Board candidate deadline is Aug. 3

School Board
By: 
Pete Temple
Express Associate Editor

     It wasn’t part of the agenda, but the fact three seats will be available on the Monticello School Board for the Sept. 12 election was brought up during the board’s regular meeting Monday, July 24.

     Interested candidates need to file nomination papers with the board secretary by 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3.

     Three members’ terms are expiring in September: Angie Beitz, Peg Mere and Bud Johnson. Beitz and Mere are not seeking re-election; Johnson is.

     Candidate packets are available at the district office at 711 S. Maple St.

     While that situation didn’t require action by the board Monday, there were plenty of items that did, mostly involving handbooks, fundraisers and field trips.

     Approved were the student and parent handbooks and faculty handbooks for the high school, middle school and elementary schools; as well as the activities department handbook.

     Also, the board approved the list of high school, middle school and elementary fundraisers; and the list of high school, middle school and elementary field trips.

     In other action, the board:

     • heard a report from intervention specialist Todd Hospodarsky about the success of the lunch study table and other initiatives in reducing the number of failing grades in the high school. For example, Hospodarsky said, the average number of students having to attend the lunch study table for failing grades dropped from 26.38 per week in the 2015-16 school year, to 18 last school year.

     • heard a curriculum report from Gretchen Kriegel outlining different forms of data the district plans to study. A review of numbers showed that district proficiency numbers are good, but that it needs improvement in the achievement gap.

     • approved the second and final readings of board policies relating to grievance procedure, and anti-bullying and harassment investigation procedures.

     • selected and approved its legislative priorities for 2017. The board was required to pick four priorities from a list of 30 provided by the Iowa Association of School Boards, and voted on the following, in order of preference: a repeal of the Dec. 31, 2029 sunset date for the statewide penny tax, standards and accountability, supplemental state aid, and allowing bond issues to be passed by a simple majority vote.

     • as part of the consent agenda, approved the following personnel items:

     Resignations – Jon Swisher as special education child specific associate, and Diane James and Ginger Eilers as food service employees.

     Appointments – Liz Medina as E.L. summer program coordinator and as .50 ELL coordinator for family literacy and outreach program; Callie Kromminga-Smith as .50 ELL coordinator for family literacy and outreach program; Jenny Wolfe and Angie Wink as teacher mentors; Stacy Campbell as elementary AIW coach; Tanner Fellinger and Greg Jones as bus drivers; Ed Goldsmith as special education bus driver; Mary Jane Maher as high school Level I special education teacher and student council advisor; Deborah McDermott and Larissa Holub as special education child specific associates at Shannon; Eric Schmitt as middle school football coach; Jamie Fuhrmeister as volunteer middle school football coach; and the list of fall non-teaching coaches and volunteers.

     Transfers – Sonya Zimmerman from special education child specific associate at the high school to special education child specific associate at the middle school; Amy Kurth, from special education child specific associate to special education program associate at Shannon; and Sarah Domer-Sleep, from behavior advisor at the middle school to special education child specific associate at the high school.

     • as part of the consent agenda, approved the 2017-18 agreement with Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP) for Head Start.

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