News : VS School Board update: Early Retirement plan approved

The school board met in regular session on Monday, December 14 with all board members present.

Highlights from the meeting include an overview by Gail Showman of the Home School Assistance Program shared with Benton. There are currently 125 students enrolled in the program.

Under the Superintendent’s Report, Paige and Cloey Fall will continue attending CPU even though they moved into the district; Every Student Achieves Act was approved by Congress and signed by the President, it will replace No Child Left Behind starting next fall; staff are working on K-12 attendance policies and will have recommendations for the board’s review in January; the January board meeting will include building walk-throughs and then the meeting will begin at 4:00 at Tilford.

Under Board Reports/Requests, board members reported on the recent School Board Convention they attended in Des Moines, Sue Gates reported on highlights from the AESA Convention she’d attended, and Mrs. Van Steenhuyse reported on a legislative session she’d attended.

Under General Business of the Board, the board approved:

§ Minutes from the November 9th regular meeting, minutes and financials;

§ Amendment with the after-school transportation contract with DHS;

§ Resignations from Henry Bratten as assistant wrestling coach, Tom Lindauer as 9th grade volleyball coach, and Chad Pettyjohn as 8th grade football coach;

§ Hiring of Leon Schwnker and Jodi Bearbower as substitute bus drivers and Danielle Martens as an early childhood special education teacher at Shellsburg;

§ Ross Karsten, Samantha England, Nicole Helper and Margaret Redlinger as substitute teachers pending submission of final paperwork;

§ Early Graduation approval for several students;

§ Disposal of 24 basic technical drawing books;

§ Denial of a late open enrollment request;

§ Out-of-district travel for Eric Upmeyer, Le Cox and the debate team as well as Michala Martin and students attending two honor choirs;

§ Farm-to-School Committee membership;

§ And approval of the RFP to take bids to replace our wireless network system (not in the immediate future but as a part of our E-Rate application).

The board voted to offer an early retirement program. To qualify, staff members must be 55 by June 30, 2016 and worked at least 15 years for the district. Accepted applicants will receive 40% of their last year’s salary as a payment this summer into a special pay account.

The board approved the pay application to Peterson Construction for the Karr Athletic Complex Upgrades as well as a contract for them to complete work on the track next spring.

The board learned about the Attendance Center Rankings that the Iowa Department of Education will release later this week. All school buildings will be ranked as one of six categories based primarily on student achievement but also staff retention data, attendance, and other data points.

The board reviewed vehicle bids including bids for diesel or LP bus, pickup for the maintenance department, and van for activities. They approved purchasing an LP bus from School Bus Sales and the pickup and van from Grovert Motor Company.

The board reviewed and approved the audit report for the 2014-15 year along with reviewed the line item budget for the 2015-16 year.

The board conducted the second and final reading on several board policies including those that pertain to anti-bullying and anti-harassment.

The board reviewed correspondence items from the AASA on the Every Child Succeeds Act and the Iowa DE’s communication toolkit about the attendance center rankings.