July 20, 2009 Board Minutes
MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF BOARD
OF EDUCATION
C & M COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT – JULY 20, 2009
CALL TO ORDER: President Gary Dinkla read the mission statement of
the C & M Community School District, called the meeting to
order at 4:04 p.m. in the superintendent’s office in Massena, and
welcomed the visitors.
ROLL CALL: Directors Present: Gary Dinkla, Sean South, Todd McKee,
Jennifer Holste,
Rob Ticknor, Superintendent: Steve Pelzer, Secretary: Linda
Edwards, Visitors: Mike Cormack, Kyle Williams.
AGENDA: Motion by McKee, seconded by Ticknor, to approve the
agenda. Voice vote, motion carried 5-0.
MINUTES, BILLS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS: Adding a bill to May
Contracting for $12, 897 for materials delivered for replacing the
fire escape doors, Ticknor moved, seconded by South, to approve the
minutes of the June 15th board meeting and the July 13th joint
board meeting, bills, and financial statements. Voice vote, motion
carried 5-0.
COMMUNICATIONS: A letter from Karen Thomsen requesting the board’s
support of her candidacy for the district #3 director of the newly
reorganized AEA board was read.
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: Mr. Pelzer reported that the parking lot
project has been completed and that May Contracting is here working
on the projects that are required by the Fire Marshall report. They
will be working with Capstone Contracting to address these issues.
May Contracting will be removing the skylights in the commons and
enclosing the area. The landscaping by the preschool has been
completed and a retaining wall will be installed on the south side
of the building. The company that is repairing and repainting the
lockers will be here next week.
Mr. Pelzer has interviewed candidates for the school nurse position
required by legislation. The discussion was held on whether we
wanted to get by with the bare minimum requirements. He is looking
at hiring someone for one to two hours per week at $25 per hour.
At-risk dollars can be used for this. A paraeducator has been hired
to replace the one who resigned. There is an anticipated need for
additional paras. Mr. Pelzer is also looking at sharing an
additional special education teacher due to increased needs. With a
large number of students, it is difficult to schedule multiage
levels and there is an increasing amount of paperwork for each
student. ARRA IDEA Part B stimulus money can be used for this
additional position.
The middle school day will be increased by half an hour this school
year. More planning will need to be done on bus routes, etc. and it
will be a work in progress. The half hour right after lunch will be
a “skills block”. If students are low in certain skills, they will
get extra help. That time will also be used to accelerate higher
students too. The lower elementary staff and paras attended two
days of “Visual Phonics” training. ARRA Title I stimulus money was
used to implement this program.
DISCUSSION ITEMS: Discussion items included, once again, the
Cumberland building. The building has been listed with a realtor
and the first agreement was extended for three months. There have
been some interested people but no offers have been made at this
time. The board decided that there are four options for this: keep
it listed with the realtor, sealed bids, auction or donate it.
After discussion, it was decided to contact the school attorney and
have him prepare the necessary paperwork to advertise for sealed
bids. A resolution needs to be approved, a hearing will need to be
held and then we will ask for sealed bids. The board will reserve
the right to accept or reject any or all bids and to be able to act
in the best interests of the district. The attorney will begin the
process and we hope to have this as an action item next month. The
lot across the street will be bid separately from the actual
building.
Discussion was held on the date and times of future board meetings.
This will be an action item at the organizational meeting in
September. There are only a few junior high athletic conflicts with
a 4 p.m. meeting time. The August meeting will be held at 3:30 at
the CAM Outdoor Classroom with a cookout for the faculty after the
meeting like the one held last year.
There has been no recent news on the situation of the elimination
of Phase I funds. The SBRC will not be ruling on this before at
least December and decisions will have to be made on the local
level before the September teacher payroll. The two options are to
drop Phase I funding from each teacher contract with an approximate
cut of $2,048 or a two-year phase out which could be accomplished
with a two-year freeze of contracts at last year’s salary amounts.
The second option would be a more equitable solution because, under
option 1, teacher comp money would be used to bring the newer
teachers up to required levels and would decrease the amount to be
distributed to the teachers with more experience. The district will
lose over $38,000 in spending authority.
Reorganization was a topic of discussion. The comment was made that
if we started the process now, it would take three years before it
would begin. We will receive the second year of sharing incentives
this year. The third year will be received in the year prior to
reorganization. A reorganization incentive is available for three
years following consolidation if implemented before July 1, 2014.
Mr. Pelzer will plan another meeting of the SIAC committee this
fall to discuss this. Information will be given to all residents of
both districts with a survey included to determine interest.
District wide meetings will be held in both districts. The process
needs to be the same in both districts. Then a joint meeting will
be held.
LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR 2009-2010: The following priorities were
adopted: #1 Priority: Restore Phase I funding or find an equitable
way to restore loss to teachers’ funding. #2 Priority: Supports
setting allowable growth at a rate that encourages continuous
school improvement and reflects actual cost increases experienced
by school districts. The allowable growth rate should be set no
lower than 6%. Equivalent state categorical funding is not a
substitute for adequate allowable growth. Our priority is to
increase and maintain the state cost per pupil and the spending
authority associated with it to build a strong base for future
education resources. #3 Priority: Supports expansion of the
allowable use of physical plant and equipment levy (PPEL) funds
while maintaining the purposes of infrastructure, transportation,
technology and equipment funding. Motion to approve submitting
these legislative priorities to IASB was made by McKee, seconded by
Ticknor. Voice vote, motion carried 5-0.
AGREEMENT WITH CASEY COMPUTER CONSULTING: An agreement with Jim
Casey of Casey Computer Consulting to provide tech services for the
district was approved. The new agreement includes a 4% increase
over last year’s contract. Motion to approve the agreement was made
by McKee, seconded by South. Voice vote, motion carried 5-0.
BOARD SECRETARY/TREASURER: A motion to appoint Linda Edwards as
board secretary/treasurer for the C & M Community School
District was made by McKee, seconded by Ticknor. Voice vote, motion
carried 5-0.
RESOLUTION NAMING DEPOSITORIES (10-01): The following resolution
was adopted on a motion by Holste, seconded by Ticknor. Voice vote,
motion carried 5-0.
RESOLVED, that the Board of School District Directors of the C
& M Community School District in Cass County, Iowa, approves
the following list of financial institutions to be depositories of
the C & M Community School District funds in conformance with
all applicable provisions of Iowa Code Chapters 452 and 453 (1983),
as amended by 1984 Iowa Acts, S.F. 2220. The School District
Treasurer is hereby authorized to deposit the C & M Community
School District funds in amounts not to exceed the maximum approved
for each respective financial institution as set out below.
First National Bank Fontanelle, IA Maximum balance
750,000.00
Bankers Trust Co. Des Moines, IA Maximum balance none
RESOLUTION APPOINTING DELEGATE TO AEA ELECTOR DISTRICT CONVENTION: Resolution 10-02 was adopted authorizing Gary Dinkla, delegate, or Jennifer Holste, alternate, to cast the district’s weighted elector votes for district director at the elector district convention number 3 of the Reorganized Area Education Agency that will be created by the merger of AEA 13 and AEA 14 to be held on July 29, 2009. Motion to approve the resolution was made by McKee, seconded by Ticknor, Voice vote, motion carried 5-0.
RESOLUTION 10-03 SUBMITTING PHYSICAL PLANT AND EQUIPMENT LEVY TO
VOTERS: The following resolution was presented to the Board of
Directors of the C & M Community School District:
BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Directors of the C & M Community
School District in the Counties of Cass and Adams, State of Iowa,
as follows:
Section 1: That the following resolution be presented to the voters
at the next regular school election and the County Election
Commissioner is hereby requested to include such resolution in the
ballot for the regular school election to be held in and for said
school district on the 8th day of September, 2009:
“Shall the Board of Directors of the C & M Community School
District in the Counties of Cass and Adams, State of Iowa, be
authorized for a period of ten (10) years, to levy annually, as
determined by the Board, a voter-approved physical plant and
equipment property tax not to exceed One Dollar and Thirty-four
cents ($1.34) per One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) of the assessed
valuation of the taxable property within the school district, and
be authorized annually, as determined by the Board, to levy a
physical plant and equipment property tax upon all the taxable
property within the school district commencing with the levy of
property taxes for collection in the fiscal year ending June 30,
2011, to be used for the purchase and improvement of grounds; the
construction of schoolhouses or buildings and open roads to
schoolhouses or buildings; the purchase, lease, or lease-purchase
of a single unit of equipment or technology exceeding Five Hundred
Dollars ($500) in value per unit; the payment of debts contracted
for the erection or construction of schoolhouses or buildings, not
including interest on bonds; procuring or acquisition of library
facilities; repairing, remodeling, reconstructing, improving, or
expanding the schoolhouses or buildings and addition to existing
schoolhouses; expenditures for energy conservation; the rental of
facilities under Chapter 28E; purchase of transportation equipment
for transporting students; the purchase of buildings or
lease-purchase option agreements for school buildings; equipment
purchases for recreational purposes; payments to a municipality or
other entity as required under Section 403.19, subsection 2;
demolition, clean up, and other costs if such costs are
necessitated by, and incurred within two years of, a disaster as
defined in section 29C.2, subsection 1; or the cost of an asbestos
project as provided under Section 279.52?”
Section 2: Director Rob Ticknor moved that said resolution be
adopted. Director Todd McKee seconded said resolution; and after
due consideration thereof by the Board, the President called the
roll on the question of adopting said resolution, and the roll
being called the following directors voted: AYES: Rob Ticknor, Todd
McKee, Sean South, Jennifer Holste, Gary Dinkla. NAYS: none.
Section 3: That a certified copy of this resolution immediately be
filed with the Cass County Auditor as election commissioner to be
placed on the ballot for the regular school election.
BREAD AND MILK BIDS: Bids were opened and the bids from Anderson
Erickson for dairy products and from IBC Sales Corporation for
bakery products were accepted on a motion by South, seconded by
Ticknor. Voice vote, motion carried 5-0. Both bids were lower than
those of last year.
SWIMS -- MIDDLE SCHOOL ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM: A motion to continue
participation in the SWIMS (South West Iowa Middle School) program
was presented by McKee, seconded by Ticknor. Voice vote, motion
carried 5-0. The SWIMS fees will be tuition based this year. We
will only have to pay if we have a student enrolled in the
program.
PARTICIPATION IN CCEOC (Cass County Educational Opportunity
Center): Previously alternative high school students were educated
at the Cass County Independent Learning Center. Atlantic CSD had an
EOC program. These programs are being combined and will be housed
and overseen by the Atlantic district. Fees will be on a tuition
only basis and special education students will be able to attend
because a certified special education teacher will be on staff. A
big positive for the program is that there will be more
administrative support. A motion to participate in the CCEOC was
made by Holste, seconded by McKee. Voice vote, motion carried
5-0.
STUDENT HANDBOOKS: Mr. Pelzer presented revised copies of the
elementary and middle school handbooks. Several changes were
necessary to the elementary handbook due to the move to Massena.
Changes to the middle school handbook included changes to the
graduation requirements, laptop acceptable use policy, updating
schedules and personnel. Motion to approve the handbooks was made
by Holste, seconded by McKee. Voice vote, motion carried 5-0.
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER: A motion to approve the Anita Tribune as the
official newspaper for publishing requirements was made McKee,
seconded by South. Voice vote, motion carried 5-0.
CONTRACTS: The following contracts were approved: Brian Fogleman as
JH football coach; Cassie Fleharty, paraeducator; Cheri Chester,
elementary secretary/paraeducator; and Ralph Wickey as route bus
driver. Motion to approve the contracts was made by McKee, seconded
by South. Voice vote, motion carried 5-0.
FEES FOR 2009-2010: The following fees were approved for the
2009-2010 school year:
Book fees: (increased $2) Elementary $38, Middle School and High
School $44 (maximum charge of $130 per family)
Milk: Reduced to 35¢.
Student and Staff Lunch and Breakfast and Milk: same as last
year.
Athletic passes will remain the same as last year.
Driver Education fees will be set at the January joint board
meeting.
BOARD REPORTS: Sean South reported he had heard a compliment on how
Iowa schools are so advanced with technology compared to other
states.
ADJOURNMENT: A motion to adjourn was made by McKee, seconded by
Ticknor. Voice vote, motion carried 5-0. President Dinkla adjourned
the meeting at 548 p.m.
(signed) Gary Dinkla, Board President
(signed)Linda Edwards, Board Secretary
