At Monday’s Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Board of Education meeting, Matt Gillaspie of Piper Sandler joined the meeting briefly. He shared the bids received for the sale of approximately $6.324 million in school infrastructure sales, services and use tax revenue bonds. This funding will be used for the upcoming building projects. The winning bid was from Luana Savings Bank out of Des Moines at an interest rate of 1.6% with the final maturity date 2033 with the option to pay back at any time. Gillaspie added that that rate was very attractive and flexible even if the projects come in over estimates. The board approved the resolution. Bid letting for the middle school gym and baseball/softball complex projects will take place in July.
Board Secretary and School Business Official Anita Frye explained that there has been an update to the next fiscal year’s tax rates. Both taxing districts went up $0.64, with Clarion-Goldfield going from 13.26586 to 13.90442, and the original Dows District going from 12.72589 to 13.36445. She noted that this happened due to changes in legislation at a state level, lower enrollment and at-risk funding getting approved, not because of building projects.
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Talented and Gifted (TAG) Director Tanja Jensen addressed the board about the program. She is working towards revamping the TAG identification process to make it proportional to the student population and more well-rounded. She has been concerned that the biggest identification marker is standardized testing. She wants to expand that to include other methods of data collection such as parent recommendations, projects and portfolios. She also plans to form a committee to help with identification. The board was very receptive to Jensen’s ideas and approved her plan with the rest of the consent agenda.
In a few policy change matters, the board discussed registration fees for the next school year. They ultimately decided to keep most fees the same but remove the $150 family maximum payment so there will now be no maximum cap. They also talked about changing the policy to provide complimentary activity passes to certain groups. Superintendent Joe Nelson noted, “We have a very liberal pass policy. We are not bringing in much money in the activities department and we’re concerned about the sustainability of certain programs.” The board seemed open to changes, but they decided to hold off on the first reading of a changed policy until next month’s meeting after more research is done.
In staffing changes, the board accepted the resignation of elementary para Tara Locke and approved Alison Friesleben as middle school softball coach.
