ACSD School Board hears update on school district tax levy, addresses numerous other items during regular July session

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met Monday evening, July 18 for its regular monthly meeting. Board member Tom Baxter was absent. A handful of district staff members were on hand for the meeting as well.

During the Secretary’s Financial Report, Board Secretary Jaime Curtin reminded board members that the June financial information is still preliminary, and they will get the final figures in September.

ACSD Superintendent Dave Herold noted during the School Lunch Report that the lunch fund shows a negative balance for the month because no lunch money is coming in, and the district has been purchasing food for the Summer Feeding Program, as well as purchased nutrition software and fees. He further stated that the year-to-date balance shows “a good balance.”
During his Superintendent’s Report, Herold informed the Board that the district has met all State requirements for its Special Education Performance Plan. He also noted that all of the summer projects are going well.

Herold also talked a bit about the tax levy rate history of the ACSD. The 2016-2017 rate is at 9.74000. He gave board members a handout that showed the tax rates over the last 10 years, as well as a comparison between other school districts and ACSD in FY10 and FY17, noting that ACSD has the lowest tax rate for FY17 of the other northeast Iowa schools listed.

“Allamakee Community School District is now below 10,” Herold said, adding “This is not an indictment on other schools or communities. We have worked hard for our kids and our community.”

During the Principals’ Report, the sole principal in attendance was Waterville Elementary’s Julie Askelson. Askelson informed the Board that she had given the welcome speech at the Waterville All-School Reunion that was held at the end of June as well as giving the Waterville alumni an update on what they have been doing at Waterville Elementary. Askelson also noted that it was interesting for her to visit with former Waterville graduates and hear stories about the school.

During the Technology Report, Technology Director Shawn Gordon noted the transition from JMC to PowerSchool as the new student information system. He also said that the district has been implementing courses on the Canvas learning management system and will be working on the grading aspect. Gordon advised that 21 student laptops were in need of repairs and those repairs have been made, and the laptops will be ready to go at the beginning of the new school year.

Transportation Director Randy Nordheim noted that this is a slower time for the bus barn and they are working on maintenance and cleaning the busses. There are a few busses that are still going out weekly for routes.

Barb Winters-Kelly updated the Board on the nomination for the 21st Century After School program for the Family Engagement Practices to Watch Profile. She said that she will be interviewed by a representative of the federal program to learn more about how ACSD’s 21st Century programming interacts with families and what the program does.

During the Communications time of the meeting, Herold discussed the facility usage chart, 2015-2016 school year money received and the vehicle mileage report. The facilities of the ACSD are used nearly every day, and by a variety of activities, and he also had a chart showing funds brought in for use of facilities or services, such as custodial. The mileage chart showed the miles put on the school suburbans, van and car for various events. The total mileage for the 2015-2016 school year was 26,233 miles.

Moving on to old business, the Board approved the second reading of numerous board policies dealing with Board of Directors’ conflict of interest, administrative practices and procedures, transportation, repairs and maintenance, media and community, and several other topics.

Under personnel matters, the Board approved hiring staff for the 21st Century After School Program. Joan Schwartz was approved as the assistant/JV volleyball coach. Jarod Dahlstrom was also approved as a volunteer football coach.

Several recommendations were approved in other matters: the Student Computer Usage Agreements; joining the Iowa Association of School Boards; joining Iowa School Finance Information Services and the Nutrition Handbook. The Board also approved increases in the student and adult lunch prices for the 2016-2017 school year, per Federal guidelines. Paid student lunches will increase $0.10 to $2.05, and the adult lunch will also increase $0.10 to $3.45. Adult breakfasts will also be increased, to $1.50.

The Board also approved the School Breakfast/Lunch Free & Reduced Policy. Bids on milk and bread were approved. Bread bids went to Pan-O-Gold. The milk bids went to Prairie Farms, except for the 12-ounce chocolate skim bottles, which went to WW Homestead Dairy. The Board also voted to continue the Back Pack Program, a program which provides students and their families who are in need with food during weekends and breaks during the school year.

The Board then moved on to set its legislative priorities, choosing five priorities: Standards and Accountability supports progress in the development of rigorous content standards and benchmarks that reflect real-world knowledge and skill that students need to graduate high school and prepare for college or to enter the workforce. School Funding Policy supports timely and adequate funding, a funding mechanism for transportation costs, equalizes per pupil funding, etc. Supplemental State Aid supports setting the supplemental state aid for FY 2017 by January 29, 2016; for FY 2018 and future budgets within 400 days (14 months) prior to the certification of the district’s budget and adequate funding to support local districts’ plans to provide world-class schools. The State Penny supports preserving the integrity of the statewide penny sales tax for school infrastructure. School Board Terms would return to a three-year term for school board members.

The Board then moved on to discuss a request from Kerndt Brothers Savings Bank to have funds deposited in its bank. After some discussion, the Board decided that it would leave deposits as they currently stand for now, and when the rotation comes around again as to how funds are deposited, the Board will address the situation again at that time.
The Board then approved a bid from Indi-Com Electric & Surveillance Inc. for $6,360 for additional cameras at the high school. Herold explained that this will be more of an upgrade situation for security purposes.

The final matter before adjournment was the approval of the first reading of the following board policies: 201-Board of Directors’ Elections, 202.3-Term of Office, 202.4-Vacancies, 403.1-Employee Physical Examinations, 801.5-Bids and Awards for Construction Contracts, 507.2-Administration of Medication to Students, 507.2E1-Authorization-Asthma or Other Airway Constricting Disease Medication or Epinephrine Auto-Injector Self-Administration Consent Form, 507.2E2-Parental Authorization and Release Form for the Administration of the Medication of Students.

Policy 906-Unmanned Aircrafts-Drones garnered a little discussion. Herold explained that this is a first draft and that there will probably be changes as time goes on. ACSD wants have some kind of policy in place and on record regarding this area.

“We could have our own drones or allow someone else to use them for instruction. Unmanned drones are supposed to be operated within sight of the operator, but more and more that doesn’t happen,” Herold explained, giving the example of an unmanned drone crashing at a sporting event and stating that they need some kind of policy in place to deal with that. Herold also noted that unmanned aircraft and drones are currently in an unsettled area of the law, with overlap on the Federal and State levels. The Board did approve all of those first readings.