Moves regular meeting date from third Wednesday to second Wednesday
The Greene County Schools board of education met Monday, Nov. 13, holding both a regular and an organizational meeting.
The board conducted routine business, approving the second reading of policies dealing with anti-bullying/ harassment investigation; parent and family engagement district-wide; personal use of student-owned laptop computers or mobile internet devices in school; instructions to the (book) reconsideration committee; reconsideration of instructional materials regulations; and the evaluation of certified employees (teachers).
There were no board committee reports. Monthly administrator reports were included in board members’ materials but were not provided to members of the public in attendance or those watching via livestream. No information in those reports was referenced during the meeting. Each of the three building principals did, though, recognize outstanding students and staff during the meeting. The board also heard a presentation by high school students who had attended the National FFA convention in October.
Superintendent Brett Abbotts presented a canvass of the Nov. 7 city/school election. He noted the voted Physical Plant and Equipment Levy received 59.4 percent of the vote and that Connie Boyd and Timothy Riphagen were elected to four-year terms on the board.
The official abstract of votes was included in the board packet, showing 1,176 Yes votes and 806 No votes on the PPEL question. In the school board election, Connie Boyd received 1,191 votes; Dylan McConnell received 823 votes; and Timothy Riphagen received 989 votes.
That portion of the meeting concluded with recognizing outgoing board members John McConnell and Steve Fisher with plaques. McConnell served on the board for seven years, with Fisher serving six years. They also received lifetime plus-one passes to all Ram activities.
Fisher noted there have been many changes since the two of them came on the board. “We’re on a really positive trajectory. I feel really good about the new administration we have in place, all the principals and the new superintendent… Keep up the good work. We have a great staff and a great bunch of students. I see good things for this district moving forward.”
The retiring board was adjourned.
After a brief break the new board was called to order and new members Connie Boyd and Tim Riphagen tool their oath of office. The board re-elected Bonnie Silbaugh as president and Cindy Daubendiek as vice president and the two took their oaths as officers of the board.
The board approved requests from under-age students for school driving permits; approved an early graduation request; approved fundraiser requests; and reviewed and approved policies dealing with student health, parental rights, use of bicycles and motor vehicles, emergency school closings, emergency plans and drills, the wellness policy, class or group gifts to school, and the activity-free night
(Wednesdays after 6 pm).
Regular meetings were moved from the third Wednesday of each month to the second Wednesday of each month to improve efficiency in the business office. Meetings will continue to start at 5:15 pm in the conference room at Greene County Middle School.
Abbotts informed the board the district will not offer a large early retirement incentive as it has in recent years. Those incentives were funded by the district’s management fund to provide cost savings in the general fund by hiring younger teachers to replace older teachers at the top of the salary scale. Abbotts said the management fund cannot support that expense this year.
He did, though, mention three other board policies that allow for smaller retirement benefits.
The board approved an agreement with the North Central Consortium School at Manson Northwest Webster Community School district to allow Greene County students with very specific behavioral needs to attend school there.
The board approved the purchase of two new 77-passenger diesel long body busses from Hoglund Bus Company of Marshalltown at a cost of $142,000 each. One bus will be for immediate delivery to replace a 2-year-old bus totaled in a collision in Jefferson in late August. Abbotts explained the driver who struck the bus had $25,000 coverage, and the school’s policy covered replacement cost up to $91,000. That policy had not been updated to cover the increasing cost of busses.
The second bus will not be delivered until after July 1, 2024. PPEL funds will cover the cost of the busses.
