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.
The Board Report 