Joy Schirmer, delivers her public comment to the board, as Beth Wiese (left) and Rick Hopper (right) look along. PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER

With a full board room and an empty section of the board table, this week’s STC school board meeting was different. Both Joe Hanus and Megan Thiessen were absent from the meeting, and Beth Wiese entered late to the meeting, raising the question of having a quorum present. Amber Robson, who serves as the administrative assistant to the superintendent, also filled in for Board Secretary Katie Mathern.

Joy Schirmer, a veteran teacher and current elementary instructional coach, occupied public comments on behalf of the negotiations team to address proposed changes to the handbook. At previous board meetings, Superintendent John Cain has set a three minute timer during public comments, however none was set during Schirmer’s comments. With no timer set, Schrimer’s comments lasted approximately 8 minutes and 35 seconds.

“I’m really here because I’m part of the negotiations team just to talk about the handbook. Generally in the past, we would sit down with the superintendent to go through handbook changes. So there’s some questions that I have have, and really, this is not about me personally, it’s more what’s best for staff,” she said.

Through her statement Schirmer brought up many concerns, the biggest of which regarding the proposed employee code of conduct revisions in the handbook.

“I think the biggest concern that I’ve heard from staff members and for myself is the employee code of conduct. We, again, don’t feel that that plan is necessarily complete and it has not been communicated well with staff,” she said. “I didn’t know about it until people were talking about it, and then I saw it in the handbook. So I just really want to, again, talk about that lack of communication and making sure when we’re making big changes, like an employee code of conduct that it is communicated out so people understand.”

Schrimer voiced her concerns on the implications of this new code of conduct.

“So let’s say I disagree and speak up, because I do what’s best for students, am I going to written up for that? And I think teachers are afraid of that as well, that they don’t want to be written up for disagreeing. This feels very much like a power grab just for the fact that it hasn’t been communicated very well,” she said. “Teachers don’t want to just follow mindly. We want to do what’s best for students and we want to be able to have that disagreement with admin, that healthy discourse with them. And we’re just not sure if the employee code of conduct allows that.”

Other topics addressed included salary schedules, national board certification stipend, teacher observations, procedures for employee complaints, rules of reporting abuse, mandatory trainings, emergency leave, and other medical related leave.

Closing off the meeting was the removal of a listed closed session for the end of the agenda. .

No further context aside from what was on the agenda already was given to why the closed session was not needed. The original reason of the closed session was listed on the agenda as:

“To discuss strategy with legal counsel in matters presently in litigation, or where litigation is imminent, if disclosure would be likely to prejudice or disadvantage the board. Iowa Code 21.5(1)(c).”

Later on in the meeting the student, activities, and substitute handbooks were all approved during the meeting while the certified and classified handbooks are waiting to be approved when more members of the board are present.

New middle school branding and decorations were approved for purchase. Concept art for wall decor and window logo art was viewed before approving. Cain described the decor as “the splash of color to tie the school together.”

The board discussed that Thursday Aug. 21, at 3:30 p.m. will be the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the new middle school campus. Walk throughs and tours will be given until 6 p.m. that evening. Members of the public are invited to join in and celebrate the new space.

The meeting adjourned at 9:05, with the next board meeting scheduled for Aug. 11 at 5 p.m.