South Tama Partnership Center in Tama. Chronicle file photo

A renewal of a lease with the Iowa Valley Community College District for a section of the second floor of the Partnership Center ( the former high school and then middle school building in Tama), was approved by the South Tama School. Board.

This agreement allows Iowa Valley to continue to provide Adult GED and ELL services. Office space on the second floor of the STC Partnership Center building has a square footage of about 1,430 square feet.

The term begins July 1, 2015, and ends at any such time as either party provides 90 day notice. Iowa Valley agrees to pay South Tama $400 per month in advance.

Emergency Management

Use of STC Schools

A Memorandum of Understanding between the Tama County Emergency Management, the Tama County Board of Health and the South Tama County School District was approved.

Only in the event of a situation requiring community-wide disaster recovery will the school district allow use of their buildings in this situation.

A record of costs incurred by the South Tama County School District in support of periodic drills, exercises and actual emergencies will be submitted to the Tama County Emergency Management Agency which will coordinate reimbursement to the extent possible.

In the event of a major emergency or disaster, Tama County Emergency Management is responsible for providing reception centers and adequate mass care sheltering locations to Tama County residents and visitors. Emergency Management has identified school district facilities for priority use as reception centers.

Those buildings include the STC Elementary School at 1611 Country Club Drive in Tama, STC Middle School at 201 South Green Street in Toledo and STC High School at 1715 Harding Street In Tama.

Elementary School Security

A contract between Walsh Door and Hardware of Des Moines was approved for a security system at the elementary building. The total cost of the complete system totals $61,655

This includes the A1Phone System, the Elementary card access system and the elementary camera system. Teachers and school personnel will be required to use key cards for entry.

Hot Lunch Prices

In order to participate in the Federal Nutrition Program the district must continue to increase lunch prices to the weighted average price equal to or above $2.70.

Board members do not feel this can be accomplished in one year, and are recommending a 25 cent increase in lunch and breakfast prices.

This will make the elementary lunch $2.35, secondary lunch at $2.45, adult lunch $3.75, breakfast prices of K-12 at $1.50 and adult breakfasts $1.75. Extra milk is currently at 40 cents and will increase to 45 cents.

Summer Food Service

The summer food service program application was approved. South Tama is planning to offer the program for 29 days, from June 1 to July 10.

Telephone System Upgrade

Each school building in the district currently has a different phone system installed. The phone systems at the high school, middle school and partnership center are about 30 years old.

It is now difficult to find service and parts for these phone systems. The middle school does not have voicemail. It is believed a phone system that includes phone sets in every classroom and voicemail for all staff would benefit the students, staff and parents. Staff would no longer need to share personal cell phone numbers with students. All staff would have voicemail boxes. Office personnel could contact students and staff via classroom paging, and office personnel would be able to transfer calls between buildings.

Telephone System Upgrade

Since November of last year, Mary Mixdorf and Mary Boege, with input from Superintendent Kerri Nelson and Steve McAdoo, have been studying the cost and benefit of updating the current building phone systems into one unified system.

Solutions by Cisco, Polycom, Avaya, and Mitel were proposed by three companies. “Touch and feel” presentations for Mitel and Avaya phone systems were provided. After reviewing the bids, it was decided to recommend Marco’s proposal for a Mitel phone system in each building with a sixty month lease.

This would include installation, equipment, equipment replacement, software, maintenance, training, and software upgrades. This solution also guarantees rates for expansion for certain equipment, including phone sets, at a fixed month rate.

The monthly fee would be $1,812. At the end of the sixty month least, the district could choose to purchase the equipment and system for $1 (one dollar) or renew the lease. The district voted to go with the Mitel system.

Contracts were approved for Scott Hagensick as Middle School Guidance Counselor at a salary of $41,496, Whitney Hauser as Middle School At-Risk Teacher at a salary of $34,000 for 202 days, and Sally Kessler for High School ELL teacher at a salary of $41,496.00, all three positions effective August 13, 2015. Steve Schuett will have a contract for Bus Mechanic and Substitute bus driver at $21 per hour for 260 days, effective June 1, 2015.

Internal transfers include Becky Giesler transferring from 8th Grade Language Arts teacher to ELL teacher at the Middle School with the contract extending ten days, and Julie Brezina transferring from High School Slpecial Education Aide to High School Principal’s secretary at a salary of $16.34 per hour for 235 days.

Resignations were approved from Todd Rosenberger as assistant High School boys basketball, Heidi Nichols as Elementary third grade teacher, Nicole Mathews at alternate high school teacher, Olivia Van Zante as 6th grade math teacher, fall event coordinator, 7th grade basketball coach, assistant varsity track and assistant varsity softball coach, at the end of the 2014-2015 school year. Lorena Munoz resigned from Middle School ELL Educational Aide.

Following the regular meeting the board discussed recommendations for technology policies. This has to do with the i-pads and laptops. The board is studying ways to make students responsible for the use of the technology equipment and still have full use of these items. No action has been taken as of yet, however they are studying policies adopted by other schools.