East Union prepares for a month of discussion

AFTON - Four meetings have been scheduled over the next four weeks to discuss future plans for the East Union Community School District.

Two of these meetings are dedicated to the 2024-2025 budget. These will be public hearings where community members will receive information regarding how the school will be using their funds next year. These meetings are scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Monday, March 25 and 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 16.

A public forum inviting community input on the proposed four-day school week will also be held at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 27. During the last public forum, community attendance and concern was high enough to delay the board’s vote on the schedule.

The goal of this week’s public forum is to outline a more controlled space. The board expressed that, although they were impressed and grateful with the high turnout of the previous forum, the lack of structure available made some parts chaotic. Speaker signups will be made available and the board plans to keep speakers to a three minute time limit.

A regular board meeting is scheduled to follow the public hearing on the 2024-2025 budget on April 16.

In other East Union School Board news...

New policies have been added and revised to meet the state of Iowa’s new education policies. Use of technology and AI has been outlined. Three new policies have been added, two are based on disciplining students who make threats of violence and one outlines the evaluation of licensed employees based on their skills, abilities and competence.

Director of the ECC, Peggy Hardy, presented updates on the Infant Toddler Center. Construction is still planned to be finished by November.

A short conversation about ticketing prices for athletic events was considered. Athletic Director for East Union Nate McCollough presented data of expenditures on officials for junior high events that is causing strain on the athletic program’s budget. Increasing entry prices for junior high events could help the program break even to pay officials.

Two public hearings regarding the 2024-2025 budget have been scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Monday, March 25, and 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 16. A second public forum to discuss the proposed four-day school week has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 27. A regular board meeting will follow the April 16 public hearing. All of these meetings will take place in East Union’s Collaborative Learning Center.