The Camanche School District’s Board of Education met on Monday, March 18th. Please note that these are not the official minutes. The official Agendas and Minutes from the Camanche Community School District school board are available and posted on our school district website (camanche.k12.ia.us).
Items to highlight from this school board meeting would include:
· The school board formally offered the position of Superintendent of Schools to Justin Shaffer beginning July 1st. Mr. Shaffer thanked his family and several other people for their support and he is looking forward to working with the school board and the entire school community.
· Business Director Aude presented the Board with information regarding the 2024-2025 Budget Estimate. The proposed tax levy is $17.79/per $1000 of taxable valuation. The Board will conduct a public hearing on March 25, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. regarding the proposed budget and tax levy. The Board also requested that a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document be placed on the district’s website that would help to explain the tax levy.
· The Board established a public hearing date regarding the Flexibility Account Resolution for April 15th at 6:35 p.m. By utilizing this option, the district will be able to place these funds in the General Fund, which would be a benefit to district’s overall budget.
· Superintendent Parker updated the Board about the 2024-25 school calendar. Next year’s calendar has not yet been set because of the possibility of the state changing the school start date requirements for the upcoming school year. He would like to present a final draft of the 2024-25 school calendar to the school board at next month’s regular meeting
· The Board heard updates from representatives from Estes Construction about the Facilities Enhancement Project and approved Change Orders for this project. The school board is pleased that this project will be completed well under budget.
· The principals informed the Board about ongoing and upcoming activities at each of their schools.
· The Board approved having the school district participate in a pilot funded by the Eastern Iowa Mental Health Region. This will provide virtual mental health support to students needing these services during the school day. Any use of this service by students would only be provided after receiving permission from a parent.
· The Board took action to renew the district’s participation in the Clinton County Student Loan Assistance Program. This program is used as a recruitment tool to encourage new employees, who are moving into our area, to live in our school district, city, and county.
· The Board took action to renew the CAS Agreement which will continue to provide a before and after school childcare option for the parents of Camanche Elementary students. This has been a very successful and popular program through the many years it has been available.
· The Board took action to renew the district’s participation in the Natural Gas Participation Pool, which allows the district to budget for a set cost for natural gas for the upcoming school year. This also protects the district from an unexpected price increase for natural gas. Thanks to the geothermal project, which was completed at the elementary and middle schools several years ago, only the high school remains as the main user of natural gas.
· The Board accepted the request of Lisa Clarke, Karlee Low, and Tom Parker to participate in the Early Retirement Incentive. The Board thanked these employees for their years of service for the children in our school district.
· The Board approved teacher preparation agreements with the University of Northern Iowa and Upper Iowa University.
As is usually the case, the school board completed the meeting by approving administrative recommendations regarding personnel.