The Center Point-Urbana Community School District Board is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. on August 19, 2026, with the agenda listing the Library in Center Point High School and a Zoom webinar option. Major items include decisions on the district’s facility design and use of SAVE revenue, construction payment applications, a gifted-and-talented regulation, contracts, financial reports, personnel actions, and open enrollment requests.
Key Items on the Agenda
Facility Design and SAVE Funding
A construction update from Invision is scheduled to address the high school design and cost, including how project scope affects funding decisions. Following that update, the board is scheduled to consider a design and determine the range of funding needed from SAVE revenue.
The superintendent’s written update says design work has continued on several facility components. User groups recently provided feedback on plans for the weight room, multi-purpose practice space, and auditorium. Earlier updates indicate physical education gym revisions were being incorporated into the design and that an auditorium with 525 seats was under consideration.
Ball Field Soil Conditions
The superintendent reports that Brian Miller Excavating identified unsuitable soils at the ball fields. Terracon is evaluating the condition, with field investigation planned after conditions dry.
Possible responses include allowing the area to dry or excavating and replacing the unsuitable soil. The packet says testing and remediation could affect project costs and the schedule, but the extent is not yet known; a budget allowance exists for the condition. Terracon and the design team are expected to recommend a mitigation plan after the investigation.
Construction Payment Applications
Three construction payment applications are presented as action items with recommendations for approval:
- Secured Entrances Payment Application #1: The supporting application shows a project schedule value of $1,365,863, with $94,941.43 in work completed through June 30, 2026 and $2,848.24 in retainage.
- Secured Entrances Payment Application #2: The July 31 application shows cumulative completed work of $255,479.51, or 18.7% of the $1,365,863 schedule value, with $7,664.39 in retainage.
- Ball Fields Payment Application #2: The July 31 application shows a $4,320,579 revised schedule value and $471,674.85 in cumulative completed work, or 10.9%, with $14,150.25 in retainage.
Policy and Student Services
Gifted and Talented Regulation
The board is scheduled for a second reading of Policy 604.03 R1, Program for Gifted and Talented Regulation. The superintendent recommends adopting the regulation, describing it as a mandatory addition required by law.
The proposed regulation calls for systematic and uniform procedures for screening, referring, identifying, and serving gifted and talented students in kindergarten through grade 12. Identification may draw from multiple sources, including standardized testing, student achievement, cognitive and creative ability, qualitative and quantitative information, teacher and parent input, and observations.
The regulation specifically calls for reasonable efforts to identify gifted and talented students across all student populations, including students receiving special education services and English language learners. No single criterion would prevent a student from participating in gifted-and-talented programming.
Services are expected to address students’ cognitive needs, personal growth and academic success, identification data, strengths, and interests. The regulation also provides for subject and whole-grade acceleration consistent with district policy and applicable law.
Homeless Children and Youth Liaison
The district is required annually by August 23 to designate an appropriate staff member as its liaison for homeless children and youth and enter that person’s contact information in the Title IA application.
Superintendent Tesha Zimmerman recommends appointing Melissa Hocking as the district’s liaison.
Contracts and Financial Items
Athletic Training Services
The consent agenda includes an athletic training services agreement with Ability Physical Therapy for the 2026–27 school year. The agreement provides for one certified athletic trainer to perform services when needed and requested by the district, including injury evaluation, first aid and emergency care, injury prevention, rehabilitation support, and recordkeeping.
The proposed rate is $38 per hour for up to 600 hours per calendar year, which would represent up to $22,800 if all 600 hours were used. Either party may terminate the agreement with 60 days’ written notice.
Science Curriculum Agreements
Two proposed letters of understanding with Grant Wood Area Education Agency cover VAST Center science curriculum resources.
For FOSS, the district would pay annually by June 1, 2027 at rates of:
- $550 per requested middle school unit
- $150 per requested elementary unit
For OpenSciEd, the rates are:
- $275 per requested middle school unit
- $190 per requested elementary unit
Grant Wood AEA would provide services including kit circulation, inventory maintenance, professional learning, implementation support, and financial support for program costs. Both agreements ask the district to return the signed documents by September 14, 2026.
Bills, Claims, and Financial Reports
The consent agenda includes the August list of paid bills, claims, and monthly financial reports. The packet’s List of Claims Paid reports a district total of $827,521.27 for the July 17 through August 19, 2026 date range.
The paid-bills report includes $290,310.06 from the capital projects bond fund for ball field work by Rinderknecht Associates. The general fund portion of the report totals $533,231.34.
The FY2027 general fund statement reports $268,568.66 in July expenses and a July cash balance of $7,282,067.49. The statement lists a $20,150,667 certified budget for the 2026–27 general fund.
Consent Agenda
The superintendent recommends approval of the consent agenda as presented, pending further board discussion. In addition to contracts and financial reports, the consent agenda includes prior meeting minutes, fundraisers, open enrollment requests, and personnel actions.
Open Enrollment Requests
The packet lists four incoming and four outgoing open enrollment requests for the 2026–27 school year.
The packet also identifies circumstances under which the superintendent recommends denial of an open enrollment request, including insufficient classroom space, lack of an appropriate special education program, student expulsion or suspension, or an adverse effect on implementation of a court-ordered desegregation plan. The extracted text does not clearly identify which, if any, of the listed requests are recommended for denial.
Personnel
Personnel recommendations include appointments, lane changes, volunteer coaches, and resignations. Among the appointments is Whitney Berns as a primary school teacher at a listed salary of $50,000, beginning August 18.
The packet also lists lane changes for two teachers from MA +12 ($59,483) to MA +24 ($65,583). Resignations include a second-grade teacher, a high school dance coach, and two substitute bus drivers.
High Five Friday
The board is scheduled to discuss participation in High Five Friday. The packet provides dates extending through May 2027 and notes that participants should arrive by approximately 7:55 a.m., with activities wrapping up around 8:25 a.m.
IASB Convention
The agenda also includes discussion of the Iowa Association of School Boards convention. Listed events include the Delegate Assembly, PreCon Workshops and Member-Vendor Social on November 18, BoardCon and the Trade Show on November 19, and the Board Presidents’ Workshop on November 20.
Superintendent Update
The superintendent’s report includes construction, district operations, community connections, and governance information. It also highlights the Iowa Association of School Boards’ Standards for Effective School Boards, covering governance areas such as vision, student learning, district culture, policy and legal responsibilities, fiscal responsibility, and advocacy.
The report says the district is beginning work on its Certified Annual Report and describes district operations as being in good shape based on support being provided to the business office.
Public Participation
The agenda includes a public forum. Speakers are asked to limit comments to four minutes, with generally no more than 20 minutes allocated to public comments overall. The district’s stated practice is for board members and personnel to listen during public comment rather than discuss or act on matters raised during that portion of the meeting.
The agenda also explains that residents may submit a petition seeking placement of a proposal on a future board agenda. A valid petition must contain signatures from at least 122 eligible electors of the district. If a valid petition requesting a public hearing is filed with the board secretary during an open meeting, the proposal is to be placed on the agenda of the next meeting held within 30 days.
What to Watch at the Meeting
- Facility scope and SAVE funding: The construction presentation is expected to lead directly into consideration of a facility design and the amount of SAVE revenue needed.
- Ball field conditions: The newly identified unsuitable soils introduce a potential construction cost and schedule issue whose full impact has not yet been determined.
- Construction spending: Three payment applications are scheduled for consideration as work continues on the secured entrances and ball fields.
- Gifted and talented services: The board is scheduled for a second reading of a regulation establishing districtwide identification and service requirements for gifted and talented students.
- Business and instructional contracts: The consent agenda includes athletic training services and two Grant Wood AEA science curriculum agreements with specified rates and obligations.
