September 20, 2021
The North Mahaska Board of Education met in regular session on September 20, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. in the high school library in New Sharon, Iowa. Those members present: Dirk Wilkin, Arvin DeBoef, Michelle Sampson, and Keith Foster. Also present: Angela Livezey, Amber Goemaat, Trent Kain, Rachel Martin, Sherrill Strobel, Brandon Schulte, and Sarah McGriff.
Dirk Wilkin called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
A motion was made by DeBoef and seconded by Sampson to approve the agenda. Motion carried.
A motion was made by Foster and seconded by DeBoef to approve the consent agenda. Motion carried.
COMMUNICATIONS
PUBLIC FORUM
Sherrill Strobel addressed the board during public forum asking how students got into the school building during the Thursday of homecoming.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
There was a written communication regarding the championship banners in the high school gym. Mrs. Livezey explained that the banners would be re-hung in the gym following completion of the construction project.
DESIGN CONSTRUCTION INTEGRATION GROUP
Trent Kain and Brandon Schulte gave an update on the construction project.
Mr. Schulte explained that Ben Gannon would no longer be with DCI and Trent Kain would be the school’s main contact for construction moving forward and Mr. Schulte will also be assisting in the finishing process of the project.
Mr. Schulte met with Bi-State and Mr. Gannon to discuss the kindergarten room flooring and agreed that the flooring would be installed over Christmas break at no additional cost to the district.
Mr. Kain explained that all mechanical units are now set and will be completely wired tomorrow. The air conditioning in every classroom in the high school should be running by tomorrow. The gym, auditorium, and cafeteria should be running by next week. The fire rated door for the kindergarten link has been delivered and will be installed by the end of the week. Site cleanup will take place this week and next week and then a punch list will be created to finish final touches, including waiting on the new lockers and kindergarten flooring.
Mr. Wilkin asked about warranties following the close out of the project. Mr. Schulte explained that DCI would share a list of contact information for all companies to contact about any issues, but that NM is always able to call DCI with any questions and they can direct the district accordingly.
OLD BUSINESS
UPDATE ON GEER II FUNDS - GRANT
Mrs. Livezey updated the board that the district was not awarded a GEER II grant due to the high demand across the state. NM will use part of ESSER III funds to pay for extra mental health support.
NEW BUSINESS
SPANISH TRIP INFORMATION - RACHEL MARTIN
Ms. Martin presented details of a plan for the 2023 Spanish Trip to Panama and asked for the board’s initial approval. On the trip, students would be responsible for baggage fees, tips (which will be taken out of fundraising funds), snacks and souvenirs, a few lunches, and their passports. Dates of the trip would be approximately June 5th-June 12, 2023. Mr. DeBeof asked how many students Ms. Martin would expect to sign up. She explained that eight signed up for the France and Spain trip and costs are lower for this trip, so there could potentially be more participants. Another benefit of this destination is that Panama uses American currency, which makes it easier for students. In order to be eligible for this trip, students would have to have completed Spanish II by 2023.
A motion was made by DeBoef and seconded by Foster to initially approve the 2023 Spanish Trip. Motion carried.
MOVE PART-TIME CUSTODIAN TO FULL-TIME CUSTODIAN
Mrs. Livezey explained that with the increase in size of the building, there is a need for more custodial support. She recommended moving the current part-time custodian to full-time. There will still be a need for more substitute custodians during the year, but the district has not had any applicants at this time. A motion was made by Sampson and seconded by Foster to approve moving DeeAnn Bokhoven from part-time custodian to full-time. Motion carried.
APPROVE ACCESS CONTROL QUOTE
A motion was made by Samspon and seconded by DeBoef to approve the access control quote from VanMaanen Technology.
APPROVE INTERNAL TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT
A motion was made by DeBoef and seconded by Foster to approve the internal technology support role by Mr. Veiseth.
APPROVE EARLY GRADUATION REQUESTS
Four early graduation requests were presented to the board. A motion was made by Foster and seconded by Sampson to approve the early graduation requests pending the students meet the graduation requirements. Motion carried.
JR./SR. HANDBOOK UPDATE - ADDITION TO MERE PRESENCE RULE
Mrs. Livezey proposed on behalf of Mrs. Goemaat a change to the Good Conduct Policy involving the Mere Presence Rule. The change being that if a student willingly poses for a photo where there is the presence of alcohol (other students’ possession or the student possession) then the Mere Presence Rule would not apply and the student would be subject to enforcement of the Good Conduct Policy. A motion was made by DeBoef and seconded by Sampson to approve the Good Conduct Policy update to the Jr./Sr. Handbook. Motion carried.
REQUEST FOR ALLOWABLE GROWTH - SPECIAL EDUCATION DEFICIT
A motion was made by DeBoef and seconded by Sampson to approve the special education deficit and request for allowable growth in the amount of $208,076.30.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF CLASSROOM SPACE BOARD POLICY 606.1
Mrs. Livezey reviewed the class size recommendations with the board based on classroom space.
REVIEW OF COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN
Mrs. Livezey reviewed the annual comprehensive school improvement plan with the board. The plan uses student test data, the school report card, and attendance data to determine the areas of need and build the comprehensive plan for the year. The district then sets goals, which includes benchmark goals for the FAST assessment based on where students are currently scoring.
REVIEW OF DISTRICT PD PLAN
Mrs. Livezey reviewed the district professional development plan with the board which is tied to the comprehensive school improvement plan to help reach the set goals.
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
HOMECOMING ACTIVITIES
Mrs. Goemaat sent a written principal’s report including a description of new homecoming activities that took place this year. Those were
1. Iron Man Volleyball, which started last year and was outside due to COVID. It took place in the gym this year, and the students had a lot of fun.
2. Warhawk War - Family Feud style random questions about teachers and North Mahaska history.
3. Thursday night Homecoming Parade. There has been good feedback so far and Mrs. Hibler will send out a survey online to see if the community would like to make this a permanent change.
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
Parent-Teacher conferences will take place September 27, 28, and 30 in the cafeteria and gym to allow for social distancing practices.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
ALL WEATHER TRACK UPDATE
Mrs. Livezey explained that she is still discussing with the construction companies and warranty company of the all-weather track to determine if any faults to the integrity of the track fall under the active warranty.
IASB ANNUAL CONFERENCE - NOV. 17 & 18
Mrs. Livezey informed the board of the dates and location of the IASB Annual Conference, should they wish to attend.
DISTRICT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Mrs. Livezey shared the agenda of the professional development session that took place on September 20 with the board. She discussed the alignment of the agenda with the professional development plan that was discussed earlier in the meeting.
RSAI ANNUAL MEETING - OCTOBER 26 - FFA ENRICHMENT CENTER ANKENY
Mrs. Livezey informed the board of the dates and location of the RSAI Annual Meeting, should they wish to attend.
LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
Mrs. Livezey worked with the board to identify their legislative priorities to be sent to IASB for advocacy purposes. The priorities identified were teacher recruitment and licensure, special education at the state level, unfunded mandates, and mental health.
COMMENTS
Mrs. Livezey commented regarding homecoming stating that there were 3-5 students who made poor decisions on the evening before the homecoming game. The district is investigating to determine who these students are and will move forward with proper protocol to ensure these students are held accountable for their actions.
Mrs. Livezey also added that more investigation will take place regarding the students who gained access to the building and an update will be provided to the board.
Mr. DeBoef asked about the sale of wrestling mats and if the Mat Club had made an offer for the mats. Unfortunately, Mrs. Livezey was not aware of any offer from the Mat Club. The mats were listed for sale on a first-come first-served basis along with the lockers. Because of this missed communication, the board discussed a new process for listing items for sale. Mrs. Livezey suggested posting photos of the items on the district Facebook and website with advance warning of when they will be available for purchase. The board agreed that this process would help in the future. Mrs. Livezey will also present a list of items that will be sold from the bus barn at the next board meeting.
Mr. Wilkin asked about plans for a grand opening celebration of the newly constructed areas of the school. Mrs. Livezey and staff are still working on a few details of the celebration plans, but hope to have them solidified soon.
THANK YOU
None at this time.
ADJOURN
A motion was made by Sampson and seconded by Foster to adjourn the meeting at 8:39p.m. Motion carried.
Sarah McGriff
Board Secretary
Dirk Wilkin
Board President
