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The Creston Community School Board voted to pursue an architectural plan for a second phase of the school’s stadium construction project during its regular meeting Monday.
Steve McDermott, superintendent, said the vote allows the district to pursue an architect to draw a plan, which the board will have to approve at a later date. The proposed plan would include a new concession building with individual restrooms, new fencing, two main gates, 10-foot sidewalks along the south edge of the field and new blacktop.
Billie Jo Greene, business manager, pointed out an expenditure of $31,305, which was used to rebuild a Steinway piano at Creston Community High School.
“It’s worth well over $100,000 now,” said McDermott.
McDermott said the piano is estimated to be 100 years old, and the district is attempting to find origination on it, as some Steinway pianos were built in Germany and some were built in the U.S. Additionally, the piano is stored in a protective case and they are in the process of having channels built, so the piano can be rolled into the case without the potential of damage.
Subject area committee report
Kevin Cooper, elementary physical education teacher, said a committee is working to identify “essential standards” for each grade level to assist the state of Iowa as it develops physical education standards for Iowa Core, which do not currently exist. The district last rewrote curriculum guidelines for P.E. in 2015 based on the National P.E. Standards. A 2017-18 benchmark report showed all grade levels have exceeded the district goal of meeting 70 percent of the standards, with all but one class in the 98 to 100 percent range.
Phil Wardenburg, CCHS industrial technology teacher, reported that financial literacy will be added to the Iowa curriculum. Additionally, students will continue to have guest speakers and field trips to area businesses, all of which add to the students’ fundamental skill set.
“A lot of them are high-end skills that can relate to the real world,” said Wardenburg.
Wardenburg said core subject areas – English, math and science – are infused into the career tech curriculum to show the need for core competencies in real world application.
Fundraising and donations
Greene shared that a number of donations had been raised for honor flight, totaling $3,840. An additional $504.58 was collected and donated to Creston Special Olympics.
Agreement
The board approved the signing of an engagement letter between the district and Piper Jaffray, an investment bank and asset management firm, which Greene said is just protocol based on new law. The engagement letter does not bind the district into a contract to use Piper Jaffray for future bonds, but allows Piper Jaffray to advise the district in the future.
Storage expansion
The board approved to engage Veenstra & Kim, an engineering firm, to draw plans for a storm gym storage expansion. Should the board approve this project, it would allow the school to make better use of space for storage in an existing storage facility on campus while making it safer, as it is also used as an emergency shelter. The proposed plan would include an iron platform and stairs, which would allow the school to store items to the ceiling without stacking boxes so high, which have the potential to fall. The stairs are a safer option to a ladder, which does not allow heavy equipment to be easily moved.
Modified supplemental aid
The board approved the 2018-19 MSA-At-Risk summary and budget of $487,952, which includes 16 district staff, including other at-risk employees, substitutes or supplies.
School resource officer
CCSD has partnered with the city of Creston and Creston Police Department to explore the option of hiring a school resource officer, which would be a “hybrid” position, serving both the school and the city. The SRO would complement the Stop School Violence grant efforts. McDermott said a 75/25 split has been suggested between the city and the school district, with the officer spending most of his or her time on school premises. McDermott does not foresee a SRO implemented before the start of the 2019 school year as the officer would need to complete training through the police academy.
McDermott said the difference between an SRO and the existing juvenile court liaison is that the latter is a liaison between the courts and the district and is not an officer. The liaison serves as a resource for students after they have been entered into the court system, whereas a SRO is preventative in nature.
Stop School Violence
The board approved a a resolution to help streamline the process of the 2018 Stop School Violence grant. The process would allow the school to write up a resolution to follow their own processes and then approach the city for final approval. This would shorten an otherwise three-month process. This process would also need to be approved by the city of Creston, the grant’s fiscal agent.
Communication report
Bill Messerole, CCHS principal, gave a report on school dropouts, which explained the varying reasons and efforts to help each student. The dropout report, which was certified Dec. 14, reflected 16 students, which was up from nine students the previous year. However, each year fluctuates more or less, and each case is different. Messerole said a number of outreach efforts are made with the student and parents to help these students stay on track and accelerate their education.
Additionally, Messerole reported Bill Mullin, CCHS woodworking fundamentals teacher, received a $8,000 donation to go toward the purchase of a $13,000 laser engraver and software, and Kelsey Bailey’s ag program got a drone with curriculum and training to use in ag classes. Additionally, he reported that economics will stay a requirement and financial literacy will be added to the curriculum, which any career tech teacher is qualified to teach. Messerole said all CCHS students will graduate with at least one career and technical education (CTE) credit before high school graduation as a result.
Jeff Bevins briefly discussed sports realignment, which poses problems as many coaches already coach main sports, and it would not be feasible to coach a secondary sport without additional staff. Changing seasons for freshman girls’ basketball and golf, and girls tennis is still being considered for the 2020-21 school year. Bevins also said mandatory “dead week,” where district schools and offices would be closed, is being considered for the 2020-21 school year to allow families to plan vacations. However, it’s just an idea.
Superintendent report
McDermott said the district is exploring the possibility of eliminating two positions after current staff members retire. These positions would be a high school P.E. position and a middle school at-risk success coordinator. McDermott said the idea was considered as the district has many teachers with endorsements to teach P.E. in addition to their main subject and the new SRO position can absorb some of the responsibility of the at-risk coordinator.