Mid-Prairie Community School District
Kalona, Wellman, West Chester
Mid-Prairie Central Office Community Room, Wellman, IA 52356
July 11, 2022 – 6:15 p.m.
President Jeremy Pickard called the meeting to order.
Board members present: Mary Allred, Denise Chittick, Gabrielle Frederick, Jeremy Pickard, Jed Seward, Jake Snider.
Board members absent: Marianne Schlabach.
Also Present: Brian Stone, Jeff Swartzentruber, Chuck Banks, Robin Foster, Rob Hruby, Greg Jergens, Rachel Kerns, Amy Shalla, and Frank Slabaugh.
Mary Allred moved to adopt the agenda as presented. Seconded by Denise Chittick. Motion carried 6-0.
WORK SESSION
Facility Updates
Superintendent Stone shared a brief update of the stage of the buildings and the various Summer projects to date. Significant progress is being made on the special projects and on the preparations for the first day of school.
Board Policy Review – Continuation of Series 400
Superintendent Stone led the Board through the latter sections of the Series 400 Board Policies, starting at 402.2 with intentions to complete the Series 400 at this meeting. This review continued after the Business portion of the meeting.
Board Policy 203 Board Conflict of Interest – Moved to the Business portion of the meeting.
Board Member and Administrator Dialogue – Tabled until the next meeting
BUSINESS MEETING
Public Forum– 7:00 p.m.
No one spoke.
Consent Items
Superintendent Stone noted that Daniel Hershberger is being transferred to Full Time at the Middle School to teach Physical Education. He was at 0.8 FTE shared between the Middle School and High School.
Mary Allred moved to approve the following consent items.
Minutes of Previous Meetings
The minutes of June 27, 2022 and July 7, 2022;
Finance Report
The Finance Report for June 2022 with recognition that this is the cash basis report and will be modified over the next two months as year end information becomes available and measurable/accrued back to June 2022;
Payment of Bills
The bills as listed for July 11, 2022; and Prepaid Bills;
Open Enrollment Requests
Millard Fisher and Ashley Cory request Tabitha Fisher (Grade 8), attend Mid-Prairie from Keota Community School District for the 2022-23 School Year;
Jessica Mumford requests Greyson Bunting (Kindergarten), attend Mid-Prairie from English Valleys Community School District for the 2022-23 School Year;
Whitney Christenson requests Bethany Christenson (Grade 2) attend Mid-Prairie’s Home School Assistance Program from Iowa City Community School District for the 2022-23 School Year;
Personnel Items
Contract issued to Jeanne Wagner, High School English Teacher, $58,969 per annum;
Contract issued to Lisa Helmuth, HS Fall Musical Assistant Director, $2,083 per annum;
Contract issued to Lisa Helmuth, HS Spring Play Assistant Director, $2,083 per annum;
Contract issued to Ron Swartzendruber, 7th Grade Girls Basketball Coach, $3,276 per annum;
Work Agreement issued to Remington Amelon, High School Paraprofessional, $14.67 per hour;
Work Agreement issued to Ashlyn Gugel, Middle School Paraprofessional, $14.67 per hour;
Work Agreement issued to Karissa Huggman, Middle School Paraprofessional, $14.67 per hour;
Resignation of Tammy Molone, East Elementary Paraprofessional, $14.18 per hour, effective July 7, 2022;
Fundraising Requests – None presented for approval;
Gabrielle Frederick seconded the consent items. Motion carried 1-0 (Jeremy Pickard abstained).
Student Learning
2022 2023 IASB Legislative Priorities
Board President Pickard noted the initial discussion at last Board Meeting and led a discussion on the Legislative Priories list provide by IASB. Previous year priorities chosen included: Mental Health, Area Education Agencies, Teacher Recruitment and Licensure, Supplemental State Aid, and Bond Issues. The Board Members continued to provide their input for the legislative priories to include:
- 8. Mental Health – Supports Efforts to establish comprehensive community mental health systems to offer presentative and treatment services and school mental health programs;
- 10. Area Education Agencies – Supports full funding of the area education agencies to provide essential services in a cost-effective manner to school districts;
- 16. Teacher Recruitment and Licensure – Supports additional tools to attract individuals to the teaching profession, especially for teacher shortage areas;
- 20. Supplemental State Aid – Supports setting supplemental state aid at a rate that sufficiently supports local districts’ efforts to plan, create, and sustain world-class schools;
- 23. Bond Issues – Supports allowing school bond issued to be passed by a simple majority vote, as well as supports authority to levy a combination of property taxes and income surtaxes to pay the indebtedness, and clarification that revenue bonds do not count toward the 5 percent statutory limit;
Gabrielle Frederick moved to approve the legislative priorities as noted above for the 2022-2023 Legislative Year and submit to IASB. Jed Seward seconded the motion. Motion carried 6-0.
First Reading Board Policy 203 Board Conflict of Interest
Superintendent Stone and Board President Pickard noted the earlier Work Session discussion about the need to change this policy to meet the new limits due to a change in the law during the last Iowa Legislative session. The threshold of earnings for a School Board member as related to conflict of interest with the District has been raised to $20,000. Not in the policy is the change for IPERS benefit recipients under the age of 65 and employed by an IPERS eligible employer may now earn up to $50,000 annually without loss of IPERS benefits. The prior IPERS limit was $30,000.
Denise Chittick moved to approve the amendment upon First Reading Board Policy 203 Conflict of interest with the new limit of $20,000 as signed into law on March 23, 2022. Jake Snider seconded the motion. Motion carried 6-0.
Finance
New Money Market Accounts at Federation Bank and CBI Bank and Trust for Bond Proceeds
Business Manager Swartzentruber directed the Board’s attention to the account setup documents on the Board document site. The Revenue Bonds will settle and be funded on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. On that day, the funds will be wired into the Hills Bank Account in the amount of $12,430,000. After closing expenses and escrow the net available for construction projects is expected to be $11,315,000. The net proceeds will be evenly split to the three local banks into interest bearing accounts. There is a need to two separate motions to set up the money market accounts at Federation Bank, and CBI Bank and Trust, respectively. The District will use the Hills Bank interest bearing checking account initially, The Board asked questions for clarification and understanding.
Gabrielle Frederick moved to approve the creation of the Money Market Account at Federation Bank as presented with the account setup documents. Mary Allred seconded the motion. Motion carried 6-0.
Jed Seward moved to approve the creation of the Money Market Account at CBI Bank and Trust as presented with the account setup documents. Jake Snider seconded the motion. Motion carried 6-0.
School Bus Specifications Set Date and Time for Public Hearing
Business Manager Swartzentruber discussed the ongoing need to keep the District School Bus Fleet up to date. A request for a Public Hearing to review the bus specifications for the purchase of up to two diesel powered, Yellow School Buses on August 8, 2022, at 7:15 p.m. is recommended. The buses to be replaced are two of the older route buses that have reached a point where repairs are increasingly more frequent.
Gabrielle Frederick moved to set a Public Hearing for purpose of reviewing the specifications of up to 2 diesel powered school buses on Monday, August 8, 2022 at 7:15 p.m. at the Mid-Prairie Central Office Community Room. Denise Chittick seconded the motion. Motion carried 6-0.
2022 2023 Proposed School Fees / Admission Fees
Superintendent Stone noted that the Board had tabled this agenda item from the June 27th meeting due to discussions about whether or not to increase the gate amounts as recommended by the conference. The conference approved an increase event ticket prices to $6 per High School Event and for Middle School to $4 for Adults and $1 for Students. This also causes consideration of the Year Long Pass Prices to increase by $5 each for Families, Adults, and Students for the 2022-2023 School Year. New amounts will be $265, $105, and $90, respectively.
At the June 27th meeting, the Board discussed not only not increasing the ticket prices but contemplated letting all Mid-Prairie students in free with a valid student identification card. An alternative to allowing students in free, was to have a periodic free night for Mid-Prairie students instead.
Prior to tonight’s meeting an analysis of the annual gate revenue and the expenses of officials to better understand the impact of the options. Superintendent Stone recommends the approval of the event ticket prices and season passes. Families will begin to buy season passes for 2022-2023 very soon, and thus waiting until August could create issues, especially if prices were to be raised. The Board asked questions for clarification and understanding.
The Board then discussed modifying the recommendation to $6 Adults and $3 for Mid-Prairie students. Middle School ticket prices would be as recommended at $4 for adults and $1 for students. The season long passes would then follow as $265 for families, $105 adults, and no change for students at $85.
Gabrielle Frederick moved to approve the athletic event prices to be $6 for Adults and $3 for Mid-Prairie Students at High School Events, $4 for Adults and $1 for all Students at Middle School Events, and Season Long Passes at $265 for Families, $105 for Adults, and $85 for Students. Mary Allred seconded the motion. Motion carried 6-0
Work Session
Completion of Unfinished Work Session Items
Board Policy Review – Continuation of Series 400 from the Work Session
Superintendent Stone led the Board through the latter sections of the Series 400 Board Policies that had not yet been completed to the end of Series 400. The review of these policies was completed. It was noted that the Series 100 and 400 Policies will be brought to August Board meeting for First Reading consideration of approval.
Announcements and Suggestions for Next Agenda
The next regular Board meeting will be on Monday, August 8, 2022, at 6:15 p.m. at the Central Office Community Room. Agenda items to include: Public Hearing for New School Buses, First Reading of Board Policy Series 100 and 400, Second Reading of Board Policy 203, and Annual Bank Depository Resolution.
There will be a special Board Meeting Work Session Training Session on Thursday, July 14, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. at Central Office Community Room. Agenda items will include: One item of business as a review and approval of the Schematic Design stage of the 2022 Revenue Bond Projects with Carl A. Nelson and Shive-Hattery personnel present to present; following this one business item, the Board will continue to the second Board Development Work Session with IASB consultant Tammi Drawbaugh.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 7:51 p.m.