Education is continuing for North Scott students online through thousands of district Chromebooks, expanded internet provided by the district, and countless other teaching innovations from a staff commended by board members Monday for their leadership through crisis.
School board president Glen Keppy also used a district Chromebook to conduct his first-ever online meeting from home Monday. The meeting drew a Facebook crowd of more than 40, who saw the board also lower next year’s tax rate.
North Scott students will likely finish this year’s schooling online, with mandatory, graded instruction for ninth- through 12th-graders, and voluntary, daily learning for pre-schoolers through eighth-graders.
Board members Monday approved a resolution establishing the plan, and gave Superintendent Joe Stutting sweeping powers to expand it and make other critical decisions without prior board approval.
Governor suspends grad requirements
The resolution will allow instruction to continue despite Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ order Friday suspending graduation requirements for the Class of 2020.
Her order suspends laws which required curriculum standards and completion of specific units of credit for completion of a high school program of study, “to the extent such provisions would hinder Iowa school districts in assisting the Iowa high school graduating class of 2020 in completing a course of study during this disaster emergency.”
She promised to give schools two weeks’ notice before reopening, and said she expects to address the school calendar later this week.
North Scott had classes scheduled through June 4 because of a snow day. Stutting said other districts’ school years end May 24. So the governor’s promise of a two-week notice at this point would leave them with just two or three weeks of instruction if classes resume.
“I’ll be shocked if we see kids again this school year. Maybe we’ll flatten it out in the next few days. But if I listen to the governor and her experts, they’re saying we’re not going to peak until the end of this month,” Stutting told The NSP after Monday’s meeting.
Board bolsters Stutting’s authority
The resolution gives Stutting and the board authority to pay staff, assign paid leave, and deploy teachers and other staff more liberally. Board members commended staff for leading the district through the COVID-19 response by stretching far from comfort zones.
The superintendent asked students and their families for patience.
“We have to keep in mind and ask all our families to keep in mind, we’re learning this as we go along. Just like this board meeting, we’ll make mistakes. It will look choppy. We ask for our families' patience. And we ask our teachers to be patient with themselves.”
After the meeting, Stutting said contract negotiations are under way with all four bargaining units, and he expects the board to consider new contracts at the next meeting April 27.
School has been closed since the start of spring break Monday, March 16, and Stutting said students seem eager to return.
“Some kids, this probably doesn’t bother them. I’d say a majority of kids would rather be in school engaging in activities than be stuck in their houses,” he said.
He said many students are watching videotaped lectures and completing online exercises. Most homework has long been submitted online. Students can conference online, or call teachers for extra help, he said.
Online instruction does not include welding labs and other shop skill-related coursework. “Our main focus remains on core areas: English, math, science, social studies, foreign language,” he said. “We were three-quarters through our school year, so it’s not like they didn’t get anything out of this school year.”
The board’s resolution expanding Stutting’s authority was taken from the Iowa Association of School Boards.
“The only thing I customized was the ability to call hourly employees to work if we had essential work to do. For example, food. If we need more employees to come in and provide food than we have now, I can call them in from paid leave.”
Meals for 884 students
Stutting told board members the district’s emergency food distribution has grown tremendously since it began distributing packaged meals three days a week.
“In one week, we went from not serving any students to serving 200-some. Now we’re up to 884 students and providing 1,768 meals,” each distribution day. “It’s remarkable to think what our staff has been able to do in such a short period of time.”
The demand has been great enough for the district to consolidate the Monday, Wednesday and Friday food pick-ups in Eldridge to the high school. “It’s grown so much we moved food distribution to the high school because we can’t pack up vans and get them out to other locations.”
Board members seemed awed by staff efforts.
“I think everything’s going about it as good as it can,” board chairman Glen Keppy said. He particularly commended participants in the teacher parades through North Scott towns. “When teachers had a parade, the kids were so wound up to see their individual teachers.”
Board member Joni Dittmer offered, “Thanks to everybody, the staff, administrators. We are going to heal, and what I see in this community, that never surprises any of us. What a wonderful community we live in.”
“This is all unchartered water, and you’ve done a fantastic job of coordinating and keeping things on an even keel,” John Maxwell said at the meeting.
Board member Molly Bergfeld commended the North Scott Enhancement Project volunteers for establishing and filling blessing boxes throughout the district.
She said the group donated 230 North Scott-opoly games it had been selling as a fundraiser. Instead, they were handed out with meals to families.
Board lowers tax rate
Board members approved a 2020-21 budget that increases overall spending 1 percent, while lowering that tax rate about 2 percent.
Rising taxable values allowed the district to include the new YMCA maintenance tax and still lower the overall rate to $12.13775.
That’s at least the third consecutive rate drop.
This year’s rate is $12.42. The 2018-19 year rate was $13.74 per $1,000 of taxable valuation.
The Iowa legislature approved a 2.3- percent increase in the state’s appropriation for instructional funding. North Scott budgeted $19.271 million in state aid, which is 1.2 percent more than this year.
Stutting said about 85 percent of all district spending is for staff. Expenditures directly related to instruction will be $23.396 million, a 1.2-percent increase over this year. Administrative expenses in three line items total $3.75 million, or 2.26 percent more than this year.
More propane buses
Board members approved bills totaling $713,293.21, which includes $297,326.96 for three new propane buses. That makes six new propane buses purchased this year with the help of $150,000 from Iowa’s share of Volkswagen’s settlement for cheating on fuel standards.
Stutting said he expects more settlement money to be available for application next school year.
“Typically we buy only three a year. So we would be a few years ahead on buses,” Stutting said.
Bus garage
Stutting expects the district’s bus garage will be complete in a month. A concrete parking lot goes in this week, and work is under way on a propane refueling station. The district purchased the garage at Scott Park Road and East LeClaire Road to move bus operations.
Mower bids
The board will seek bids on a replacement for a 15-year-old Toro Groundsmaster 4000‐D rotary mower for the grounds department.
Stutting said the mower has about 4,000 hours. A replacement is budgeted at $65,000.
Bids will be opened April 29, and board consideration is scheduled for the May 11 meeting.