The Mason City Community School District Board of Education is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. in the Harding Learning Center Boardroom. The agenda includes consent items, two lease-related matters, annual and student-behavior policy reviews, participation in the Community Eligibility Provision, approval of district bills, and several other actions for the 2026–2027 school year.
Key Items on the Agenda
The board is scheduled to consider participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for 2026–2027. The recommendation covers Hoover Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary, Lincoln Intermediate, Pinecrest Center, and Mason City Alternative School.
The packet includes a parent letter concerning CEP, and staff recommends approving participation for all six listed schools.
Autonomous Cleaning Robotics Lease
The board is scheduled to consider a lease with Synovo Smart Solutions for new autonomous cleaning robotics. The proposal identifies a $40,800 acquisition cost and a five-year term, with the first payment due at closing.
The financing proposal lists a $10,560 annual principal-and-interest payment, an additional $8,160 annual service payment, and a total payment amount of $18,720. It specifies a 14.8500% interest rate and states that the transaction must be funded on or before August 28, 2026, subject to credit approval and other conditions. Staff recommends approval of the lease as presented.
Providence Capital Lease/Purchase Documents
A separate informational item concerns a lease with Providence Capital Network, LLC. Packet documents describe Property Schedule No. 3 under a Master Tax-Exempt Lease/Purchase Agreement for computers.
The schedule identifies $383,200 in principal, three annual lease payments of $136,343, total payments of $409,029, and $25,829 in interest at a 6.898% rate. The schedule lists a July 15, 2026 commencement date and payments due July 15 in 2026, 2027, and 2028. This item appears under the agenda's information/nonaction section rather than its action items.
Major Financial Items
Approximately $1.67 Million in Bills Presented for Approval
Staff recommends approval of the district's presented bills. The packet's board-bills report lists approximately $1.67 million across district funds, including:
- General Fund: $1,213,988.18
- Capital Projects Fund: $282,448.46
- Physical Plant & Equipment: $68,259.13
- Student Activity Fund: $50,894.50
- MCCSD Health Insurance Trust: $45,925.09
- School Nutrition Fund: $2,546.39
- MCHS Scholarship Fund: $1,000.00
- Management Levy Fund: $242.00
- Custodial Funds: $38.00
Among the larger capital-project expenses are $185,768 to North Central Mechanical Services and $53,910.84 to All Iowa Mechanical Plumbing & Heating for heating and ventilation work.
Cash and Investment Position
The administrative-report materials include a 13-month cash position and cash-flow information. The July 2026 report shows $32,262,545 in total cash and investments across all funds, compared with $30,738,179 in July 2025, a reported year-over-year increase of 4.96%.
The July balances include $12,252,996 in the Capital Project Fund, $7,625,251 in the General Fund, $5,153,205 in Debt Service, and $2,848,893 in PPEL. The Health/Dental balance is listed at $959,622, down 63% from the July 2025 figure shown in the report.
Policy and Governance Items
Annual Policy Review
The board is scheduled to consider first-reading approval of policies included in its mandatory annual review. The packet identifies policies and related regulations or exhibits covering employee compensation and leave, graduation requirements, parent and family engagement, education records, student directory information, student library circulation records, the school calendar, technology and instructional materials, class size, and other district matters.
Several education-records and related documents appear in draft form in the packet. Staff recommends approving the policies presented for annual review on first reading.
Disruptive Behavior Policy
A separate action item asks the board to consider updates to Policy 503.11, Disruptive Behavior, and Regulation 503.11-R(1), Disruptive Behavior — Removal Procedures. Both are identified as draft documents in the packet, and staff recommends first-reading approval of the updates as presented.
Legal Counsel for 2026–2027
Staff recommends that the board approve Ahlers and Cooney, P.C. as the district's general legal counsel for 2026–2027. The item is associated with Board Policy 207, Board of Directors' Legal Counsel.
Student and School Operations
Preschool Handbook
The board is scheduled to consider approval of the 2026–2027 Preschool Handbook as presented. The packet includes a preschool student handbook as supporting material.
Annual School Notices
As an informational item, the board is expected to review the district's annual school notices required by Iowa law. The packet states that families will receive an email informing them that the notices are available for review on the district website.
The referenced notices span topics including nondiscrimination, anti-bullying and harassment, student fees, restraint and seclusion, education records, directory information, wellness, technology and instructional materials, school nutrition, free and reduced-cost meals, transportation eligibility, asbestos-containing materials, and recording devices on school property.
Consent Agenda
The consent agenda includes approval of the July 20 regular meeting minutes and August 3 special-session minutes, personnel changes, open-enrollment requests, and multiple cooperative athletic sponsorship applications for the 2026–2027 school year.
Personnel Changes
The personnel report includes six proposed salary lane advancements for 2026–2027, two certified new hires, certified reassignments or transfers, numerous non-certified hires, resignations and transfers, and extracurricular staffing changes.
Proposed certified hires include Brooke Henry as a fourth-grade teacher at Hoover Elementary at a salary of $52,005 and Nancy Zehr as an ELL teacher at $54,005. The report also includes new paraprofessional, food-service and behavioral-interventionist hires, along with replacement extracurricular positions.
Open Enrollment
The packet's open-enrollment summary contains 18 requests recommended for approval for 2026–2027. The requests include students seeking to enter Mason City Community School District from neighboring districts as well as Mason City resident students seeking enrollment in other districts or virtual programs.
The consent agenda proposes cooperative sponsorship arrangements with other area schools across a range of sports. The applications cover girls cross country, soccer, bowling, wrestling, tennis, and swimming and diving, as well as boys golf, cross country, bowling, baseball, soccer, and swimming.
Partner districts or schools vary by activity and include North Iowa Christian, West Fork, Newman Catholic, Central Springs, Hampton-Dumont-CAL, Charles City, Clear Lake, Osage, Forest City, Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock, Northwood-Kensett, and Iowa Falls-Alden.
Public Participation
The agenda includes an Open Forum for interested district patrons to address the board on agenda items. Requests to participate must be submitted to the Board Recording Secretary before the meeting begins, and comments are limited to five minutes under Board Policy 213.
What to Watch at the Meeting
- Whether the board approves CEP participation for the six identified schools for 2026–2027.
- The proposed Synovo Smart Solutions financing for autonomous cleaning robotics, including its five-year term, 14.8500% interest rate, and annual service component.
- The Providence Capital computer lease/purchase documents, which outline $383,200 in principal and $409,029 in total scheduled payments.
- First-reading consideration of the annual policy package and the separate proposed updates to the district's disruptive-behavior policy and removal procedures.
- Approval of approximately $1.67 million in presented bills, including significant capital-project and facility expenditures.
