The Independence Community School District Board is scheduled to meet at 6:00 p.m. at the District Office, 1207 1st Street West in Independence. The agenda combines a substantial policy review, routine consent items, district reports, and several significant facilities and financing proposals.
Key Items on the Agenda
Approximately $15.5 Million in Sales Tax Revenue and Refunding Bonds
The board is scheduled to consider a resolution supporting the proposed issuance of approximately $15,500,000 in School Infrastructure Sales, Services and Use Tax Revenue and Refunding Bonds. The proposal appears on the agenda as a separate new-business action item rather than part of the consent agenda.
The packet identifies the financing as 2026 Sales Tax Bonds. The resolution is presented for board consideration; the packet does not establish that the proposed issuance has been approved.
West Elementary Gym Roof Replacement
The board is also scheduled to consider a roof replacement proposal from Advance Builders Corp. for the West Elementary gym. The proposal provides two options:
- $76,000 to replace approximately 6,300 square feet covering the west half of the gym roof.
- $144,000 to replace approximately 12,600 square feet covering the entire roof level.
The proposed work includes removing the existing EPDM membrane, inspecting insulation, installing new coverboard and a 60-mil EPDM membrane, flashing penetrations, and installing new roof-edge and counter-flashing materials. The proposal includes a five-year contractor workmanship warranty and a 20-year manufacturer material warranty.
Districtwide Roof Management
A separate new-business item asks the board to consider a professional services agreement with Shive-Hattery for annual roof and building-envelope consulting and asset management.
The proposed first-year scope carries an estimated fee of $25,000 on an hourly-plus-reimbursable-expenses basis. Services would include facility-condition evaluations, annual roof inspections, prioritization of improvements, repair coordination, warranty assistance, and maintenance of roof information in a web-based management database.
The proposal describes the work as the first year of a five-year approach, with the scope and renewal reviewed annually according to the district's repair budget. Future years are anticipated at approximately $15,000 annually.
Policy and Governance
The consent agenda includes a large group of proposed policy updates at both the first- and second-reading stages.
Second Readings
Eleven policies are presented for second reading:
- 201 — Board of Directors' Elections
- 210.05 — Meeting Notice
- 401.01 — Equal Employment Opportunity
- 409.02 — Employee Leaves of Absence
- 501.15 — Open Enrollment Transfers — Procedures as a Receiving District
- 503.01 — Student Conduct
- 503.11 — Disruptive Behavior, a new policy
- 603.03 — Special Education
- 603.06 — Physical Education
- 604.03 — Program for Talented and Gifted Students
- 605.04 — Technology and Instructional Materials
Several proposed changes address current requirements affecting student behavior and instruction. The new Policy 503.11 establishes procedures and responsibilities related to violent and nonviolent classroom disruptions, including due-process protections, requirements involving IEPs and Section 504 plans, and up to three days of paid physical-recovery leave for a teacher injured by a student's violent disruption.
Proposed Policy 605.04 would limit digital instruction for students in kindergarten through fifth grade to no more than 60 minutes per school day, subject to listed exceptions. It also states that students in those grades would not have access to or use digital devices during recess.
First Readings
Eight additional policies are presented for first reading:
- 502.03 — Student Expression and Student Publications Code
- 507.02 — Administration of Medication to Students
- 604.01 — Private Instruction
- 604.05 — Religious-Based Exclusion from a School Program
- 607.01 — School Counseling Program
- 713 — Responsible Technology Use & Social Networking
- 804.05 — Stock Prescription Medication Supply
- 901 — Public Examination of School District Records
Among the proposed provisions, Policy 804.05 addresses district supplies of emergency medications for potentially life-threatening situations, including epinephrine, bronchodilators and opioid antagonists. Policy 901 addresses public access to district records, including viewing hours, copying and compilation fees, confidential security-related records, and responsibilities of the district's records custodian.
Contracts and Agreements
Several agreements are scheduled for consideration through the consent agenda.
Athletic Training Services
The proposed 2026–27 sports injury coverage agreement with Buchanan County Health Center calls for the district to pay approximately $10,013 for athletic training coverage, plus no more than $600 annually for tape and pre-wrap.
The agreement covers specified football, cross country, volleyball, wrestling, basketball, soccer, track, softball and baseball events. School visits would be billed separately at $38 per hour, and qualifying additional events scheduled after August 1, 2026 would also be billed at $38 per hour, plus driving time and mileage for away events. The proposed contract runs from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027.
Employee Wellness Programming
Another proposed agreement with Buchanan County Health Center would provide employee wellness services from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. The district would pay:
- $45 per health assessment, including biometric screening and a lipid panel.
- An additional $25 per PSA screening.
- $100 per wellness challenge.
Buchanan County Health Center would provide annual onsite health assessments and invoice the district for assessments and other wellness programming.
University of Northern Iowa Partnership
The consent agenda also includes a cooperative agreement with the University of Northern Iowa governing student teaching, administrative internships and other clinical or field-based educational experiences.
The agreement establishes responsibilities for UNI and participating educational agencies, including supervision, student placement, confidentiality and evaluation. UNI's agreement provides $500 per student teacher who completes a full-semester placement and $100 for shorter pre-service teaching internships, with compensation rules varying for other programs.
Spring 2027 Musical
The board is scheduled to consider a Music Theatre International license for Independence High School's planned production of “Freaky Friday”, scheduled for March 19–21, 2027.
The contract identifies three performances at $810 per performance, or $2,430 in royalties, along with materials and other licensed resources. The contract shows a total of $4,645.
Propane Agreement
The consent agenda also includes a proposed FY27 agreement with Consolidated Energy Company for propane. The contract identifies a September 1, 2026 start date and a March 31, 2027 delivery deadline; the extracted packet text does not clearly establish a final contracted gallon quantity or price.
Personnel and Travel
The consent agenda includes four resignations and multiple proposed hires and supplemental assignments.
New hires listed as pending acceptable background checks include custodial and coaching positions, with listed compensation ranging from $16.50 to $16.70 per hour for custodial positions and $2,600 to $4,100 for several coaching assignments. The packet also lists a $5,000 Collaborative Team Leader assignment and two $3,000 mentor-teacher assignments.
Three travel requests are also scheduled for approval. One is Janet Grafft's request to attend the ASBO International Conference; supporting material estimates $1,017 in anticipated district cost after cost sharing and an annual membership paid by IASBO. Separate requests from Keith Donnelly and Michael Doyle concern travel associated with wrestling world championships.
Financial Items
The consent agenda includes approval of bills and the August 2026 Treasurer's Report.
The Treasurer's Report, dated July 31, 2026, lists a $5,407,593.23 total ending balance for the General Fund. It also identifies a $1.5 million BankIowa certificate of deposit at 3.80% APY and a $1 million WCF General Account certificate of deposit at 3.99% APY, both maturing June 15, 2027.
The August bills include significant facilities expenditures, including a $547,504.86 payment to Black Hawk Roof Co. for the East Roof and $32,970 to Custom Concrete for district concrete work. The Physical Plant & Equipment Fund bills shown in the report total $629,442.81 for that portion of the August report.
The Director of Finance reports that year-end financial reports are still being prepared for a September 15 deadline. The district's audit is scheduled for October 19 and is expected to be conducted virtually. The report also says the district expects to submit approximately $20,000 for reimbursement through equipment-breakdown insurance for copier maintenance and mechanical issues.
Student Programs and District Operations
Discipline and Behavior Procedures
Administrator reports are expected to include updates on implementation of new discipline and behavior legislation. According to the superintendent's addendum, building principals have worked with teacher teams to develop building-level protocols required by the new legislation.
The agenda separately includes a presentation on the 8th Grade Eligibility Process.
High School Staffing and Instruction
The high school report identifies an open English Language Arts position following a summer departure. Certified teachers from other departments are temporarily covering classes while recruitment continues, and the principal reports outreach to colleges and statewide contacts to identify candidates for the second semester.
The high school is also beginning the 2026–27 year with goals centered on student belonging, instructional strategies, formative assessment and use of state “conditions for learning” survey data.
Other Agenda Items
The board is scheduled to continue an Electric Car Chargers Discussion under old business. The packet does not provide enough detail to establish a proposed final action on that item.
The agenda also provides time for public comments. District residents, students, parents or guardians, and staff may address the board on district-related topics after signing up at the beginning of the meeting. Individual participation is generally limited to three minutes, with 20 minutes allotted for the public forum.
What to Watch at the Meeting
The most consequential scheduled decisions center on district facilities and long-term financing: the approximately $15.5 million bond resolution, the choice between a partial or full West Elementary gym roof replacement, and the proposed $25,000 first-year roof management agreement.
The board is also being asked to act on an unusually broad set of policy revisions, including the new disruptive-behavior policy and changes involving student conduct, technology use, special education, employee leave, medication, student expression and public records. Together, those items could affect day-to-day procedures for students, staff and district administration during the 2026–27 school year.
