Congrats to the Victors!

At the General Membership meeting on October 18th, the following members won gift cards! Membership has its benefits!
Julie Coleman

Brian Mumm

Nina Ziaser

Becky Burk

Nicole Wingate

Michael Carper

Sarah Dirks

Melissa Carlson

Michael Koelker

Amy Morgan

Tracy Walding

Amy Wax

B.E.A. notes from School Board meeting 10-24

October 24, 2016

Board of Education Meeting

I. Call to Order – Welcome 7:25 p.m.

Late start due to the closed sessions going long.

IV. Public Comments

No one here for the public comment

V. Consent Agenda

VI. District Positive Accomplishments- Middle School Football

Zach Shay, Brandon Kurovski and John Flaherty - being able to be competitive and the number of participants were large and the students stayed out throughout the season. 39 ended with 37 kids for the eighth grade  team with three females record was 2-3-1 with zero academic eliminations. 68 7th ended with 54 players good for having kids that could be pulled from the game and the additional four coaches so they can work in smaller groups is really great. Build that unity in 7th grade we as a team beat that other school rather than once they get to high school we beat you guys. 6-0 for the season. Best year academically for them reports on Friday on grades and only a couple that had to miss a game. Logistics worked out and practice started at 3:35 daily. 8th grades started at 4.

Vickstrom asked about logistics. Garwood commended the program. Kendell was so happy that this finally took place after many years of discussion. Robberts thanked the coaches for a great year.

VII. Student Representative Report

Anna - Red Ribbon week hs band and Choir to Grimes for the kick off of Red Ribbon week. High school does not really participate, but those kids did get to get ribbons. Phoenix effect tries to spin a positive light onto the school they are trying to bring that into the school and extend it out to the community. Volleyball won their regional game with a pep bus this week for the game.  

Robberts thanked for the Phoenix effect efforts. Brueck asked about Dream Catchers and a couple that  just celebrated a 52nd anniversary that family wanted everyone to know that it meant a lot to the family for event put on by this group.

VIII. Superintendent’s Report

RAK donated money for kids lunches shows a great community. Cabinet meeting notes on google doc.  DKap meeting this week. Wanda found 180 of underperforming students from past years that they will be finding the common thread from data points to start using . A lot of community and staff working on STEPS were kids are able to do mental mapping. Talking with the superintendent of the Davenport Schools about our upcoming building trades and the social competency plan inequity in funding formulas. Tutoring program improve eligibility . Considering digital trophy cases at the high school. Fall grayhound parade of excellence in the works. Grayhound council upkeep of Bracewell and  that has addressed. Could we possibly reduce problems with an algorithm for registration to level people out by rating them as a one, two, three etc. Boy scouts council wanted Mr. Coen on their board but he  would want to be on it exit the

Y board in able to be able to do this Greg Reynolds will go onto the Y board in his place. Admin PD plan with updates with Monmoth College. GPAEA new generation science standards got brought up to date with that. ISEA regional Andy Isaccson to work on building mutual relationship of support. Steve Hoath of Rand trust thank you. Community action painting donated that was painted by a 13 month old, they are very appreciative to be in JMEC building.

IX. Items for Discussion

4. Update on Certified Enrollment numbers

Preliminary numbers from Oct 1st subject to some review, finalize at the end of the month. Elementary down 14, middle school 39, high school 39 total of 92 resident students down. Open enroll out 51 student increase. Decline 34.78 student with certified numbers. Funding what does this mean? We don’t know what supplemental state aid will be anywhere between 0-4%, negative number down $174K at the average 2%. Funds we have to work with -$466K this is just revenue increased in salary would be in additional to this number $ 1.7 million deficient for budget this spring potentially.

Robberts wants to start budget planning and talks in January. Get feedback from every school was really good last year.

Kendell open enrollment went up a lot - distribution very evenly spread across all grade levels.

Garwood - fertilizer plant employees - decline in resident students.

5. Title I Report

Mark Taylor - Black Hawk, Corse, Grimes, North Hill - after school program, pay for part of staff salary and associates along with half of Mark’s salary.  $1.3 Million statewide allocation $123K ninth largest allocation of Iowa money.  19th biggest district in state.

6. US Cellular Tower

Improve their cell service looking to see if there is interest in leasing the property to them. To see if it is feasible with initial lease for five years at $600-800 per month amount for general fund.

Garwood - players workshop concerns and how this would impact them where is it actually going to be built. Players workshop would like to expand at sometime.

Vickstrom - What plans do we have for that land?

Kendell - city approval/permits and what about the neighbors. Is this a fair amount that they are offering?

7. Assistant Soccer Coach Job Description

Point of clarification same as a new assistant position one soccer coach at each building and 30-40 each needed for safety and supervision and adequate coaching. Just looking at the position description at this time, Mr. Shay would have to make that determination.

Kendell approximate salary ~$2500 guessing, feels that this is a desperately needed position.

X. Board Communications

Mrs. Garwood - Gifts and grants from Alliant $9000 extension of community involvement. Thank you for all of the donations to our community for our district

Mr. Vickstrom - The more he talks to people he hopes the community appreciates the volunteers that come in and are not paid. We need them to function.

Mrs. Brueck - Nothing

Ms. Robberts - Agrees with Kendell - Red Ribbon week McGruff crime dog red ribbon cutting importance of saying no to drugs a lot going at all of the different school . Have a safe Halloween and stay safe.

Mr. Kendell - RAK with the lunch money it’s makes him very proud to be part of this community. Thank you Mr. Coen this past couple weeks that were unfair to him and unjustly accused of a few things and appreciated how you handled that and that speaks to his morals and character.

Mr. Bross - absent

Ms. Hatteberg - absent

XI. Adjournment 8:15 p.m.

Betsy Wolf

November 2016 ISEA Sentinel

ISEA's November 2016 Sentinel can be viewed here.

B.E.A. Notes from 10-10 Board Meeting

October 10, 2016

Board of Education Meeting

I. Call to Order – Welcome 7:00 p.m.

Note:  The video guy wasn’t available at the beginning of the meeting.  He arrived later in

the meeting.  So Greg Reynolds was instructed to record the audio.  

IV. Public Comments

No one was there for public comment.

V. Consent Agenda

2. Minutes, Bills, Human Resources Report, and Gifts

Addition of a leave of absence position.  Removal of another addition.

VI. District Positive Accomplishments- BHS Swing Dance Club

Sponsor Scott Thorne and high school students, Parker Adams, Jocelyn Williams,

Sasha Zelenski answered questions.

Thorne gave an overview of the history of the club and some of the activities they have

done.

VII. Student Representative Report

Anna Dodge reported about homecoming activities.  Seniors won PowderPuff.  The

dance had a great turnout.  Group of kids have come together for a dance marathon in

the memory of Jackson Gipe.  They are hoping it can be an annual thing for children’s

cancer research.  Many clubs will participate with the safe trick or treat.  TSA is doing a highway cleanup this week.

VIII. Superintendent’s Report

The school was abuzz with homecoming.  Several community members said how nice it was to see all the kids in purple.  This is the first year for a combined 7th and 8th football teams.  The 7th grade is undefeated.  The cabinet meeting was held.  Count day was held but no final numbers.  Something happened at SCC.  Jeremy and Coen will start auditing the success of principals programs.  There is going to be a transition ceremony for 8th grade with the focus being on the transition to the high school.  Central office held a cookout.  Coen attended a health fair planning meeting.  The health fair will be half a day.  Eighth grade will be segregated from the high school during the fair.   Coen attended a planning meeting at the high school whehere the health fair, career day, Hound Time day, and adding family day were discussed.   Bimonthly grayhound way committee met.  Great Western Bank is going to fund something related to this.  Coen presented steps to success to 25 BILA students.  There was a fake report of a clown problem at school.  This made headlines in the Hawkeye.  There was nothing to this.  

IX. Items for Discussion

3. BHS Swing Dance Club

It was approved as a recognized club.

4. Red Ribbon Proclamation

Coen read the proclamation designating the next week to be Red Ribbon Week.

It starts October 24, 2016.  It was approved.

5. Transportation Update Information Only

Great year last year and off to a great start this year.  Great staff at the bus barn.

Branch has cuts costs.  They have cut cost per mile by a little over a dollar by

streamlining of bus routes.  

There 26 routes.  There are  854 elementary students  552 middle school students,  and

336 high school students on the busses normally.  There are also  85 Notre Dame

students.  There are more routes that occur during the day. Up and down on bus subs.  One in training and a couple more getting bus licenses.They have few grants out.  Writing a new with EPA.  There may be strobe lights added to the buses per state law.  Thank you for police, firefighters, emergency workers that helped with an inservice for the bus drivers

X. Board Communications

Mr. Bross talked to a teacher that attended Boys Town training.  The teacher found the

training very beneficial and thought this should be brought into our district.

Mrs. Garwood was glad homecoming week was safe and well attended.

Mr. Vickstrom was glad to be back.

Mrs. Brueck wasglad to see swing dance and noted howmany teachers volunteer to do

clubs and she is grateful for their volunterism.

Mrs. Hattenburg -was glad all  schools are grayhound now.  It reflects unity.

Ms. Robberts heard great things about homecoming, homecoming court candidates,

and football team.  She mentioned  the culinary shindig and  suggested everyone attend

and support it. She will be at the high school tomorrow.  She also encouraged businesses to become involved in high school.

XI. Adjournment

October B.E.A. Line

October 2016 Issue

TQ Money and Master’s Degrees

What could be better than the District paying for your Master’s degree?  Mr. Coen has been dangling this tantalizing prospect out in the public for over a year.  He has mentioned it in several board meetings, newspaper articles, presidents’ meetings, and even opening day at the auditorium.  Interestly, the proposal was not brought to the Teacher Quality Committee until this past month.  This is the committee that by state law determines how TQ money is allocated, that it is allocated equitably, and that it is allocated in compliance with the TQ statutes.

Recently, Mr. Coen revealed a few more details of the plan to BEA.  Mr. Coen stated that he feels it is time for him to do more for teachers and to live up to his motto “teachers always”.  What better way than paying for an advanced degree? The ultimate goal of this plan is to get some teachers Master’s degrees in select areas so they can be adjunct teachers for SCC.  He is not interested in funding Master’s degrees in areas outside of the ones he and SCC have determined will allow BHS teachers to teach dual enrollment classes. High school students would be able to dual enroll at SCC and BHS.  They would earn college credits.  Mr. Coen describes this as a win-win for the student and the teachers.  It is also a win for the district. The District receives more state funding because the weighting of these students is 1.3 instead of 1.0 in the state funding formula.  SCC also benefits financially from this arrangement.   But will the teacher who receives this District funded Master’s degree benefit financially? Currently, our contract reads:  “No more than two credit hours per year may be earned and counted for a lane change if earned during a district-paid professional development day or during classes for which the employee received additional compensation.”   When pressed on this issue, Mr. Coen said he would consider opening this article at negotiation and changing it.  It was unclear whether he would open it for ALL district training or just for his specific Master’s degree program.

BEA and ISEA are currently researching districts that use TQ money in this manner.  We have obtained a copy of the contract provisions of one district that does this and are reviewing it.  We will continue to gather information about this, including information from you, the BEA member.  A survey will be sent out in the near future about this issue.

Committee Reports

Communication Committee - The list of officers and representatives has been updated on the blog.  A survey was conducted recently about the District’s PLC trade time plan. 112 members responded to our survey about the system. Here are the results:

63.4% like the trade time system.

54.5 % would rather not have scheduled early outs and collaborate during contract hours.

Election Committee - There are representative vacancies at Grimes and Aldo.  There will be elections in the near future to fill the vacancies.  Please consider running.

Insurance Committee - The committee has met with Greg Reynolds and Jeremy Tabor once to get an overview of the insurance.  They contacted ISEA for assistance in understanding the plan.  They will be meeting with a Blue Cross/Blue Shield representative in the near future to discuss insurance.

Membership Committee -

Membership enrollment is slowing down for 2016-17. We received the majority of the enrollment information update forms; this is the form that everyone signs at the beginning of the year, typically at the auditorium before the first meeting. This form is to verify your information and for you to make any changes necessary - address update, building move, etc., so please make sure you look over all of the information on those forms. If you have any changes throughout the year please let me know so I can forward that information to ISEA. A quick note about the forms; you are still a member of the union even if you don't return this paper.

A person can still become a member of the union at any time during the school year, so if you know someone who is thinking about it let me know and I will get you a packet of information to pass along.

Things to keep in mind for next year - consider changing your payment method to EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer). The funds are taken directly out of your personal checking account and this will spread your dues over a twelve month period instead of ten as per the school's payroll deduction. You will receive a letter for tax purposes at the beginning of the year in order deduct your union dues from your taxes. Also, ISEA and Geode will conduct drawings for partial reimbursement of your dues; who doesn't like the possibility of winning some money? All it takes to change to EFT is a voided check.

Negotiations Committee -  Insurance cost increases will be a major part of negotiations this year.  During last year’s negotiations, the District kept valuable information concerning this topic from the BEA until we entered mediation.   It was for this reason and current trends in insurance costs, that the Insurance Committee was resurrected this year.  Based on Iowa insurance trends,  insurance cost may increase from 20% to 30%.

Social Committee -  The general assembly meeting is 4:00 P.M.October 18, at Aldo Leopold.   Refreshments will be served and there will be door prizes. Andy Isaacson, ISEA Uni-Serve Director will be there.  We look forward to seeing you there.

Teacher’s Rights Committee -  There is an open grievance at the high school in reference to Article 5.B. safety.  

Scholarship Committee -  No report at this time.

Just One More Thing….

It's about this time of year when morale starts to dip particularly for new teachers. We’re neck deep in writing lesson plans, teaching, grading, attending professional development, PLC, BEA meetings/events,and a myriad of other committees.  We pledge to achieve balance between our professional life and our personal life, but our day becomes longer and longer in an attempt to get everything done.  Some of us hit the pile of tasks early in the morning and others burn the midnight oil to do this.  Few people outside the ranks of K-12 public education (except our families) understand the many hours teachers put in beyond contract time.  Thanks to each of you for all you do for the students of this district.  You are the foundation of our educational system.