Scratch those building construction deadlines for the Mount Ayr Community school additions.
It will be next week at the earliest before the high school addition will be complete and sometime in January after the Christmas break at the earliest for the completion of the elementary school addition.
Mount Ayr Community school board members heard the report on building progress and then later toured the buildings themselves to see how they are progressing.
The board discussed an early retirement incentive and put off a decision on that until a special meeting, approved a supplemental resolution for the ISCAP program, okayed the junior class parents request to use high school facilities for after prom activities, named the district study committee, tabled discussion of a Masonic Lodge cornerstone for the new school facilities and approved an addition in contract for Jodie Geist and the TAP program.
In other action the board revisited their election of officers from their October meeting and were asked by Mount Ayr Record-News publisher Alan Smith to release the tape of a section of the October board meeting where there were not adequate reasons given for a closed session.
Building progress
Mark Sabers and Mark Cogan from Construction Services Inc. were present to report on the progress of the district’s building projects.
Sabers reported that the high school project was down to finishing up punch list items as well as getting the gymnasium floor finished.
The first coats of finish were being put on the new maple floor Monday night and painting of lines was set for Tuesday as work to get the gym floor done progressed.
Bleachers for the gymnasium were to be delivered soon along with some more lockers for the locker room.
The state fire marshal’s office sent an inspector last week to do the inspection of the building and a report with the certificate of occupancy was hoped to be returned by Friday.
Board members expressed concern about some cracking concrete floors in the middle school locker rooms but Mark Cogan said that some cracking of floors was normal.
Bulletin boards still need to go up in the locker rooms and a number of finishing items need to be completed.
It is hoped that the alternative classroom can move into the building as soon as the certificate of occupancy is received.
The gym floor should be playable by November 20 if there are no more hitches.
At the elementary school the membrane roofing has been completed and the last of the flashing should be completed soon.
Concrete sidewalks were poured on the east side of the building Monday and work is underway to complete the grading and sidewalks on the east side as well.
Exterior painting of the building should be completed this week and overhead plumbing, mechanical and other work is going on.
Many of the windows are in and interior wall framing is up. Once temporary heating is in place work will begin on dry wall. The fire sprinkler system is in place except for fitting it with the completed ceiling.
While CSI is telling contractors they need to have work completed by January 9, it may take longer than that to have the elementary building completely ready for occupancy.
Board president Rodney Shields had questions about how short the work days seemed to be for some of the masonry work and asked if steel could not be cleaned up on the west side of the 1936 building so more parking would be available at the school.
Board members also had security questions about getting doors between older buildings and the new additions to lock so there was not access to the buildings through the construction areas.
Board members also asked about what was to be done to the concrete bases for the poles that hold up overhangs from the building.
The fact that the school was a smoke free campus was emphasized for CSI to communicate to the contractors working on site.
Board members had questions about the drainage at the elementary building site. The board also gave the go ahead for the contractors to do the final grading but leave the seeding at the elementary school to the school custodial staff.
Mark Sabers noted that the school district needs to get all the asbestos out of the 1936 building before it is demolished.
Superintendent Reiter noted that Ames Environmental had come to do a study of the remaining asbestos in the building and that it was hoped that a contractor could be found to do the final abatement during the Christmas holiday so students would not be interfered with while the work was being done.
Bidding will soon be done on removing the 1936 building, but that work cannot be started until the elementary addition is completed and the moves have been made to the new facility from the 1936 building.
Some board members expressed frustration with the schedule for completion of the projects.
Following the report the board approved two change orders having to do with a hallway between the old and new building at the elementary for a total of $2,667 and a pay application of $616,227.30.
Early retirement incentive
Superintendent Russ Reiter reviewed the school district’s early retirement policy with the board, noting that some changes need to be made in the policy to meet current law.
In addition Reiter is thinking about having the school offer the early retirement program for the next school year even though the district had not planned to do so.
Reiter noted that the discussion at the meeting was just the starting point in the process. He hopes the board can hold a special meeting to put the final touches on the policy revisions and a decision on offering early retirement for the 2010-11 school year. The policy then could have its final reading at the board’s regular December meeting.
Some dates need to be changed to August 1 from September 1 in the present policy to meet changes in the law.
The policy needs to be changed to specifically indicate that early retirement teachers must have worked for at least 10 continuous years of service for the district before becoming eligible for the program.
The current policy says that benefits will be distributed in accordance with the school’s cafeteria plan, but to meet requirements the recipient must choose either, insurance, a TSA or cash but not a combination.
The plan will also indicate that early retirees can continue to stay on the school’s health insurance plan until age 65 at the expense of the retiree.
Wording about a beneficiary or revision to the person’s estate if they die during the payout period also needs to be included, Reier told the board.
The district had not planned to offer early retirement for the coming year and would not under normal circumstances, Reiter told the board.
There are changes planned in the IPERS retirement system, however, and it might be to some employee’s advantage to retire with full benefits now instead of waiting until the state governmental employee plans change.
Reiter noted the district does not like to lose good experienced employees but on the other hand replacements hired are usually at a lower placement on the salary scale and save the district money.
ISCAP supplemental resolution
Because of the tightness of budgets with the 10 percent cut in school state funding, districts like the Mount Ayr Community school district are going to the ISCAP program increasing limits on how much the district can borrow for short term cash flow needs.
The board passed a resolution amending the master resolution for the program.
Board secretary Janette Campbell noted that all districts are being encouraged to make the changes in their borrowing abilities because of the possibility they may need more funding to keep bills paid as income comes in slowly.
After program use of facilities
Darla Sobotka wrote a letter to the school board on behalf of the junior class parents asking that the high school commons, auditorium and gymnasium be made available for after prom activities.
The school board has allowed the use as long as there are school staff members among the parent group who will be responsible for the facilities during the early morning hours.
The board approved the request. Betsy Budach was at the meeting taking notes for the Mount
Ayr Education Association and noted that there were a number of junior class parents on staff this year.
District study committee
The board approved the list of members of the district study committee for the 2009-10 school year.
Members and the group they represent include:
Kim Lutrick, parent; Marc Roberts, parent; Darin Dolecheck, Mount Ayr Chamber of Commerce; Russ Reiter, administration, Ken Harrison, administration; Lynne Wallace, administration; Donetta Phelps, parent; Carol Glendenning, parent; Wendy Wimer, parent; Brandie Shay, parent; Jodie Wurster, community; Brenda Adams, Family Resource Center;
Leslie Murphy, parent; George Hunt, parent; P. J. West, school board member; Duane Schafer, school board member; Karen Taylor, Mount Ayr Education Association; Sue Larsen, school improvement; Alan Smith, Mount Ayr Record-News; Carroll Taylor, parent; Mike Wimer, parent; Angie Dodge, K-6 representative; Jodie Geist, grant writer; Maci Sickels, student; Alex Wallace, student; Matt Kerns, student; David Greene, parent; Susan Winemiller, parent; Valle Smith, school improvement; Jeff Sickels, parent.
The district study committee meets monthly to learn about school programs and to develop goals to suggest to the school board for school improvement.
Tabling of cornerstone offer
The Masonic Lodges of Mount Ayr and Kellerton have expressed interest in providing a cornerstone and cornerstone laying ceremony for the Mount Ayr Community elementary school addition.
Jack Cook has visited with the board at past meetings and board members had some more questions to be answered before a decision is made.
One question was what the cost of the cornerstone would be to the school district, for example.
Because Cook was not available for the meeting, the board tabled the matter until more information could be discussed.
Board members noted that they had had some positive feedback but also some questions from the public about the need for the cornerstone.
Contract extension
The school board voted on a contract extension for Jodie Geist, who works year round with the TAP program.
The board approved extending her contract for 25 days for a total additional pay of $7,060.50.
It was noted that Geist has had this contract extension each year because of the nature of the TAP program.
Half of the money comes from special education funding and half from a grant, superintendent Reiter told the board.
Officer vote revisit
At the October meeting of the school board, the board used a secret ballot to elect president and vice president.
State law says that each vote of a public entity like a school board has to be made so that the vote of each member is known to the public so a secret ballot is not allowed.
Votes can be taken by raising hands, by voice vote or by ballot, but the results in each case must be reported so that the public knows the vote of each school board member.
School board secretary Janette Campbell had kept the secret ballots from the meeting last month and passed them back out to board members to put their names on them.
The results remained the same with Rodney Shields named president and Jim Uhlenkamp named vice president.
Voting for Shields for president were Larry Giles, Jim Uhlenkamp and P. J. Munyon. Rod Shields voted for Larry Giles for president and Duane Schafer voted for Jim Uhlenkamp.
Voting for Uhlenkamp for vice president were Duane Schafer, P. J. Munyon and Larry Giles. Rod Shields voted for P. J. Munyon and Jim Uhlenkamp voted for Larry Giles.
Closed session request
At the September meeting of the board, the board went into closed session using the exemption of open meetings number i. This exemption says: To evaluate the professional competency of an individual whose appointment, hiring, performance or discharge is being considered when necessary to prevent needless and irreparable injury to that individual’s reputation and that individual requests a closed session.
When challenged on the closed session at the October meeting by Mount Ayr Record-News publisher Alan Smith, superintendent Russ Reiter said that the board had used the wrong exemption. He said the closed session was for discussion of litigation, which would have meant using a different exemption.
The board did not make any attempt to change the minutes of the meeting to reflect the change.
On looking at the litigation exemption, however, it was noted that an attorney had to be present for this exemption to be used.
The exemption says “to discuss strategy with counsel in matters that are presently in litigation or where litigation is imminent where its disclosure would be likely to prejudice or disadvantage the position of the governmental body in that litigation.”
Smith told the board he felt that the closed session had not met either of the exemptions so asked that he be allowed to review the tape of the closed session as a way to remedy the matter.
Superintendent Reiter said he would check into the matter further and let Smith know the decision.
Smith noted that the responsibility of keeping board meetings open to the public was that of the school board and not the superintendent or school board secretary and included the section on enforcement in a handout to the board, which includes the fines possible for closing a meeting without the proper authorization.