Franklin Elementary School Principal Tim Holmgren presented to the board on Jan. 19, 2015
Franklin Elementary Presentation
Franklin Elementary School Principal Tim Holmgren presented his attendance center plan to the board during the meeting. He said they currently have 364 students enrolled preschool through fourth grade at Franklin.
Holmgren talked about the focus on SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol), the Language Literacy Framework and parent involvement.
He said the Franklin staff is committed to increasing student achievement.
Marshalltown Community School District Foundation
Larry McKibben and Jim Bowman of the foundation spoke to the board about a different direction for the future of the foundation.
They would like to get younger board members to carry the foundation into the future and also feel having a school administrator involved would give the foundation authenticity.
McKibben and Bowman said they would like to get through both phases of the MHS Roundhouse renovation first before there are changes to the board and the foundation.
Teacher Leadership and Compensation
Dr. Susan Pecinovsky submitted a list of additional Model Classroom teachers. The list was accepted by the board.
River Hills Consortium
Matt Cretsinger explained the need for MCSD to build a consortium to serve students currently in the River Hills specialized program. The cost of the program is shared by the districts involved in the consortium. It was approved by the board.
Instructional Support Levy
A public hearing was held. Kevin Posekany said this is one piece of the budget process. The board supported continuation of this levy. The actual levy will be a part of the budget with plans for official approval in April.
Interest based bargaining session
Lisa Koester will make a connection with the MEA and get some dates sent out to the board for these sessions.
Miller Middle School Boys Locker Room Remodel
The board approved this project as substantially complete. The board also saw “before and after” photos of the locker room.
MHS steam boiler replacement
There is a failed steam boiler at Marshalltown High School that supports the swimming pool heating system. The boiler provides steam and heat also for dishwashing and cooking. The board approved the purchase of a new boiler at $38,811 from the Waterloo Boiler Company, which should be on site within a few days.
Policies
801.7- Financing Sites and Construction, 802.1 – Maintenance Schedule, 802.2-Requests for Improvement, 802.3 – Emergency Repairs, 802.7 – Energy Management Conservation all marked as reviewed
802.8 — Use of Contract Service- Portion of the policy to change, brought back to the board
803.1- Disposition of Obsolete Equipment- Kevin Posekany will look at other school district polices and come back for first reading.
804.1- Safety Program, 804.2 – Video Surveillance and Electronic Monitoring, 804.4 Asbestos – Containing Materials, 900- Statement of Guiding Principles all marked as reviewed.
801.5- Construction Contract Building- Modification to the policy – District to go with new procurement rules, allows district to procure bids up to the state competitive bid limits.
Personnel – Click here.
and here.
From Board Vice President Anne Paullus
It was exciting to approve the appointment of 26 teachers to join the team involved in our teacher leadership compensation initiative. We know that to improve student achievement, we must continue to improve classroom instruction.
Many years ago, I learned to snow ski as an adult. I started by getting some lessons. I watched the ski instructor as he demonstrated some basic things. Then I tried them as he watched. At first I didn’t do so well, but he watched me and pointed out what I did well and gave me some pointers to do better. After repeating this process, I got better and could successfully make it down some slopes by myself.
Like with learning any new skill, teachers learn by observing good instruction, practicing good instruction strategies while being observed by competent coaches, and then reflecting with those coaches on what was effective and what could be improved or modified. I am happy that this type of professional learning is becoming a part of how we do business in the Marshalltown Community School District.
– Anne Paullus
The next regular board meeting is at 5 p.m. Feb. 2 in district offices
The Board Report 