By Casey Jarmes | The News-Review
KEOTA – During the May 8 meeting of the Keota School Board, Elementary Principal Seth Milledge stated that Keota had finished up standardized testing for the year, with mostly good scores. The third graders scored 86 in English Language Arts and 91 in math, up from scores in the seventies and eighties last year. He explained that fourth graders scored 72 in ELA, but only 44 in math; Milledge stated there were pacing problems, partially due to the four-day schedule, meaning that some things didn’t get covered, and that the school was planning to work on the issue during PD time. Fifth graders scored 74 in ELA and 75 in math, as well as increasing 5.4% in science, and sixth graders scored 85 in ELA and 76 in math. He stated that he was anxious to see how the school’s growth scores will look, because growth lagged last year and is a major part of school report cards, but noted that 70% of fourth graders and 100% of sixth graders grew in math this year.
Milledge stated that there would be a gala at Lagos Acres Country Club on May 22 to raise startup seed money for the Keokuk County Childcare Network, which hopes to make childcare in Keota possible. The board approved a new employee handbook, which revised rules for personal leave at the end of the school year, bereavement days, banking emergency days, and brought back family passes to events for teachers who work more events. The board approved sharing agreements with Sigourney for transportation and human resources and with Washington for maintenance and a business manager. The board approved advertising the sale of a John Deere tractor and a Dodge pickup.
