During September’s first STC school board meeting, things moved fast at the board table. Joe Hanus made his return to the board meetings, while Megan Thiessen was absent once again. Thiessen was last present at the June 23, regularly scheduled board meeting. Beth Wiese was absent as well, leaving only three directors at the meeting.

Salt Creek Wind delivered a presentation to the South Tama board, outlining the status of its multi-phase project and how it will fiscally impact the district. Company representatives noted that Phase 1 is already under construction, while Phase 2 sits entirely within South Tama’s district, meaning all school tax revenue from that phase would accrue to the district.

Later in the meeting, under action items and after additional board discussion, members voted unanimously to support the initiative. Board President Elizabeth Dolezal read a letterDraft Resolution south Tama School.docx of support that highlighted projected benefits: an estimated $21.74 million in school tax revenue to South Tama over 30 years from the Salt Creek project, $5.37 million to Iowa Valley and Hawkeye community colleges, and more than $100 million in capital investment within the district’s boundaries — factors that could expand bonding capacity and provide material property tax relief over time.

The board framed its support as both a financial opportunity and an economic development signal — citing anticipated technician jobs and potential new families moving into the county.

The Tama County Board of Supervisors are expected to vote Monday, Sept. 15 during the supervisors’ regular morning session on further continuation of the project.

After a public comment earlier in the year from Seth Koch, urging the school board to finalize a decision on early retirement further in advance, the board started working towards honoring that request. They spent time revisiting early retirement policy, which has been a contentious discussion in recent years. Members reviewed the current framework which requires at least 15 years of service with the district. The three board members debated what revisions were needed and discussed if the program should be offered again this year.

While no decision was made on whether to continue offering early retirement for 2025-26, the conversation centered on how applicants should be prioritized. Last year the district capped participation at six individuals, accepting the first six to apply. Several board members suggested that a seniority-based approach — factoring in total years of service, district tenure, or even age — might be a fairer way to determine eligibility if the number of applicants exceeds available slots.

To gather wider input, the board discussed the possibility of sending out a survey to staff and community members about the policy. For now, the early retirement program remains on the table for further discussion in upcoming meetings.

The meeting went into closed session at 6:18 to discuss superintendent goals for the year. The next board meeting is scheduled for Sept. 22.