CTE building bids, personnel top MAC board agenda
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By Darrell Dodge
Progress on the CTE building project and personnel decisions were main items of discussion at the Monday, August 11 meeting of the Mount Ayr Community Schools board of directors.
CTE building update
Following a brief public hearing, the board approved the plans and specifications for the new Career and Technical Education building to be erected south of the junior high gymnasium parking lot.
District Superintendent Jason Shaffer informed the board that construction bids will be opened at 3 p.m. on Thursday, August 21. Following the bid-opening, Shaffer said he may ask for a special board meeting to accept or reject those bids.
Shaffer added that he expected the project to come in near the estimated $2.5 million cost.
The superintendent also noted the DEKKO Foundation had contributed $500,000 to the project, with those funds helping to outfit the new building with equipment associated with the different CTE programs.
Personnel
The board accepted three resignations: Trea Ehlen as middle school football coach, Jeanine Greene in food service, and Chelsea Clymer as elementary associate.
The board then approved the hiring of four individuals: Dawn Swanson in food service, Chris Elwood as middle school football coach, Scott Giles as half-time industrial tech teacher, and Nicole Thomas as concessionaire.
Building principals Josh Vanderflught and Chris Elwood noted their new staff members for the 2025-26 school year.
They include Giovanni Walker as 5-12 band instructor, Jacy Walker as 6-12 vocal instructor, Gary Clark as industrial tech teacher, Marge Welch as high school science teacher, and Aaron Sewell as middle/high school social studies teacher.
Elwood added that two returning teachers at the elementary would be moving to different assignments: Kristen Graham will move from kindergarten to first grade, and Mellisa Weber will move from third grade to second grade.
Elwood also informed the board that 45 students had registered for pre-school, exceeding his earlier estimates. As a result, the pre-school will continue to be taught in three class sections, with Bethany Knox teaching the third section.
Orientation
Middle/high school principal Josh Vanderflught informed the board that 6th grade orientation at the middle school will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 20.
Students will first meet as a group to receive general information and then move to teachers in their classrooms. Students will find their lockers, find their first hour teacher, and learn about expectations from the teachers.
At 6:45 p.m., those interested will attend Middle School Registration Night to help ensure that those athletes are cleared for practice to begin on August 25.
Meet the Teacher Night at the elementary will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursday, August 21.
Other business
In other business, the board:
• Learned that the future stability of the Pride of Iowa conference was a topic of discussion at the recent POI Kick-off meeting for conference superintendents, principals, and activity directors. Josh Vanderflught explained that Martensdale-St. Marys is likely to exit the conference in the coming years. Discussion centered on adding schools to the conference or remaining an eight-school conference should MStM leave. Vanderflught noted that if the POI were to dissolve, Mount Ayr would have difficulty finding a new conference within reasonable travel distance.
• Approved Vanderflught as district Equity Coordinator on the education side and Amanda Cannon as Equity Coordinator on the employment side; Jason Shaffer as Affirmative Action Coordinator; and Chris Elwood as Title IX Coordinator.
• Approved the quote of $10,455 from Concrete Revival of Maryville, MO for polishing concrete flooring in the CTE hallway. Tile in that area had broken, and the flooring needed repairs prior to the beginning of the school year.
• Approved the bid of 7 cents above rack price for fuel from Smith Oil. The district had received a second bid of 18 cents above rack from MFA.
• Approved an extension the contract with Anderson-Erikson to provide dairy products.
• Approved a contract with Imagine Learning for $11,000 to provide online Spanish instruction. Vanderflught noted the contract includes online supervision with a certified teacher.
