The Greene County Community Schools board of education at its Sept. 20 meeting reviewed the 2022-23 certified annual report, special education supplement and annual transportation report.
Total general fund spending for the year was $17,107,197, while the maximum authorized spending was $18,004,512. That left an unspent balance of $897,314.
The unspent balance is comparable to carrying a balance in a household savings account. The board in 2017 had a goal of building the unspent balance to $1 million. At the time it was only $320,000.
The district was able to build that fund and met its $1 million goal in FY 2020 and surpassed it in subsequent years. The estimated unspent balance for FY 2023 is $1,479,043. The estimated unspent budget carried over to FY 2024 is estimated at less than $1 million, at $897,314.
School superintendent Brett Abbotts explained that the $1.4 million carry over included Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief (ESSER, Covid-19 related) funds that are no longer available. “We’re okay. We just have to be careful,” Abbotts said.
He said the district was wise not to use ESSER funds for ongoing expenses that would now have to be covered by other funds.
The report showed a deficit in special education spending of $499,075 and in limited English proficiency spending of $48,324. Neither deficit was unexpected. The board approved a motion to request allowable growth in those amounts from the School Budget Review Committee. Requesting allowable growth has been compared in the past to requesting a higher limit on a credit card.
In other business, the board appointed Cindi Daubendiek as a delegate to the Iowa Association of School Board’s Delegate Assembly. Steve Fisher has been the delegate in the past. His term on the board is expiring and he is not seeking re-election.
The board approved the first reading of three policies – one dealing with professional development for certified employees, one that renames the school libraries as media centers, and one that sets policy for inspecting instructional and library materials. The third policy matches Senate File 486 from the 2023 legislative session. Abbots said a comprehensive list of the libraries’ collections will be available by the state deadline of July 1, 2025.
He added that none of the books receiving negative attention due to their content are being used in classes. It hasn’t yet been determined if any are available in the school libraries.
The board approved the second reading of several policies to comply with new legislation: 105 Anti-Bullying/Anti- Harassment, 401.6 Limitations to Employment References, 402.2 Child Abuse Reporting, 402.5 Required Professional Development for Employees, 503.7 Student Disclosure of Identity, 503.7E1 Student Disclosure of Identify-Report of Student Disclosure of Identity, 503.7E2 Student Disclosure of Identity – Request to Update Student Identity, 505.4 Testing Program, 507.2E1 Administration of Medication to Students – Authorization-Asthma, Airway Constricting or Respiratory Distress Medication Self-Administration Consent Form, 507.2E2 Parental Authorization and Release form for the Administration of medication or special health services to students, 507.2E3 Parental authorization and release form for independent self-carry and administration of prescribed medication or independent delivery of health services by the student, 507.2E4 Parental authorization and release form for the administration of voluntary school stock of over the counter medication to students, 601.1 School Calendar, 603.5 Health Education, 605.3E5 Request to prohibit a student from accessing specific instructional materials and 804.5E1 Parental authorization and release form for the administration of a voluntary school supply of stock medication for life threatening incidents.
The board also reviewed and amended the Activity Eligibility/Good Conduct policy, decreasing the number of community service hours students must complete to regain eligibility lost for behavior violations. Hours are reduced from 25 to 10 for a first offense, from 50 to 25 for a second offense, and from 100 to 50 for a third offense.
Board president Bonnie Silbaugh said the Good Conduct policy includes several other penalties. “We’re trying to make it attainable so they have motivation to get where they need to be.”
High school principal Karen Shannon added that the number of hours required at Greene County prior to changing the policy is much higher than in other Heart of Iowa Activities Conference schools.
High school principal Karen Shannon explained the VisitU program now being used at the high school. The program automatically sends a text message or email to a student’s parents/guardians when a student checks in and out of the building during the school day. She said the provider is working to refine the program. Currently, everyone on a student’s contact list receives the message. The goal is for the message to be sent to only parents or guardians.
The program also automatically calls the contact number when a student has two hours of unexcused absence.
She said the program is still new to students and they’re working to build a habit of checking out and back in, rather than just leaving the building. The program is being used to increase security in the building.
Demolition of the 1956 south grade school in Jefferson will be completed by the end of October. The a contract with Murphy Construction in the amount of $69,450. Murphy’s bid was less than half that of two out-of-town bidders.
The building has been vacant since The Children’s Center opened its new building around the corner facing Vine St. The school administration office, which had been located at south grade since it was built, was moved to the repurposed middle school.
