paperwork from Media Quest and NI for
[13:57] the installs on that some POS that went
[13:59] out. So, I think he's getting all that
[14:01] um together and that the ground crew
[14:05] identified a small sinkhole at the high
[14:07] just north of the high school. Um that
[14:09] appeared during the heavy rainfalls and
[14:12] the cause was traced to a a
[14:14] decommissioned storm sewer line. Um that
[14:17] was being addressed by the contractor
[14:19] who was originally responsible for
[14:21] capping that. So, I think that that
[14:23] should all be taken care of. And then
[14:26] director Kurt Jason um joined our
[14:29] facilities meeting and met the
[14:32] committee. So that was nice to see his
[14:34] face on there. Um Dan also attended that
[14:36] last meeting before he left. So and then
[14:40] like I said the tenfold contact track
[14:42] will be on there. And then I talked a
[14:43] little bit about our American Tower or
[14:46] Verizon um cell tower lease that's
[14:48] located at the high school. And so in
[14:52] 2030, our um lease agreement with them
[14:56] expires. And so we're we're working kind
[14:58] of ahead on trying to um get a new lease
[15:01] in place for that. Um they had
[15:04] approached us with purchasing an
[15:06] easement or purchasing the land around
[15:08] it that we would have, you know, no
[15:10] control over,
[15:12] you know, what would go on there and so
[15:14] on. And so, um Director Addie wasn't
[15:16] really interested in that approach. And
[15:18] so now we're working on terms for a new
[15:21] lease. So I just want that to be on your
[15:22] radar that that is something that we're
[15:24] working on.
[15:27] >> Any questions
[15:29] facilities committee?
[15:32] >> All right. Thank you. Okay. So next I
[15:36] have um
[15:38] first student. So our first student
[15:40] amendment um will be later on in the
[15:42] agenda as well. So, I thought that I
[15:45] would just kind of go over we've gone
[15:47] back and forth several times and
[15:49] director Sundermire myself and then
[15:51] several different representatives from
[15:53] first student trying to come to terms
[15:54] with in amendment and after you know one
[15:57] year um being in service with them you
[16:00] know we we both identified a few I
[16:02] wouldn't even call them issues just
[16:04] little things that we thought that would
[16:05] be both bene beneficial to both sides
[16:08] and so you know we kind of talked about
[16:10] all that so some of the highlights are
[16:12] um you know part of the original lease
[16:14] was is that the rates would increase the
[16:18] lease rates would increase according to
[16:19] CPI and so that's you know the first
[16:22] thing is 2.7% was CPI for like the
[16:26] transportation industry and so on. Um
[16:28] another thing is is that um we're
[16:30] guaranteeing payment for 169 days even
[16:33] if school is canceled. So, like we
[16:35] cancel for weather, we, you know, cancel
[16:37] for other emergencies. Um, like when the
[16:39] water pipes broke, you know, a couple
[16:40] years ago at the high school, like that
[16:42] was a a cancellation that we found out
[16:44] in the morning and we just they just
[16:46] can't go without payment like that. So,
[16:48] we kind of went back and forth on the
[16:50] number of days that we were going to
[16:52] agree to. So, we agreed to 169 days. And
[16:55] then with that, it's like
[16:59] there will be days that we're going to
[17:00] have to pay, but we want them to
[17:03] guarantee payment to their
[17:06] staff then if we're paying them and then
[17:09] we want their staff to be able to do
[17:10] some professional development for that
[17:12] pay. So that was kind of like they want
[17:14] payment. We our side was let's provide
[17:17] them some PD then on that, you know,
[17:19] whether it's, you know, behavior
[17:21] management for the monitors or, you
[17:22] know, safety for the drivers or whatever
[17:24] it is. but we wanted something for for
[17:26] our money. So, that's kind of where we
[17:28] settled on that. Um, then we talked
[17:31] about athletic and supplemental
[17:33] transportation.
[17:35] And
[17:38] one of the things is that like there's
[17:41] some days that we have we need like
[17:43] seven buses for activities, but yet, you
[17:45] know, school we still have to provide
[17:46] after school transportation and so on.
[17:48] And so, we talked a little bit about um,
[17:52] you know, how how the shortage in and
[17:54] transportation would be handled. Um, and
[17:58] how many buses they could, you know, how
[18:01] many buses they could allow us to have without
[18:07] shorting them transportation, you know,
[18:09] after school. So, we found out that
[18:11] number is five. Okay. So, we do have
[18:13] days that are are at seven. And so it
[18:15] gives um our activities directors the
[18:18] first right to say you know what we want
[18:20] you to transport these kids and then we
[18:23] will hire this you know out to CIT or
[18:26] you know some other transportation
[18:28] company or maybe the buses can leave you
[18:31] know 15 minutes 20 minutes later and
[18:33] then we can all get on the road. So, um,
[18:36] just like I said clarified, you know,
[18:38] how how how the shortages will work and
[18:40] who's responsible to pay.
[18:43] Um,
[18:46] what else do we we talked about all
[18:48] kinds of things I think in that privacy
[18:50] protection. So that that's one thing
[18:52] they wanted and I understand that they
[18:54] wanted to know like if they turn over
[18:56] their videos equipment to us, you know,
[18:58] like a tape that um that we will comply
[19:02] with all the privacy laws and that and
[19:06] that we agree to defend um for a student
[19:08] if the district mishandles those
[19:11] recordings. So, um, and like I said, I I
[19:14] totally understand why they wanted that
[19:16] and it and where it places the
[19:18] responsibility if something is leaked
[19:20] out of the confidential records or
[19:22] whatever. And then
[19:26] the district will maintain $2 million in
[19:28] general liability insurance. And
[19:30] actually, we do that. We just did not
[19:32] have first student named as an
[19:33] additional insured.
[19:37] See, and then we talked about vandalism.
[19:41] you know, if a if a student or staff
[19:43] member vandalizes or, you know, destroys
[19:47] a bus somehow, um, who's who's
[19:50] responsible for for that? And if it's a
[19:53] student, you know, what repercussions
[19:55] does or student have if the student does
[19:59] do that? Can they seek restitution? Can
[20:01] we say you're not allowed on the bus,
[20:04] you know, until the restitution's paid
[20:06] and so on? So, all that's kind of um
[20:09] outlined in there. And then a guarantee
[20:11] of six-hour um pay for the monitors
[20:15] and with that they will be required to
[20:17] um attend weekly training. Most route
[20:20] most of the time it's about four hours
[20:22] for a route. They're at six hours. Um
[20:25] that was something um director
[20:26] Sundermire really wanted was to just pay
[20:28] them for the hours that they work and
[20:30] they were afraid that they would lose um
[20:33] a lot of their employees and we
[20:34] understand that but we also want them to
[20:38] work for the money that they receive and
[20:39] so um there's going to be some
[20:43] um weekly required training that to
[20:45] count for towards their extra time.
[20:48] Um one of the biggest um changes was um
[20:52] a property lease. So, we did not have a
[20:54] formal lease agreement for them to use
[20:56] our facility at Bell Street, Bell
[20:59] Avenue. And so, um, we did come up with
[21:01] a lease and, um, they will be paying us
[21:04] $1,000 a month to lease our facility.
[21:12] And that's about like I said there's
[21:16] quite a bit few changes to the to the
[21:19] contract but after a year you just kind
[21:21] of see all the little things and then
[21:22] you can clean some things up. So and
[21:24] that's what we have tried to do. Any
[21:27] questions on any of that?
[21:31] >> Yeah, there was a there's a couple
[21:33] incidents with I think a soccer bus from
[21:36] earlier this year. Has this contract
[21:38] addressed any of those or are those kind
[21:39] of going on in the background? Um
[21:41] >> right. So that was so that's that's some
[21:44] of where um
[21:46] the shortage of buses was because like I
[21:49] know one of those buses doesn't go like
[21:50] over 55 miles an hour or whatever. So we
[21:53] and we put it out on the road and we
[21:54] probably and they probably shouldn't
[21:55] have. And so that's where some of this
[21:57] is being handled at. Sure.
[21:58] >> Because that was a day that there was
[21:59] like many trips and then they put a bus
[22:01] out on the road they shouldn't have.
[22:03] >> Gotcha.
[22:03] >> And so we're like well you have to tell
[22:05] us this in advance and then and so then
[22:07] that's how we came up with this. Um we
[22:09] have five buses that can go out on the
[22:11] road other than our that are not used
[22:14] for um after school routes.
[22:16] >> Excellent. Excellent. Thank you.
[22:17] >> You're welcome.
[22:21] » Thank you for your work and to director
[22:23] cine too for um
[22:26] working out all these skinks in the
[22:28] contract. You make it sound easy, but I
[22:30] know that there's a lot of back and
[22:31] forth and communication involved. So I
[22:33] appreciate it.
[22:36] All right. Um then next uh any items or
[22:40] reports from board members?
[22:44] All right, we'll move to old business.
[22:46] First, we have policies for action.
[22:48] These were the policies we discussed at
[22:50] the last meeting.
[22:52] >> I move the board approve the policies as
[22:54] presented.
[22:55] >> Second.
[22:57] >> Any discussion?
[23:01] Right. Moved by Shields Cook, seconded
[23:03] by Tipton. All in favor say I. I oppose.
[23:07] Nay
[23:09] passes 6.
[23:11] Then
[23:13] go down to new business. And we have the
[23:16] uh first student contract.
[23:18] >> One more.
[23:20] >> Business.
[23:22] >> Old business. B.
[23:23] >> Oh, 10fold. Thank you.
[23:26] >> I move the board approve amendment 22 to
[23:29] the district's professional services
[23:30] agreement with Tenfold Architecture and
[23:32] Engineering as presented.
[23:34] Second.
[23:38] » All right. Any discussion?
[23:41] Move by Shields Cook, seconded by
[23:43] Rodriguez. All in favor say I.
[23:45] >> I.
[23:46] >> Oppose. Nay. That passes 6. Now we can
[23:50] go to new business. And this is the
[23:53] first student contract amendment.
[23:57] >> I move the board to approve amendment
[23:58] number two to the district's contract
[24:00] with First Student, Inc. as presented.
[24:04] Second.
[24:06] >> Any discussion?
[24:09] Thought we just what we just discussed.
[24:11] All right. Moved by War, second by
[24:12] Bombgardner. All in favor say I.
[24:15] >> I. Oppose. Nay. Passes. 6. Next is our
[24:20] disposal of obsolete equipment.
[24:23] I move the board approve the disposal of
[24:25] equipment as presented.
[24:27] >> Second.
[24:29] >> All right. And um there any discussion?
[24:34] >> I think this was the quick Yeah, if you
[24:35] want to do the quick summary, that's
[24:36] fine.
[24:37] >> Right. No, I did ask um Miss Driscoll. I
[24:40] said, "How did you learn about this
[24:41] organization and so on?" because I
[24:43] thought maybe you guys would ask me
[24:44] that. And so she told me that she heard
[24:46] about it when she was at the All State
[24:47] Music Festival and um
[24:51] the prior band director from Mason City
[24:54] was talking about it and she said that,
[24:56] you know, and I know that we have
[24:58] replaced several orchestra and band
[25:00] instruments, you know,
[25:02] >> within the last two years. Um and she
[25:05] said, you know, we have a closet full of
[25:06] these and I thought it would be a a good
[25:08] use. And I said, well, who repairs them?
[25:10] How do they get there? And so on. She
[25:12] told me that she and some of the
[25:13] students will be um repairing as many as
[25:17] they can, you know, to their ability,
[25:20] repair them, and some are too broken to
[25:22] send and will probably just need to, you
[25:23] know, be disposed of. So,
[25:26] >> nice.
[25:26] >> It's good to have
[25:28] >> those things go on.
[25:30] >> Yeah. To find new uses.
[25:34] >> Um All right. So, that was moved by
[25:36] Shields Cook, seconded by the Ward. All
[25:37] in favor say I.
[25:39] >> I.
[25:40] >> Oppos? Nay
[25:42] passes 6. And then last, our
[25:45] comprehensive assessment plan.
[25:50] I move the board approve the 202627
[25:52] comprehensive assessment plan as
[25:54] presented.
[25:55] >> Second.
[25:58] Any discussion?
[26:01] Right. Move by Shields Cook, seconded by
[26:02] Tibson. All in favor say I.
[26:05] >> I.
[26:06] >> Opposed? Nay. Passes 6. I don't have any
[26:10] requests for the superintendent at this
[26:12] time. Our board planning calendar, our
[26:15] next meeting will be August 10th. Um,
[26:18] and
[26:20] August 31st will be a meeting with a
[26:23] work session where we'll talk about
[26:24] board goals. So, I'll probably send some
[26:26] things out before then to look over um
[26:29] to facilitate that work session, but
[26:31] it's really just be putting it in my
[26:32] brain so that I can remember to tell you
[26:34] that later.
[26:36] Um that move we adjourn. Second move by
[26:41] Shields Cook, seconded by Dward. All in
[26:43] favor say I.
[26:44] >> I.
[26:45] >> Pass it. Nay. Passes 6. Okay. And it is
[26:51] 5:52 p.m.
[26:57] Make sure we let Scott know how long it
[26:59] took.