The May meeting of the Perry Community School District Board of Education included a mix of the routine and the far from common.
The Board appointed Casey Baldwin to fill the seat vacated by the late Marjean Gries, Baldwin’s mother. Her four-year term expires and will stand for election in September, as will the seat of current Board President Kyle Baxter.
Also approved, at a rate of $155,000 for the 2017-18 school year, was a 260-day contract, for three years, for the newly hired Clark Wicks, who will assume superintendent duties July 1, when the retirement of current Superintendent Lynn Ubben becomes effective.
Nutrition Service Director Gail McFarlin addressed the board, seeking approval of a 10-cent rate hike for lunch prices at all three schools, as well as a dime increase in the cost of an adult breakfast. These raises, she noted, were due to compliance requirements of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.
The reduced lunch fee of 40 cents is set by the USDA and cannot be changed at the local level, she noted. Also to increase, by 25 cents, would be the cost of an adult lunch during the summer.
McFarlin provided the meal cost numbers of many surrounding districts, with Perry comparing favorably with all.
The board voted unanimously to raise the rate, as the issue was, essentially, out of the district’s control.
Lunch at Perry Elementary will now be $2.45 and $2.60 at both Perry Middle and High Schools while an adult lunch will cost $3.60. Those 18 and under will continue to receive breakfast at no cost, while an adult breakfast will rise to $1.75.
McFarlin noted summer breakfast will be served at the high school June 5 through June 30, with breakfast and lunch served June 5 until August 4 at Perry Elementary. Summer adult lunches will now cost $3.25, while breakfast and lunch remain free for 18 and under.
The board approved several hires and transfers, resignations and staff reductions. Three paraeducators at the high school and two at both the middle and elementary schools have had their positions eliminated, an action which drew comments from Ubben.
“This in no way, shape, or form has anything to do with their competence,” she said of those holding the seven withdrawn positions. “As Special Needs kids move in and out of the district fairly regularly it can really effect the number of positions the district needs. These are all good people and will certainly be considered for recall should the situation change again.”
Revisions to board policies were agreed to, as were amendments to the Iowa Association of School Board policies concerning professional conduct and ethics, along with several other areas. Consent was given setting food service wages for the summer and to the support staff roster for the upcoming school year.
Industrial Technology Teachers Curt Cornelius and Calvin Smith received permission for a field trip to the SkillsUSA National Contest in Louisville, Kentucky in June. Money collected by fundraisers will pay for the entire cost of the trip, save food expenses. Board consent is required for students to attend out-of-state trips.
Activities Director Tom Lipovac provided a list of all scheduled school fundraisers for the 2017-18 school year, which was approved.
PHS Principal Dan Marburger informed the board of the successful College Day held May 5, with Marburger congratulating the students involved and noting the efforts of PHS Counselor Anne Horgren in organizing the event.
Proctor Mechanical was awarded the contract for heat pumps at Perry Elementary. The bid was in the amount of $448,518.
Teacher Leadership and Compensation Instructional Coach Laura Coller reported to the board about her experiences this year.
“As a new instructional coach I wasn’t quite sure what it would entail,” she said. “I came away really pleased that I had the opportunity to personally work with 40 percent of our secondary teachers.”
Coller noted she was able to co-teach with two teachers in the second semester.
“It made for more robust unit-planning and proved that, it some things, two heads really can be better than one,” she explained. “It enabled us to do some things you cannot do with one teacher, especially being able to break students into small groups.”
Ubben praised the effort of all involved with TLC.
“Part of the TLC process is putting the right people in the right places,” she said. “I think our district had done that quite well.”
The Perry School Board meets the second Monday of each month in the Brady Library at Perry High School, with meetings beginning at 6 p.m. The next scheduled meeting will be held June 12.
