At the beginning of the Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Board of Education meeting on Monday night, President Beth Severson shared a suggestion from the Iowa Association of School Boards that board meetings should begin with a reminder of board policy related to the district’s mission and other guiding principles. This month’s value was “Compassionate- We will respect and care for each other”.
The board dealt with several staffing changes. One resignation was approved for elementary teacher Shanice Lloyd, pending receipt of her resignation since she is waiting for contract approval from another district. A number of contracts were also approved, including for Jeannette Corrow for Title I, Emma Hoffman for Kindergarten, and Jalyn Briley for 5th grade. The board approved a continuing contract with Whitney Dahlgren and a contract for Jill Stanton for high school math. Reassignments for Kate Orness to high school special education, strategist II, Tanja Jensen to K-12 TAG, and Jeff Meyer to Chemistry and Physics were approved. A work agreement with Scott Coldiron as nutrition director and seasonal work agreement with Colby Lienemann were okayed.
Superintendent Dr. Bob Olson noted the district wishes to continue serving meals until the end of June. That is when COVID-19 waivers that allow more liberal serving of meals expire. The district is now serving between 1,400 and 1,500 meals per week. Without the waivers, utilization was about 250 per week.
In other items relating to the current situation, Olson updated the board on unexpected expenditures associated with COVID-19 and providing distance learning. About $60,000 has been spent on student electronic devices and hotspot devices and annual contract (50) for homes without Wi-Fi. The total anticipated federal funding from the CARES Act is about $180,079.
An item to discuss temporary high school principal duties was tabled. Dr. Olson explained that COVID-19 has so far made hiring a new principal “next to impossible,” as few candidates have applied and very few people seem interested in moving right now. The matter will be discussed in the future.
Dr. Olson expressed his concerns about what may be forthcoming for education legislation. There is a push towards distance learning being required. Olson emphasized, “To do this will require high speed Internet for ALL students and teachers. Rural Iowa isn’t currently equipped for two-way, live video.” He also added that he shared this information with the governor’s taskforce and Lt. Governor Adam Greg when they visited Clarion recently. A Department of Education report that will likely shed more light on the matter is due out in July.
The district’s plans for a traditional, in-person graduation ceremony are still in the works. No firm decisions have been made yet.
