Oskaloosa School Board Sends Its Recommendations To IASB

Oskaloosa School Board 2012

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa School Board met in regular session Tuesday evening, after holding a work session to discuss Board goals. The main topic during the ‘goals’ work session was to find ways of having the board more visible and to     also find a way to help communicate community events with the board.

After the normal ‘house cleaning’ items on the agenda, the Board set down to passing the Consent Agenda that included the approval of minutes, review of financials, approval of abstracts, approval of a foreign exchange student application and to accept the gift of a picnic table and bench.

Superintendent Russ Reiter, in his report, said that the Board’s decision to pay the $2,000 dollars to join EAIS (Energy Association Of Iowa Schools), who helps give advice and write grants for schools to promote high efficiency lighting, would help the school save money on utility costs.

Lights will be installed in the Middle School hallways, along with more lighting being installed in the High School band room as well as the small gym. There is the possibility of retrofitting or replacing lamps in the Webster School building in an area currently being renovated.

Reiter said that costs could run up to thirty thousand dollars, but, with the assistance of EAIS, the district could be receiving a grant that would help to cover 50% of that cost. Also, there will be rebates to help cut the cost of the lighting, which will help cover nearly 20% more of the cost. Reiter said that, when done, up to 68% could be saved on the total cost of the project.

Reiter has also been talking with Oskaloosa City officials that are in the process of attaining a grant for additional sidewalks and other cement work. They approached Reiter about the possibility of adding bus stops along with sidewalks in helping to get kids to and from school easier.

The public hearing for the sale of a student-constructed house was set for the next School Board meeting of August 14, 2012.

The Board also approved renewal of Breakdown Insurance Policy.

Adoption of IASB Legislative Priorities was set, with the Board passing along their top 5 recommendations for the upcoming legislative session.

(1) 1- Supports preserving the integrity of the statewide penny sales tax for school infrastructure, including the tax equity provisions of buying down the highest additional levy rates to the state average.

(2) 3- Supports continued progress in the development of rigorous content standards and benchmarks consistent with the Iowa Core focused on improving student achievement, including the following state actions:

• Provide and fund technical assistance to help school districts fully implement the Iowa Core.
• Develop or obtain high-quality summative and formative assessments, aligned to the skills students should know and be able to do to succeed in the 21st century
• Include and fund all the components of successful standards systems: assessments aligned to high expectations, improved and aligned instruction and quality professional development.

(3) 6-Supports funding to ensure all 4 year-olds have access to a high quality public school preschool program and allow them to be included in the enrollment count if those programs can demonstrate meeting the collaboration and quality standards requirements of the statewide voluntary preschool program.

(4) 11- Supports setting allowable growth at a rate that encourages continuous school improvement and reflects actual cost increases experienced by school districts and AEAs. Our priority is to increase and maintain the state cost per pupil and the spending authority associated with it to build a strong base for future education resources with full state funding of the state’s share of the cost per pupil.

(5) 18- Supports the repeal of the legislated school start date and restoration of local school district authority to determine when it is in the best interest of students to start school.

In other business, Chad Vink was reappointed as Board Secretary/Treasurer.

Two new hires to the school district being Cory Trainer as Elementary School Guidance Counselor and Ashley Westoff as Elementary Classroom Teacher.

Oskaloosa School Board is adjourned until August 14th at 7:30 pm.