Melcher-Dallas Comm School District Packet Summary — 2026-07-21
Regular Board Meeting
Scheduled: July 21, 2026, 5:00 p.m.
Location: JH/HS Library
The Melcher-Dallas Comm School District Board of Education is scheduled to consider a wide-ranging agenda that includes district finances, 2026–2027 building goals and handbooks, board policy updates, sharing agreements, an official publication designation, and a high school gym audio/visual project. The agenda also includes a closed session concerning a student appeal, followed by possible board action on that appeal.
Key Items on the Agenda
2026–2027 Building Goals
The board is scheduled to review goals for both the elementary and JH/HS buildings. Both plans set a target of 80% of students demonstrating proficiency on grade-level standards by June 2027, using FAST assessments and ISASP as measures.
The elementary plan organizes improvement work around professional learning communities, classroom management, associate support, social-emotional learning and community outreach. Specific goals include:
- Having 100% of PLCs document at least four completed inquiry cycles showing reflection and instructional adjustments.
- Completing a math audit by the end of May 2027.
- Conducting a staff book study of The Classroom Behavior Manual and moving toward classroom implementation of its strategies.
- Establishing an annual training plan for associates before the start of school and expanding training in reading strategies.
- Having 80% of students consistently demonstrate self-regulation and positive behavior by June 2027, measured through office referrals in JMC.
- Expanding family and community communication through teacher and grade-level features during the school year.
The secondary plan focuses on PLC work, Saint Pride behavior expectations, Depth of Knowledge and assessment practices, and assessment-data monitoring. Goals include having all PLCs complete three to five inquiry cycles connected to The Will to Learn, strengthening classroom behavior practices, increasing the rigor of assignments and feedback, and developing a clearer process for gathering and using assessment data.
2026–2027 Employee Handbook
The agenda includes the district's 2026–2027 Employee Handbook. The packet describes it as a general information source rather than an employment contract and states that board policies and administrative procedures govern when conflicts arise.
The handbook covers employee responsibilities and district procedures across areas including attendance and leave, professional conduct, purchasing, student supervision, technology use, employee benefits, safety, transportation and communications. Among its financial provisions, the handbook states that eligible employees' single health-insurance contribution from the district is capped at $500 per month, or $6,000 per year, with additional district contributions specified for employee/spouse, employee/children and family plans.
Coach's Handbook
The board is also scheduled to consider the 2026–2027 Coach's Handbook. The Athletic Director's report specifically requests approval of the handbook and notes that suggested changes were highlighted in the version shared with the district.
The handbook establishes expectations for coaching responsibilities, student supervision, athletic participation, transportation, injury reporting, practices, purchasing and fundraising. It also requires head coaches to develop sport-specific contracts describing expectations and guidelines and to hold parent meetings before uniforms and equipment are distributed.
Among the handbook's provisions:
- Athletes must register through BOUND and satisfy required participation documentation before participating or receiving equipment.
- Coaches are expected to remain until the last student has left the building.
- Athletic transportation requests generally must be made at least two weeks in advance.
- Coaches must report specified injuries and maintain related records.
- Coaches are subject to annual 360-degree evaluations incorporating input from the Athletic Director, student-athletes and the coach.
- Athletic equipment purchases must go through the Athletic Director and district approval process.
Policy / Governance Items
Board Policy Readings
A substantial set of board policies is scheduled for review.
The first-reading list includes policies and related regulations or exhibits numbered:
- 201, 210.05, 401.01, 409.02, 501.15, 502.03, 503.01, 503.11, 503.11R1, 503.11R2, 504.06, 507.02, 507.02E1, 507.02E3, 603.01, 603.03, 604.04, 603.06, 603.10, 604.01, 604.03, 604.03R1, 604.05, 605.04, 605.04E1, 607.01, 713, 804.05, 804.05E1 and 901.
The second-reading list includes:
- 102, 102R1, 102E1 through 102E6, 710.1R1, 710.1E1, 710.1E2, 203, 206.3, 701.2, 701.3, 701.5, 704.2, 704.3, 705.1, 705.1R1, 705.1R2, 705.4, 705.5, 706.4, 707.1, 708 and 712.
The packet agenda identifies the policy numbers and reading stages but does not provide enough corresponding policy text in the extracted materials to characterize every proposed change.
Transition to Simbli
The Superintendent's update says the district plans to begin using Simbli for board meetings and board-policy management, with a planned transition for the August board meeting. The district's policies are already being transferred and are expected to go live on the district website.
The packet describes the change as a way to reduce reliance on public-facing documents being owned through individual employee accounts. Training is planned for administrators and board members who will use the system.
Renewal of Sharing Agreements and Official Publication
The business agenda includes renewal of sharing agreements and selection of an official publication. The extracted packet identifies these as board business items but does not provide sufficient supporting detail to describe proposed terms, partners or a recommended publication.
Major Financial and Operational Items
General Fund Financial Report
The consent agenda includes monthly bills, financial reports and CFPM materials. The FY 2026 General Fund report shows:
- Year-to-date revenues: $4,585,052
- Year-to-date expenditures: $4,929,871
- Year-to-date loss: $344,819
- Ending fund balance: $1,459,532
The accompanying budget comparison lists budgeted FY 2026 revenues of $4,747,384 and expenditures of $4,809,798. The spending-authority analysis lists an FY 2026 Unspent Authorized Budget of $2,396,127, or 33.50% of the maximum authorized budget.
High School Gym Audio/Visual Project
The agenda includes a High School Gym Audio/Visual Project. The Athletic Director's report requests approval of an AV quote and identifies KCAV and CTI as the alternatives referenced in separate quotes.
The extracted packet does not provide enough detail from those quotes to reliably state the proposed project price or recommend one vendor over the other.
Diesel Fuel Tank
The Superintendent reports that the closure of Smith's fuel station eliminated the district's local access to gas and diesel. Gas can temporarily be purchased from Casey's, but diesel currently requires travel outside town.
District staff contacted Agriland FS Inc. about installing a diesel tank, and the packet says staff are scheduling installation of a 500-gallon diesel barrel for $5,000.
Summer Facilities and Technology Work
The Superintendent's update outlines several projects underway before the new school year:
- Grading work and repair of a plugged yard drain at the elementary have been completed to improve stormwater drainage.
- Insurance-related drywall repair at the elementary remains to be scheduled, with the district seeking completion before school starts.
- The high school gym HVAC system is functioning but still requires additional work; Excel and Set Point Mechanical are working on the repair.
- Technology work includes decommissioning 200 old devices, adding new devices to Google management, reorganizing the server room, developing device inventory and check-in/check-out systems, and considering a staff device-management platform such as JAMF.
Athletics and Student Participation
Eighth-Grade Participation in High School Sports
The Superintendent's report flags eighth-grade participation in high school sports as an issue requiring board discussion. The packet states that questions remain about how districts will handle eighth graders playing at the high-school level and anticipates board decisions on the district's approach.
The Superintendent plans to communicate the resulting district policy to parents after the board meeting. Because the packet does not state what position the board will take, no outcome should be inferred in advance.
Athletic Department Updates
The Athletic Director reports preparations for the upcoming school year and several program-management items. Hall of Fame nominations are being accepted through August 15 for the 2027 induction class, and a program-by-program cost-benefit analysis is underway with a final report planned for August after fiscal-year-end numbers are incorporated.
Open coaching positions listed in the packet include JH Baseball for 2027, Varsity Boys Basketball for 2026–2027 and Varsity Baseball for 2027. The Athletic Director also reports three interested applicants for the basketball position.
The report requests action on two coaching resignations:
- Pat Ferguson — HS Boys Baseball, effective at the end of the 2026 season.
- Lary Willoughby — HS Boys & Girls JV Basketball, effective immediately.
These are recommendations in the packet and should not be treated as board-approved personnel actions before the meeting.
Trophy Storage and Display
The Athletic Director asks the board to decide what to do with older trophies that cannot fit in existing display cases. Options described in the packet include expanding display capacity, disposing of trophies not selected for display, or placing them in long-term storage.
The Athletic Director recommends either purchasing/building additional display cases or disposing of the trophies under consideration rather than placing them in long-term storage. The report notes that many are older "away" or junior-high trophies and also raises virtual trophy displays as a possible way to preserve historical records without requiring equivalent physical display space.
Consent Agenda and Administrative Updates
The consent agenda includes:
- Meeting minutes.
- Monthly list of bills.
- Monthly financial reports.
- CFPM materials.
Separate update sections are scheduled for the Athletic Director and Superintendent. Personnel recommendations also appear later in the business agenda, although the extracted agenda does not provide a complete standalone personnel recommendation list beyond personnel items identified in the Athletic Director's report.
Closed Session and Student Appeal
The agenda schedules a closed session "To Discuss a Student Appeal Pursuant to Iowa Code Section 21.5(1)(e)." A separate agenda item for Board Action on Student Appeal follows the closed session.
The packet does not state what action the board will take. The appeal should therefore be understood as a matter scheduled for confidential discussion followed by possible board action, not as a predetermined outcome.
What to Watch at the Meeting
Several agenda items could produce consequential direction for the 2026–2027 school year:
- Eighth-grade athletics: The packet specifically anticipates board discussion and decisions about eighth graders participating in high school sports.
- Building goals: Both buildings are proposing measurable student-proficiency and instructional-improvement targets for June 2027.
- Policy revisions: Dozens of policies are at either first or second reading, making policy governance one of the largest agenda components.
- Handbooks: The board is scheduled to consider both the employee and coach handbooks for 2026–2027.
- Gym AV project: The board has an audio/visual project on the business agenda, with the Athletic Director identifying quotes from KCAV and CTI.
- Student appeal: A closed-session discussion is scheduled, followed by a separate action item.
- Simbli transition: The district plans to move board meetings and policy management to the new platform beginning with the August meeting.
