New South Tama School Superintendent Mary Jones (right) is greeted at an open house on Monday by staff members (l-r)Tina Boldt, Kim Nelson and Dolores Ryan at the District Administration Building in Tama. Jones began duties on July 1 replacing Kerri Nelson who took the superintendent’s post at Shenandoah. News-Herald/John Speer

South Tama School Board members met with new Superintendent of Schools Mary Jones at the regular board meeting Monday night, July 13, at the Professional Learning Room in the Partnership Center In Tama.

Jones recommended depositories for the coming year as Chelsea Savings Bank, The State Bank of Toledo, Lincoln Savings Bank and Pinnacle Bank, all with upper limits of $6 million each.

Mary Boege, STC business manager, was reappointed as board secretary and board treasurer for the year 2015-2016.

The board approved removing Kerri Nelson and Ben Adams from the account at the State Bank of Toledo and Pinnacle Bank, and adding Mary Jones as superintendent and Danny Phipps as activities director.

Authorization to sign at the State Bank of Toledo and the Pinnacle Bank will now be Danny Phipps, Activities Director, Mary Boege, Board Secretary-Business Manager, Michelle Yuska, board president, Mary Jones, superintendent and Kim Gardner, payroll.

Personnel

Contracts were issued for Nicole Walker for 5th grade teacher, at a salary of $37,685; Shelly Riley, half-time Elementary Title 1 teacher, $23,316; Elizabeth Koester has elementary 2nd grade class at a salary of $46,632; Levi Hunerdosse, girls high school assistant track coach ,$3025; Darcy Lamb, high school color guard, $1,665; Scott Bolen, fall event coordinator for $3,250; and Danny Mayo, assistant level 1 high school football coach, $2,997. all effective Aug. 1; and Burdette Brown will boys head varsity basketball coach, effective Nov. 1, $4,996.

Internal transfers included Tina Boldt who is presently the assistant principal’s secretary and will transfer to take the position of elementary principal secretary at a salary of $17.54 per hour.

Resignations accepted were from Rebecca Giesler , middle school ELL teacher, effective June 30; Amber Killian, elementary principal secretary effective June 30; and Scott Bolen as assistant level l high school football coach, effective July 1.

Wellness policy

The board approved the first reading of the Wellness Policy. South Tama chose to promote a healthy life style for its students and staff, and feel it is an important step to develop and implement a Wellness Policy covering nutrition education, physical activity and nutrition guidelines for foods available on each school campus including foods used for fundraising and rewards. These policies meet the requirements mandated in the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, and the Iowa Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010

The District believes that nutrition education is important and that students are more likely to practice good nutrition if it is modeled in a supportive school environment The nutrition education components of the health curriculum will be reviewed as a part of Board Policy 603.20, curriculum development, and textbook adoption cycle.

Physical activity is another component. The school district will ensure every student in grades K-5 have 30 minutes per day of physical activity and every student in grades 6-12 have 120 minutes per week of physical activity. This activity will come in the form of recess, intramurals, or scheduled physical education classes. High School students are required to complete a Physical Activity Contract. All students are required to complete a course that leads to certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by the end of 12th grade.

Bids were mailed to two vendors for the Nutrition Program Bread products. The contract was accepted from Bimbo for 2015-2016. To be allowable bread products must be a grain product that contains fifty percent or more whole grains by weight or have whole grain as the first ingredients.

Bids

Bids were mailed to vendors for the milk products for the school. Anderson Erickson was accepted and will furnish lowfat milk, unflavored, or nonfat milk, flavored or unflavored, including nutritionally equivalent milk alternatives as permitted by NSLP (National School Lunch Program). The elementary school requirements are 8 fluid ounces and Middle and High School 12 fluid ounces. Fruit and vegetable juice must be 100 percent fruit / vegetable juice diluted with water, with or without carbonation, and no added sweeteners. A committee comprised of a parent representative, a student representative, Director of Food Service, a teacher, a school nurse, and an administrator will monitor and evaluate the implementation of this policy.

Steve McAdoo, maintenance director, was present with two bids for a skid loader. McAdoo had a bid from John Deere, Tama, for a 318E Skid Steer at $35,359 less a Mustang 930A-531907N trade in for $3,500, leaving the bid at $31,8593. The second bid was from Wilcox Repair and Equipment, Tama. For a S570 T4 Bobcat Skid-Steer Loader at $51,627 less a trade in of a 930A Mustang for $3,000, and a discount of $15,929. The final price quoted was $32,698.

Wilcox was higher, but McAdoo asked for this machine as the school’s mechanic who works on the equipment has experience in working on Bobcats. The Bobcat purchase was approved.

Technology Policies

Technology policies were discussed. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The act gives parents control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information from the education records Under this act the South Tama School District is responsible for protecting student information and upholding a student’s right to privacy under FERPA.

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), allows for the protection of individual health insurance, confidentiality and security of healthcare information. Under this act, the South Tama School District is responsible for protecting staff and student health information. Those involved will be required to sign a statement agreeing to not share, display or distribute student test scores, assessment results or grades with non relevant individuals. They will also be required to logout of any account where access to student information is possible when they are not in direct supervision of their computer or device.