Superintendent's Finance & Facilities Advisory Committee Packet Summary — August 21, 2026
The committee agenda centers on a preview of the West Des Moines Community Schools Board of Education's August 24 workshop and regular meeting agendas. Major items include a districtwide staffing-standardization project, three facilities change orders, two proposed September public hearings, eight policy updates, and several contracts and agreements.
Key Items on the Agenda
Strategic Staffing Alignment
The committee is scheduled to review a staffing-standardization project that will be presented at the August 24 Board workshop. The project is intended to develop a strategic staffing plan that aligns staffing with enrollment and budget targets, establish standards using benchmark and internal data, and create a multi-year implementation roadmap.
District materials say declining enrollment is driving the need for a more systematic connection between staffing and the budget process. The proposed framework emphasizes systemwide consistency while allowing staffing decisions to account for student needs, school context, enrollment changes and targeted interventions.
Draft standards cover elementary schools, junior highs, high school programs, special education, ESOL and district departments. Examples include:
- Elementary general-education ratios of 1:26 for grades K–3 and 1:28 for grades 4–6.
- Junior high core classes in math, science, social studies and English at a proposed 1:28 ratio.
- High school core classes at 30 students in ninth grade and 32 students in grades 10–12.
- Junior high and high school counselor staffing at 350 students per counselor.
- Elementary instructional coaches, behavior interventionists and counselors at one per school, increasing to 1.5 FTE when enrollment exceeds 600.
- Special education staffing based on the district's Teacher Caseload Determination Document, including weighted enrollment and other considerations in the district delivery service plan.
- ESOL staffing based on weighted building enrollment, with separate benchmarks for elementary and secondary schools.
The workshop materials characterize these as draft staffing standards and specifically call for Board questions, feedback and input rather than presenting them as final adopted staffing levels.
Major Financial and Facilities Items
Crossroads Renovation Change Order #3
Administration recommends approval of $4,050.13 in additional work on the Crossroads Renovation project. The proposed change includes $3,591.98 for additional floor demolition and cleanup and $458.15 for concrete patching, both identified as unforeseen work.
The original construction contract was $3,545,000.00. With previous change orders and the proposed Change Order #3, the contract amount would become $3,692,009.31. The project is funded with bond funds.
Hillside Renovation Change Order #3
Administration recommends approval of a $48,744.42 change order for the Hillside Renovation. The proposed work consists of:
- $34,365.06 to replace radiant floor pump panels at the owner's request.
- $13,404.24 for installation of light fixtures in hard-lid ceilings due to unforeseen conditions.
- $975.12 for unforeseen ceiling demolition in the food pantry.
The original contract was $3,294,000.00. With previous change orders and the proposed Change Order #3, the contract amount would become $3,520,352.51. Bond funds support the project.
Valley Southwoods Roof Replacement
Administration recommends approval of Change Order #1 for the Valley Southwoods roof replacement. Eliminating a second layer of panel underlayment produces a $4,103.00 credit, while replacing additional soffit in Sections H and S adds $4,554.00, for a net increase of $451.00.
The change would raise the contract from $731,300.00 to $731,751.00. The project is funded with sales tax funds.
Separate Bills for Payment
Two payments appear separately from the general consent-agenda bills:
- $72,800.00 to Drake University for tuition.
- $1,833.38 to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services for a Medicaid refund.
Administration recommends Board approval of both payments.
Contracts and Community Services
$125,000 Refugee School Impact Grant
Administration recommends approval of a new agreement with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services' Bureau of Refugee Services. The contract provides up to $125,000 in federal funding for the period from August 30, 2026, through July 31, 2027, with reimbursement tied to services and contract deliverables.
The program is intended to support eligible refugee students and families through:
- Quarterly family education and engagement workshops.
- Weekly, two-hour after-school tutoring.
- A four-week Summer Scholars program.
- A Pre-CNA vocational pathway for qualifying high school juniors and seniors.
The contract establishes performance measures for each component, including participation, academic-growth and family-engagement targets.
Food Bank of Iowa Programs
Administration recommends approval of updated agreements with the Food Bank of Iowa for school-based food assistance. Four schools are expected to continue the Backpack program: Jordan Creek, Crossroads Park, Fairmeadows and Westridge.
Seven schools are listed to continue as food-pantry sites: Crestview, Clive, Western Hills, Stilwell, Indian Hills, Valley Southwoods and Valley. Hillside is proposed to transition from the Backpack program to a food-pantry site.
The packet says the programs have no direct cost to WDMCS other than staff time needed to maintain family access. Food Bank of Iowa supplies and delivers the food, while school staff and volunteers support local operations.
Administration recommends approval of a media-rights agreement for the August 27, 2026 outdoor volleyball tournament at Valley High School. Midwest Sports+ would receive rights to produce and distribute live and on-demand coverage of four matches, along with highlights and promotional clips.
Midwest Sports+ would pay the district a $1,000 rights fee for four matches. If fewer than four matches are played and available for coverage because of weather, cancellation or another circumstance outside the company's control, the agreement provides for a reduced fee of $250 per match.
Employee Wellness Clinic
Administration recommends approval of a Vivid Clear RX Wellness Agreement associated with employee flu and other immunization services. The district says the clinic is scheduled for October 12, 2026, the first professional-development day, and describes the arrangement as coming at no cost to the district while allowing the provider to use district space to serve employees.
Student Nursing Agreements
The packet includes agreements with Universal Pediatrics and Aveanna Healthcare for one-to-one nursing services for a student in the school environment. Administration recommends approval and states that the arrangements have no cost to WDMCS.
The packet explains that the two companies are in the process of merging but currently maintain separate agreements.
Policy / Governance Items
Eight Policies Scheduled for Second Reading
Administration recommends that the Board conduct a second reading and approve eight policies connected to current district needs and 2026 legislative updates:
- Policy 201 — Elections
- Policy 210.07 — Notice of Meetings
- Policy 401.01 — Equal Employment Opportunity
- Policy 501.15 — Open Enrollment Transfers: Procedures as a Receiving District
- Policy 502 — Student Conduct
- Policy 505.05 — Student Graduation Requirements
- Policy 603.02 — Physical Education, a new policy
- Policy 607.01 — Student Guidance and Counseling Program, a new policy
The policy change sheet identifies seven of the changes as legislative updates recommended by the Iowa Association of School Boards and one as addressing a current district need.
Policy 505.05 includes updates to social studies requirements for the class of 2029–2030. The new Policy 607.01 establishes a K–12 guidance and counseling program addressing students' social, emotional, academic and career development.
The proposed Physical Education Policy 603.02 establishes K–12 participation requirements and identifies circumstances in which students may be excused. Those include specified health or religious circumstances and, for grades 9–12, certain academic scheduling, athletic-program, Legislative Page Program and Junior ROTC situations.
Public Hearings and Community Impact
Multipurpose Storage Facility at Valley Stadium
Administration recommends setting a public hearing for the Stadium Band and Multi-Purpose Storage Facility Project at 7:00 p.m. on September 14, 2026, at the WDMCS Learning Resource Center.
The proposed project at 4440 Mills Civic Parkway involves construction of a new multipurpose storage building and associated site work. The future hearing would cover the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract and estimated project cost.
Storm Water Management Covenant
Administration also recommends setting a September 14, 2026, 7:00 p.m. public hearing on a Storm Water Management Facility Maintenance Covenant with the City of West Des Moines.
The proposed agreement relates to storm-water runoff associated with district development. Under the agreement, the City would be responsible for ongoing operation, inspection, maintenance and repair of the shared storm-water facility after completion, while the district could be assessed its proportionate share of applicable costs. The agreement identifies the WDMCS Valley Stadium property as having a 19% proportional share and the City Hall/Public Library property as having an 81% share.
Consent Agenda and Other Items
Administration recommends approval of a consent agenda that includes meeting minutes, personnel actions, bills for payment, open enrollment, contracts and student trip requests.
Among the student travel items is a request for the Valley High School wrestling team to compete in the Battle of Waterloo. The proposed trip would depart December 17 and return December 19, 2026, with 20–24 athletes and 4–6 staff chaperones. The estimated lodging cost is $50 per person; Valley Athletics and the West Des Moines Wrestling Club are identified as funding sources for trip expenses.
The personnel materials also include a proposed $6,000 retention incentive for an Industrial Education teacher in a position the district describes as difficult to fill. The agreement would provide 24 installments beginning around September 5, 2026, in exchange for remaining in the position through June 30, 2029, with repayment provisions if employment ends earlier.
What to Watch at the Meeting
The staffing-standardization project is positioned as a workshop discussion rather than a final action item. The Board is expected to review draft ratios and standards across schools and departments and provide questions and feedback as the district develops its multi-year staffing approach.
The regular meeting agenda, meanwhile, contains several proposed actions with longer-term implications: the $125,000 Refugee School Impact grant, facilities change orders, eight policy updates and the scheduling of two September public hearings. The storm-water covenant is particularly notable because the proposed agreement establishes an ongoing cost-sharing framework tied to the Valley Stadium property.
