The Superintendent’s Finance & Facilities Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet August 7 and review the district’s August 10 Board workshop and regular meeting agendas. The packet previews a proposed FY28 budget realignment process along with facilities spending, policy revisions, contracts, an amended school calendar, and other items expected to come before the Board.
Key Items on the Agenda
FY28 Budget Realignment Process
The committee is scheduled to review the process and timeline for a broader FY28 budget realignment that will be presented at the August 10 Board workshop. The proposed process is tied to the district’s strategic plan and its goals for fiscal responsibility, sustainability, data-informed decision-making, and equitable structures and supports.
Under the proposed framework:
- An administrative leadership subcommittee would classify positions as core, categorical, or additional and report to Cabinet by September 25.
- Cabinet would review those classifications and prepare three to four budget packages designed to meet the district’s budget target.
- A Long Range Planning Committee would study the district budget, assess the packages, develop possible alternatives, and participate in a forced-choice ranking exercise.
- Community participation would include a webinar, surveys, and a public forum.
- Cabinet is expected to make a recommendation to the Board in January 2027.
- The Board would receive public input and make the final budget decision, with the packet identifying February 2027 as the anticipated decision period.
The August 10 workshop is intended to give Board members an opportunity to question or suggest changes to the process and timeline and provide input on Long Range Planning Committee membership. The packet anticipates bringing the committee membership list to the Board for approval October 26.
Major Financial and Facilities Items
Hillside Renovation Change Order
Administration recommends approval of Change Order #2 for the Hillside Renovation, adding $71,149.57 to the project. The original contract was $3,294,000, and the packet lists $106,458.52 in previous change orders, bringing the proposed new contract amount to $3,471,608.09.
The change order combines multiple adjustments, including unforeseen conditions and owner-requested or design changes. Among the larger increases are $16,824.55 for electric damper actuators, $12,951.04 for additional Media Center demolition, $7,471.36 for an exterior paging system, and $6,689.41 for LED downlights. The project is funded with bond funds.
Playground Group B Change Order
Administration also recommends approval of Change Order #1 for Playground Group B. A previously unforeseen issue requires portions of the existing Jordan Creek playground equipment to be raised, increasing the contract by $9,000.
The original contract is $735,300, and the proposed change would bring the contract to $744,300. The project is being paid with bond funds.
Valley Stadium Rental Agreement
The Board is expected to consider a proposed facility-use agreement with Dowling Catholic High School for Valley Stadium during the 2026 football season. The proposed rental rate is $3,500 per event, compared with the packet’s reference to a typical prior charge of $2,500.
For the August 28 game against Valley High School, Dowling would pay $2,500 because Valley would retain the west bleachers and west locker room. The agreement also identifies September 11, October 2, and October 23 as additional scheduled rental dates.
Separate Vendor Payments
Administration recommends approval of two bills presented separately from the general consent agenda:
- $7,920 to Drake University for registration.
- $171,066.34 to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services for Medicaid.
Policy and Governance Items
Second Reading of Financial and Governance Policies
Administration recommends a second reading and approval of 16 policies identified for updates associated with School Finance Audit standards and Iowa Association of School Boards recommendations. The group includes policies covering board membership and qualifications, vacancies, conflicts of interest, board officers, fund transfers, financial records and metrics, debt management, purchasing, public purpose, financial reporting, fixed assets, records management, and a new Policy 706.08 on Time and Effort Reporting.
The proposed new Policy 706.08 would establish documentation and internal-control requirements for salaries and benefits charged to federal awards, including requirements for records of actual work performed, allocation among funding sources, periodic review, reconciliation, and record retention.
Technology, Instructional Materials, and Disruptive Behavior
Administration recommends waiving the first reading and approving Policies 503.11, 504.06, and 605.11, which the Superintendent’s Board Policy Advisory Committee reviewed July 23.
Proposed Policy 605.11, Technology and Instructional Materials, would limit digital instruction in kindergarten through fifth grade to 60 minutes per school day, while providing specified exceptions. It also states that K–5 students would not use digital devices during recess and establishes a Board review process for district one-to-one device programs.
Proposed Policy 503.11, Disruptive Behavior, addresses classroom removals, due process, special education and Section 504 requirements, staff review of student plans, training, and responses to violent or nonviolent disruptions. It also provides up to three days of paid physical-recovery leave for teachers injured because of a student’s violent disruption, with a process for requesting additional time.
Additional Policies at First Reading
Eight policies are scheduled for a first reading: 201, 210.07, 401.01, 501.15, 502, 505.05, 603.02, and 607.01.
The packet says the revisions include legislative and IASB updates. Among them, Policy 505.05 would update social studies requirements for the class of 2029–30, while new policies address physical education and a K–12 student guidance and counseling program.
Public Hearing and School Calendar
Proposed Change to Senior Last Day
The August 10 Board agenda includes a public hearing on the amended 2026–2027 school calendar, followed by a separate item where administration recommends approval of the amendment.
The proposed change moves the final day for seniors from May 20, 2027, to May 25, 2027. The packet says the change is intended to better align the senior calendar with the district’s practice of holding graduation ceremonies during Memorial Day weekend. The draft calendar lists May 28 as the final day for PK–11 students.
Contracts and Program Proposals
Bullying, Harassment, and Title IX Investigation System
Administration recommends a four-year agreement with McGrath Training Solutions at $9,500 annually, funded from the General Fund. The proposal is intended to strengthen investigation methods, tracking, training, and procedures related to Policy 502.02, bullying and harassment, nondiscrimination, and Title IX complaints.
The packet reports an average of 29 founded bullying and harassment incidents per year over the past five years. The proposed McGrath Response System includes administrator training; staff, student, and parent/guardian training; investigation tools and templates; implementation support; and incident-response assistance.
Secondary Curriculum Cadre Consulting
Teaching and Learning Services requests approval for another year of collaboration with Past Present Future Consulting & Media to support the district’s Secondary Curriculum Cadre.
The proposed agreement totals $33,000 from the General Curriculum Fund. The consultant would help facilitate cadre meetings, collect and analyze data, prepare reports, and develop materials for future cadre work during the 2026–27 academic year.
BookBreak for K–6 Libraries
Teaching and Learning Services recommends acquiring BookBreak by PBC Guru for K–6 teacher librarians at all eight buildings. The web-based platform provides live and recorded author visits, instructional materials, and reading-community resources.
The agenda lists a $6,500 General Curriculum Fund cost. The supporting memorandum shows a final discounted cost of $6,580, so the packet contains differing figures for this proposed purchase.
Special Education Placement
Administration recommends an agreement with Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks (CALO) to support the Individualized Education Program of one WDMCS student through an out-of-state placement.
The district would pay educational costs only, with the packet listing an academic tuition rate of $300 per academic day for the 2026–27 school year.
School Photography and Yearbook Services
Administration recommends a one-year agreement with JostensPIX and Jostens Yearbook affecting elementary grades PK–6. Parents would pay JostensPIX directly for student photograph packages.
The photography agreement covers eight elementary schools and states that participating schools would receive 10% of fall and spring picture sales.
Administration recommends renewing Bound Pro+, which the district has used for statistics, registration, scheduling, and camps and proposes expanding to ticketing. The agenda identifies a $1,000 cost for FMX integration.
A separate proposed media-rights agreement would allow Midwest Sports+ to produce live coverage of four matches at the August 27 Marj White Classic volleyball tournament at Valley High School. Midwest Sports+ would pay the district $1,000 for the audiovisual rights, with the agreement providing for a reduced $250-per-match fee if fewer than four matches are played and available for coverage.
Employee and Student Items
2026–2027 Employee Handbook
Administration recommends approval of the updated employee handbook. The executive summary identifies three principal revisions: removal of attendance guidelines to reflect updated procedures, addition of a disruptive behavior policy, and incorporation of the administration organizational chart.
The packet says additional edits update department roles and responsibilities and make minor grammatical changes.
Open Enrollment
The consent agenda includes open-enrollment applications. Administration recommends approval of 13 applications into WDM Schools, including eight students who moved out of the district and seek to continue attending and five students new to WDM Schools, as well as six applications for resident students to attend other districts.
The agenda estimates that these actions would bring open enrollment totals to 241 students into WDM Schools and 93 students out to other districts.
Overnight Student Trips
Three Valley High School athletic trips are included on the consent agenda:
- Girls and boys varsity cross country requests a September 18–19 trip to Minneapolis for the Roy Griak-University of Minnesota High School Elite Division Cross Country Meet. 20 students and five staff chaperones would attend, with costs paid through fundraising.
- Girls tennis requests an August 28–29 trip to Rochester, Minnesota, for the Rochester Mayo invitational. 12 students, two staff chaperones, and two parent chaperones would travel, with an estimated cost of $50 per person.
- Girls wrestling requests a December 16–17 trip to Waterloo for the Battle of Waterloo. 18 students and three staff chaperones would attend, with an estimated cost of $68 per person funded through team fundraising.
Other Items to Watch
The Superintendent’s Report is expected to include information about a new employee wellness program launching this fall and an elementary-principal report on the impact of instructional-minute changes made during the 2025–26 school year.
The Board agenda also includes renewal of four community-partner 28E agreements for the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program and the annual Valley United Methodist Church parking agreement for Valley High School overflow parking. The parking agreement provides up to 50 spaces for students from August 24, 2026, through June 4, 2027, with the district responsible for reimbursing half of the church’s snow- and ice-removal expenses.
For the 2027 Valley High School commencement, administration is expected to consider several service agreements: $8,236.70 for stage and chair rentals, reduced from $9,549.20 the prior year; photography services at no cost to the district; and $5,000 for videography and livestreaming services.
