By Casey Jarmes | The News-Review<\/p>\n
SIGOURNEY \u2013 During the Oct. 8 meeting of the Sigourney School Board, Superintendent Kevin Hatfield stated that both schools had received \u201cCommendable\u201d status, according to the yearly school performance profiles. He noted the district\u2019s better than state average scores in attendance growth, chronic absenteeism, science proficiency, and math proficiency. High School Principal Shannon Webb noted that her school scored 70.90, compared to the state average of 63.28. She stated that the threshold for \u201cHigh Performing Status,\u201d which Sigourney Jr-Sr High received last year, was 72, which they missed by a single percent. Webb stated that the secondary school would be targeted for special ed, but hadn\u2019t been told if it would be for math or English language arts yet. Webb stated that she felt the scores were decent overall, noting that the only SICL secondary school that performed better than Sigourney was BGM.<\/p>\n
Elementary Principal Deanna Spence stated that the elementary, which scored 62.43 compared to the state average of 63.28, had risen to \u201cCommendable\u201d from last year\u2019s \u201cNeeds Improvement\u201d status and was no longer targeted for special ed. She credited this to growth in special ed reading scores. Spence explained that the elementary scored 72.73 in science proficiency compared to the state average of 67.14, 81.82 in math proficiency compared to the state average of 70.93, and 67.27 in English language arts proficiency compared to the state average of 73.56. She stated they would focus on English this year and make sure kids both had the stamina to read long passages and understood what they said.<\/p>\n
Work-Based Learning Coordinator Jenny Bell gave updates on the different STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Math) projects she had been teaching to elementary students. She explained that the freshman had taken interest surveys and were now looking into colleges that match the careers they are interested in. Bell stated that Savage Advantage students had made a new banner for Keokuk County Bowl and were currently helping Barn Wired by promoting their meal and drinks of the weak on Facebook and planning a teen night to attract young people to the coffee shop. She stated that Southeast Iowa Elite, Sinclair Tractor, Strong Source AG and Vision AG were also interested in having students help out. Bell stated that Sinclair had been approved for quality pre-apprenticeships and that FCA and Vision AG were also interested. Bell stated that there were only seven Work-Based Learning students this year, less than last year; of them, two are working at Sinclair, two are working at the school and one is working real estate. Hatfield noted that Sigourney was above average in Work-Based Learning scores, according to the performance profiles.<\/p>\n
Hatfield stated that insurance premiums had gone up to $945, compared to $660 four years ago, and stated that the the insurance committee was looking into possibly leaving the district\u2019s current insurance trust. He stated that Sigourney had been with the trust for at least twenty years and that trusts were good because they were simple, but that the problem was they don\u2019t give the school data or let them ask questions. He noted that Fairfield, BGM and Williamsburg had all left their trusts, believing they could get better service and save employees money. Hatfield stated that leaving a trust wouldn\u2019t save the district money, but would allow more flexibility in negotiating compensation for teachers. Jenny Gay from the insurance committee stated that they had spoken to three insurance companies, all of which sounded better than what the district had now. Spence stated that the companies had offered to educate school employees and guide them to selecting better plans. HR Director Missy Sellers stated that they would do a processing meeting next to see if leaving the trust would be better. Hatfield stated that he would have the better of the insurance companies meet with the board during a work session.<\/p>\n
Hatfield showed the board the district\u2019s enrollment numbers compared to last year, which had gone from: 34 to 28 in preschool, 284 to 299 in elementary, 92 to 97 in Jr High, 193 to 192 in high school, for a total going from 569 K12 last year to 578 this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Casey Jarmes | The News-Review SIGOURNEY \u2013 During the Oct. 8 meeting of the Sigourney School Board, Superintendent Kevin Hatfield stated that both schools had received \u201cCommendable\u201d status, according to the yearly school performance profiles. He noted the district\u2019s better than state average scores in attendance growth, chronic absenteeism,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18192,"featured_media":2426,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-features","category-news",""],"yoast_head":"\n