The Durant school board held its first entirely virtual school board meeting April 13, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting began with a FY21 Budget and flex account resolution public hearing.
Business manager and board secretary Lesa Kephart went over several aspects of the budget with board members. She noted an estimated 6.3 percent increase in health insurance premiums next year, plus the addition of a human resources director position between the Durant and Wilton school districts, made possible by the retirement of both a teacher and central office secretary, and the saving of more than $34,000 due to sharing a Spanish teacher with Wilton next year.
The tax levy rate (per $1,000 of assessed value) is projected at roughly $11.50. The district’s bond debt will also be paid off in May 2020.
She noted that the district’s unspent authorized budget, or what Superintendent Joe Burnett calls the savings account, is dropping. The unspent balance was $1.735 million in 2019-2020 and is projected (on the low end) at $880,902 for 2020-2021.
The drop is due to declining enrollment. “The next few years are going to be challenging if our enrollment doesn’t stabilize or increase,” said Burnett.
The flex spending resolution involved transferring $15,000 from the flex account, from excess funds in FY20, to be spent in the professional development supplement account, primarily to purchase textbooks for next year, according to Kephart.
It was also noted that classified/exempt staff would receive a package increase of 4.308 percent next year.
Moments later, the regular meeting began. Maintenance Director Tom Wuestenberg, reporting from Burnett’s office, was present to talk about maintenance projects upcoming, namely doing the first two phases of the district roof repairs this summer.
Also present virtually was Ryan Kinneberg of Allen Consulting Group, who spoke to the board about the TIPS consortium, which would allow the district to choose particular products for projects from a group of local and national companies that are part of the TIPS program.
The district wants to use Duro-Last products to do its roof repairs and Burnett noted that there should be enough in the budget to take care of two phases this summer.
Other maintenance projects include fixing tile under the high school track, courtesy of Ellsworth Excavating and Triple B Construction; new high school gym bleacher replacement scheduled in August; Affordable Parking Lot Services to repair the parking lot in the summer; and continued work at the bus barn.
Administrative reports
The meeting was held prior to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ announcement that school would be canceled for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. In their reports to the board, Elementary Principal Rebecca Stineman and Jr./Sr. High Principal Joel Diederichs presented a sheet outlining what’s been done with staff and students during the shutdown.
K-12 students are taking part in voluntary learning initiatives approved by the state. Diederichs said his teachers are planning through each week then presenting to students on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If students were not allowed to come back this school year, he said the district was looking at a pass/fail model for the second semester based, in part, on where students’ grades were in the third quarter when the shutdown began.
Students with failing grades will be allowed to turn in work for full credit in hopes of getting grades up.
Stineman noted that elementary teachers have set up private Facebook pages for interaction with students that are only for parents and not the public. Teachers have also provided “goodie bags” to students.
Diederichs said he recently sent workout plans home to students in order to try and promote physical activity.
Member Tara Lindsay asked about seniors, and if they’d met all requirements to graduate if school was to be canceled for the rest of the year. Yes, Burnett noted.
Prom, scheduled for April 25, has been postponed until later in the summer. Diederichs said he was more concerned with having some kind of graduation exercise on or around the original May 17 date, “Even if we have to have them come in individually, we’ll see what we can do,” he said.
Miscellany
In other action, the board:
* Reviewed policies 405.1; 405.2; 405.3; 405.4; 405.5; 405.6 (with edits); 405.7; 405.8; 405.9; and 405.10.
* Approved two resolutions with regard to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. One included a response and emergency suspension of policy; and the other included pandemic temporary supplemental policy provisions. Burnett noted that both help explain and secure that district employees continue getting paid through closure due to pandemics.
* Approved a FY21 sharing agreement with Muscatine Community School District for swimming, tennis and soccer.
* Approved a sharing agreement to host Wilton students for the bowling team.
* Approved annual sharing of Casey Strub’s services with the Bennett School District, with Bennett paying 40 percent.
* Approved 2020-2021 sharing agreements with Durant for the following positions: transportation director, elementary band teacher, half-time Spanish teacher, vocational ag, business education, art education, family and consumer science education and computer science.
* Approved the FY21 School Resource Officer agreement with the Durant Police Department, via the city of Durant.
* Held the second reading of board wellness policy 507.9
* Approved the FY21 budget guarantee resolution.
* Approved the 2020-2021 master contract with the Durant Education Association, with member Travis Bullard abstaining from the vote.
* Approved the teacher handbook for 2020-2021.
* Approved FY21 administrative and classified staff salary and wages.
* Approved the low bid of $27,840 from Advanced Environmental for asbestos removal in the elementary hallway from the superintendent’s office to the middle school gym.
* Approved the low bid of $93,520 with additional $5,000 dumpster allowance to High Traffic Flooring Solutions to put epoxy flooring in the elementary wing, preschool halls, cafeteria hall, middle school gym hall, cracker box hall, high school hall, middle school commons hall and middle school hall.
* Approved hiring Hannah Happ, junior high softball coach, salary to be determined.
Members Julie Rivera, Katy Oberlander, Carla Whitlock, Bullard and Lindsay were present. All action taken was unanimous unless otherwise stated. The next work session is April 27 at 5:30 p.m. The next regular meeting is May 11 at 5:30 p.m.