Mid-Prairie Community School District
Kalona, Wellman, West Chester
Mid-Prairie Central Office Community Room, Wellman, IA 52356
February 23, 2026– 6:15 p.m.
President Randy Billups called the meeting to order.
Board members present: Mary Allred, Randy Billups, Denise Chittick, Kirah Jonson, Ryan Schlabaugh, and Jed Seward.
Board members absent: Jake Snider.
Also Present: Superintendent Brian Stone, Board Secretary/School Business Official Jeff Swartzentruber.
Pledge of Allegiance
Read the School Mission Statement by Mary Allred
Mary Allred moved to adopt the agenda as presented. Seconded by Ryan Schlabach. Motion carried 6-0.
Business Meeting
Consent Items
Jed Seward moved to approve the following consent items.
Payment of Bills
The bills as listed for February 23, 2026 and prepaid bills;
Open Enrollment Requests
Open Enrollment In Requests total 10 students;
Open Enrolled Out Requests total 4 students;
Personnel Items
Resignation of Jane Blieu, Middle School Paraprofessional, $15.50 per hour, effective March 13, 2026;
Fundraising Requests – None presented for approval
Mary Allred seconded the consent items. Motion carried 6-0.
Business Item
Set a Public Hearing for the 2026-2027 Certified Budget
School Business Official, Jeff Swartzentruber, stated that the First Public Hearing for the Certified Budget needs to be set. The first possible date is Monday, March 23, 2026, at 6:15 p.m. He recommends this date in order to stay on target with the second Public Hearing which will need to be set in April. He provided a draft of the Notice of Public Hearing document and noted the various assumptions and current status. This March 23, 2026, Public Hearing will be a one agenda item Board Meeting to precede the Work Session also scheduled for that evening.
Jed Seward moved to set a Public Hearing for the proposed property tax hearing on March 23, 2026 at 6:15 p.m. Ryan Schlabaugh seconded the motion. Motion carried 6-0.
Work Session
Sections for Elementary Buildings
Superintendent Stone shared the planning for the 2026-2027 School Year and the number of sections for each grade level in the two elementary school buildings. There are some grades that will have less sections of students due to student counts. He reminded the Board of the Grades shift of Prekindergarten to East Elementary and Second Grade will move to West Elementary. He stated that teachers will be moving around to different buildings and different grade. There have been preliminary discussions with staff and administrators. The Board asked questions for clarification.
District Website Information
Superintendent Stone introduced Taylor Weber, District Communications Specialist. Weber shared some of the current process for evaluating the District Website and the contract with the current provider. She shared some of the current thoughts on website development, layout, features and technology. Upgrades in technology are available with other vendors as the current vendor has not kept up with a number of the features used by other districts. Weber shared details on costs and cost differential between the current vendor and another vendor. The other vendor has a relationship with the District for another application and are a known quantity. She shared some options the District could consider. The Board discussed the options shared and informally agreed to move forward with the new vendor. As the price is very reasonable, it does not require formal Board action.
Library Grant Proposal
Superintendent Stone introduced Cate Burke, District Librarian. Burke shared information about the Library Grant Project that is being considered. She presented the desired improvements at East Elementary, West Elementary, and Middle School in some detail. The estimated total project for the three buildings is $147,500. A Riverboat Grant request of $101,474 (69% of the project) is hoped for. $46,000 would come from different building budgets and renovation budgets. The Board expressed appreciation for the work already done and asked questions about timing, funding, and other aspects of the project.
SPED Delivery Plan Discussion
Superintendent Stone discussed the Service Plan and the current elements. This will be presented to the Board for approval as it is finalized. He asked the Board for questions to be sent to him, and he will forward to the committee.
District Data Annual Report
Superintendent Stone discussed the data that has already been shared with the Board by administrators and the District Curriculum Coordinator. He discussed how to show the growth and would like to engage Grant Wood AEA to provide the data points and the growth opportunities. The Board would like to see some data points during the year both positive and areas to improve over at least two times per school year. Stone noted that the various assessments, especially at the elementary level, could be shared periodically. It was noted that the Board and other constituents do not want to read the data as much as they would prefer to watch it or view a dashboard or set of dashboards.
Board Highlight After Each Meeting
Stone would like to see the Board go back to sharing a highlight from each meeting.
Next Meeting and Suggestions for Next Agenda
The next regular Board meeting will be on Monday, March 9, 2026, at 6:15 p.m. at the Central Office Community Room. Agenda items to include: WCRF Grant Resolution.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 7:31 p.m.