Government : VS Community School District Meeting Notes

The Vinton Shellsburg Community School Board's first meeting on Monday night was a stand alone item, as required by law, for the property tax hearing.Public Hearing on the FY25 Budget for the Proposed Property Tax Levy Rate per Iowa Code 24.2A
The board heard public comment on the proposed levy rate, four individuals spoke. The focus was on people on fixed incomes and farm/land costs.The budget being proposed includes a levy rate of $15.50234 per thousand which is the exact same rate as the previous fiscal year.
Specifically:Utilizing the Instructional Support Levy at 10% of the regular program student cost and funded through 2% income surtax and the remainder through property tax (same this year).Utilizing the cash reserve levy for $350,000 to cover expenses for open enrollment out and the prior year's special education deficit + cash reserve of $1,614,605.Utilizing the Management Levy at $1,177,381 (up from $1,000,000 for this year)Utilizing the voter approved PPEL at $1.34 and funded through 5% income surtax and the remainder through property tax (same as this year)Utilizing the board approved PPEL at 33¢ (same as this year)Paying off the bond debt through debt service levy but not paying any extra bond payment at $233,900. (last year of payments)

Difference Maker Presentation
Last fall, Laura Hammersley had an idea to have a "transition fair" in our district for families who would benefit from post-graduation services for their children. Laura went to other fairs around the area to make connections with vendors throughout Benton and Linn counties.

She planned and hosted the vendors at our high school recently. It was a great event. She helped make a lot of wonderful connections for the students and families in the V-S districts. With Laura's guidance, this event will continue to grow each year. Laura went above and beyond for all VS students.

After years of middle school events not offering a concession stand for spectators, it was a goal of Ms. Francois to get this going and to run it as a fundraiser for our Vike Store and other activities for our student body.  Mrs. Hill went above and beyond her regular duties, taking much of the responsibility completely off of Ms. Francois's plate.  She made sure every aspect of the concession stand ran smoothly, from cleaning the concession stand to get it ready, managing inventory, and coordinating volunteers to work the events.  Vicky's willingness to go the extra mile has not gone unnoticed.  Her efforts helped raise just over $2,400 for our students.  Thank you for all you do Mrs. Hill! (Mrs. Hill was not able to attend the meeting, but we will celebrate her at a later date)

Administrator Reports &  Superintendent Report

• Shellsburg Principal, Ryan Davis, provided a written report.
• Middle School Principal, Alexa Francois, reported on parent-teacher conferences, Iowa Assessments, improving attendance, and the upcoming Pickleball Tournament provided by the Lions Club.
• Tilford Principal, Andrea Townsley reported on parent-teacher conferences, the leadership team's discussions on the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), interviewing for new hires, and PBIS.
• Tilford Assistant Principal, Tony Islas reported on Performance Nights, Kindergarten Round-Up, Iowa Assessments, and field trips.
• Principal Matt Kingsbury reported on ACT's, Iowa Assessments, spring activities, scheduling for next year, prom, State FFA, and the new grading system.
• Ms. Ackman was able to complete the first step for registering for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which is a simplified meal service option that allows schools to provide meals at no cost to all students without requiring families to apply for free and reduced price meals. Schools must operate the School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program to participate in CEP and all meals must be provided to students at no charge. Under CEP, not all meals are automatically claimed at the free federal reimbursement rate. Claiming percentages are used to determine the reimbursement rate.

Legislative Update:
The House amended HF 2612 with H-8237 and passed it out to the Senate. The amendment was made public about an hour before debate started. It was a very close vote - 51 in favor, 42 opposed, and 7 absent or not voting. There is still much back and forth to be had in finalizing this legislation. Here are the bill's main points:

• Student Supplemental Aid - 2.5%
• Teacher/Staff Compensation: Increase minimum salary to $47,500 in year 1 and $50,000 in year 2.
• Teachers with 12 or more years of experience to $60,000 in year 1 and $62,000 in Year 2.
• $14M for support staff to increase hourly wage (but no actual appropriation)
• A tiered system for TSS to equalize funding between schools and to provide some funding to districts that already pay the minimum. **(this last part was a surprise to us, so we are trying to see how this will work)
•  Allow for a one-month bonafide retirement period for retirees (four months now). This means that districts can hire back retired teachers to start the school year. This is something we have asked for.
• Special Education funds
• '24-'25 - No change
• '25-'26 - AEAs receive 90% of Special Education flow-through dollars. Districts receive 10% - must be used for special education.
•  Ed Services and Media funds
• Year 1 - 60-40 split, districts - AEA.
• Year 2 - 100% to districts - fee for service. However, those funds can be used for any general fund purpose.
• Significant DE oversight with 62 staff in Des Moines and in AEAs, including the Director of Special Education being a DE employee.
• AEA Chief Administrators' salary will be 125% of each AEA's superintendent average.
• Quarterly reports to districts from AEAs
• AEA boards are labeled as advisory, but bill language gives them almost all functions, so 28E agreements and Operational Sharing are allowed.

Construction Updates:
Middle School (3/25/24) - Our trade partners have been working diligently in the boiler room and where the school has given us permission to work during the school year. This will help reduce the summer workload that was anticipated. With the end of heating season coming up in April, our plan is to have the existing boiler demo 'ed the boiler room completed before school is out. Besides work that we are able to accomplish during the school year we are gearing up for a busy summer. We have had scheduling meetings with our trade partners to determine the best and most productive way to work on the remaining scope. The summer will be very active to have the school ready for the start of 2024-2025 school year.
Tiny Vikes (3/25/24) - In the past month we have poured slab on grade and have framed 99% of the building. All of our trade partners are roughing in mechanical duct work, in wall plumbing, and electrical. We are looking to start drywall later next week or the week following. On the exterior brick is being installed and will be wrapping up next week. Upon completion of the brick, our site contractor will be back to dress up the site and have the site ready for concrete paving (sidewalks, curbs, and parking lot). We are tracking a little ahead of schedule right now and we are keeping our gas on the pedal. We are pushing to have the building ready for you in early/mid-July rather than late July/early August as originally scheduled.
General Business of the Board

Contracts
University of Northern Iowa's contract for teaching field experience for the 2024-2025 academic year.The Shredder client service agreement minimum of $250.00 and $50.00 per 96 gallon tote.Junior Achievement 24-25 School Year Memorandum of Agreement.ISEBA Delta Dental Plan renewal for Administrators.School Perceptions Survey
Personnel
New Certified Hires (2024-2025)Koal Marshall- Shellsburg Elementary 3rd Grade TeacherWyatt Samuelson- Middle School Industrial Technology Teacher
Support Staff HiresKatrina Bee- Night Custodian at Tilford Elementary starting April 2, 2024.Michael Lint- Night Custodian at VS Middle School starting March 25, 2024.Ryan J. Williams- Night Custodian at Tilford Elementary starting April 8, 2024.
Extracurricular Contracts (2023-2024)Kevin Patterson- Assistant Varsity Boys Golf CoachEric Recker- Head Freshmen Baseball Coach
Extracurricular Contracts (2024-2025)Aric Chvala- Assistant Varsity Football Coach
Resignations
Lyndsey Davis- Tilford Elementary Teacher effective at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.Kimberly Hauber- Middle School Stem Teacher effective at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.Kelly Henkle- Co-Voyager Coach, effective at the end of the 2023-2024 season.Holli Lewis- Tilford Elementary Special Education Associate, effective May 31, 2024.Brian Sheston- Varsity Boys Wrestling Coach, effective at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.Brian Sheston- Weight Room Supervisor, effective at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.Katrina Wheeler- Part Time Food Service, effective immediately.
New Substitutes
Kaylea McKibben- Teacher AssociateKarla Staveley- Food Service  
Bids - Bid award for the 2014 Blue Bird Diesel 68 Passenger Bus to John Mix in the amount of $750.00.

Fundraiser
High School Football Fundraising Golf Tournament at the Vinton Golf CourseHigh School Boys Soccer Fundraising Cookie Dough Sales through Leading Edge FundraisingSpanish Teacher Darrin Patterson would like to hold various raffles to raise money for the Costa Rica trip in June. Examples include gift baskets and baked goods. Raffles will be $5.00 per ticket.
2024 Graduate List
Graduation is set for Sunday, May 19th at 2:00 p.m. in the Garrison Fieldhouse at the high school. Included in the supporting documents was a list of the seniors who we anticipate will graduate provided they successfully complete all of their requirements prior to May 17th. 
2024-2025 Academic Calendar Approval - The board approved next year's academic calendar. It is attached.
2023-2024 Academic Calendar Modification
The school district had weather-related cancellations or delays on the following dates: January 9, 10,11,23 and March 22. We had and will use designated make-up days on February 19 and May 24. We had one late start, on January 16 which was made up on Friday, January 19.
The board approved to have full days of school on the first three Fridays in May (3,10,17). Then, all staff would have a work day on Tuesday, May 28th and certified staff would have a work day on Wednesday, May 29, and we forgive the third day, so no staff payroll modifications would occur. For student hours, this plan would be a total of 1,093.5 hours, leaving the district 13.5 hours above the state minimum requirement of 1,080.
The plan for Tuesday, May 28th would be to conduct all the activities scheduled for the three early releases in May, which would be para training, special education transitions, data teams, and the all staff recognition assembly.  Wednesday would be a building directed day for certified staff, which would include checkout meetings with the principals.
District-Developed Service Delivery Plan Public Hearing & Approval
The District Developed Service Delivery Plan (DDSDP) is a document that describes the continuum of special education services available in our district for students with IEPs (Individual Education Plans). This document is reviewed, revised, and resubmitted every five years.  Mrs. Miller, special education facilitator, provided an overview of the committee's work.
Referendum Survey Preparation
The board discussed questions and direction to pose for an upcoming community survey on the school district's facilities. A draft of a survey will be created and reviewed by the school board in the coming week.
Flexibility Account Transfer - The board approved transferring the amount of $107,001.00 from the flexibility fund to salaries and benefits.

Health Insurance Committee Recommendation
The health insurance committee approved a move to a fully self insured model, keeping the exact same plan with Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. More information to come on this. But, I am excited to share two of the three options for single health insurance that will be offered at no additional charge to the employee.
The board moved into Exempt Session to Discuss Strategies as Allowed by Iowa Code 21.9 -   The board discussed initial employee contract arrangements for the 2024-2025 school year. The board is eagerly waiting for the legislation to set SSA and finalize expected pay levels.