EMMETSBURG COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Regular Annual Meeting
Board of Education
November 15, 2021 Minutes
(dated changed to allow board to attend school board convention in Des Moines)
All motions are unanimous unless otherwise noted.
The Board of Education of Emmetsburg Community School District’s annual meeting met in a regular session on November 15, 2021 at 5:30pm in the High School Library.
Present: Jane Hoyman, Bill Huberty, Kathy Roethler, Aaron Dietrich, Val Morton, Katy
Thomsen, Scott Kibbie
Absent: None.
Also Present: Darren Hanna, Lisa Chapman, Tyler Bjustrom, Tim Rodemeyer, Bruce Nelson, Lori Riley, Kelly Josephson, Danielle Auten (exit 6:03pm), Mary Ellen Jackson (exit 6:03pm), Dave Dow, Jana Nelson, Liz Naviaux, Jessica Biddle, Darca Saxton, Robin Hauswirth, Jill Schany, Arik Kerr, Joe Schany, JaDee Gloede, Sarah Brugman, Rebecca Dow, Roger & Sandi Keith
Jane Hoyman, Board President called the meeting to order at 5:30pm.
Approval of Agenda: Huberty moved to approve the agenda. Seconded by Kibbie. Motion carried.
TEACHING & LEARNING-Emmetsburg Instructional Model
Kelly Josephson, Danielle Auten, Mary Ellen Jackson
The district uses multiple targets when planning each class period in their instructional model. Those targets include Engagement, Check for Understanding, Instructional Time, Assessments, Expectations, Rules/Routines and Learning Targets. The targets are for both instructors and students. Presenters gave specific examples of using these strategies in their classrooms. The document presented in simple form is a quick reference for staff and students.
CONSENT ITEMS: Dietrich moved to approve the consent items and was seconded by Roethler. Motion carried.
OLD BUSINESS
Board Policies: Morton moved to approve the second readings and revisions of board policies 401.07, 200.3, 206.1-206.2, 213, 302.5, 303.6, 412.3, 504.14, -15, 603.6, 604.01606.2, 701.2, 803.1. Seconded by Thomsen. Motion carried.
Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Allowable Cost: Thomsen brought the LEP discussion back to the table. Thomsen moved to allow district administration to submit a request to the School Board Review Committee for a modified supplemental amount of $7,138.47 related to excess costs incurred for offering the English Language Learner program in the prior fiscal year. Seconded by Morton. Ayes: Huberty, Kibbie, Morton, Roethler, Thomsen, Hoyman, Dietrich. Nays: None. The motion passed unanimously by a vote of 7-0. Motion carried.
EDUCATIONAL NEWS
High School-Christensen is looking for ways to get more parents to High School conferences. Christensen reviewed mid-term academics. An initial meeting was held November 8 regarding Portrait of a Graduate. The next meeting will be November 18 at 5:00pm in the HS/MS Library. Buena Vista University (BVU) contracted the district regarding a strategic partnership with them. This memorandum with BVU includes a 30% discount for staff and their children for tuition.
Middle School-Conference attendance rates were reviewed. An average of 64% of parents attended their students’ conference. Paraeducator Ms. Horst put together a lesson to write letters for the veterans. Students went to the VFW on November 11th. Isaac Strohman was able to read his letter to the veterans. Middle School is continuing to work on appropriate use of technology in their PBIS program. Students of the month were presented.
Elementary-Conferences percentages were reviewed. The average attendance at the elementary school was 94.8%. The elementary fundraiser was completed this past week through Partners in Education (PIE) group. This fundraiser is going to the elementary playground equipment. PBIS students of the week were able to eat doughnuts with Mr. Bjustrom on Friday.
Adjournment: Kibbie moved to adjourn the retiring board at 6:03pm. Seconded by Dietrich. Motion carried.
Hoyman and Dietrich exited following the meeting.
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Secretary Chapman called the organizational meeting to order at 6:05pm.
The oath of office was administered to new board members Bruce Nelson and Lori Riley by Secretary Chapman.
Chapman called for nominations of Board President. Kibbie nominated Kathy Roethler. Morton moved to cease nominations. Huberty seconded. Motion carried. Ballots were distributed. Roethler was appointed by a 7-0 vote. Chapman called for nominations of the Vice-President. Kibbie nominated Morton. Nelson nominated Thomsen. Thomsen called for nominations to cease and Roethler seconded the motion. Motion carried. Ballots were distributed. Morton was appointed as the Vice-President on a 4-3 vote. The oath of office was administered to President Roethler and Vice-President Morton.
Time & Date: The time and date of the regular monthly meeting was set for the third Wednesday of the month at 5:30pm in the HS/MS Library. Kibbie moved to set the meetings as noted and Nelson seconded. Motion carried.
Huberty moved to approve the organizational meeting agenda. Kibbie seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Public Comment Policy: The Public Comments Participation Policy 213 was reviewed for the audience for instances when they would like to speak about issues on the agenda. Jessica Biddle voiced her concerns with both the notifications of agendas and the OSHA mandates on the agenda.
First Reading Board Policies: Board policies 105, 210.8, 212, 212.1, 307, 401.4, 502.4, 508-508.5, 606.6 and 502.1 were reviewed with the board for the first reading. These policies will be read again in December for the second reading and approvals.
OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on COVID-19 Vaccination & Testing
Administration has reached out to legal and IASB regarding the ETS. We have been directed to wait on adopting any policies. There is a possibility that there will be a ruling on the stay allowed for the 5th circuit applicable for the remaining circuits. There are also religious and medical exemptions. Hanna received information from legal at Iowa Association of School Board regarding the exemptions that are allowed for the vaccination, weekly testing and mask mandates. There is a simple form that will need to be completed by the staff member for the exemption. As information is received, administration will get the information out to staff and public as soon as possible. The ETS is to be in place by December 6th if the stay is not upheld.
Electrical & Plumbing Service for Greenhouse
Electrical: One bid was received from K & W Electric in the amount of $6,148 to complete the electrical work for the Greenhouse. Thomsen moved to accept the bid from K & W Electric. Riley seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Plumbing: One bid was received from Bauer Plumbing in the amount of $3,230 to complete the plumbing work for the Greenhouse. Nelson moved to accept the bid from Bauer Plumbing. Huberty seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Prairie Lakes AEA 8 Director District Ballot
Kibbie moved to vote for Sue Brown as the director for district 2 to represent Emmetsburg CSD on the Prairie Lakes AEA 8 board. Nelson seconded. Motion carried.
Palo Alto Gaming Grant & Mini Grants: The Palo Alto County Gaming & Development Corporation school grant application will be requesting the funds for an update to the sound board and sound system in the auditorium. This will take the system from an analog system to a digital system. The Shared School grant application will be requesting an update to the camera system. The Mini Grant will be initiated by the students in the Middle School Student Council. The students will come to the board at the December meeting for approval.
Appointments/Committees: The committees and appointments were set as follows:
Negotiations/Finance-Nelson, Morton, Thomsen
Facilities/Transportation-Roethler, Huberty, Morton
Education/Policy Development-Kibbie, Riley, Huberty
School Improvement Advisory (SIAC)-Roethler, Nelson
Emmetsburg Education Foundation-Riley
IASB Delegate-Huberty
Palo Alto County Supervisory-Kibbie
Legal Counsel: Kibbie moved to approve Steve Avery of Cornwall, Avery, Bjornstad & Scott and Ahlers & Cooney P. C. as the district legal counsel. Seconded by Morton. Motion carried.
Local Publisher: Morton moved to approve Emmetsburg Publishing as the local publisher for the district. Seconded by Thomsen. Motion carried.
K-12 Desk Audit: Superintendent Hanna reviewed the enrollment data with the board and audience. Thomsen moved to approve the enrollment data and was seconded by Nelson. Motion carried.
Early Graduation: Three (3) seniors applied for early graduation. Pending meeting final requirements, Morton moved to approve the applications for early graduation. Nelson seconded. Motion carried.
School Budget Review Committee (SBRC) Applications
Open Enrollment Out not in Fall 2020: Morton moved to allow administration to submit a request to the School Budget Review Committee for a modified supplemental amount of $56,384 for open enrolled out students who were not included in the district’s previous year certified enrollment count. Seconded by Huberty. Ayes: Huberty, Kibbie, Morton, Nelson, Riley, Roethler, Thomsen. Nays: none. The motion passed on a 7-0 vote.
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Instruction Beyond 5 Years: Morton moved to allow administration to submit a request to the School Budget Review Committee for a modified supplemental amount of $1,537.20 related to the English language learning program for students who have exceeded five (5) years of weighting that are included on the Fall 2021 certified enrollment headcount. Seconded by Riley. Ayes: Huberty, Kibbie, Morton, Nelson, Riley, Roethler, Thomsen. Nays: none. The motion passed by a vote of 7-0.
Copier Lease: Superintendent Hanna presented the proposals for a new copier lease. Proposals were received from the current company, Gordon Flesch (formerly Advanced Systems) and Access Systems. Hanna recommended the proposal from Access Systems due to a savings of over $19,000 over the three (3) contract period. Kibbie moved to approve the lease from Access Systems. Thomsen seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Buena Vista University (BVU) Partnership: Secondary Principal Christensen presented the Memorandum of Understanding for a partnership with BVU. A letter for employees, FAQs and list of educational opportunities was reviewed. One advantage for employees and their children included a 30% discount for tuition. Morton moved to approve the Memorandum of Understanding with BVU and Kibbie seconded. Motion carried.
Kibbie moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:22pm. Morton seconded. Motion carried.
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Board President Board Secretary
