Board of Education Regular Meeting
The packet schedules a regular board meeting with a public forum, consent agenda, administrative reports, personnel recommendations, a proposed $10.82 million school-bond election, two anticipated closed sessions, bids, staff handbooks, a new student-conduct policy, and a superintendent report. The packet materials also include detailed financial records, administrative reports, personnel recommendations, and draft staff handbooks.
Key Items on the Agenda
$10.82 Million School-Bond Election
The board is scheduled to consider a resolution ordering a special election on up to $10,820,000 in General Obligation School Bonds. The proposed bond purposes listed in the packet include:
- Remodeling, repairing, improving, and equipping the high school, including science and family and consumer science classrooms.
- High school HVAC, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and site improvements.
- Building, furnishing, and equipping a multipurpose activities/recess facility, including site improvements.
- Remodeling, repairing, improving, and equipping middle school locker rooms.
The proposed resolution would call the election for Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The packet contains draft proceedings with blank spaces for board attendance, petition counts, motions, and votes, so those portions should not be treated as completed actions.
Personnel Recommendations
Personnel recommendations appear on the consent agenda. Supporting materials provide details for several proposed hires:
- Dru Willems — Junior High Volleyball: Recommended at Schedule B, Step 9, 5%, with an effective start date of August 24, 2026. The recommendation notes prior experience as an assistant with varsity volleyball.
- Tim McCloud — High School Language Arts: Recommended for the 2026-27 school year at $68,597. The packet describes more than 30 years of teaching experience and identifies the position as replacing Teresa Janssen.
- Tate Hofmeister — Full-Time Substitute: Recommended for the 2026-27 school year at $210 per day. The packet says the district has been short on substitutes and proposes having this position serve all three buildings.
- Britny Okones — Student Behavioral Supports Coordinator: Recommended for the 2026-27 school year at $55,000. The packet describes this as a new position created in part because the high school counselor position was filled only half-time and because of increased behavioral-support needs. The position would primarily serve the elementary and high school, with on-call support for urgent middle-school situations.
The agenda also lists recommendations for a head boys track coach, part-time custodian, and volunteer cheer assistant, but the packet text does not provide equally complete supporting details for all of those items.
Emergency Operations and Open Enrollment
The agenda schedules an Emergency Operations Plan Update followed by a closed session. The packet does not provide substantive details about proposed changes to the plan.
A separate agenda item concerns a late-filed open enrollment application and also calls for a closed session. The packet includes an open-enrollment tracking document, but it does not clearly identify in the agenda text which application is the subject of the closed-session item.
Major Financial Items
July Financial Report and Bills
The consent agenda includes approval of financials. The July 2026 financial summary reports cash and investment balances across multiple district funds, while the packet's paid-bills report covers transactions dated July 15 through August 20, 2026.
The paid-bills report lists a grand total of $947,924.39, including:
- $750,729.96 — General Fund
- $122,877.61 — PPEL
- $19,473.36 — Student Activity
- $18,648.00 — Management Levy
- $17,934.98 — Child Care
- $10,654.54 — Self-Funded Insurance
- $4,250.00 — Local Option Sales Tax
- $2,793.87 — School Nutrition
- $562.07 — Custodial
Individual expenditures include curriculum, technology, utilities, insurance, special-education costs, facility work, student programming, and transportation-related expenses.
Milk Bid
The board is scheduled to consider a milk bid for the 2026-27 school year. Anderson Erickson Dairy's packet quotation lists July 2026 base prices of:
- $0.3858 per half-pint of 1% milk
- $0.3738 per half-pint of skim milk
- $0.4238 per half-pint of skim chocolate milk
- $11.50 for five pounds of cottage cheese
- $8.30 for five pounds of yogurt
The quoted prices are subject to an escalator clause tied to milk-market and supplier-cost changes. The vendor also states that it furnishes and maintains milk coolers, with a $0.0100 per half-pint deduction when the school system owns its own coolers.
Fuel Bid
A fuel bid is listed under new business. The packet text provided does not contain supporting bid amounts or vendor comparisons, so the agenda item supports only that the board is scheduled to consider a fuel bid.
Staff Handbooks and Employment Policies
The board is scheduled to consider approval of 2026-27 certified and non-certified staff handbooks.
Certified Staff Handbook
The draft certified handbook addresses grievance procedures, staff reductions, leave, work schedules, evaluations, salaries, supplemental pay, insurance, vacancies, and reassignment procedures. Financial and employment provisions include:
- A stated minimum salary of $50,500 and Year 13 salary of $62,000.
- $1,250 salary increases for qualifying BA+15 and MA educational-lane changes.
- $20,000 budgeted for extra-duty pay for 2026-27.
- Up to $30 per day for teachers covering another teacher during their planning period.
- A supplemental-pay schedule covering coaching and other extracurricular assignments.
The draft also describes vacancy procedures, including internal notice and consideration requirements, while providing an exception for last-minute positions opening after July 1.
Non-Certified Staff Handbook
The draft non-certified handbook covers employment agreements, overtime, timekeeping, insurance, leave, workplace conduct, employee discipline, travel, safety, and other work rules.
Among its provisions, the draft states that overtime or compensatory time applies when an employee works more than 40 hours in a workweek, subject to authorization. It also outlines sick-leave accrual, personal leave, vacation and holiday provisions for eligible employees, and procedures for workplace investigations and employee complaints.
Policy / Governance Items
New Policy 503.11 — Disruptive Students
The agenda includes approval of a new Policy 503.11 — Disruptive Students. The packet text identifies the policy by number and title but does not include substantive policy language, so the specific proposed rules or changes cannot be determined from the provided materials.
Sports Boosters Presentation
A Sports Boosters presentation is scheduled before the bond-election resolution. No supporting presentation materials or substantive proposal details are included in the packet text.
Administrative Reports and Start of School
Administrative reports provide a pre-school-year snapshot of enrollment, curriculum, student supports, facilities, and building priorities.
Elementary
The elementary report lists 195 K-4 students and says fall FAST benchmark assessments are scheduled to begin September 14. Teachers have received training in the new Magnetic Literacy curriculum, which is intended for all students and will also support Title I and Tier II interventions.
The report notes continuing repairs at Cougar's Den, including ceiling tiles, playground weed management, sign maintenance, and an air-conditioning unit. K-4 back-to-school conferences are scheduled for August 20 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Middle School
The middle-school report sets a goal for students to demonstrate at least one year of growth in literacy, math, and science. Supports listed include WIN intervention time, FAST assessments, IXL, organizational systems, and Cougar Time advisory groups.
The report also describes implementation of Magnetic Literacy in grades K-6, a second year of OpenSciEd in grades 5-12, and use of the TCI Social Studies Curriculum in grades 5 and 6. Wellsburg Center enrollment is reported at 176 students as of August 14, 2026, including preschool and grades 5-8.
The building's attendance goal is 95% or higher daily attendance, and its behavioral goal calls for keeping referrals under 40 per month.
High School
The high-school report lists projected 2026-27 enrollment of 181 students in grades 9-12, compared with 205 in the 2025-26 column of the packet.
The high school plans to continue a grading structure of 60% assessments and 40% classwork/homework. The report says administrators and athletic directors also plan to continue work on a coaching handbook defining expectations for coaches, athletes, and programs.
What to Watch at the Meeting
- Whether the board moves forward with the proposed November 3, 2026 election on up to $10.82 million in General Obligation School Bonds and the project scope contained in the proposed ballot language.
- Which personnel recommendations are accepted, particularly the proposed new Student Behavioral Supports Coordinator position and its $55,000 salary.
- Whether the certified and non-certified 2026-27 staff handbooks are approved as presented or changed before approval.
- The outcome of the milk and fuel bid considerations.
- What information emerges from the Emergency Operations Plan item and the late-filed open-enrollment matter, both of which are scheduled to involve closed sessions.
- Whether additional details are provided about Policy 503.11 — Disruptive Students, the Sports Boosters presentation, and the superintendent's listed topics of start-of-school operations, bond-issue communications, and tennis courts/pickleball.
