The Gilbert Community School District Board is scheduled to meet at 6:00 p.m. on August 10 in the District Office Board Room, 200 E. Mathews Drive. The packet combines facilities and construction decisions, 2026-27 district planning, a large slate of policy first readings, handbook updates, financial reports, and consent-agenda agreements as the district prepares for the August 24 start of school.
Key Items on the Agenda
Construction Changes and New Primary School Turf
The board is scheduled to consider several construction matters following a facilities update from Denovo and CMBA. One item concerns non-conforming turf work at the new primary school and proposed remedial action by Alpha Landscapes.
An August 6 engineering memo says a July 21 site observation found dormant permanent grass, patchy areas, and established crabgrass and weeds. The memo concludes that the turf was not established, could not be salvaged, and did not meet specifications requiring 80% turfgrass coverage with no bare areas larger than 12 inches in any direction. Because reseeding athletic areas would not produce full coverage by substantial completion, the memo states that those areas should be sodded.
The board also is scheduled to consider four construction change orders:
- R.H. Grabau Change Order #5, high school additions: a $13,177 net deduction. The package includes $4,323 in additions for fume-hood plumbing/core drilling, casework modifications and painting gym-equipment blocking, offset by a $17,500 credit for mis-drilled countertops.
- R.H. Grabau Change Order #2, middle school/intermediate project: a $46,042 addition, covering reception-desk changes, temporary partitions, concrete demolition and replacement associated with sanitary repairs, weather-barrier work and other temporary construction.
- Modern Companies Change Order #2, intermediate project: a $4,004.67 addition for replacement of diffusers that were supposed to be retained. The construction summary says the cost is to be applied to the R.H. Grabau contract as a credit change order.
- Elite Fire Sprinkler Change Order #1, intermediate project: a $4,451 addition to relocate an existing sprinkler main that conflicts with joist-reinforcement welding.
The construction summary reports the high school additions at about 99% complete, with contingency projected at $257,772.93 if the proposed change is approved. The middle school/intermediate work is reported at about 20% complete, with contingency projected at $413,244.99 if the listed changes are approved.
2026 General Obligation Bond Timeline
The packet includes a draft financing timetable for the next issuance of general obligation school bonds under the district's $35 million voter authorization from the 2023 referendum. The timetable specifically lists no financing action scheduled for the August 10 board meeting.
The draft anticipates financing work continuing through August and September, with a proposed September 14 board action to authorize an official statement and set a sale date, a competitive bond sale on September 28, and a special board meeting that day for finance review. A regular October 12 meeting is shown for authorization of bond issuance, followed by a projected October 27 closing.
District Planning and Student Services
2026-27 District Priorities
The board is scheduled to consider approval of the district's 2026-27 priorities. The packet organizes the proposed priorities around three themes:
- Excel at Academics: actively engage students to achieve and empower them to lead their learning through academics.
- Develop Leadership Skills & Create Leaders: develop students and adults who positively impact their school and community.
- Provide a Supportive Culture: cultivate a trusting environment where voices are valued and potential is developed.
Mental Wellness Services
An informational mental wellness report outlines services available for 2026-27. The district plans to continue its Employee Assistance Program, which provides free and confidential services to employees and household members, including 24/7 phone support, up to six counseling sessions, life coaching, financial and legal consultations, and other assistance.
The report also identifies Charlie Health as an option for students age 13 and older who need more support than weekly therapy but not inpatient or residential care. It provides virtual intensive outpatient care with possible psychiatric support and operates through insurance rather than as a free EAP benefit.
Concurrent Enrollment
Concurrent enrollment courses are included on the consent agenda. The supporting material describes Gilbert High School offerings tied to Des Moines Area Community College credit, including business, marketing, work-based learning, English and literature, agricultural business management, and animal science courses.
Policy and Governance
Extensive IASB Policy Updates
A substantial portion of new business consists of first readings, meaning the packet presents these policies for initial board review rather than documenting final adoption.
One group comes from the IASB Vol. 34 #4 school-finance policy audit. Revised drafts cover subjects including board conflicts of interest, secretary-treasurer duties, fund transfers, financial records, fiscal management, debt management, investments, purchasing and bidding, public-purpose expenditures, financial reporting, district records, and technology/data security. Two new policies address Federal Awards Compliance (705.05) and Time and Effort Reporting (706.04).
A second large group stems from the IASB Vol. 34 #5 2026 Legislative Update. Proposed revisions span board elections and meeting notices, equal employment opportunity, employee leave, open enrollment, student expression and conduct, medication, instructional programs, special education, technology, counseling, responsible technology use, stock medication and public examination of records.
New policies and regulations in that legislative-update group address disruptive behavior and student-removal procedures, eighth-grade student-athlete participation, talented-and-gifted programming, and a one-to-one digital-device technology adoption checklist. The packet also places Policies 603.04, Multicultural/Gender Fair Education, and 603.10, Global Education, in a first-reading group identified as rescinded policies.
Separate first readings cover revised Regulation 505.05-R(1), Graduation Requirements — Grading Systems, and Policy 705, Business Operations Disaster Recovery Plan.
IASB Legislative Priorities
The board is scheduled to consider its five highest 2026-27 Iowa Association of School Boards legislative priorities and designate a board representative. The agenda lists possible priority areas including supplemental state aid, local accountability and decision-making, mental health, school safety, Area Education Agencies, public-school innovation, private-school choice, school-funding policy, special education and student achievement.
Handbooks and Staffing
2026-27 Handbooks
The board is scheduled to review and consider approval of 2026-27 handbooks covering employees, PK-12 students, preschool, and athletes and parents.
The employee handbook change summary says the proposed edition incorporates current IASB recommendations, board policies and district practices; updates annual references, links, contacts and policy references; clarifies vacation provisions; and adds an out-of-state field-trip approval process. It also updates the artificial-intelligence section with IASB recommendations intended to strengthen student privacy and prohibits uploading district logos or branded materials to AI platforms.
Job Descriptions and Personnel
Two job descriptions appear on the consent agenda. A new District Registrar/Nutrition and Family Support position is structured as a 220-day, full-time hourly role combining student registration, enrollment and records responsibilities with meal-account, nutrition-program and family-support duties.
The Food Service Director/HR Coordinator is described as a full-time, 230-day salaried position, with duties allocated 75% to food service and 25% to human resources. The personnel report proposes amending Tace Clarke's contract from Food Service Director at $74,255 to the combined Food Service Director/HR Coordinator role at $88,720.80, effective August 1, 2026. It also proposes changing Technology Director Jason Holtan's contract from 220 days at $90,980 to 260 days at $100,980, effective July 1, 2026, along with several support-staff, coaching and activity assignments.
Major Financial Items
District Claims and Electricity Costs
Bills covering July 14 through August 10 are included on the consent agenda. The claims report shows a district total of $2,863,980.09, including:
- $1,611,019.91 from the General Fund
- $735,009.45 from Capital Projects
- $273,669.93 from the PPEL Fund
- $155,885.65 from the SAVE Fund
- $38,225.32 from the Food Service Fund
- $29,208.12 from the Activity Fund
The financial materials also track historical electricity expense. Fiscal-year 2026 electricity expense is listed at $559,123.28, an increase of $74,198.30 from 2025. The eight-year total for 2019 through 2026 is $3,858,198.08.
Consent Agenda
The board's consent agenda includes the July 13 meeting minutes, bills, financial reports, personnel matters, open enrollment, fundraisers and several agreements.
Among the proposed consent items:
- A 2026-27 and 2027-28 memorandum of understanding with Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA) Head Start. The agreement is intended to coordinate preschool and Head Start services, transitions, family communication, records sharing with parental consent, services for children with IEPs, and other school-readiness work.
- A juvenile justice information-sharing agreement with the Story County Sheriff's Department, effective August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. The agreement establishes conditions for sharing student information connected to juvenile justice services while setting confidentiality and use restrictions.
- An AmeriCorps/Ampact service agreement running from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. The agreement covers Reading Corps and K-3 Math Corps services. Gilbert's program fees are capped at $19,200, with the United Way of Story County covering 70% of Reading Corps costs identified in the agreement.
- An Access Systems copier agreement.
- Arrangements concerning buses entering contiguous districts and transportation of open-enrolled students with IEPs.
- Concurrent enrollment courses and the two updated/new job descriptions.
Back-to-School and Upcoming Dates
The packet includes several reports and calendar items as the district prepares for the new school year. Staff orientation and training activities run through August, and the district has scheduled a Gilbert Elementary ribbon cutting and open house from 3–5 p.m. Friday, August 21.
The district calendar identifies August 24 as the first day of school. The next regular board meetings are listed for September 14 at 6:00 p.m. and October 12 at 6:00 p.m.
What to Watch at the Meeting
The most consequential scheduled decisions center on construction: how the district addresses unacceptable turf at the new primary school and whether it approves the four proposed change orders. The packet also sets up longer-term decisions through the proposed 2026-27 district priorities, the upcoming bond-financing process, handbook revisions, and a broad first round of policy updates tied to school finance and 2026 legislation.
Because the bond timetable calls for no financing action on August 10, the key bond-related development in this packet is the proposed schedule itself. September is positioned as the major decision period, with potential board action on September 14, a competitive sale and special finance-review meeting on September 28, and issuance authorization contemplated for October 12.
