Meeting: 08/19/2026 - 06:00 PM Board Meeting Board Meeting
Location: Clear Creek Amana District Admin Building, 1486 Hwy 6 NW, Oxford, Iowa
The August 19 agenda combines a public hearing on the 2026-27 school calendar with several construction and facilities payments, a boiler replacement, a substantial package of board policy work, district operational reports, and board professional development. The agenda also calls for a closed session for the superintendent evaluation.
Key Items on the Agenda
Public Hearing and Revised 2026-27 School Calendar
The meeting is scheduled to open with a public hearing on revisions to the 2026-27 school calendar. Later in the meeting, the board is scheduled to consider approving the revised calendar as presented.
The calendar provides for 175 student days and 1,145.07 student contact hours. It identifies April 19 as the snow make-up day; after that day is used, additional make-up days would be added to the end of the school year if needed.
Construction and Facilities Payments
Several action items involve payments or expenditures for district facilities:
- $358,841.80 to Black Hawk Roof for Pay App #1 on the Clear Creek Elementary roof replacement. The packet says payment applications are reviewed for materials received and work completed before board approval.
- $270,640.64 to PEAK Construction for Pay App #1 on the high school/middle school additions. The packet identifies this as services completed before June 30, 2026.
- $881,856.47 to PEAK Construction for Pay App #2 on the high school/middle school additions, also identified as services completed before June 30, 2026.
- $27,060.12 to Tricon Construction for Pay App #8R on Phase 2 of the baseball/softball complex. The packet says the associated services were performed before June 30, 2026.
Together, those four proposed construction payments total approximately $1.54 million.
Amana Elementary Boiler Replacement
Administration recommends approving a $69,343.39 proposal from Modern Companies Inc. to replace the steam boiler serving the Amana Elementary pool area and adjacent locker rooms.
The existing boiler was installed in 2004 and rebuilt in 2021. According to the packet, it has now exceeded its expected useful life, cannot be rebuilt again, and needs replacement to reduce the risk of losing heat in those spaces during cold weather.
The proposed work includes removal of the existing boiler and condensate receiver and installation of a new steam boiler and dual-pump condensate receiver system. The district plans to use PPEL funds; because the purchase exceeds $50,000, board approval is required under Policy 705.01.
Buildings, Grounds and Capital Projects
The board is scheduled to receive a Buildings & Grounds presentation and a separate building-project update.
The facilities presentation reports that the department maintains more than 820,000 square feet of building space across more than 200 acres of regularly maintained grounds. Current or future projects identified in the presentation include the high school/middle school additions, Amana pool boiler, HVAC upgrades and middle school football/soccer field regrading.
Project updates in the packet include:
- The Clear Creek Elementary roof membrane replacement is complete, with final metal trim being installed during the week of August 10.
- The high school track resurfacing is complete and the track is open for use.
- Shive-Hattery and district representatives are expected to provide updates on the high school/middle school additions.
- North Park Road construction continues to affect adjoining district sites. The packet says mainline paving north of Oak Hill Elementary is not expected to be completed until approximately the beginning of October, so school and transportation routing will continue as it did last school year until the road fully opens from the north.
Human Resources
The board is scheduled to receive an FY26 Human Resources report covering staffing, vacancies, absences, substitutes, overtime, turnover and employee retention.
Among the figures presented:
- 619 total employees
- 107 new hires during FY26
- 11,453 absences, representing a reported 9.34% absenteeism rate
- 3,351 units of substitute dates
- 149 active substitute teachers
- $507,741 in reported substitute costs
- $159,608 in overtime expenses
- 74.9% licensed-staff retention, compared in the presentation with a stated state average of 84.6%
Looking ahead to FY27, the report identifies staff retention and vacancy rates, compensation and benefit comparisons, health and wellness feedback, and related employee-support measures as areas of focus.
Policy and Governance Items
Recommended Policy Revisions
The board is scheduled to consider a package of policy revisions recommended by the Iowa Association of School Boards and district administration. The listed policies address subjects including:
- Board of Directors' elections and meeting notices
- Equal employment opportunity
- Open enrollment procedures
- Student expression and publications
- Student conduct
- Administration of medication
- Special education and physical education
- Private instruction
- Religious-based exclusion from school programs
- Student guidance and counseling
- Responsible technology use and social networking
- Stock prescription medication supply
- Public examination of district records
Five-Year Policy Review
A separate action item asks the board to approve the review of Policy 409.02, Employee Leave of Absence, and Policy 704.04, Gifts – Grants – Bequests. The packet says district policies are required to be reviewed every five years and these items are being presented to maintain that schedule.
Second Reading of New Policies
The agenda also calls for a second reading of policies concerning:
- 503.11 — Disruptive Behavior
- 504.06 — Student Activity Program
- 605.04 — Technology and Instructional Materials
- 705.06 — Federal Awards Compliance
The packet explains that new policies require two readings to allow for public input before full adoption and implementation. Policy 706.04 — Time and Effort Reporting also appears among the supporting policy materials attached to this agenda item.
Donation for the Amana Magnet Program
The board is scheduled to consider accepting a $10,000 donation from the Amana Society for the Amana Elementary Magnet Program.
The packet states that the district has received the donation and that, under Policy 704.04, gifts exceeding $5,000 are placed on the agenda as an action item.
A separate consent-agenda donation report lists a $628.97 district-wide donation from the CCA Foundation.
Finance and Consent Agenda
The finance report indicates that district staff are continuing to finalize FY26, preparing CAR, SES and ATR reports due September 15, and developing line-item budgets for FY27.
The consent agenda includes:
- July 15, 2026 board meeting minutes
- Open-enrollment items
- Staff changes
- Bills
- Financial reports
- Gifts and donations
- A 2026-27 student-teaching agreement with Lake Superior State University
- A 2026-2029 student-teaching agreement with Mount Mercy University
The Mount Mercy agreement provides for possible student-teaching and field-experience placements during the 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years. For a standard eight-week student-teaching assignment, Mount Mercy would compensate the cooperating district teacher $165.
Superintendent and District Updates
The superintendent's report highlights preparations for the beginning of the school year. New teachers began August 10, returning staff began August 17, and the first day for students is scheduled for August 24.
The report also notes that the high school was listed at No. 32 among Iowa high schools in the referenced 2026-27 U.S. News & World Report ranking. Fall athletics participation reported in the packet totals 222 students across girls swimming, football, volleyball and boys and girls cross country.
School Board Professional Development
Dr. Denise Schares is scheduled to facilitate a board dialogue on the Standards for Effective School Boards. The packet says professional-development funding is available through grant work involving the Kern Family Foundation and the University of Northern Iowa.
The session is designed to increase understanding of the standards and help board members consider how their actions align with them. The planned discussion begins with Standard #4 and includes facilitated conversation, data collection and reflection on questions and possible next actions.
Closed Session
The agenda calls for the board to consider moving into closed session under Iowa Code Section 21.5(1)(i) for the superintendent evaluation. The agenda specifies a roll-call vote to enter the closed session.
What to Watch at the Meeting
The most consequential scheduled decisions center on the revised school calendar, more than $1.5 million in construction pay applications, the $69,343.39 Amana Elementary boiler replacement, and a broad set of policy revisions and second readings.
The meeting also provides several windows into longer-term district operations: progress on major construction projects, FY26 staffing and retention data, preparations for the new school year, and board professional development focused on governance standards.
