The Mid-Prairie Board of Education voted on Monday, May 10 to open the graduation ceremony up to all viewers. Graduation will be held on Sunday, May 30 at 1:30 p.m.

“Graduation is a landmark event for everybody. These kids work their tails off; we work our tails off with them and to get them to this point is a big deal,” high school principal Jay Strickland said at the school board’s April 26 meeting, when the topic was introduced. “I am not comfortable telling students they can only have four people come. I am not OK with that, not with all the hard work that goes into it. It’s a big deal to a lot of students.”

Under the standing rules for indoor events, the graduates would have been allowed four spectators, plus siblings but administration and board members agreed this was too few. Strickland initially proposed eight spectators per student, plus siblings but said that in previous years 60-75% of students had more than eight adults come watch them graduate.

After discussion, board member Mary Allred made the motion to open the graduation ceremony to all spectators, which was seconded by Marianne Schlabach. The motion passd 5-1, with Gabrielle Frederick dissenting and Jodi Meader absent.

The school board voted unanimously to approve the hiring of the new high school principal, Chuck Banks.

Banks has 14 years of administration experience, most recently as the associate high school principal with Oskaloosa Community School District.

“As we went through the interview process, it became apparent when we processed as a large group that [Banks] was the preferred candidate,” superintendent Mark Schneider said. “Also, as I looked at the exit surveys from that process it was again reiterated that he was preferred candidate.”

Banks is the 14th principal hired during Schneider’s tenure as superintendent, who said that Banks received the most extensive vetting process after the interviews were over.

“When you have someone who has that much experience, there’s a lot of things to check out,” Schneider said. “It’s not surprising that the vetting experience was extensive.”

Schneider said he had two follow-up conversations with Banks, one of which lasted over three and a half hours. Schneider said he also made about 15 telephone calls about the candidate.

“I can truly say, after all that investigation, after all that conversation and after all that vetting, that I believe he is the best fit for our high school,” Schneider said. “He is excited. He and his wife are looking forward to moving into the community and he assures me that they both will be involved in the community.”

In other business, the school board voted to approve minor changes to the 2021-22 student handbook and an updated special education service delivery plan. The board also voted to give Schneider the go-ahead to apply for a Washington County Riverboat Foundation grant in the amount of 2 million dollars to go toward a new auditorium, the total cost for which is estimated at 10 million. (The district also as an additional 1 million fundraised for the project.)

Finally, the board approved school fees for the 2021-22 school year and the salaries for principals, directors, Home School Assistance Program and central office staff, the assistant athletic director and middle school dean of students with a 2.9% raise.