TOLEDO CHRONICLE – Short and long term facilities needs were among items focused on at the South Tama School Board meeting on Monday, June 20.

Organization of a formal committee to develop a multi-year facility plan will be considered. The recently completed Focus Group report provided the district with information to use as a starting point for these discussions.

Superintendent Kerri Nelson said planning of short-term as well as long-term projects is needed. The next step is to identify funding sources to complete the recommended work.

She mentioned the possibility of combining efforts with the City of Tama to develop a recreation center.

Middle School Program

Improvements

Eric Townsley, middle school principal said a Talented and Gifted program task force was being created and other measures are underway for expanding services.

This would include daily math computation, extended literacy time to 90 minutes per day, specific intervention time each day targeting student needs (Trojan Time), with remedial work in reading, Math, Homework Completion, Organization, and Social Skills.

It also include extension work for advanced students such as enterperneurship, community service, technology usage, history in music, Book Club and History of Tama County.

Media Specialist Micki Behounek will be incorporating technology into classrooms with video podcasts, power point presentations and websites for Learning.

Townsley said they had sent three teachers to iPad in the classroom training through the AEA. They will also be expanding the English as a Second Language (ESL) program with specific classes to help with language barrier.

Bidding Process Update

Joanna Hofer, director of finance and operations, told board members the STC food service program has for many years belonged to a school food purchasing cooperative in order to obtain the best pricing possible for program purchases.

That cooperative has dissolved and a new cooperative has been formed – The Iowa Association for Educational Purchasing (IAEP).

Federal agencies are now more actively auditing schools’ procurement practices, which dictate every item the program purchases must be bid. This requires, for example, to buy a loaf of bread from a local grocery. the school would have to get bids from more than one outlet before purchasing the loaf of bread.

The IAE will allow the food service programs to comply with federal procurement regulations as they have fulfilled the formal bidding process. Any program involving federal money requires bidding.

Personnel

Contracts, assignments and resignations approved Monday by the board included:

•Dalene Hala, high school kitchen, $11.15 for three hours per day.

•Amy Zimmerman, elementary special education, $39,809 annually.

• Alisha Kapayou. liaison for IPP Education, $22 an hour up to 15 hours per month.

•Melissa Jesina, transfer to 2nd grade from preschool.

•Resignations- Christopher Musgrave. route bus driver and Jillissa Kopsa Color Guard sponsor.

The position of Website Coordinator has not yet been filled. This position is for further development, updating, and monitoring the District’s website. The pay rate is $22 an hour up to 20 hours per month.

In other business:

•board members approved the addition of a Botany course as a science course for science graduation credit. This is if a half[time and will be offered if a science teacher can be found and teach the other half as a botany class. If this cannot be done, botany will not be offered.

•board member Mark McFate reported the Wieting Theatre movie screen in Toledo could be donated to South Tama High School. The theatre is undergoing a $1.3 million renovation. McFate told The Chronicle the screen could be hung in the gymnasium for use with a variety of presentations.

•it was reported the district has worked with Solution Tree PLC Training to design several professional development days for the district. The Training focus’ on the district wide implementation of professional learning communities, the use of informative assessments and further define interventions. The program brings in someone to work out what to do with students who have not advanced and also what to do with students needing more of a challenge. The district ‘s teacher quality committee has approved the use of the state Teacher Quality funds for this program. The funds currently in this account can only be used for professional development. The fee for this program is $33,150, leaving some money in the account balance.

•it was also reported Northwest Regional Education Lab has worked with the South Tama District to design professional development days for the Elementary, Middle School and High School literacy teachers. This is identified as the Six Traits Writing model and focuses on the writing process and on specific traits of quality writing. The school can use state Teacher Quality Funds for this program. The cost is $25,000.

•heard a report from Jim Roan, project chair for the Wieting theatre renovations, giving a progress update.