Finances, wrestling, beverages on MAC board agenda
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District financial health, girls wrestling, building security, and a choice between Coke and Pepsi were among a variety of topics on the agenda of the Mount Ayr Community Schools Board of Directors at their regular meeting, Monday, October 10.
Financial health
Superintendent Jason Shaffer presented his annual report on the “financial health” of the district based on data from the 2021-2022 school year.
He reminded the board of the two main factors used to determine the financial health – solvency ratio and unspent budget authority.
The solvency ratio is defined as the percent of unobligated funds (cash) available to meet short-and long-term unexpected cash demands. The target amount is 5-15% not to exceed 25%. Traditionally, the Mount Ayr district has reported percentages in the high teens to low 20s, but this year, thanks to the influx of pandemic-related federal funds, the district’s solvency ratio has creeped up to 26.47%, above the target maximum of 25%. Once pandemic funding has expired, Shaffer predicted the district’s solvency ratio would return to below the maximum.
The unspent balance authority is defined as the percent of remaining spending authority, and again the target is 5-15% not to exceed 25%. Shaffer reported Mount Ayr’s unspent balance authority currently stands at 23%, within the accepted target range.
Taking both factors into consideration, Shaffer reported the district is in “good” financial health but borders on the “caution – may be excessive” designation. Currently, 54.1% of all Iowa school districts fall into that “caution” area while 32.4% are considered in “good” health.
Girls wrestling
The board approved a recommendation to allow Mount Ayr to join three other schools to form a girls’ wrestling program. Central Decatur of Leon has employed two coaches and has invited girls from Wayne of Corydon, Lamoni, and Mount Ayr to form what will be known as the Southern Tier Wrestling Team. Participation would be open to girls in grades 7-12. Mount Ayr superintendent Jason Shaffer reported so far four Mount Ayr girls have shown interest in participating in girls wrestling. It was noted that in the future if enough Mount Ayr girls show interest in wrestling, the district would seek to hire its own coaches and field its own individual team.
Security
The board approved the recommendation to use funds from an impending safety grant for upgrades to building security at both the high school and elementary buildings. The funds would pay for additional surveillance cameras around the perimeter of each building, updating lock mechanisms, and furnish what are known as “safety buckets” throughout each building. The safety buckets would contain items useful in emergency situations such as flashlights and first aid materials. Permar Security provided quotes of $23,810 at the elementary and $19,154 at the high school for the additional upgrades.
In a related note, the board approved the transfer of funds designated for protection and safety gear to the activity fund. Those funds could then be used to purchase items to enhance the safety of students participating in activities, for example, football helmets.
Coke or Pepsi?
Superintendent Shaffer presented quotes from the Pepsi Bottling Group of Urbandale and the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Atlantic to provide beverage service to the district. The district currently partners with Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola provided a quote of $25.32 per case for its products while Pepsi offered similar products for $21.08 per case. Beyond a comparison of the prices, the board also considered the various services each company agreed to provide before awarding the beverage contract to Pepsi.
Personnel
The board approved one resignation and four hiring recommendations at Monday’s meeting:
Hannah Dentlinger resigned her duties as assistant volleyball and assistant girls basketball coach but agreed to serve as a volunteer girls basketball assistant.
Jensen Stewart was approved as an assistant girls basketball coach pending completion of certification. The contractor is a stipend of $2,261.
Josh Vanderflught was approved as the junior high boys basketball coach pending completion of certification. The contract carries a stipend of $2,713.
Korbie Reinhart was approved to serve as the musical assistant in the drama department. The contract carries a stipend of $969.
Jayla Shelman was approved as a teacher associate at $16,773 for the remainder of the school year.
Other business
In other business the board:
• learned representatives from the Mount Ayr school district will travel to Washington DC November 3-4 to participate in the presentation of a National Blue Ribbon to Mount Ayr elementary. Attending will be superintendent Jason Shaffer, elementary principal Amy Bautista, elementary instructional coach Betsy Budach and former elementary principal Chris Elwood.
• learned parent-teacher conferences are set for Tuesday, October 25 and Thursday, October 27.
• approved the purchase and installation of four bus cameras at a cost of $8,112 as quoted by Hoglund Bus of Marshalltown.
• approved an increase in the price of adult school lunches two $4.13, the state-set minimum.
• approved an increase in the fee for driver’s ed to $350 per student.
