The Belle Plaine Board of Education put its stamp of approval on plans for a storage facility at the junior-senior high school. Action came at the board’s regular meeting Jan. 18.
The 40-by-48 foot addition will be built onto the north end of the gym to primarily house athletic equipment. The structure will replace a smaller storage facility planned for the site as part of the school construction project. Plans for that building were scrapped when board members felt it was too small to meet district needs. A committee was formed to help design a larger addition.
Superintendent Bill Lynch presented drawings and cost estimates submitted by Struxture Architects. Total cost is projected at $107,244, with funding from the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL).
Plans are also moving forward for expanded play and parking areas south of Longfellow Elementary. An advisory committee suggests a ball field in the southeast corner, a play area on the north end and additional parking south of the current lot. Lynch said the next step is to have drawings prepared and to set a budget. Funding will be through PPEL .
Results of asbestos samplings at Central Elementary and the old junior high are not in yet, Lynch reported. Samplings are the first step as the board decides what to do with the vacant buildings. Lynch will check into grants to help with abatement costs.
Educational Support Services
Principal Cherie Brown and Assistant Principal Heather Coover reported on the district’s educational support services. Coover said Title I is the biggest intervention at the elementary. Currently 43 kindergarten through fourth graders receive Title I reading services. Fifth and sixth grade Title I reading has 15 students.
A Child Study Team comprised of district staff meets every other week to offer teachers assistance in working with students with academic, social or behavior concerns. Parents are informed of the meetings and are welcome to attend. Coover said, “That is one way we support our students and teachers . . . we have lots of people who work together to try to help the students.”
Academic screenings, as well as classroom and one-on-one interventions in reading and math, are ongoing. Professional consultants provide additional support as needed.
Coover explained how she uses other assessments to make sure students receive necessary support services.
Junior and senior high students provide academic mentoring at Longfellow. “It’s a very good resource,” Coover noted.
Brown outlined support at the junior high. Individual Education Programs (IEP) are reviewed annually and updated as needed. Specified modifications or accommodations are met.
Help is available to all junior high students before and after school. Parents are informed of the help sessions. Three to five students generally attend.
In grades 9-12, most support is based on work in the classroom and Iowa Tests of Educational Development.
For students with an IEP, goals are the main focus. Brown explained how extra assistance is provided throughout the school day.
An academic support hour is available with staff daily to re-enforce class work. Thirty-eight seventh through 12th graders participated first semester. Thirty-six attend this semester.
Board member Rima Johnson asked about behavior interventions through Grant Wood AEA. Coover said due to AEA budget cuts, this support is available only to students with an IEP.
Johnson said, “There are kids who really need the help with their behavior or their family situation. I think it’s sad we don’t have the resources to help these kids and their families do better.”
Coover said the school can refer parents to family service agencies. Not criticizing the AEA but noting the cutback in services, Lynch noted, “Now we have to figure out how to modify and adjust.”
Other reports
The mixer board from the sound system at Lee Gym was moved to Longfellow, Lynch said. The speakers will be removed from the gym and could possibly be used at either attendance center.
Director Mike Bachelder wanted the system out of the vacated gym. He said, “A lot of clubs gave a lot of good money to get that up there at Lee Gym. They wouldn’t appreciate it sitting in storage.”
Brown presented several student portfolios created in Honors English. The portfolios are a resource for job and college applications.
Second semester is underway with a number of new classes at the high school. Brown also reported 289 Belle Plaine High School students utilized Kirkwood Community College services from 1999 to 2011.
Assistant Principal Heather Coover said diagnostic testing is underway at Longfellow. Students will take the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills from 8:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Feb. 6-10.
Lynch presented information about PowerSchool, a web-based student information system similar to JMC, the school’s current program. Lynch said PowerSchool would provide valuable support for student record keeping and reporting. Lynch may recommend the program for board approval at a later date.
Board President Marie Stratford acknowledged the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) for buying four WhisperPhones for Longfellow. The device allows children to hear themselves read aloud without disturbing others.
Staff
The board hired elementary special education teacher Kathryn Kauffman as Homework Club sponsor at Longfellow. The voluntary program for fourth through sixth graders is expected to meet from 3 to 4 p.m. three or four days a week.
Lisa Daily’s resignation as junior high volleyball coach was accepted. She is stepping down due to time constraints.with her job at Kirkwood’s Adult Learning Programs.
The board decided to make no change to the early retirement plan. The plan offers full-time employees age 55 or older monetary, beneficiary and health insurance benefits based on age and years of service. Employees retiring after 15 to 25 years with the district receive a payment ranging from $4,500 to $6,500. A staff survey showed several employees might be interested in retiring at the close of the current year, Lynch said.
Johnson favors enhancing the payment to include a cost of living increase since the plan has remained unchanged for a number of years. She provided information on what a few area districts offer this year, ranging from 50 percent of current base pay to $25,000 over two years. State budget cuts and declining enrollment fueled most plans, those districts reported.
Several board members saw no need to entice employees to leave given the district’s sound financial condition.
Cook stated, “Short of budget problems where we needed to decrease payroll, or short of seeing decreased enrollment where we need to eliminate some teaching positions, I couldn’t see a reason to enhance it.”
Stratford considers the plan to be a thank you for longevity.
Other business
In other business, the board:
– approved a request from Leah Mast for the annual Surviving Single class field trip to Chicago April 4-6. Twenty-seven students will attend.
– approved a Universal Service Fund application for the 2012-2013 school year for funding for telephone and data costs, ICN service and cellular phone service.
The Belle Plaine and HLV school boards will hold a joint session Wednesday, Jan. 25 in Belle Plaine at 7 p.m. The boards will tour the facilities and discuss current and future sharing options.
An area school board member in-service is set for Thursday, Feb. 2 at Carnforth Inn, Victor, at 6 p.m. The program will feature a legislative forum.
The next regular board meeting will be Wednesday, Feb. 15 at Longfellow Elementary at 6:45 p.m.
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