The Colfax-Mingo Community School District Board of Education is scheduled for a regular board meeting on August 17. The amended agenda includes personnel changes, seven 2026–27 handbooks, a one-year work-based learning agreement with Prairie City-Monroe, financial reports, enrollment information, administrative updates, and discussion of the School Business Official and Board Secretary position.
Key Items on the Agenda
Personnel changes include coaching hires and multiple resignations
Personnel matters are listed as an action item. The packet identifies three proposed hires:
- Stacey Rice — Assistant Jr. High Football Coach
- Terra Tague — Varsity Basketball Cheer
- Rilee McElroy — Varsity Softball Coach
The packet also lists five resignations:
- Vanessa Batta — Basketball & Wrestling Cheer Coach
- Kelly Disney — School Business Official & Board Secretary, pending a suitable replacement
- Devan Chadwick — Special Education Associate
- Ben Cooper — Director of Operations, effective December 31, 2026
- Bryan Poulter — Softball Coach
Disney's resignation letter says she intends to remain with the district long enough to complete the FY2026 CAR and assist with the transition to a new School Business Official and Board Secretary. The agenda separately includes "SBO & Board Secretary" as a discussion item, making that leadership transition an issue to watch beyond the personnel action itself.
Seven handbooks are before the board
The action agenda includes a handbook item supported by seven documents covering students, employees, activities and district programs:
- 2026–27 Jr./Sr. High School Student Handbook
- 2026–27 certified handbook
- Coach/Sponsor Handbook FY27
- Parent/Athlete Activities Handbook FY27
- Opportunity Program Handbook
- 2026–27 Elementary Student Handbook
- 2026–27 Classified Handbook
The packet places the handbooks under action items, but the agenda text does not provide a consolidated list of proposed changes across all seven documents. The board is therefore scheduled to consider the handbook materials without the packet summary establishing that every provision represents a new policy or change.
Work-based learning agreement would share a coordinator with PCM
The board is scheduled to consider a one-year Chapter 28E agreement with Prairie City-Monroe Community School District for shared work-based learning services.
Under the proposed 2026–27 agreement:
- Colfax-Mingo would employ the personnel responsible for developing and implementing work-based learning curriculum and instruction.
- The Work Based Learning Coordinator and Special Services would provide services equivalent to 0.20 FTE to Prairie City-Monroe.
- Prairie City-Monroe would pay Colfax-Mingo $16,151.20 for the school year, including salary and benefits.
- The fee may be charged in two installments, following each semester.
- The agreement would run from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
- Each district would notify the other by February 26, 2027, if it intends to continue the arrangement for another school year.
The packet presents approval of the 28E agreement as an upcoming action; it should not be treated as approved until the board acts.
Enrollment and Back-to-School Updates
K–12 enrollment stands at 635 in the August 17 report
The superintendent's report includes a 2026–27 enrollment update dated August 17. The packet reports 339 students in grades K–6 and 296 students in grades 7–12, for a combined K–12 total of 635.
Elementary grade enrollment ranges from 42 students in second grade to 56 in fifth grade. With two classes per grade, the reported K–6 average class size is 24.2 students. Fifth grade has the highest listed average at 28.0 students per class, followed by third grade at 27.0.
The separate financial dashboard includes preschool and an enrollment snapshot from August 13, so its totals are not directly identical to the August 17 K–12 enrollment report.
Jr./Sr. High reports full staffing and August 20 back-to-school activities
The Jr./Sr. High administrative update says the building has been fully staffed since the end of the previous school year. New certified staff attended orientation August 12–13, including a school counselor, a grades 5–12 instrumental music teacher and a high school mathematics teacher.
The report also notes Crisis Prevention Institute training for many special education, paraprofessional and support staff. The building says CPI practices will be reviewed monthly and connects the training to requirements under Iowa Code Chapter 103.
Back-to-school night is scheduled for August 20. Seventh-grade students are invited from 2–4 p.m. for community building and from 4–5 p.m. to meet teachers and learn their schedules; students in grades 8–12 are invited from 5–7 p.m.
Curriculum and Instruction
Public curriculum site launches through Atlas
The curriculum report announces a public-facing Atlas site that allows community members to view units taught at each elementary grade level and in secondary courses. The district says the site was created in compliance with Iowa Code 279.77.
According to the packet, Atlas synchronizes daily, meaning changes teachers make to accommodate student needs will also appear on the public site. The district is inviting community feedback about the site's usability.
Staff training includes behavior legislation and early literacy
Professional learning is scheduled to begin August 18 with training on new behavior legislation, including guidelines involving FAPE — Free Appropriate Public Education — and LRE — Least Restrictive Environment.
Some elementary staff have also received training in Bridge2Read, a literacy curriculum focused on phonemic awareness, decoding, encoding and word study for students in grades K–3. During the school year, elementary staff are expected to work with an AEA literacy consultant on strengthening core instruction.
Major Financial Items
FY2026 reports show $11.63 million in general-fund revenue
Financial reports appear on the consent agenda alongside proposed activity transfers, an FY26 activity fund balance report and a financial dashboard.
The FY2026 monthly general-fund report lists:
- $11,630,382 in total revenue
- $11,369,714 in total expenditures
- $260,668 in year-to-date gain after accruals
- $7,676,342 in salary costs
- Salaries equal to 67.52% of expenses
The financial dashboard also reports an FY2026 -1.70% solvency ratio and -$754,788 in unspent authorized budget. Those figures sit against district financial goals calling for a 5%–15% UAB ratio and a 7%–17% unrestricted, uncommitted general-fund solvency ratio.
Activity transfers are proposed
The consent-agenda financial materials include proposed activity-account transfers. The packet's transfer document shows $14,563.57 in positive balances and $15,036.66 in negative balances among the listed activities, a net difference of -$473.09.
The underlying list includes accounts for athletics, speech, cheer, dance, yearbook and other student activities. Because these are identified as proposed transfers in the packet, they should be treated as pending consent-agenda business rather than completed transfers.
Buildings, Operations and District Readiness
The Buildings & Grounds report says summer work was nearing completion as the district prepared for school and late-summer activities. Projects cited include carpet installation in the high school media center and work on the elementary stage.
Operations work also includes purchase orders, HVAC monitoring, contractor coordination and scheduling state-required inspections. The district was preparing to host volleyball and football games before the start of school as well as the August 20 back-to-school night.
Community and Governance Items
Under Recognition of Guests, the packet says Larry Daft would like to speak to the board about naming the football field or stadium for Joe Laws.
The agenda does not characterize this appearance as an action item or include a proposed naming resolution. It is therefore best understood as a scheduled guest presentation rather than a pending board decision.
Consent agenda includes minutes, payables and financial reports
The consent agenda includes meeting minutes from four prior board sessions:
- August 3, 2026 — Board Work Session
- July 22, 2026 — Regular Board Meeting
- July 13, 2026 — Special Board Meeting
- June 22, 2026 — Regular Board Meeting
Payables and the district's financial materials are also included on the consent agenda.
What to Watch at the Meeting
Several agenda items could shape district operations going into the 2026–27 school year:
- Business-office transition: The personnel agenda includes the School Business Official and Board Secretary resignation pending a suitable replacement, while the same position is separately scheduled for discussion.
- Handbooks: Seven handbooks covering students, employees, coaches, activities and the Opportunity Program are presented as action items.
- Work-based learning: The board is scheduled to consider the one-year 28E agreement under which Prairie City-Monroe would pay Colfax-Mingo $16,151.20 for 0.20 FTE of shared work-based learning services.
- Financial position: The packet reports a negative FY2026 solvency ratio and negative unspent authorized budget while also presenting the district's stated target ranges for both measures.
- Enrollment: The August 17 report lists 635 K–12 students, with an average K–6 class size of 24.2.
- Future business: The discussion section includes "Next Month's Agenda Topics," giving the board an opportunity to identify subjects for a future meeting.
