WELLMAN

Mid-Prairie students and staff may have enjoyed three snow days in January when over two feet of snow buried the area in a single week, but they may not enjoy making that time up quite as much. How to accomplish that in the most painless yet productive way occupied the school board for close to an hour during their work session Monday night.

Options were on the table that would add days on to the end of the year, past Memorial Day; reduce the number of early-outs; and/or add minutes onto all remaining school days. Not making up the snow days was also an option, as the minimum 1,080 hours of instruction will still be met, barring any additional loss of days this year.

Shortening spring break was also a possibility, but one that was quickly shut down.

“It’s just pure mathematics,” Superintendent Brian Stone said at one point during the heated discussion in which board members weighed the needs for students to get quality instructional time, teachers to engage in scheduled professional development activities, and hourly staff to collect their full paychecks.

With some reluctance, the board ultimately agreed to make up 24 hours of instruction in a way that was “least impacting parents,” which involves adding 10 minutes to all remaining school days beginning on Feb. 19, removing early-outs on April 17 and May 8, adding a full day of classes on May 28, and finishing the year with an early dismissal on May 29.

During the business meeting following the work session on Feb. 12, the board approved the 2024-2025 school calendar, which should reduce the level of squirming over snow-day make-up in the next academic year as it makes explicit that any snow days will be added to the end of the year. It also reduces the number of teacher days from 194 to 191 and lengthens the school day.

“People are excited about longer educational periods,” Stone said, adding that teachers will maintain their current wages while earning a better per diem. Work agreements with non-certified staff will not be impacted.

The calendar is subject to revision should new state legislation be passed that alters the school start date.

Special Education

Board President Jake Snider drew the board’s attention to losses the district is taking when it comes to special education. Two special ed teachers have submitted their resignations, as has the district director, Amy Shalla.

“Filling special ed positions is already incredibly hard. [We’re] losing three, and it’s mid-February,” Snider lamented.

“How many more [can we afford] to lose before we can’t open-enroll anymore?” board member Jed Seward wondered.

Business Manager Jeff Swartzentruber noted that currently 27 special ed students are open-enrolled.

“It’s unfortunate, it’s frustrating,” Snider said of the situation.

Board member Ryan Schlabaugh urged the board to be “proactive” about addressing the staffing issue. “Everybody’s struggling,” he said. “We’re not immune to it.”

News reports in 2023 indicated a national shortage in special education teachers.

Mid-Prairie’s program specifically has been under fire by parents of late, as recently as their Jan. 22 meeting during which parent Abby Sojka objected to “degrading” wording in a course description and suggested grading practices regarding special ed students were “discriminatory.”

Board Meetings and Participation

The board passed the first reading of its Regular Meetings policy, which would see its two monthly meetings separated into one work session and one business meeting, rather than the combination format they have been following.

The board passed the first reading of its Public Participation in Board Meetings policy, which they discussed during the preceding work session. Stone and Snider looked at the policies of other school boards, in addition to the Iowa Association of School Board’s (IASB) recommendation, which they found to be “significantly different” from Mid-Prairie’s existing policy.

The revised policy would limit speakers during public forum to two minutes; set a maximum duration of 30 minutes per meeting for public comments; allow for modification of the time limits as needed; and prohibit the board from discussing specific employees or job performances.

No board discussion or action would occur regarding public comments. Members of the public wishing to address agenda items would be asked to give the board 24-hour notice. Agendas are made public on the Friday afternoon prior to the Monday meetings.

Other Board Action

The board approved an increase in preschool tuition from $120 to $125/month starting with the 2024-2025 school year.

No comments were made during the public hearing for the Flexibility Transfer of Home School Assistance Funds. The board approved the resolution to transfer $215,767.95 from the HSAP account to the flexibility account.

The district experienced its “first sizable change order” for the construction project underway at Middle and East Elementary schools, which is “beyond lucky because we’re still easily in the black,” Stone remarked. The board approved the order for $33,210.94 for materials, equipment rental, and labor payable to Wellington Electric, Inc.

The board passed a resolution to pay off General Obligation bonds issued in 2014 using extra funds from interest earnings. The bonds will be paid off completely by June 2025, five years earlier than planned.

The board approved 2024 General Obligation bond actions that include an agreement with Piper-Sandler to act as financial advisors and a resolution approving the issuance of $8,700,000 in bonds.

The Mid-Prairie school board will next meet on Monday, Feb. 26 at 6:15 p.m. in the Central Office Community Room.