Meeting: 08/17/2026 - 05:30 PM Regular Board Meeting Board Meeting
Location: Central Office Board Room
The Maquoketa Community School District Board of Directors is scheduled to consider a mix of policy, instructional, financial, facilities, personnel, and operational items. Major items include a proposed amendment to the district's Career Academy agreement, approximately $6.14 million in school infrastructure revenue bonds, plans for a high school track resurfacing project, an employee-benefits consulting agreement, and a district vehicle purchase.
Key Items on the Agenda
Career Academy Agreement Amendment
The board is scheduled to consider the First Amendment to the 10-year Career Academy Cooperative 28E Agreement with Eastern Iowa Community College District. The packet says participating districts and EICCD have spent the past 11 months working on a more financially sustainable structure while maintaining career academy opportunities for students.
Key proposed changes include:
- Reducing the combined annual enrollment commitment from 250 to 175 seats. The packet reports current enrollment at approximately 202 students.
- Setting Maquoketa's annual commitment at 30 students.
- Fixing the facility and operations charge at $2,000 per committed student for the remaining six years of the agreement, with no annual or inflationary increase.
- Charging $1,000 per student for enrollment above a district's commitment.
- Maintaining tuition at 30% of the applicable EICCD tuition rate.
- Keeping the agreement's original expiration date of June 30, 2032.
Superintendent Notz recommends approval. The packet notes that career academy tuition and related costs continue to put pressure on district general funds and that the remaining six years would provide time to evaluate the partnership's financial sustainability.
Approximately $6.14 Million Revenue Bond Sale
The board is scheduled to consider a resolution establishing the sale process for approximately $6,140,000 in School Infrastructure Sales, Services and Use Tax Revenue Bonds, Series 2026.
The packet says the bonds are associated with work at Briggs Elementary, including remodeling, renovation, repairs, improvements, furnishing and equipment, and construction and equipping of an addition. It states that the district previously provided notice and held public hearings on the proposed issuance and that no valid petition for an election following those hearings was filed.
Under the proposed resolution:
- The bonds would be dated November 4, 2026.
- Sealed and electronic bids would be accepted until 10:30 a.m. September 21, 2026.
- Electronic bids would use the PARITY® Competitive Bidding System.
- District officials and the municipal advisor would evaluate bids and refer the results to the board.
- Sale and award of the bonds would be scheduled for the September 21 board meeting.
- The preliminary Official Statement would be approved as to form and authorized for distribution, subject to permitted revisions.
The resolution included in the packet contains blank motion, second, and vote fields. Those fields should not be read as evidence that the resolution has already been adopted.
Facilities and Capital Projects
Maquoketa High School Track Resurfacing
The board is scheduled to consider approving plans and specifications so the Maquoketa High School track resurfacing project can move into bidding.
The project calls for removal of the existing track surface and installation of a new surface and lane striping, along with fence and long-jump modifications. The packet estimates:
- $225,000 for the base-bid track surface replacement.
- $85,000 for an alternate structural-spray option.
The supporting bid documents identify the project as Maquoketa High School Track Resurfacing at 600 W. Washington St. and call for sealed bids by 2:00 p.m. September 16, 2026. Bid security would equal 5% of the bid amount, and the district would retain the right to reject bids or waive irregularities.
Staff recommends approving the plans and specifications.
Track Project Public Hearing
In a separate action, staff recommends that the board schedule a public hearing on the proposed Track Update Project for September 21, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.
This agenda item is to set the hearing; the packet does not document the September hearing as having already occurred.
Briggs Elementary and Other Capital Spending
The accounts-payable material reflects substantial ongoing capital-project activity. Among the listed payments are $2,072,808.81 and $1,407,446.20 to Conlon Construction Company for separate payment applications associated with the elementary addition.
Other School House account items include $68,273.81 related to utility relocation and underground service for the Briggs addition and $74,151.44 identified as the purchase of property at 206 N. Decker St.
These amounts appear in the bills being presented through the consent agenda and should be understood as accounts-payable items rather than separate new project authorizations on the general-business agenda.
Major Financial and Contract Items
TrueNorth Employee Benefits Services
The board is being asked to approve a Master Services Agreement and Statement of Work with TrueNorth Companies for employee-benefit consulting and brokerage services, effective July 1, 2026.
Services described in the packet include benefit-plan consulting, insurance brokerage, employee education, compliance support, and benefits-technology guidance. The Statement of Work provides for:
- An annual fee of $46,074 for medical plan-related services, in lieu of medical-plan commissions.
- A 4% annual increase to that fee.
- Compensation equal to 3% of premiums for dental coverage.
- A 12-month initial term with automatic 12-month renewals unless terminated or non-renewed under the agreement.
The packet says the arrangement is part of the district's efforts to manage health and prescription-drug costs. Staff recommends approval.
District Passenger Van
Transportation Director Scott Hansen recommends purchasing a used 2024 Ford Transit 350 passenger van with 48,000 miles from Brad Deery Ford in Maquoketa.
The listed purchase price is $37,000. The district would trade a 2015 Ford Transit 150 valued at $15,000, resulting in a district cost not to exceed $22,000 after trade.
Staff recommends approval of the purchase.
Financial Reports and Bills
The consent agenda includes review of June and July financial reports and approval of registrations, reimbursements, extra-pay items, and selected accounts payable.
The July 31, 2026 financial statement is identified as unaudited and not final. Among its reported estimated cash and investment balances are approximately $2.69 million in the General Fund, $7.83 million in Local Option Sales Tax, $792,029 in PPEL, and $2.13 million in the Health Fund.
The detailed check register includes multiple district funds and substantial payments related to open enrollment, special education, instructional materials and subscriptions, utilities, insurance, construction, food service, technology, and other district operations.
Policy and Instruction
2026–27 Handbooks
The administrative team has completed updates to the district's handbooks for the 2026–27 school year. The board is scheduled to consider the High School, Activities, and Coaches handbooks.
Staff recommends approving the handbooks as presented.
First Reading of Policy Updates
The board is scheduled to discuss and update a substantial group of board policies and then consider approval of a first reading.
The packet identifies proposed changes involving topics including:
- Board elections and meeting notices.
- Equal employment opportunity and employee leaves.
- Open enrollment.
- Student conduct and disruptive behavior.
- Student activities.
- Administration and self-carry of medication.
- Basic instruction and special education.
- Physical education.
- Private instruction and gifted-and-talented programming.
- Religious-based exclusion from school programs.
- Technology and instructional materials.
- Student guidance and counseling.
- Responsible technology use and social networking.
- Public examination of district records.
New disruptive-behavior materials are proposed as Policy 503.14, Regulation 503.14-R(1) and Regulation 503.14-R(2), including a regulation addressing students with an IEP. The packet also identifies Policies 603.04, Multicultural Gender Fair Education, and 603.10, Global Education, as rescinded.
Because this is a proposed first reading, the materials remain draft policy changes rather than final adopted policy.
Possible 8th-Grade Participation in High School Athletics
A related handbook amendment is listed as a discussion item only.
Activities Director Larson is expected to present draft language that could be considered if the board approves the updated activities policy. The proposed approach would allow the district to develop regulations under which 8th-grade students could participate in high school athletics subject to specific regulations and guidelines.
No separate approval recommendation is listed for the handbook amendment at this stage.
2026–27 Fall Play
Activities Director Larson recommends that the district's 2026–27 fall play be Silver's Secret: A Pirate Adventure.
The packet describes the production as a pirate-themed comedy with numerous smaller roles and flexible staging. The board is scheduled to consider approval of the selection.
Consent Agenda
The packet recommends approving the consent agenda as presented. In addition to the agenda and prior meeting minutes, the consent materials include personnel, financial, fundraising, travel, and open-enrollment items.
Notable items include:
- Minutes from the July 8, 2026 Regular Board Meeting.
- Recommendations to hire, subject to licensure and criminal background checks.
- A contract amendment for High School Counselor Staci Deutsch adding 10 extra days for $2,916.72.
- A list of long-term substitute personnel and rates, including substitute grounds, secretarial, transportation, and teaching positions.
- Fundraising materials covering activities including FFA sales, cross-country fundraising, tennis, and volleyball.
- A request from Middle School teacher Kyle Billups to participate in an educational camping and leadership trip to Grand Island, Michigan, during Labor Day week.
- Review of district financial reports and approval of bills presented for the August 17 meeting.
The consent-agenda recommendation represents proposed action for the meeting; it does not establish that these items were approved.
Public Participation and Reports
The agenda provides time for reception of visitors and informal public comments under MCSD Code No. 213, Public Participation in Board Meetings.
The policy states that citizens wishing to address the board should notify the board secretary before the meeting. Speakers are normally limited to three minutes, subject to modification by the board president. The policy also states that the board will receive public input but will not discuss or take action on matters during the public-comment period.
Administrators are also expected to provide verbal reports updating the board on the first weeks of school. The agenda additionally includes board comments, a legislative update from Legislative Action Network representative Greg Bopes, and the superintendent's report.
What to Watch at the Meeting
Several agenda items could establish next steps extending beyond the August meeting:
- Whether the board advances the revised Career Academy agreement with its lower enrollment commitment and fixed per-student facility charge.
- Whether the approximately $6.14 million revenue-bond sale moves forward toward the scheduled September 21 bidding and award process.
- Whether the high school track plans and specifications are released for bidding and a September 21, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. public hearing is scheduled.
- How the board handles the first reading of the extensive policy package, particularly the new disruptive-behavior policies and regulations.
- Whether the policy discussion leads toward regulations allowing some 8th-grade students to participate in high school athletics.
- Whether the board authorizes the TrueNorth benefits-services agreement and the passenger-van purchase.
The official public-body source for this packet is the Maquoketa Community School District meeting record provided through Simbli.
Civic Translator summarized publicly available meeting materials provided for the Maquoketa Community School District's August 17, 2026 Regular Board Meeting.
