The Board Report

To watch the full board meeting discussion of the below items, please click the “watch recording” link next to each item. The links will take you to the start of each of the below agenda items/topics from the board meeting recording.

New school board members sworn in, outgoing members honored
A significant transition took place the evening of Monday, Nov. 15, as two experienced Marshalltown School Board members attended their final meeting and two new members were sworn into office.

• For former Board President Bea Niblock, it was the end of another chapter in her 49-year career in public education – she served on the board for 8 years. Former board member Mike Miller’s 6-year tenure on the board also came to a close Monday evening. Both valued leaders, who chose not to run for office in 2021, were honored at Monday’s meeting.
  (watch recording)

• The board gained two new members in this year’s election – Leah Stanley and Zach Wahl. Two sitting board members, Karina Hernandez and Bonnie Lowry, were reelected. All four were sworn into office at the board’s Annual Meeting, followed by the election of Sean Heitmann as the new Board President and Sara Faltys as the new Board Vice President. (watch recording)

Marshalltown Company recognized as a “Career Readiness Partner” – watch recording
Marshalltown Company’s outstanding support and service to Bobcat students, their parents and District staff in career readiness efforts was highlighted at Monday’s board meeting. Marshalltown Company Chief Financial Officer, John Landherr, accepted an MCSD “Career Readiness Partner” award on behalf of the local company from Superintendent Dr. Theron Schutte. Thank you for your support of our Bobcat Ready efforts!

OSHA emergency rule regarding vaccinations discussed – watch recording
Proposed policies related to an emergency rule on employee COVID-19 vaccinations published by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) were discussed Monday evening. The board voted to table action on the policies as the rule undergoes legal challenges.

Miller Middle School KBRM program makes successful return – watch recording
Miller Middle School students are getting hands-on experience in multimedia production through the school’s KBRM newscast program. From shooting and editing video to writing scripts and performing interviews, these students are having fun while learning valuable skills! Learn more about KBRM here.

Anson Elementary School staff present building showcase – watch recording
Anson Elementary staff have been leaders in District social-emotional learning (SEL) programming, and those efforts were highlighted in a presentation at Monday’s board meeting.

Anson school counselor Ashley Chyma said the Responsive Classrooms program supports positive relationships through Morning Meeting, Closing Circle, learning about parents’ Hopes and Dreams for their children, following the CARES system, and other community-building efforts.

American Education Week highlighted – watch recording
This week, Nov. 15-19, is American Education Week, a time to celebrate the incredible work done every day by teachers, bus drivers, paraeducators, custodians, food service staff, and all other school employees who provide great learning environments for students. Learn more here.

Student School Board representatives’ report and Iowa Youth Congress presentation – watch recording
Student School Board representatives Haley Reed, Phoebe Hermanson and Aaron Seberger shared the latest happenings and upcoming events at Marshalltown High School, including:

• The MHS Fall Musical, “All Together Now!”, entertained audiences last weekend at the Marshalltown Performing Arts Center.
• Thirty-one students were selected to participate in Rotary Club meetings throughout the rest of the school year.
• Highlights from the recent Girls State Swim Meet

Additionally, Reed shared her experiences with the Iowa Youth Congress with the board, including her committee’s development of a position statement which supports having at least one non-voting student school board representative in place on each Iowa school board.

All-State Music students recognized – watch recording
MHS students Eric Santana, Rebekah Stone, Veronica Herrera, and Aaron Seberger were recognized for their All State Music selections this year. The All State Music Festival takes place at Hilton Coliseum in Ames this weekend.

New program to help identify students in need of supports – watch recording
The board approved the purchase of the Early Warning System to aid school staff in identifying students in need of key supports. ESSER funds will be used to cover the cost of the new program.

District employee health plan update presented – watch recording
An update on the District’s self-funded employee health plan was presented to the board Monday evening. The data shows the District’s plan is in good shape.

Communications
Communications Director Adam Sodders reviewed the good news from the district by sharing newspaper articles as well as school communications articles. That list can be seen here.

Personnel items
For a list of personnel items approved Monday, click here.

Policies:
First Reading –

• 401.4 Employee Complaints (amended, second reading waived)
• 402.3-R Abuse of Students by School District Employees Regulation (amended, second reading waived)
• 502.4 Student Complaints and Grievances (amended, second reading waived)

Initial Review – 

• 402.4 Gifts to Employees (marked as reviewed)
• 403.4 Hazardous Chemical Right to Know (marked as reviewed)
• 404.1 Employee Conduct and Appearance (will come back for a first reading)
• 407.3-E1 Application for Retirement (will come back for a first reading)

From Board President Bea Niblock
“Last night’s board meeting was the last time that I would call a meeting to order. It also marked the end of 25 years of serving the students, staff and community of Marshalltown as a principal and board member.

It has been a pleasure serving in this community. The relationships that I have had and the experiences that I have enjoyed have been a huge part of my life. Your faith and trust in me has been humbling.

My quote at the meeting was a fitting statement of my feelings at this time. As Winnie the Pooh said to Piglet, ‘How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.’ I wish all of you success in your endeavors. Goodbye…” – Bea Niblock

The next Marshalltown School Board meeting is set for 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 6, 2021 at the Central Administration Office, 1002 S. 3rd Ave. The meeting will be available to watch via live stream through the Bobcat News Network (BNN) YouTube channel.

Longtime JBS partnership celebrated – watch recording
The Marshalltown CSD has many strong community relationships, and Marshalltown’s largest employer is among the District’s key partners. JBS Marshalltown Human Resources Director Patrick Brue accepted a Career Readiness Partner award from MCSD on behalf of the company at the Monday, Nov. 1 board meeting. 

“Marshalltown is extraordinarily well-known for having longstanding and strong relationships,” said Superintendent Dr. Theron Schutte. “JBS is our largest employer in the community. They’ve been an extraordinary partner.”

Dr. Schutte gave several examples of how JBS has proven to be a great community partner, from sharing water bottles and face masks with District students and staff to offering the “Better Futures” post-secondary education funding program with their thousands of local employees.

EMERGE program connects Bobcat students with their local library – watch recording
Marshalltown Public Library Youth Manager Joa LaVille and Lenihan Intermediate School Instructional Coach Tonya Gaffney shared an overview of the EMERGE program partnership Monday evening.

The long-standing program brings 6th-grade Bobcat students into the Marshalltown Public Library to learn about searching for library materials and keeping up with a library account. The program also engages students’ literary skills and interests.

Staff members’ military service recognized – watch recording
Veterans Day is next Thursday, Nov. 11, and the Marshalltown CSD took time to thank 16 staff members for their service in the U.S. military. The recognition includes individual thank-you cards for each of the veteran staff members, including:

Name	Branch	Role at MCSD	Building
Brett Comegys	Marine Corps & Nat’l Guard	Teacher	MMS
Marvin Detrick	Marine Corps	Bus Driver	Bus Barn
Jerry Flathers	Army	Mechanic	Bus Barn
Nicole Gaughan	Army	Behavior Strategist	Central Office
Richard Goshon	National Guard	Bus Driver	Bus Barn
Michael Hines	Army	Citizen Coach	MHS
Kenneth Hoffman	Navy	Bus Driver	Bus Barn
Marsha Johnson	Air Force & Army	Teacher	MHS
Tim Johnson	Army	Teacher	MHS
David Murphy	National Guard	Custodian/Grounds	MHS
Pete Nieland	Army	Teacher	MMS
Scott Randall	Army	Custodial Supervisor	Central Office
Bill Roberts	Army	Health Aide	LIS
Greg Rodrigue	Navy	Teacher	MHS
Theresa Theis	Air National Guard & Navy	Teacher	MHS
Matt Tullis	Army	Teacher	LIS

Lenihan Intermediate School staff present building showcase – watch recording
Leaders from Lenihan Intermediate School shared a showcase of the building’s robust academic reading and math academic support programs. Other Lenihan programs discussed included intramural sports, gardening with 4-H, Ricochet student leadership activities, and more.

Voluntary Early Retirement incentive approved for 2021-22 – watch recording
The board approved the Voluntary Early Retirement incentive for the 2021-22 school year on Monday evening. The incentive had not been offered in the previous school year. Updated Voluntary Early Retirement policy language also gained board approval after initial review at the Oct. 18 meeting.

Student School Board representatives’ report – watch recording
Student School Board representatives Phoebe Hermanson and Aaron Seberger shared the latest happenings and upcoming events at Marshalltown High School, including

• Four Bobcats will represent MHS at the upcoming All-State Music Festival.
• Tickets are available for the “All Together Now!” fall MHS musical performance.

Successful Anson Elementary building renovation discussed – watch recording
A large area of Anson Elementary School has seen major upgrades in recent months. 

At the heart of that work has been the school’s media center, which Principal Ronnie Manis described as looking like new construction. He said the new and improved space will serve as a great learning environment for Anson students. A statement of substantial completion for the project was approved by the board at the Oct. 18 meeting.

District Technology program overview shared – watch recording
Director of Technology Amy Harmsen presented an overview of her Department’s important work at Monday’s meeting. Information on school devices, key safety software, internet hotspots, tech support, and more featured in the presentation.

Communications
Communications Director Adam Sodders reviewed the good news from the district by sharing newspaper articles as well as school communications articles. That list can be seen here.

Personnel items
For a list of personnel items approved Monday, click here.

Policies:
First Reading –

• 200.1 Organization of the Board of Directors (amended, second reading waived)
• 210.10 (new 210.8) Agenda and Order of Regular Business Meetings (amended, second reading waived)
• 212 Closed Sessions (amended, second reading waived)
• New Policy 212.1 Exempt Meetings (adopted, second reading waived)
• 402.2-R Child Abuse Reporting Regulation (amended, second reading waived)
• 606.6 Insufficient Classroom Space (amended, second reading waived)

Initial Review – 

• 402.3-R Abuse of Students by School District Employees Regulation (will come back for a first reading)
• 402.3-E1 Abuse of Students by School District Employees (Complaint of Injury or Abuse) (will come back for a first reading)
• 402.3-E2 Abuse of Students by School District Employees (Report of Level 1 Investigation) (will come back for a first reading)
• 307 Communication Channels (deleted)
• 401.4 Employee Complaints (will come back for a first reading)
• 502.4 Student Complaints and Grievances (will come back for a first reading)

From Board President Bea Niblock
“One of the joys of board meetings is the individual school presentations. The board began its schedule of school presentations at our last meeting in October. 

Franklin Elementary staff members were the first to present to the board this year. And Lenihan Intermediate School presented last night. Each presentation is a short one that highlights a specific process of instruction or curriculum item. Staff members share the reason that particular procedure/curricula was chosen for building focus, the steps taken to alleviate the issue and the results of the intervention. 

The board’s first goal is to monitor and increase student achievement. These building presentations keep the board informed about progress toward increased achievement. We look forward to the next presentation and hearing about the strides being made toward increased student achievement and closing the learning gap.” – Bea Niblock

The next Marshalltown School Board meeting is set for 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 15, 2021 at the Central Administration Office, 1002 S. 3rd Ave. The meeting will be available to watch via live stream through the Bobcat News Network (BNN) YouTube channel.