In two separate closed sessions after the regular session of the STC school board, the contracts of Dustin Schuett and Dina Keahna were terminated. Schuett served as a maintenance technician while Keahna was the 9th-10th grade school counselor.

The motions, provided to the News Chronicle by board secretary Katie Mathern, were listed as follows:

Motion by Thiessen, second by Keahna to terminate said employee’s contract effective immediately. Ayes: Dolezal, Hopper, Keahna, and Thiessen. Nays: Hanus. Motion carried. Pursuant to board action, employee Dustin Schuett’s contract is terminated effective immediately.

The second motion:

Motion by Thiessen, second by Hopper to terminate said employee’s contract effective immediately. Ayes: Dolezal, Hopper, Hanus, and Thiessen. Nays: None. Keahna abstained. Pursuant to board action, employee Dina Keahna’s contract is terminated effective immediately for the reasons that were set forth in the Superintendent’s Notice and Recommendation.

In other news, the future of the old middle school property was one the main topics discussed during Monday night’s school board meeting.

Superintendent John Cain provided an update during his report, adding that the district has now received the estimated cost for asbestos abatement in the building and is currently waiting for demolition estimates. He explained that the district’s plan moving forward is to pursue both options simultaneously.

“While waiting on demolition figures, the district is preparing to list the property for sale,” he said. “We’re going to be getting both of those balls rolling.”

The listing will remove provisions that were previously tied to specific interested buyers and instead present the property more broadly to interested purchasers. The board also discussed employee health insurance contributions and the district’s “Benefit Bucks” and “Cash in Lieu” programs. Because insurance premiums are expected to decrease for the upcoming year, the board began considering whether benefit contribution levels should be adjusted.

A special meeting was scheduled to continue that discussion before a possible decision later this spring. The school board also approved the purchase of new vending machines for the activities department as the current ones did not accept cards and the cash receiver was unable to be repaired.

The 2026-2027 school calendar was approved after a public hearing was held at the beginning of the meeting, with no comments offered from the public.

The board recognized students for their achievements in the music classroom and the wrestling mat at the beginning of the meeting.

Senior Brooks Baier was introduced to the board after being selected to the Iowa All-State Music Festival for the third time on trombone. Baier told the board he plans to attend the University of Northern Iowa School of Music to study music education where he has been offered a scholarship.

The board also welcomed members of the boys and girls wrestling teams who qualified for the state tournament this season. Coaches noted the strong year for the program, including eight state qualifiers — the second-highest total in school history — and four athletes finishing in the top placements at the state meet.