North Scott School Board

Schools stick with Aug. 25 start date

CARES funds insufficient for earlier start

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North Scott schools will stick with its Aug. 25 first day for the next school year and forego further discussions of starting earlier.

Superintendent Joe Stutting told board members meeting online Monday that emergency CARES funding from the state falls far short of instructional costs. And he said the governor’s declaration allowing schools to start before the state fair does not permit them to finish early.

“In order to start early, you have to add those days for the school year. No money is budgeted for it,” Stutting said.

Even though the governor waived the start date, “you still need to have that full year from the original start date. So it’s not really a full waiver of the start date, unless you have a lot of money on hand and aren’t spending anywhere close to your authority.

“Everything to me indicates you’ll have the calendar you approved last winter,” he told board members.

The district received $170,000 through the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act approved by Congress. That’s the bill that funded unemployment insurance and other pandemic relief funds.

Stutting said the money is far short of funding more school days. Teacher costs alone exceed $60,000 for each day of classes.

Board member Molly Bergfeld asked if an earlier start might cushion students and families if pandemic, or weather concerns cause shutdowns later.

“I just worry about if we do have to shut down for a week … That would push us out later in June next year. You can hardly plan for that either,” she said.

Board members informally backed Stutting’s conclusion to stick with the calendar.

“I think we should just leave it alone,” board member Joni Dittmer said. Board member John Maxwell agreed.

More relief from Congress or the state legislature could change things, Stutting said.

“I feel probably 90 percent sure we’re going to stick with our calendar, but I’m not going to tell someone 100 percent sure,” he said.

Board member Mark Pratt said any calendar change should come before the board.

“Yes, I think that kind of decision deserves a public hearing,” Stutting said. He also pledged flexibility through these rapidly changing times. “We wouldn’t hold a kid out of the state fair if fair started and school was going on,” he said.

Online for snow days?

The CARES money must be spent by Sept. 30, which precludes its use for full-time elementary school nurses in the fall, one need floated by the district.

Other options include stocking up on protective health equipment and technology upgrades so teachers can resume or incorporate more online education.

“We need a plan for our online education that will be required from this point forward. If this happens again, Iowa expects every district to have an online plan in place,” Stutting said.

That should include online instruction on snow days. “That would just eliminate the concept of snow days,” Stutting said in an interview after the meeting.

All spending options will require board approval, he said.

YMCA architect interviews

The district, city of Eldridge and Scott County YMCA will begin interviewing architects to design a new fitness center approved by voters in March.

For the second consecutive meeting, Stutting warned the community the pandemic shutdowns could delay the scheduled 2021 ground breaking.

“With collections of the 1-cent sales tax, I cannot guarantee we’ll stay on target for breaking ground next spring. I don’t want to see anybody shocked if I come to a board meeting and say we’ll have to hold off a year because of tax collections,” Stutting said.

After the meeting, he said all long-term projects, including a proposed agriculture research center, will be affected by dwindling sales tax revenues.

“Everything gets pushed back if one gets pushed back. We’ll still continue to work on the ag center. Our next goal is to find that partner and see if Eastern Iowa Community College would be it,” Stutting said.

Budget amendment

Board members are scheduled to amend this year’s budget to reflect COVID 19 and other costs.

The budget amendment hearing at the May 26 meeting adds:

3.46 percent, or $770,000, to instruction spending, for pandemic response and to stake the student house building program.

9.6 percent, or $1,195,000, more for support services, for pandemic response and the district’s share of new propane buses mostly covered with a settlement from Volkswagen.

32.3 percent, or $600,000, for non-instructional services, all for the pandemic meal program. Most will be reimbursed by federal funds.

Other projects

Work is wrapping up on the district’s indoor practice facility and bus garage.

Stutting said a sprinkler system contractor is on shutdown, delaying that finishing work. But nets are up for batting cages.

Contractors are scheduled to pour cement for the new bus garage parking lot on East LeClaire Road at Scott Park Road.

Class sizes

A full kindergarten class at Grissom Elementary in Princeton is forcing the district to shift new students to elementary schools in Long Grove and Park View.

The district’s target class maximum is 24.

“As we get new enrollments in, we check class sizes, then determine what building they area able to go to,” Stutting said.

A Glenn Elementary first grade class has 25 enrolled now.

Stutting said returning students, and those with siblings already in a school, will not be sent elsewhere. The district also takes proximity into account whenever possible.

“If they move in and live in Dixon, that’s different. We’re not going to send someone from Dixon to Princeton. So we use common sense. If there are reasons, we’re going to work with families. So far we haven’t had any issues.”

The district provides transportation for students sent to a different school.

Day care and meal service

The district will resume day care June 8 and accept kids at Shepard, White and Grissom elementary schools.

Stutting said the district is limiting enrollment to about 20 students at each location, to help assure safe distancing in classrooms. There will be no field trips.

He said the district will provide meals through its emergency food distribution that continues through the summer.

Stutting urged families no longer needing the service to alert food service supervisor Amy Guerrero.

“We’re starting to drop people off from food delivery because some are going back to work and  can’t pick up meals,” he said.

Board member Molly Bergfeld said families could reach out to friends and neighbors to continue picking up meals.

The federally funded lunch program distributes meals three times a week throughout the district to anyone who asks. “Anyone can pick those up for a neighbor, or for other kids in your neighborhood,” she said.

Board members also:

• Authorized an 8.6-percent raise for transportation supervisor LuAnn Baetke. Stutting said he recommended the salary increase from $58,000 to $63,000 to discourage her retirement.

“As I did a comparison of her retiring, it was my recommendation we offer her more money to keep her for another three-plus years, versus paying her to retire and then having to find the money to pay someone with that much knowledge and experience. She does a great job for us.”

• Accepted the resignations of White Elementary media specialist and mock trial coach Paula Lofgren, and full-time maintenance technician Casey Berry.

• Bought a 4000-D mower from MTI Distributing for $63,274.86, the only bidder.

North Scott School Board, Joe Stutting, North Scott School District, Kim Reynolds, Molly Bergfeld, Joni Dittmer, John Maxwell, Mark Pratt, Scott County Family Y, North Scott YMCA, Eastern Iowa Community College, COVID-19, coronavirus, Virgil Grissom Elementary School, John Glenn Elementary School, Alan Shepard Elementary School, Ed White Elementary School, Amy Guerrero, LuAnn Baetke, Paula Lofgren, Casey Berry

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