UNOFFICIAL MINUTES MUSCATINE SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION REGULAR SESSION JANUARY 11, 2016 The Board of Education of the Muscatine Community School District, in the County of Muscatine, State of Iowa, met in regular session on Monday, January 11, 2016 at 7 p.m. at City Hall. President Tammi Drawbaugh called the meeting to order. Directors Tim Bower, John DaBeet, Aaron Finn, Nathan Mather, Randy Naber, and Mary Wildermuth were present. Also present were Superintendent Jerry Riibe and Director of Finance Jean Garner. The board recited the Pledge of Allegiance. President Drawbaugh welcomed visitors and media representatives. Sue Phillips, 113 E. 5th Street, Muscatine stated that last year the custodians were told that there was a very good chance of outsourcing their jobs and would like to know if the district is planning to do this. Student Council Representatives Mallory Orr and Kate Gabriel updated the board on recent and upcoming student council activities. Margaret Buckton, Lobbyist for UEN and RSAI and Iowa School Finance Information Services Partner provided information to the board regarding the state budget, education funding, and the upcoming legislative session. A motion was made by Director Bower and seconded by Director Naber to approve the consent agenda to include: the minutes of the December 14, 2015 regular session with a revision to page 1 as presented; the bills and claims against the district dated January 11, 2016; and the following Employment Recommendations: The certified hires of: Mike Truitt – MHS Special Ed, Andrea Sitzmann – Grant ECSE Preschool, Kathy Degner – moving to 1.0 FTE (from 0.5 FTE) as At Risk (General) at MHS, and Megan Moellenbeck – Washington Grade 3. The Schedule C hires of: Dennis Schuur – Middle School Boys Basketball and Betsabe Schrock – Assistant Forensics. All ayes; motion carried. A motion was made by Director Naber and seconded by Director Mather to set a public hearing on the proposed plans, specifications, proposed form of contract and the estimated cost of said improvements of the Jefferson Elementary Demolition and Deconstruction Project for January 25, 2016 at 7 p.m. at the Administration Center. All ayes; motion carried. Superintendent Riibe shared the proposed 2016-17 school calendar. The comments from staff and the community were also shared with the board. Over 450 staff and parents participated in
the survey with 72.8% in favor of the proposed calendar, 17.9% were neutral about the calendar, and 9.3% did not like the calendar. The board thanked those parents, staff, and community members for taking the time to respond to the survey as it helps them to make a more educated decision. Superintendent Riibe updated the board on the State Report Card. He noted that each school’s scores were set up on a bell curve so by definition, half of the schools in Iowa would be in the top half and the rest would be in the bottom half. He stated that there is a definite distinction between level of performance and the affluence of that building’s students. Those schools who scored in the exceptional range had a 23.9% free/reduced lunch average. He encouraged people to look at the performance of non-gap students who are not perceived as at risk as those student’s scores are comparable to the high performing schools in the state. He stated that this makes the case for the need for additional services for families who are considered impoverished (i.e. high quality preschool, birth-to-3 programming) in order to help students break those learning barriers. Director of Finance Jean Garner reviewed the financial statements for the month of December 2015. Food Service Supervisor Alisha Eggers gave an update on the food service financials. Superintendent Riibe updated the board on the Washington Elementary Study. He stated that last week the district held a parent/community forum in which approximately 20 parents and teachers were present. He noted that the district has begun to look at the building capacities of Jefferson, Franklin, and McKinley to see what each building would look like should they absorb Washington’s students. He stated that the goal is to make a recommendation to the board by March. He also stated that the district will hold another parent/community forum sometime in February. Superintendent Riibe reviewed the format for his upcoming evaluation. President Drawbaugh provided the following announcements of meetings and upcoming events: January 18 No School – Teacher Inservice January 20 MCSD Job Fair for Non-Certified Staff, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. – Administration Center January 21 Board Policy Review at 6 p.m. at the Administration Center with IASB January 23 MCSD Job Fair for Non-Certified Staff, 9 a.m. to Noon – Administration Center January 25 School Board Work Session – 6 p.m. – Administration Center A motion was made by Director Finn and seconded by Director DaBeet to adjourn the meeting. All ayes; motion carried. Time: 8:41 p.m. Tammi Drawbaugh, President Lisa Mosier Bunn, Secretary
