Work Session Overview
The Mount Pleasant Community School District Board of Education is scheduled to hold a work session at 6:00 p.m. on August 24 at the District Office Board Room. The agenda centers on four work-session topics: fundraising guidance, a proposed media and broadcasting partnership with Amplify-MP, superintendent goals, and a proposed committee and leadership-group structure.
The packet presents these items for discussion and review. It does not document final action on the work-session proposals.
Amplify-MP proposes a partnership intended to expand the district's live-event broadcasting, community programming, marketing, and storytelling. The proposal describes professional livestreaming of athletics, arts, and other student activities; in-game production for indoor athletic events; weekly district features; and content for broader digital distribution.
Under the proposed structure, the district would fund and own permanent broadcasting and event-production infrastructure. Amplify-MP would operate the systems, provide staffing and production services, and fund ongoing operational expenses through advertising and sponsorship activity rather than passing those operating costs to the district.
The proposal identifies four primary goals:
- Better understand and influence factors affecting district enrollment.
- Enhance district branding, marketing, and public relations.
- Increase attendance at school events, with a stated measurement goal of a 10% increase in ticket sales and door counts.
- Establish a sustainable media model without creating an annual expense from the district's general operations budget.
The proposal cites a projected enrollment decrease of roughly 35 students, or 18–20 families, per year over the next three years as part of its rationale for increasing district visibility and understanding family enrollment decisions.
Proposed Responsibilities
The proposal assigns the district responsibility for purchasing and owning permanent infrastructure such as cameras, lighting, cabling, control systems, and related technology. It anticipates using PPEL or other eligible capital funding sources for those investments.
The district would also provide facility and system access, coordinate schedules and event logistics, and retain final approval over district-branded content. The proposal states that district oversight would include alignment with district policies, student privacy requirements, and community standards.
Amplify-MP proposes to:
- Operate installed broadcast and production infrastructure.
- Staff and produce livestreams and indoor winter-sports event experiences.
- Produce weekly district features and integrate district content into its daily programming.
- Create social-media-ready content.
- Cover operational expenses including personnel, software, streaming platforms, content distribution, and production equipment not owned by the district.
- Develop advertising and sponsorship opportunities.
- Assist with parent and community surveys related to enrollment and marketing.
$15,000 Activities or Marketing Option
The proposal calls for Amplify-MP to contribute $15,000 to the Activities Department. As an alternative, the district could choose $15,000 in marketing campaigns, media production, or consulting services instead of that contribution.
Examples in the packet include production of an orientation video for Spanish-speaking families or a teacher-recruitment marketing campaign.
Proposed Infrastructure Investment
Amplify-MP estimates the full infrastructure program at $575,000, divided into three proposed phases:
- Phase A — $175,000: $75,000 for high school gymnasium livestreaming and $100,000 for Mapleleaf Athletic Complex livestreaming infrastructure. The proposal lists August 2026 as the recommended approval timeframe.
- Phase B — $300,000: Football field video board, with January 2027 listed as the recommended approval timeframe.
- Phase C — $100,000: $25,000 for Chapel Auditorium sound, lighting, and video technology and $75,000 for a Luxedo system in the gym. The proposal lists September 2027 as the recommended approval timeframe.
Amplify-MP proposes that the board consider approving the expenditures together to potentially obtain combined discounted bids and accelerate installation where possible. The proposal also acknowledges the size of the investment and presents phased approvals as another approach.
The packet notes that athletic boosters may provide a funding match toward the proposed football field video board and Luxedo projection system.
Proposed Implementation Timeline
The proposal envisions the partnership beginning in August 2026, with Amplify-MP beginning weekly district features while infrastructure planning proceeds.
The proposed sequence includes:
- August–September 2026: District activities and technology staff would work with Amplify-MP on infrastructure design, RFPs as needed, and technology purchase agreements.
- September–October 2026: Livestream equipment would be installed at the high school gymnasium and tested in preparation for basketball and wrestling, with late-season varsity volleyball broadcasts as appropriate.
- February 2027: The proposal anticipates livestream production expanding to non-sports activities, subject to licensing, potentially including concerts, theater productions, prom, graduation, and award ceremonies.
- March 2027: Livestream infrastructure would be installed at Mapleleaf Athletic Complex for football, baseball, and softball facilities, with soccer coverage using portable equipment.
The proposal separately lists new event lighting and sound equipment for Chapel Auditorium as an installation stage.
Proposed Committee and Leadership Structure
The board is also expected to review a proposed structure for district committees and leadership groups. The packet outlines six groups with different responsibilities, membership, and meeting schedules.
School Improvement Advisory Committee
The School Improvement Advisory Committee would focus on student learning and school goals. Its proposed membership includes community members, parents, teachers, principals, students, administrators, the superintendent, and up to three board members.
The committee would generally meet three times per year — fall, winter, and spring — and would develop recommendations for district goals, review test scores and learning data, help establish student-success goals, and gather ideas from parents and community members.
Facilities Committee and Facilities Leadership Group
The proposed Facilities Committee would focus on master planning, including implementation of the facility master plan and consideration of new or existing spaces. It would meet at least twice annually, with additional meetings depending on the master-plan timeline.
A separate Facilities Leadership Group would meet monthly, or more frequently as needed, and focus on master planning, buildings and grounds, and safety. Its proposed responsibilities include planning repairs and upgrades, reviewing school safety needs, considering building rental and usage, and organizing the work of the Facilities Committee.
District Insurance Committee
The proposed District Insurance Committee would work on a long-range insurance plan. Its membership would include the superintendent, up to three board members, the school business official, and union representation.
The group would meet at least twice annually and would develop knowledge of employee insurance options, establish a vision for employee insurance benefits, and provide input on plan options and services.
Policy Leadership Group
The Policy Leadership Group would focus on school board rules and laws, with membership consisting of the superintendent and up to three board members.
Meeting as needed, the group would write and update official rules, review existing rules for possible changes, review handbooks, and work to ensure district compliance with state law.
Personnel Leadership Group
The proposed Personnel Leadership Group would focus on staff hiring, compensation, benefits, staffing levels, contracts, negotiations, and possible reductions in force. Membership would include the superintendent, up to three board members, the school business official, and possible union representatives.
The group would meet as needed, with heavier activity anticipated during winter and spring budget planning. Its responsibilities would also include participation in the District Insurance Committee, district negotiations, and consideration of early-retirement incentives when appropriate.
Superintendent Goals and Evaluation
The work-session agenda includes superintendent goals. The packet states that the board will refer to Board Policy 302.05, Superintendent Evaluation, and also provides a link to an Iowa superintendent performance-review resource.
The packet does not provide additional detail about specific proposed superintendent goals, so the scope of that discussion is not further defined in the supplied materials.
Fundraising Guidance
The agenda includes a work-session discussion regarding fundraising guidance. The supplied packet text does not provide additional supporting detail about proposed changes, recommendations, or specific fundraising rules.
What to Watch at the Meeting
The Amplify-MP presentation represents the packet's most detailed financial and operational proposal, combining a potential $575,000 infrastructure program with a media partnership intended to operate without ongoing district operational expenses. Key questions for the work session include the scale and timing of infrastructure investment, whether expenditures should be considered together or in phases, and how the proposed partnership would divide responsibilities between the district and Amplify-MP.
The board is also scheduled to examine how committees and smaller leadership groups could divide work on student improvement, facilities, insurance, policy, and personnel matters. Because this is a work-session packet, these proposals should be understood as items for board review and discussion rather than completed board decisions.
