STC High School Principal and Activities Director Anthony Jahr speaks to members of STC’s board of education in the South Tama Elementary School lunchroom on Feb. 22. Jahr asked the board to formally add Girls Wrestling at STC for the 2022-2023 season. -- Photo by Soren M. Peterson

1. During the regular meeting of the South Tama County Board of Education on Feb. 22, Activities Director Anthony Jahr provided an update to the board on the sanctioning of girls wrestling in Iowa before asking the board to approve the addition of Girls Wrestling at STC for the 2022-2023 school year. Jahr shared a fact sheet with board members prior to the meeting which provided more depth to the sanctioning of the sport. The announcement that the sport would be sanctioned for next school year was made by Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Director Jean Berger on Jan. 22, at the Iowa High School Girls Wrestling Championships in Coralville. Jahr said current plans for girls wrestling in Iowa include starting the season on October 31, three weeks ahead of the boys’ season. Girls wrestling will be an individual sport to begin – not a team sport with duals – and there will be no separate classes, both measures are meant to alleviate the hurdle some smaller, more rural schools might have faced of needing to combine with other districts in order to field a team. The girls’ state wrestling tournament will continue to be held the first week in February but there will now be a postseason qualifier, something that was not required previously. Jahr also said girls wrestling will be allowed unlimited scrimmages. In terms of girls wrestling at STC, Jahr said the plan is to keep STC wrestling head coach Nate Van Dyke as the head coach for both teams while adding an assistant girls coach. Jahr further explained that for most wrestling meets during the week, the girls’ team could travel with the boys’ team – the main difference going forward being that girls will only be wrestling other girls. Traveling as separate boys and girls teams will, for the most part, be confined to Saturday tournaments, Jahr said. The board unanimously approved the addition of Girls Wrestling at STC for the 2022-2023 school year.

2. The board approved the resolution for intent to renew participation in the Instructional Support Program (ISP) which is a funding tool school districts in Iowa can use to provide additional funding to the general fund. A board resolution puts in place the ISP levy for five years at a time as opposed to voter approval which would put the levy in place for 10 years. STC’s current ISP participation is expiring on June 30 of this year. ISP is funded by either property tax or a combination of property tax and income surtax – STC uses a combination. STC’s current ISP income surtax is 3 percent which is down from the 9 percent surtax levied prior to 2019. It was noted that the state of Iowa has not funded its portion of ISP since 2012 which has resulted in a loss of funding for participating schools of more than $3 million over the last eight years. The public hearing on renewing STC’s participation in the Instructional Support Program was set for March 21, 2022.

3. Superintendent Jared Smith led discussion regarding using the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER III) to provide hazard pay for STC staff including teachers and paraeducators, as well as maintenance, nutrition, and transportation staff. Smith said a number of area districts including Marshalltown are already doing so. STC’s teacher association brought the idea to Smith’s attention. ESSER funds are meant to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools. Smith recommended STC use the “Marshalltown model” for hazard pay which would pay a per diem to employees proportional to their salary. Smith recommended two days extra pay per diem for each employee which amounts to $114,00 total in ESSER expenditures. The idea has already been “floated” with staff, Smith said and was met with “overwhelmingly positive” feedback. Using ESSER funds for employee hazard pay will be on the agenda for the March 7 board meeting.

4. Discussion took place surrounding the Middle School Project and the school bond referendum set for Tuesday, March 1. It was noted by Smith that as of Tuesday, Feb. 22, less than 30 absentee ballots had been turned in to the Tama County Auditor’s office. During the previous school bond referendum in March of 2020, which failed, more than 400 absentee ballots in total were returned.

5. An update was given on the current superintendent search. The application window closes on March 6. Candidates for the position will be made public on March 22 with interviews planned for March 29. It was noted that school board members are currently receiving an update to the superintendent applicant pool every Sunday.