School Board Agenda & Packet Summary – Colo-NESCO – July 20, 2026

Meeting Information

• Public Body: Colo-NESCO Community School District
• Organization Type: school-district
• Government Body: school-boards
• Meeting Title: Regular Meeting of the Board of Education
• Meeting Date: 2026-07-20
• City: Colo
• County: Story County
• State: iowa
• Meeting Source URL: https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36031446&MID=32154
• Meeting Listing URL: https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/SB_MeetingListing.aspx?S=36031446
• Public Body Website: https://www.colonesco.org/district/school_board/
• Meeting Video URL: Not available
• Video Channel URL: Not available

Prepared from the meeting packet and supporting documents contained in the attached extracted source file.

What Community Members Should Know

The July 20, 2026 board meeting focuses primarily on preparing Colo-NESCO Community School District for the 2026-2027 school year. Much of the agenda involves approving updated handbooks, reviewing policy changes required by Iowa law, adopting the district's Emergency Operations Plan, and considering technology and operational contracts intended to improve district management.

Several operational investments are before the board. The administration recommends approving a three-year GoGuardian agreement for student device management and classroom monitoring at approximately $7,200 over the contract period, along with a three-year Gridbase work-order and asset management system costing $6,750. The district is also considering using tax-exempt fuel cards through Key Cooperative, giving buses and other district vehicles a fueling option in Zearing.

Facilities and shared services are another significant theme. The board is scheduled to consider a facilities operations director sharing agreement with Collins-Maxwell Community School District while also discussing emergency planning, maintenance operations, and technology management. These items reflect continued collaboration between neighboring districts and efforts to improve operational efficiency.

Personnel changes, open enrollment decisions, and handbook updates also affect students and employees. The packet includes recommendations regarding late open enrollment requests, hiring a new fall cheer coach, accepting resignations, and implementing updated policies governing student athletics, attendance, and school expectations for the upcoming academic year.

Major Discussion and Action Items

Facilities Operations Sharing Agreement with Collins-Maxwell

The board is scheduled to discuss and potentially approve a facilities operations sharing agreement with Collins-Maxwell Community School District for the 2026-2027 school year. The agreement represents another example of shared administrative services intended to improve efficiency while providing professional facilities oversight across districts.

Because facilities maintenance directly affects school safety, long-term building preservation, and capital planning, this agreement has operational significance beyond routine staffing.

Open Enrollment Requests

The superintendent explains that several late open enrollment applications qualify under Iowa's "good cause" provisions and therefore should be approved. According to the packet, district leadership contacted each family, discussed the strengths of Colo-NESCO, and indicated interest in encouraging future enrollment.

One application reportedly did not satisfy the statutory good-cause requirements, and the superintendent recommends denying that request.

Student Handbooks and Academic Expectations

The board is asked to approve updated handbooks for:

• Grades 6-12
• Grades K-5
• Preschool
• Course Description Book
• Staff Handbook

The handbook revisions establish expectations for attendance, student conduct, school safety, extracurricular participation, transportation, communication with families, and daily operations for the upcoming school year.

The middle/high school handbook also reflects Iowa's updated chronic absenteeism requirements, including attendance intervention procedures before legal enforcement becomes necessary.

Emergency Operations Plan

Board members are scheduled to review and approve the district Emergency Operations Plan.

Although detailed emergency procedures are not summarized publicly, approval ensures the district maintains updated planning for emergencies, coordination with responders, student safety, and operational continuity.

Technology Investments

Two technology initiatives receive substantial attention.

The first is renewal of GoGuardian, a classroom management and internet monitoring platform that also includes Hall Pass functionality for tracking students leaving classrooms. The proposal covers approximately three years of administrative and teacher software plus Hall Pass services.

The second is Gridbase, a maintenance work-order and asset management platform designed to organize maintenance requests, inventory district assets, improve preventive maintenance, and support long-term facilities planning.

Student Activities Policy

The board conducts a first reading of proposed Policy 504.06 governing eighth-grade participation in high school athletics.

The proposed policy emphasizes that participation is intended to remain an exception rather than routine practice. Approval would require recommendations from coaches, meetings involving families and administrators, evaluation of student readiness and safety, and final approval by the superintendent. Students participating at the high school level would remain with the high school team for that season and must satisfy the same eligibility requirements as high school athletes.

Superintendent Entry Plan

The superintendent outlines an extensive employee listening initiative as part of his leadership transition.

Staff members are being invited to discuss district strengths, opportunities for improvement, workplace challenges, needed administrative support, and advice for the new superintendent. After gathering responses, administration intends to identify recurring themes, prioritize improvements, assign responsibilities, establish timelines, monitor progress, and report results back to employees.

Financial Matters

Several notable financial matters appear in the packet.

The administration recommends approving:

• GoGuardian for approximately $7,200 over a three-year period (about $2,400 annually according to the recommendation).
• Gridbase software for three years at $2,250 annually, totaling $6,750.
• Key Cooperative fuel services, including tax-exempt fuel cards with no card cost.

The supporting GoGuardian vendor documents list software subscriptions and implementation services totaling approximately $6,022 before any additional charges or future renewal increases, while the board recommendation references a district expenditure of approximately $7,200 over three years.

The consent agenda includes district claims totaling approximately $821,849.39 across activity, general, nutrition, and schoolhouse funds. Major expenditures include open enrollment payments to other districts, employee benefits, utilities, insurance, construction work, technology subscriptions, HVAC repairs, furniture, library systems, and ongoing building improvements.

The packet notes that June financial statements are not yet final because the fiscal year has recently closed. Final June financial reports will not be available until approximately September.

Policies, Ordinances, Resolutions, and Governance

Governance work centers on multiple policy reviews.

Policy primers receive both first and second readings, indicating some policy updates are approaching final adoption while others remain under initial review.

Policy 504.06 introduces formal procedures governing eighth-grade participation in high school athletics, including academic eligibility, safety reviews, administrative approval, season-long participation expectations, and compliance with Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union requirements.

The board is also asked to formally approve the district Emergency Operations Plan and updated student and staff handbooks before the new school year.

Reports, Presentations, and Informational Updates

The superintendent's report emphasizes organizational improvement through employee engagement rather than immediate operational changes.

Planned follow-up includes:

• Reviewing employee feedback.
• Identifying recurring concerns.
• Separating immediate issues from long-term priorities.
• Developing measurable action plans.
• Providing transparent progress reports.
• Conducting future follow-up surveys.

This approach is intended to strengthen communication, trust, employee engagement, and organizational performance.

Board members also receive informational discussions regarding facilities sharing, technology systems, student handbooks, fuel purchasing, and maintenance management before considering formal approval.

Personnel, Appointments, and Organizational Matters

Personnel recommendations include:

• Hiring Lilianna Reyes as Head Fall Cheer Coach.
• Accepting the resignation of Travis Owens as Head High School Baseball Coach.
• Accepting the resignation of Tess Rasmusson as paraprofessional.

The meeting also includes superintendent and principal comments as regular leadership updates.

Projects, Facilities, Infrastructure, and Operations

Operational priorities include improving maintenance management, facilities oversight, transportation efficiency, and technology administration.

Gridbase would allow maintenance staff to manage work orders electronically while tracking district assets throughout their lifecycle. The administration believes the system can improve preventive maintenance, reduce long-term operating costs, increase equipment reliability, and support regulatory compliance.

Key Cooperative fuel cards would allow tax-exempt fueling at the company's Zearing location, providing another fueling option for district vehicles and buses.

The district also continues investing in building improvements, technology infrastructure, and construction-related work through expenditures documented in the claims list.

Public Hearings and Opportunities for Community Input

The agenda includes a public comments period.

Community members may provide comments during the meeting or submit comments to the superintendent before the meeting using the contact information provided in the agenda materials.

No formal public hearings are identified in the accessible packet materials for this meeting.

Community Impact

Students and families will be affected by updated handbooks governing attendance, discipline, extracurricular participation, technology use, transportation, and daily school expectations.

Employees may experience operational improvements resulting from the superintendent's listening initiative, updated staff handbook, facilities management changes, and improved maintenance systems.

Taxpayers may be interested in technology purchases, operational software investments, facilities sharing agreements, insurance costs, construction spending, and the district's continued use of shared services to improve efficiency.

Transportation staff and maintenance personnel could benefit from improved fueling options and computerized work-order management.

Athletes and families may be affected by the proposed policy establishing a formal process for eighth-grade participation in high school athletics.

Questions Community Members May Want to Ask

• How will the facilities sharing agreement affect district staffing and costs?
• What measurable savings are expected from Gridbase over its three-year contract?
• Why does the board recommendation for GoGuardian differ from the vendor quote included in the packet?
• How will student privacy be protected while using GoGuardian monitoring tools?
• What criteria will administrators use when approving eighth-grade participation in high school athletics?
• What themes are emerging from the superintendent's employee listening sessions?
• How will updated handbooks change expectations for students and families?
• What additional building improvements remain planned after current construction work?
• How does the district evaluate whether shared-service agreements are successful?
• When will final year-end financial statements become available for public review?

Important Dates, Deadlines, and Next Steps

• July 20, 2026: Board considers approval of contracts, policies, handbooks, personnel actions, technology purchases, and operational agreements.
• 2026-2027 School Year: Updated student and staff handbooks become effective if approved.
• Fiscal Year Close: Final June financial reports are expected around September after year-end accounting is completed.
• August 17, 2026: Next regular school board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the elementary school in Zearing.
• Three-Year Term: Proposed GoGuardian and Gridbase agreements extend through the recommended contract periods if approved.

Key Takeaways

• The meeting primarily prepares the district for the 2026-2027 school year.
• Multiple student and staff handbooks are scheduled for approval.
• The board will consider a facilities operations sharing agreement with Collins-Maxwell.
• GoGuardian classroom management software is recommended for a three-year purchase.
• Gridbase maintenance software would cost $6,750 over three years.
• Key Cooperative fuel cards could provide tax-exempt fueling in Zearing.
• A new policy establishes procedures for eighth-grade participation in high school athletics.
• The superintendent is conducting a districtwide employee listening initiative.
• Personnel recommendations include one coaching hire and two resignations.
• Year-end financial statements are delayed until fiscal closing is completed.
• District claims presented with the consent agenda total roughly $821,849.
• The next regular board meeting is scheduled for August 17, 2026.

Official Sources

• Meeting source: https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36031446&MID=32154
• Meeting listing: https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/SB_MeetingListing.aspx?S=36031446
• Public body website: https://www.colonesco.org/district/school_board/
• Meeting video: Not available
• Video channel: Not available

About the Public Body

• Name: Colo-NESCO Community School District
• Organization type: school-district
• Government body: school-boards
• Location: Colo, iowa
• County: Story County
• Provider: simbli

Keywords

Colo-NESCO Community School District, Regular Meeting, Board of Education, July 20 2026, school board, Collins-Maxwell, facilities sharing, GoGuardian, Hall Pass, Gridbase, Emergency Operations Plan, Policy 504.06, eighth-grade athletics, student handbook, staff handbook, preschool handbook, course description book, Key Cooperative, fuel cards, open enrollment, superintendent report, maintenance, technology, Iowa school district, Story County, Zearing, employee engagement, school safety, board policies