EACSD Board continues discussion of football field renovation project

by Betsy Fruechte

The Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) regular monthly Board of Directors meeting was held Monday, November 16 at Kee High School.
The meeting began with administrative reports from both the elementary school and the middle/high school. The elementary update covered some of what is being done with the Iowa Core Curriculum in the school and was later explained more in depth during the work session that followed the regular meeting. Principal Cynthia Lapel explained how new programs have been implemented in the classrooms and their effectiveness. She highlighted how children are now getting considerably more direct instruction from teachers and more phonics at an earlier age.
Superintendent Pat Heiderscheit gave the update for the middle/high school. Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) for fifth through eighth graders and Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED) for freshmen through juniors will be administered this week. The students have been offered incentives for good performances on the tests. Specifically, the high school students have an opportunity to earn a final waiver for positive scores.
The football field renovation continues to be a point of discussion as the school continues negotiations with the City of Lansing on a city-owned pipe that runs under the school’s football field. The renovations to the field have already begun, but the pipe that carries water from the northwest end of the football field to the southeast end is a problem for the contractors. The project engineer recommends that the pipe be moved and run along the west end of the field. The cost for such a removal and relocation is estimated to be somewhere around $80,000.
So far, the City has said that it can claim prescriptive easement of the area where the pipe currently runs. According to Real Estate Attorney Tim Hogan, an attorney with whom EACSD has been in contact with, that claim is incorrect. EACSD has offered the City an interest-free, four-year payback plan for the relocation of the pipe. So far, the City has not accepted this offer.
As the meeting continued, the Board carried a motion to receive and file the special education supplement for the year. While the special education fund is currently in a deficit, it was explained that the deficit can be effectively recouped through property taxes.
The Board also approved the purchase of new Adobe software. The software will be used to make this year’s yearbook, as well as for other classes, such as photography. The full cost of the software may be upwards of $17,000, but Superintendent Heiderscheit implied that the money would very likely be recouped through a grant offered by Microsoft.
The Board also approved the resignation of Beth Birgy, the elementary school kindergarten teacher. Shelly Baumgartner, a first grade teacher at the elementary, was approved to take a leave of absence in accordance with the U.S. Department of Labor Family and Medical Leave Act.
The December meeting was rescheduled for December 14 at 7 p.m., due to a conflict with the pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade winter concert, which will be held December 21 at 7 p.m.