Meeting Date: August 10, 2026
Meeting Type: Regular Meeting
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Johnston District Office, 6510 NW 62nd Ave, Johnston, IA 50131
Meeting Overview
The Johnston Community School District Board of Education held a regular meeting focused on district updates, staff and operational matters, policy discussions, reports, and action items. The agenda included acknowledgments, public comments, superintendent and instructional updates, consent items, policy reviews, action items, committee reports, and upcoming district dates.
District Mission, Vision, and Core Values
The board reviewed the district’s mission, vision, and core values.
Mission Statement
“We serve our community by using district resources to educate and support all students to graduate as confident learners.”
Vision Highlights
The district’s vision highlights:
- Supporting student success through high-quality instruction, challenging coursework, personalized learning opportunities, and comprehensive support systems.
- Embracing practices and structures that respond to community needs.
- Building a collaborative environment that attracts and retains high-quality staff.
Core Values
The district identified core values centered around:
- Collaboration through strong partnerships.
- Communication through respectful, open, and transparent dialogue.
- Continuous improvement through measurable success.
- Comprehensive support through system-wide assistance and encouragement.
Nathan Shivers Recognized for Choral Education Award
The meeting recognized Nathan Shivers, a music educator at Summit Middle School, for being named the Outstanding Middle School Choral Educator by the Iowa Choral Directors Association (ICDA).
The recognition highlighted his work teaching 6th grade general music and 7th grade boys choir, and noted that the award recognizes educators whose work demonstrates excellence and positively impacts choral programs. Shivers has been a vocal music teacher in Johnston since 2018.
The district provided an opportunity for Johnston Community School District community members and parents to share ideas or concerns during the public comment portion of the meeting.
The agenda noted that:
- Public comments represent the views of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent district policy or the position of the board.
- The board does not take action on items that are not already on the agenda during public comment.
- Speakers are limited to three minutes, with a total public participation allotment of 90 minutes unless modified by the board president.
Superintendent and District Reports
Strategic Plan Update
The superintendent’s report included a strategic plan update and an additional report section.
Consent Items
The consent agenda included administrative items such as meeting minutes, accounts payable, financial statements, open enrollment, human resources matters, contracts, and donations.
Meeting Minutes
The agenda listed approval of:
- July 13, 2026 regular meeting minutes.
- July 20, 2026 joint work session minutes with the City of Johnston.
Donations Supporting New Teacher Welcome Activities
Donations listed for welcoming new teachers included:
- Wallace Elementary PTO — $150
- Horizon Elementary PTO — $150
- Beaver Creek PTO — $150
Contracts and Operational Agreements
The consent agenda included several contracts and agreements, including:
- Preschool programming agreements with Cadence Academy Westside Early Education Preschool and Cadence Academy American Children of Oakmoor Preschool.
- A three-year Leader In Me service agreement with Franklin Covey for elementary schools, including JELA, listed at $115,892.40.
- An additional stipend agreement for administrative duties connected with a Heartland AEA agreement.
Capital and operational agreements included:
- Engineering design services for the Johnston Middle School Cooling Tower Replacement Project at $22,000.
- Purchase of a robotic pool cleaner/vacuum at $16,110.
- Pool water treatment equipment rental and maintenance agreements.
- Carbon dioxide dispensing pool equipment purchase at $18,724.37.
- A district-wide backup internet service agreement with Mediacom at $775 per month.
The Community Education/KTC Fund included an agreement with Arux for software supporting registrations, payments, and attendance management at a listed cost of $5,999 per month.
Human Resources Updates
The agenda included multiple personnel actions, including hires, transfers, resignations, and staffing adjustments.
The district noted that candidates presented for employment were in compliance with Board Policy 401.18 and had completed required background checks.
Examples of staffing actions included:
- Approval to hire Shawn Mikles as Assistant Director of Buildings & Grounds effective August 10, 2026.
- Approval of several certified teaching positions beginning August 10, 2026, including positions in music, language arts/social studies, world languages, special education, and elementary education.
- Teacher leadership appointments effective August 1, 2026.
- Additional classified staff hiring and staffing changes effective primarily August 17, 2026.
District Reports and Discussion Topics
Elementary Instructional Technology Limits
The board received an update on elementary instructional technology limits related to House File 2676.
The presentation was listed as being provided by Michelle Crannell, Director of Elementary Teaching and Learning, and Dr. Erica Whittle, Director of Technology.
Athletics and Activities Update
The board received an update regarding:
- Procedures and guidelines for 8th grade student participation in high school sports.
- Participation numbers.
- Projects underway for athletics and activities.
Parent-Student Handbook Updates
The board discussed updates to the 2026–2027 Parent-Student Handbooks.
Policy Reviews
The meeting included first readings of multiple policy updates, including policies related to:
- Disruptive behavior.
- Student medication administration.
- Instructional programs.
- Special education.
- Physical education.
- Private instruction.
- Gifted and talented programming.
- Technology and instructional materials.
- Student guidance and counseling.
- Responsible technology use.
- Public records requests.
- Stock prescription medication supply.
Action Items
The agenda included several action items.
Out-of-State Student Activities Travel
The board considered travel requests including:
- Boys Cross Country travel to Columbia, Missouri, September 24–26, 2026, for a high-level out-of-state competition.
- Varsity Dance Team travel to Orlando, Florida, February 10–16, 2027, for the NDA National Championship.
Refugee School Impact Program Grant
The board considered a request related to applying for grant funding to operate the Refugee School Impact Program in the district.
Board Delegate Appointment
The agenda identified Jason Arnold as the proposed voting delegate and Justin Smith as the observing delegate for the 2026 Iowa Association of School Boards BoardCon event.
Data Sharing Agreement
The board considered a data sharing agreement between the district and Polk County to establish a collaborative framework for illness data sharing and management.
Facilities Projects
The board considered items related to:
- Final acceptance of the District Office Northwest Wing Renovation Project.
- Substantial completion of the Johnston High School Turf Project.
Special Education Nursing Support
The board considered an additional 1.0 FTE Level 3 Special Education Nurse position at Johnston High School for the 2026–2027 school year due to student needs.
Policy Approvals
The agenda included approval items for policies covering:
- Chronic absenteeism and truancy.
- Board elections and meeting notices.
- Equal employment opportunity and employee leave.
- Open enrollment procedures.
- Student expression.
- Student conduct and threats or acts of violence.
Board Committees
The board received updates from committees including:
Legislative Action Committee
Focused on legislative developments, district advocacy efforts, and updates from legislative sessions.
Physical Environment Committee
Reviews district growth topics, transportation topics, buildings and grounds topics, and related matters requiring board review or action.
Board Policy Committee
Reviews and updates board policies.
Finance Committee
Reviews school district financial topics, including financial funds, salaries, negotiations, and other financial matters requiring board review or action.
Upcoming Dates
The agenda listed several upcoming district events and meetings:
- August 12, 2026: Board work session facilitated by IASB at 6:00 p.m.
- August 17, 2026: All-staff back-to-school kickoff event at Johnston High School at 10:00 a.m.
- August 17, 2026: Closed session at 6:00 p.m.
- August 19, 2026: Physical Environment Committee meeting at 8:30 a.m. via Zoom.
- August 20, 2026: Johnston Legislative Action Committee meeting at 5:00 p.m.
- August 24, 2026: First day of school with three-hour early dismissal.
- August 24, 2026: Regular board meeting at 6:00 p.m.
Closing
The meeting agenda concluded with a motion to adjourn the meeting.
