LONE TREE

The Lone Tree Community School District’s calendar has been finalized, and it attempts to find equal balance between the four and five-day calendar debate.

How does it accomplish this feat? By providing more teacher in-service time and making each Wednesday a full day rather than an early out.

The 2023-24 school year – the current school year – had just three built in teacher in-service days, losing one to make up a snow day. The 2024-25 calendar has 13, quadruple the prior year.

This, alongside teacher comp days and holidays, gives students 15 four-day weeks and 21 full weeks. Additionally, one week – the first week of school – is just one day, and the week of Thanksgiving is a two-day week. There will be a two-week winter break and a one-week spring break as well.

In a calendar full of change, the school start date remains consistent: school will begin on Friday, Aug. 23 due to Iowa law.

This law requires school to start no sooner than Aug. 23 to not interfere with the Iowa State Fair. Recently, lawmakers pondered whether they should allow Iowa schools to start sooner, but no legislation was passed.

The last day of school, which could change, is set to be Thursday, May 22.

This schedule seems to be influenced heavily by the four versus five-day school week debate that rattled Lone Tree for two months before the board decided to stay at five days. Teachers get much needed developmental time and students get more days off, compensated with a longer Wednesday.

The calendar can be viewed on Lone Tree’s official website.

Wellness Center as Shelter

In an earlier meeting, the Lone Tree school board decided to not partner with Johnson County Emergency Management to designate the Wellness Center as a safe place to shelter in the event of bad weather.

However, in their March 27 meeting, the board reversed their prior vote to partner Johnson County Emergency Management after all. Initially, the board thought they needed to provide a generator to the Wellness Center. That was not the case; the county will provide a generator. This clarification changed the board’s position.

Board action

The board approved a summer project budget of $455,000. A list of projects has yet to be finalized but one need seemed to stand out from the rest: resurfacing the school’s track.

Superintendent Tyler Hotz brought track coaches Chad Shield and Ashley Zaruba to discuss the school’s track in hopes that the board approves resurfacing it.

Shield mentioned that tracks should be resurfaced every 10 years. Lone Tree’s track has not been resurfaced for 12 years. This can make for a bumpy run.

“The first time I realized this was an issue is probably April of 2021,” Shield said. “I was a volunteer for the high school track at that time. We had a powerhouse boys and girls track meet and I overheard coaches towards the end of the meet say they would never come back to Lone Tree due to facility and track concerns.”

The board has yet to finalize their summer project list.

Next board meeting: Lone Tree will next meet on Wednesday, April 3 at 6:30 p.m. for a public hearing regarding fiscal year 2025’s property tax. After said public hearing, the board will transition into their board workshop meeting.