School Board

The Camanche School District’s Board of Education met on Monday, August 16thPlease 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 district’s Construction Manager, Estes Construction, reported that bids for Phase III of the Facilities Enhancement Project were opened on July 27th and they were significantly over budget.  There was good project coverage in the bids that were submitted; however, the current market conditions have led to a significant increase in material costs.  The Board voted unanimously to reject the bids for Phase III of the project at this time due to the increase in costs.  Discussions are now under way regarding the scope of the project and looking for possible reductions to bring the project in line with the $13.4 million budget.  Currently Phases I and II are progressing nicely.  The main component of these phases is to remodel the entrances to both the elementary school and high school to improve security.  Also, the high school gymnasium is being updated which will include new bleachers that will make our gym more ADA compliant.  Along with this, the high school parking lot is being expanded to recover the space that will be used to accommodate the new wellness area/auxiliary gymnasium.
  •  The Board conducted a lengthy conversation regarding the use of masks by people on school property.  There are conflicting best practice guidance and authority in dealing with the COVID-19 Pandemic between federal requirements, Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, and Iowa state law.  The school board voted unanimously to strongly encourage people to wear a mask while on school property.
  •  Superintendent Parker reviewed the statewide school board elections that will be coming up this November with the Board.  Specific dates he reminded everyone about included August 23rd when candidate filing begins; September 16th at 5:00 p.m. which is the deadline for candidate filing; and November 2nd which will be the election with Polls open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.  The seats currently held by Todd Gravert, Stacy Kinkaid, and Peg Wolf will be the ones on the ballot.
  •  The Board approved the recommendation to purchase a new suburban to replace an older school vehicle that was no longer able to meet safety standards.
  •  Principals Shaffer and Dohse updated the Board about ongoing preparations for the upcoming school year occurring in the buildings. 

As is usually the case, the school board completed the meeting by approving administrative recommendations regarding personnel.